Christian views related to racism are numerous. They are all related in some way to the belief that man was created in the image of God, which, according to Christians, is the basis for the view that all men are created equal. It is said in the Bible (Galatians 3:28)
‘There is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, between slaves and free people, between men and women; you are all one in union with Christ Jesus’.
This leads onto the idea that racism contradicts Jesus’ commands to love your neighbour as you would love yourselves, so therefore a Christian should not be racist in any way. We can see that God showed ‘agape’ love to all of his followers, despite what race they may have been. This is shown in Acts 10:34- ‘…it is true that God treats everyone on the same basis….no matter what race they belong to´. Jesus taught that God’s kingdom was open to everybody, it did not matter what race or religion they were. However teaching and passages in the bible can be interpreted in different ways. It is difficult to understand what “Christian faith” actually refers to. Some may see that by being racist you are following the teachings in the bible. This forms the basis an ideas for the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). The KKK however, is only against black people, and they do not seem to be concerned about what religion they may be.
Martin Luther King (1929 to 1968) was a man who devoted his life to fighting racism. He was deeply absorbed into his views of anti-segregation in the U.S.A and the whole world. He found it very difficult to understand how people could enforce segregation, even when it is those people that live under the ideals encompassing the belief that all men are created equal. It is said that he was man of great fulfilled ambition. To this day, King remains a controversial symbol of the African American civil rights struggle, remembered by many for his martyrdom on behalf of nonviolence and condemned by others for his militancy and insurgent views.
It was at Boston University that he had become interested in the works of Mahatma Gandhi. While there, he also met Coretta Scott of Marion, Alabama. They were married in June 1953, and the following year King accepted an appointment as pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama.
One of the things that King was so famous for was the fact that everything he did towards his struggle never, not even once, involve violence of any kind. This core of his philosophy was something that he had learnt from Mahatma Gandhi, something for which he had inspired him and made him admire the man. Even though Gandhi was not actually a Christian, he had a long lasting fascination with the teachings of the Bible and Jesus.
King's civil rights activities began with a protest of Montgomery's segregated bus system in 1955. That year, a black passenger named Rosa Parks was arrested for disobeying a city law requiring that blacks give up their seats on buses when white people wanted to sit in their seats or in the same row. Black leaders in Montgomery urged blacks to boycott (refuse to use) the city's buses. The leaders formed an organization to run the boycott, and asked King to serve as president. In his first speech as leader of the boycott, King told his black colleagues: "First and foremost, we are American citizens. ... We are not here advocating violence. ... The only weapon that we have ... is the weapon of protest. ... The great glory of American democracy is the right to protest for right."
Terrorists bombed King's home, but King continued to insist on nonviolent protests. Thousands of blacks boycotted the buses for over a year. In 1956, the United States Supreme Court ordered Montgomery to provide equal, integrated seating on public buses. The boycott's success won King national fame and identified him as a symbol of Southern blacks' new efforts to fight racial injustice.
In 1967, King became more critical of American society than ever before. He believed poverty was as great an evil as racism. He said that true social justice would require a redistribution of wealth from the rich to the poor. Thus, King began to plan a Poor People's Campaign that would unite poor people of all races in a struggle for economic opportunity. The campaign would demand a federal guaranteed annual income for poor people and other major antipoverty laws.
On April 4, 1968, King was shot and killed by James Earl Ray. Some historians view King's death as the end of the civil rights era that began in the 1950’s. Under his leadership, the civil rights movement won wide support among whites, and laws that had barred integration in the Southern States were abolished. King became only the second American whose birthday is observed as a national holiday. The first was George Washington, the nation's first President.
What is your own view on Racism and the way that people treat each other?
I am not a Christian myself, but I have the same principles as many Christians should. I do believe in the fact that all men are created equal, and just because we look different, we should be separated into groups which promotes racial discrimination.
I myself have been a victim of racial discrimination because of my skin colour and Indian Heritage. Although it has never become physical, their words in
Essence would have had the same effect. Terms such as ‘paki’ and ‘nigger’ remarkably still exist in our ‘civilized’ society. However, on the positive side these words have started to lose their meaning, and have started to be used with more mutual thought.
Racism is a problem which will eventually fade, but I do not believe that it will completely go away. When people hear the word racism, they immediately think of Whites discriminating Blacks, but there is more to it than that. Indians and Pakistanis are known to be very hostile against each other because of their religious beliefs, which is a form of racism. The only way to tell an Indian from a Pakistani is to refer to their religion as the colour of skin is the same. So it is apparent that racism today exists in many forms. Even now when people from different races meet, there is always a sense that everything is not as acquiesce as it would be if everyone was of the same race. I think it is perfectly understandable that people will undoubtedly feel slightly uncomfortable with people from other cultures and races, but I do not think that anything can justify any form of racism. People cannot be judged by the colour of their skin or ethnic backgrounds, but they should be judged on their personality, character and dignity.
