Religion and Racial Prejudice: Old But Guilty Partners

Bgone: "There is no greater prejudice than the condemnation of "all others" to hell no matter their race. Oops. That was way back ending around 1960."

Not the case. Didn't end. I'm one of the condemned, one among hundreds of millions of others.

Religions were created by particular people at particular points in time, some subsequently wedded to imperial aspirations that then gave rise to the notion of race. Indeed, it wasn't until the middle of this century that Americans stopped thinking in terms of nations as races, e.g., the English race, the Irish race, etc. Many Europeans still think this way.

A great deal of what we understand as identity has been and, in some quarters, continues to be racialized. Since so much essentialism originated in some religions and continues to dwell within them, the remarkable thing is that some believers actually aren't racists.

And by the same token an unbelievers disdain for God can inspire a deep racial disgust for those who do love God.
Causing one to think in terms of "typical white people" who "cling to their guns and religion" frustrated about people who "do not look like they do" etc,etc,,,,.

Hell was invented to encourage Pharaoh's army they would not be met in the next world by those they killed. It worked so well Pharaoh was declared God with the keys to heaven's gate. Maybe a look at the papal flag will enlighten us? Were does Pharaoh now resides?

There is no greater prejudice than the condemnation of "all others" to hell no matter their race. Oops. That was way back ending around 1960. We're all ecumenical now. Could it be that ecumenical isn't a 100% success?

Don't look much like his holiness will be administering the oath to our next president. Maybe later when everyone gets religion and ecumenical all at the same time? For now we'll just have to settler for the Dalia Lama.

OoooopppsssaaaaDizydaisy! @ 4:04Pm

Correction of Sin:

"The Religion Of Everything Before The 'SCiENCE' of Everything!"

To be parochial regarding religion encourages a similar attitude toward other differences between people. When a person who merely wears different clothes can be rejected in polite society, we can then reject them for a variety of very subtle reasons. How did we ever get the idea that skin color determines one's race? I am sure this distinction can be found in religions, particularly in Christianity.

Regarding the statement: "That paragraph might sound as if I want to do public relations for "the New Atheists," who ask us to kill nothing but religion since, with religion gone, other killing would stop."

I've done fairly extensive reading on the subject of atheism and I have yet to find any atheist propounding the obviously silly notion that 'other killing would stop' if religion were gone. That just doesn't sound like something a reasonable person would say; and if atheists worship anything, it is reason.

It's too bad that the study cited in the question didn't break down those with 'racial prejudices' by belief in god. I would be fascinated to see if the 90% 'god believing' Americans are statistically more or less likely to be racially prejudiced.

To be clear, I'm not making any claim that they are.

But discussing the results of THAT study would be far more interesting than noting that religion and racism coexist. As Prof. Marty correctly notes, that's been the case since religion was invented.

I agree with much of Marin Marty’s essay. In the Hebrew Scriptures (a.k.a. Old Testament) there is a tension between particularism (God is concerned only or primarily with Israel) and universalism (God is concerned with all people). Some of the passages that emphasize particularism the most are those in which God commands his servants to commit ethnic cleansing against the Canaanites and especially the Amalekites. Some of the most universalistic are passages in Isaiah which emphasize the salvation of the Gentiles and even their co-equality with Israelites (Isaiah 19: 21-25, 56:1-8 and 66:21).

However, I find it difficult to find passages in the Greek Scriptures (a.k.a. New Testament) which support racism unless the interpreter forces the texts to commit unnatural acts.

Peace,
Rip