Is Christianity racist?

[redpaint417]

How racist is Christianity? Could Christians be labelled a racist organization? Is there any proof Christianity is racist? Are there any historical examples of Christianity being racist? Are there any bible passages directly promoting racism?

[Baruch]

Which Christianity?  The pre-Constantinian form, but after 135 CE, was anti-Semitic, but not racist in a modern sense.  Before 135 CE, some forms were pro-Semitic and others were anti-Semitic ... but after 450 CE, the pro-Semitic form had died out.  But it has been revived since 1965.  The Constantinian form from which almost all Christianity evolves .. was a cat's paw to the Roman state.  And the Romans weren't racist, they were anti-barbarian, anti-Persian ... at least in slave society, of which almost all Romans were slaves.  The masters were a bit Italian leaning though ;-)  It was the modern forms of Christianity, that had developed a modern race theory, that were racist ... so Christians could be racist, but was Christianity racist?  To what extent is a noun guilty?  In the US racism was based on distorted Biblical exegesis (Anglo-American Israelitism) that would devalue the Native American (though not all missionaries did this) and devalue the African-American (by necessity, in order to have a captive labor force to do field work as cheaply as possible ... it is imminently capitalist).  The improved cotton plantations, thanks to Eli Whitney, actually worsened the condition of African-Americans, much like Amazon is being accused of just this month.

[Munch]

Are there any historical examples of Christianity being racist?

oh brother..

Christianity as a Justification for Slavery

Date:
September 29, 1835
Location:
CHARLESTON, South Carolina
Tags:
African-Americans, Church/Religious-Activity, Race-Relations, Slavery, Urban-Life/Boosterism
Course:
"Rise And Fall of the Slave South," University of Virginia

Slave owners had many justifications for why holding people in bondage was acceptable. From the idea that African Americans were a lesser race who needed taking care of by white patriarchs to the economic justification, slave owners were always trying to find new ways to dispute those who disagreed with their choice to hold others in captivity. Charleston slave holders were no exception in attempting to find justifications to mask their guilt. Often, religion came into play, on both the slavery and anti-slavery sides of the debate. In 1835, at the end of two long articles about religion and slavery in the Charleston Mercury, it was said that both the Old and New Testament give permission to hold others as slaves. In the Old Testament, God and the Patriarchs approve. As for the New Testament, Jesus and the Apostles show that slavery is permissible. Therefore, slavery, to those who wrote the article, was not an anti-Christian institution. It was just the opposite. Furthermore, they added, it is impious to say slavery is anti-Christian because such a conclusion contradicted God.

Such extremist beliefs were common in the slavery/antislavery debate. Slaveholders believed that slavery would liberate Africans from their savage-like ways, especially if they were infused with Christianity. As religion ran deep through slavery, white Christian slaveholders argued that slavery was a necessary evil because it would control the sinful, less humane, black race.

Slave owners, beginning in the 1830s, began to permit black religious gatherings in some forms. In addition, Charleston slaves and free blacks were allowed to attend church with their owners. However, previous slave revolts like Virginia's Nat Turner caused worry that religion would make slaves think they had the right to be free. Turner experienced religious visions that caused him to believe that revolt was divinely ordained. Slaves allowed by their masters to worship were closely monitored thereafter.

Even though the article in The Charleston Mercury claimed that Jesus supported slavery, the Biblical truth is, according to J. Albert Harrill, that Jesus was remarkably silent on the slavery issue. He never outright named it explicitly as a sin. Both sides of the slavery/anti-slavery debate used this ambiguity to their advantage, embellishing the details that supported their case. The slaveholding South stretched the truth and claimed that Jesus permitted slavery. The anti-slavery North claimed that Jesus never said sodomy, blasphemy, and idolatry were sins, even though to Christians, they clearly are. The word of the Lord, to them, did not have to spell out what was right and wrong. Overall, both sides of the debate used religion to their advantage, stretching the truth wherever necessary to help their cause, just as in this article from The Charleston Mercury.

Slavery as always, ALWAYS, come from religious beliefs that owning slaves is what you do. The bible itself has countless passages of slavery being the norm though it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bible_and_slavery


The very basis of christianity in the west is how it altered sources of the bible to fit into the white supremist view of the world, Jesus, a white character, being born in a region of the world that was brown skinned is an example of this, as its been said if Jesus was real, he would have looked like this.

[Termin]

How racist is Christianity? Could Christians be labelled a racist organization? Is there any proof Christianity is racist? Are there any historical examples of Christianity being racist?   

As an atheist I say no as I believe religion to be a product of man, I also believe racism is a product of man. So to blame Christianity for racism would be ignoring the root cause, humans. Racism has probably been with man longer before any religion of note ever came about, and it certainly predates Christianity.

Are there any bible passages directly promoting racism?

  Others can answer this better than me I'm sure, but I don't believe there is anything specific to racism, there are certainly passages that can be described as bigoted towards other ethnic groups, religions,  as well as sexism, homophobia but not specifically racism that I am aware of.

  That doesn't really matter, a racist would be able to interpret bible passages anyway they see fit, and this is done both o support racist ideals, and to show racism is wrong.

[Mike Cl]

I believe the Christian Identity movement calls black people 'mud people' and uses the bible to prove that this is so.

[Baruch]

Christian Identity is a hillbilly version of Anglo-American Israelitism ... which isn't a fringe movement.

[TomFoolery]

How racist is Christianity?

Is there some sort of scale? And I think it varies wildly by modern denominations. I imagine you'd find Southern Baptists more racist than say, Messianic Jews.

Could Christians be labelled a racist organization?

That's like asking if we should label professional sports a racist organization. There are too many sports, and too many teams within each sport to call the whole damn thing intentionally racist.

Is there any proof Christianity is racist?

Historically? No doubt. Slave-owners in the American South quoted a number of Bible pro-slavery Bible verses.

Are there any historical examples of Christianity being racist?

This is like asking if there are any examples of politicians being shady.

[Sargon The Grape]

On a scale from 1-10, 10 being Adolf Hitler levels of genocide in the name of racial purity, 1 being a neckbeard internet user who thinks dem daggon darkies are ruinin' dis countreh, I'd say Christianity on the whole falls around... seven.

[aitm]

As christianity holds the OT as one third of their beloved religion, and as much as good ole god demands the death of all kinds of "ittes" it is an easy step to recognizing racism not as a black/white thing , but more accurately a "us versus them" thing, so yes use whatever "ism" you prefer, racism, ethnocentrism or whatever else you can come up with. "Those" people are evil  and need to be…….

[Baruch]

But in old New Guinea, enemies as a food source is a win!  Friends don't let friends eat friends.  But the circle of friends is small.

[Blackleaf]

What do you mean by Christianity? If you're simply asking if the Bible itself promotes racism, the answer is no. The Jews were God's chosen people, but they were not a race, but a nation. The Jews also accepted outsiders as equal members, including people like the prostitute Rahab, who protected the Jewish spies in Jericho, and was also specifically mentioned in one of Jesus' genealogies. The Jews owned slaves, but unlike the West in more recent years, their slavery was not based on race, and their slaves were not treated like cattle.

Getting into the New Testament, where the Christian split in the religion began, God opened himself up to more than just the Jews, removing many of the older laws so that the gentiles (non-jews) could join without feeling pressured to make drastic changes. For instance, pigs were no longer considered unclean, so gentiles working with pigs wouldn't have to find new jobs. And more importantly, circumcision was no longer required, much to the relief of the grown men who decided to convert. (As a side note, one of my favorite parts of the Bible is when Paul tells the Jewish Christians who were insisting converts be circumcised to STFU and cut their own dicks off.)

The Bible even suggests that God doesn't care at all what our skin color or sex is.

Galatians 3:28 - "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

[surreptitious57]

Inasmuch as anyone can become a Christian regardless of their race the then the answer is no
But individual Christians can be racist however. And there can also be Christians who interpret
scripture from a racist perspective. Such as for example blaming the Jews for the crucifixion of 
Jesus. But it was the Romans that were responsible for it since they were the occupying power
at the time so had the authority in deciding who could be crucified. And to day many American
Christians pray for Israels destruction since they think it will be the beginning of the End Times
And so while Christianity is available to anyone it does have a history of anti Semitism within it

[Munch]

The Bible even suggests that God doesn't care at all what our skin color or sex is.

Ephesians 5:22
Wives and Husbands
Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.

Colossians 3:18 - Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord

1 Peter 3:1-22 - Likewise, ye wives, [be] in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; 

Seems pretty clear the bible's take on women.

Leviticus 20:13 ESV

If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them

Jude 1:7 ESV

Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire

And homosexuality.

Seems pretty clear "God" had issues with sexuality and gender

[Baruch]

Most people have taboos.  Not that they make sense, think Oedipus Rex.  IMHO ... G-d actually has no taboos ... and as a human, I have a problem with this ;-)

Ancient Semites were probably a real hard neighbor to put up with way back when ... and still are, just ask the victims of ISIS.  The question is, how did a bunch of Europeans end up with the early edition of the ISIS manual?

[Mike Cl]

What do you mean by Christianity? If you're simply asking if the Bible itself promotes racism, the answer is no. The Jews were God's chosen people, but they were not a race, but a nation. The Jews also accepted outsiders as equal members, including people like the prostitute Rahab, who protected the Jewish spies in Jericho, and was also specifically mentioned in one of Jesus' genealogies. The Jews owned slaves, but unlike the West in more recent years, their slavery was not based on race, and their slaves were not treated like cattle.

Getting into the New Testament, where the Christian split in the religion began, God opened himself up to more than just the Jews, removing many of the older laws so that the gentiles (non-jews) could join without feeling pressured to make drastic changes. For instance, pigs were no longer considered unclean, so gentiles working with pigs wouldn't have to find new jobs. And more importantly, circumcision was no longer required, much to the relief of the grown men who decided to convert. (As a side note, one of my favorite parts of the Bible is when Paul tells the Jewish Christians who were insisting converts be circumcised to STFU and cut their own dicks off.)

The Bible even suggests that God doesn't care at all what our skin color or sex is.

Galatians 3:28 - "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

If what you indicate is true, then where does the term 'mud people' come from?