www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Is Racism A Sin?

A friend and I were discussing whether or not racism is a sin (i.e. disliking a person only on the grounds of his skin color/race). I tend to think it is at least a venial sin to have an automatic dislike of someone strictly based on this criterion and nothing else. To me it seems to be a breach of Our Lord's command to love one's neighbor as oneself.

My friend was adamant that it is not a sin, and that "for 1900 years no one cared, so I don't care either." He seems to think it's just an outgrowth of the 60s liberal crowd.

I know that the USCCB in 1979 apparently put out a document labeling racism a sin, but I wouldn't care to discuss that document (if that's alright), since the USCCB has no power to decide what is or isn't sin, and frankly I don't care too much for what I consider to be their politically-correct maneuverings.

So, what do y'all think?

Alexis

"Love your neighbor as yourself". Sounds simple enough to understand to me...

How could it not be a sin, it is akin to judging someone based on any discriminatory factor.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, PART THREE, SECTION ONE, CHAPTER TWO, ARTICLE 3 - SOCIAL JUSTICE para 1935

It seems to obviously be a sin, disliking anyone on the basis of race.

First off, your friend is actually incorrect in the assertion that "no one cared for 1900 years"; in fact, what people tended to not care about for most of that time was race itself, not racism. Racism, as we know it today, came up primarily during the imperial expansion of European powers, as a kind of justification for their actions (especially slavery and exploitation of native populations). Prior to that there was relatively little emphasis put on race (at least among Westerners through North Africa and the Middle East). People were aware of other races, as there was never any true isolation around the Mediteranean especially, but there wasn't so much of a sense of "hard seperation" that developed later.

Secondly, Scripture actually deals with racism directly (though it's not immediately obvious if you don't catch what's being said). When Moses was marrying the Cushite woman (a black ethnic group), Miriam and Aaron complained. What was God's response? He struck Miriam white with leprosy ("You like white so much, I got your white right here!"). It's a poetic punishment, but one which I think clearly indicates God's feelings on racism, and this story is from the time when the Jews lived apart from other peoples!

Peace and God bless!

It's a sin, period. Just because they didn't care then, that does not mean it was right. And when bishops usually issue statements like these, bishops are doing so as teachers and defenders of the faith so there is a likelihood that they were just doing what they were called to do.

Secondly, if you're going to discriminate against someone, (not that I condone it to begin with), try doing so on the basis that one is stupid or talks nonsense. It makes life easier.

I second your "Secondly..." Collin.

isn't it called the sin/heresy of "phyletism".

XB!

Herb

Indeed, phyletism is some a form of racism. However, phyletism is also present in Western churches, prominently amongst Protestant churches. Most Malaysian churches, which are Western-oriented Protestant and Evangelical churches, tend to focus on one ethnic group only.

The practice of racial discrimination is unquestionably sinful. A racist outlook, if kept to oneself and one manages to refrain from acting that way (which seems schizophrenic) is at best stupid and self-depriving.

One can observe that sometimes racism becomes a "means" for people to manage to feel superior to certain other people. Such an ambition is deplorable in the first place, and using racism or other forms of bigotry in an effort to accomplish this deplorable ambition is not likely to succeed.

I remember some choice examples, but describing them would not be edifying.

Fr. Serge

But wouldn't that lead to more discrimination?



Shalom,
Memo

Ghosty!

Yes, I had forgotten the story about "Snow White Miriam!" Thanks for reminding me.

Alexis

It must be some kind of disordered human nature to fear those who are different than us...

I have heard of bigotry of one town on an island towards another far away town on the same island...If it can occur between people of the same nationality and geographic region, imagine how much more our natures fear those who look, worship and speak differently than us!

On the other hand, we are told there is no Greek ( ), Jew or Gentile in Christ Jesus, we are told to love our neighbors and we are told not to judge lest we be judged.. So our Lord laid down all the rules for us to stop racism.

In this great successful experiment of the U.S., many nationalities have been discriminated upon their arrival by other nationalities...racism occurs even among the 'white' race..this one is darker, that one has this kind of hair, that one has that kind of hair, this one eats this, that one eats that, this one is taller, that one is shorter, blah, blah, blah...it all boils down to differences....

I suppose this all has to do with man's sinful desire to feel superiour to another...it is all about ego and pride...the two passions which lead to arrogance and racism of all sorts.

May our Lord have mercy on us sinners...

Alice

Dear Alice,

You do realize that the Gospel clearly proves that it was primarily for the Greeks that Christ came. The Apostles informed Christ that two Greeks wished to speak to him - and the Lord answered: Now is the Son of Man glorified!

The problem is that today people preach a double morality.

They say that if you are black you have to be proud of it and show it but if you say you're white and proud of it you're wrong and you're a racist.

What is wrong is to feel hate for other races just because of being different, or what happened in South Africa where Native Aricans had been opressed in their own lands, or in those countries where racial discrimination existed (or radical separation as that of the Southern United States).

I am in favour of equality of races and nations. Every race must have the right to exist peacefully in its own territory or land from where they originated, and preserve its own characteristics and lifestyles without the opression of others.

As well as the Apostles and their spiritual descendants promoted Christianity in places as far as Ethiopia, Christianity in Latin America spred because of the intervention of the Spanish and they respected the lives of the Native Americans bringing them morals and civilization. There's a big difference between the faith of those coming from the Apostolic Christian Churches who always wished to save souls (like in Latin America) and the corrupt faith of the unbaptized heretics (in the North) who killed most of the Natives (even the peaceful ones) who lived in the land they wanted to control.

St. Paul says that in Christ there is no Greek, no Jew, that we're all his sons and that we must never claim any form of Supremacy (as Judaism does and as the White Protestants supremacists do). However this doesn't mean that are not allowed to care about our own people.

In my country, leftist gangs and pseudo-intellectuals have taught us for years that we can only be proud of the Native American past but that we have to be ashamed of our European heritage. This is wrong, I am European-Mexican and I'm very proud of what we've done in this country, we are responsible for developping our National identity and culture.

It's normal to care more about those of our own ethnic group or race because we ourselves are part of it. And it's even more normal to care more about this if our own ethnic group is endangered or suffering opression. For example, I fight mainly for those of my own country and the preservation of our Hispanic traditions and culture, then I try to defend the Native Americans of my country because this is their land and we share many aspects with them.

Nature and history are also important aspects whose power over the human race and its development are often underrated. In Latin America, for example, Hispanics and Native Americans integrated, there was compatibility and new national identities were born as a result of this union. Here the Native populations remained in existence and this was the key of success.

However this did not happen in other countries where National identity did not develop naturally from common biological, religious and historical aspects. Therefore the ideology of the French Revolution was the only one that could justify their existance and the idea of the non-cultural State was born, a State based mainly on economic projects and not on common values and ethnic unity.

Things become more complicated if in a certain human society the Native element becomes significantly reduced or dies out and the only ones who remained are two foreign elements who compete with each other (one of them being dominant).

Absolutely racism and bigotry are sinful, however using those terms incorrectly, applying labels, ruining reputations through politically correct distortion could also be considered sinful.
These days the term racism gets thrown around a lot by the likes of Al Sharpton and Jessey Jackson and most of the time those two use the term it does not apply.