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Will Christianity also become as offensive as racism?
The United Nations defines racism as “any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, skin colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin”. So treating people different because they are from a different tribe or ethnic group is racist.
We could ask the same about Judaism and Islam; are they as equally offensive and oppressive as racism, but considering that, the majority of believers on earth are Christians we shall discuss Christianity.
People who live in South Africa know about racism and how offensive and unacceptable it is. Racism hurts people, it causes division and segregation. It creates an, us and them mentality. It says one ethnic group is superior to another.
Does Christianity promote and achieve the same dubious results? Does Christianity; hurt people, does it cause division and segregation, an, us and them mentality, does its adherents view themselves as superior, privileged or somehow special? Has Christianity also played a part in; racism, bigotry, elitism?
In the old South Africa most Christian Churches were segregated and I used to get an almost devilish thrill when I would remind other Christians that in heaven there would be non-white people as well. So if they could not get along with them now, how could they do it for an eternity?
During apartheid Christians (Dutch reform Calvinism) thought that they were the chosen race. This gave them a God given authority to think that they were superior to others. Well even if they were superior you would think that they would have a good human rights record, but they didn’t.
Even Jesus Christ thought he was from the chosen race. We know this because in Matt 15:21… we read: The woman (Canaanite) came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.”
Jesus like all good Jews do today thought that non - Jews (Gentiles, Goyhim) were dogs - because as the chosen race only they had the ear and council of God.
Therefore they were superior to all others who did not have God on their side.
Chris O’Doud an Irish actor made a telling comment the other day. He said religion will eventually become as offensive and unacceptable as racism. So we will see. But this we do know, religion is causing a lot of suffering at the moment. Just imagine if there was no religious ideology that caused offence and oppression and displacement - what peace we would have on earth.
