RACISM AND DOGMATIC POLITICAL AFFILIATIONS: A BIBLICAL RESPONSE

Abstract

Racism seems to stem from a misunderstanding of who God is, where we all emanated and a low grasp of where we all are going to; which is heaven, hence there is no special race made for its inhabitance. The prevalence of racism and dogmatic political affiliations that has been since then and now necessitated a biblical response to its effect. The idea that one race is superior to another is heretical, unbiblical and unchristian. It is also a mindset that yields to subjugation, supremacy, dehumanization and brutality. Thus, distorting the doctrine of creation which reveals humankinds’ origin without any race being neither superior nor inferior. Racism was traced to four main historical events namely (1) the development of slave trade; (2) the industrial revolution and its contribution to the reputation of Europeans and Americans; (3) the discovery of America and establishment of trade routes to India; and (4) Darwin’s doctrine of evolution with the major idea of the survival of the fittest; which revealed that racism arose as an ideological rationalization for the accumulations of economic and political power which were expressed in slave trade and colonialism. The study used the qualitative method of research. I argued that racism will linger unless there is a realization of that God created all men equal. The study therefore surmises that racism, or for that matter prejudice of any kind, is totally inappropriate for God’s children or humankind. It recommends that the religious leaders, founders and believers of any religion in the world whether Christianity, Islam and all others should be in the frontline of dismantling and disabusing racism from the minds of people instead.