Why do religions seem to insist there are different 'races' of people?
Upvote:1
Christianity neither insists nor seems to insist, in my opinion, that there are different races of humankind. Quite the opposite. In Paul's sermonette to the Athenians, he said:
And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place... (Acts 17:26, ESV)
The New Testament is unconcerned with skin color, and certainly as a way to group or characterize human beings. The major division of humanity discussed in New Testament theology is that between Jew and Gentile. There is a wide range of color within both sets!
Upvote:3
The idea of race is not a Christian construct. It doesn't derive from Christianity. It isn't supported by scripture. If you search for 'race' in the Bible it is only ever used to mean "human race" or "competition to see who is fastest".
Race is, as you say, a social construct, and while it was commonly thought to be useful in a society that also happened to have a majority of Christians, and was used by Christian during a time when race was universally thought to be a valid idea, there is no indication that it was Christianity that drove this. Plenty of atheists used the concept of race in the fifties and sixties.
More post
- 📝 What do "Templar" and "Soldiers of Christ" mean?
- 📝 What is the biblical basis for the claim that abortion is immoral?
- 📝 Can humans become angels in Heaven?
- 📝 Question on "The Forged Origins of the New Testament" and Josephus
- 📝 Can non-inifinite beings make logical deductions about infinite properties of God?
- 📝 By what process did the miraculous conception of Jesus occur?
- 📝 When it seems a Pope has heretical beliefs, who determines whether those beliefs are Magisterial?
- 📝 What is the basis for First Communion?
- 📝 Does the Roman Catholic church recognize LDS baptisms?
- 📝 Is the Orthodox canon right?
- 📝 Would the Christians Luke was writing for know who Phanuel was?
- 📝 How do the Assemblies of God interpret 1 Corinthians 11:2–6?
- 📝 What was done with animals WITH defects?
- 📝 What are the oldest surviving manuscripts of the scriptures?
- 📝 Why does the axiom of choice imply the existence of a unique God?
- 📝 Were some of Jesus' disciples more privileged than others?
- 📝 From a non-Trinitarian perspective, how would you show that the Bible does not teach that the Son is equal with the Father?
- 📝 Is Hell eternal, or do some/all escape it?
- 📝 What is the special significance of prayers said in a hushed voice by the celebrant during the Holy Mass of Catholic Church?
- 📝 When and by whom was the Exsultet written?
- 📝 Do the religious figures leading a particular See of Christianity have a specific title(s) for that office?
- 📝 What is the first recorded observation of Good Friday?
- 📝 Confused on Nahor and Haran
- 📝 How does the Catholic Church understand the priesthood of all believers?
- 📝 Are there any Christians who understand Daniel 10 implying that there is an evil spirit prince over each country?
- 📝 During Lutheran Confession, can the confessor refuse to absolve the sins of the penitent?
- 📝 Why does St. Peter use the phraseology "killed by hanging on a tree" while referring to the crucifixion of Jesus?
- 📝 What did Jesus mean by his apparent racial taunt to the Canaanite woman in Matt 15 when he inferred that they were "dogs"?
- 📝 Is Methodism more strict in biblical interpretation?
- 📝 Are Roman Catholics required at any time to bow down to statues or images?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Why do religions seem to insist there are different 'races' of people?
- 📝 Why are there different divisions of the Ten Commandments?
- 📝 According to Emanuel Swedenborg, why are there different types of angels?
- 📝 Why are there people in Protestant countries with the last name "Pope"?
- 📝 Why are there different sects of Christianity?
- 📝 If there is only one God, why are there so many different religions?
- 📝 Why are there so many translations of the Bible?
- 📝 Are there multiple levels to Heaven, for different levels of reward?
- 📝 Are there theological explanations for why God allowed ambiguity to exist in Scripture?
- 📝 Are there two different creation accounts in the bible?
- 📝 Why are some people born into famine and starvation?
- 📝 Why is Jesus occasionally referred to as "The Christ"? Is there a different definition between the two?
- 📝 Why are people traditionally buried facing east?
- 📝 Are there any biblical incidents of people condemned for consensual premarital sex?
- 📝 Why are there no longer large-scale miracles from God?
- 📝 If miracles stopped after the Apostles, then why are there admonitions to pray over people?
- 📝 Why do there appear to be two very different variations of “tongues” in the New Testament?
- 📝 Why are there fourteen stations of the cross?
- 📝 Are there any real statistics on how many people fall away?
- 📝 Are there any scholars or doctrinal schools that address the conspicuous dearth of needy people in Jesus' sayings and stories?
- 📝 Do people of different denominations think that the others are going to go to hell for holding false views?
- 📝 Why are there Sibyls and Prophetesses in the Sistine Chapel?
- 📝 Christian view of why there are so many similarities between Quran and Bible?
- 📝 Why are there so many First Congregational Churches in the US?
- 📝 How many different groups are there that base their teachings on the Book of Mormon and/or Joseph Smith?
- 📝 Why are there differences in the "Greeting" of the Mass?
- 📝 Why are we given details about what the descendants of Cain did? Is there special significance to these details?
- 📝 Are there historical accounts of the character of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah?
- 📝 Are there any ecumenical movements among lay people working to unite Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians?
- 📝 Why are there so many priests in the LDS Church?