From the Old Testament we hear of how Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments. One of these commandments was “love your neighbour as you love yourself.” So as a Christian we are given the responsibility from God’s law to love and respect everyone no-matter his or her race. This is a very significant law and responsibility as the Ten Commandments can be summed up as two: “love thy God” and “love thy neighbour”
One very popular and notifiable parable told in the bible is that of the Good Samaritan. The goes like this. Basically, there was a man who was mugged; many people passed him yet none of them helped him. Then there came along the Samaritan. He was supposedly an enemy of the victim because of his religion, and yet he was the only one who helped and took car of him. The Good Samaritan is a clear role model to all Christians, as even as the victim was supposedly his enemy he still love and treated him as a loving neighbour.
In James 2:1-5,we are told precisely that prejudice is wrong; “you are guilty of creating distinctions among yourselves and of making judgments based on evil motives” It cannot be shown any clearer than this. James has practically said that as a Christian it is our responsibly not to pre-judge anyone.
This commandment is emphasised by Jesus himself, not long after these commandments were given. He said, “This commandment is one of the two most greatest commandments. You must apply this to foreigners, including those of a different race. They are to be treated just as a fellow brother.” From this passage we are told directly of how we must treat another person, whether they are of a different race or not, with the same love that you would to that of yourself. So again we are shown how we are responsible to treat one another with love.
In conclusion of the Bible’s Old Testament and Jesus’ teaching I can that as Christians the responsibility is heavily burned upon us, we just don’t know it. The bible has been able to show us the responsibility given to us through it messages.
Now moving onto the Church’s Teachings. The Roman Catholic Church strongly opposes racism. They accept the teachings on it from the bible. “The church reproves, as foreign to the mind of Christ, Discrimination against any people or harassment of them on the basis of their race, colour, condition in life or religion.” Said the second Vatican council of 1925. Every Human being is created in the image of God. God offer salvation to everyone, to all nations. The principle is that everyone is equal. These basically the rules in which being a Christian we follow as a responsibility.
Here are a few examples of how it has been put into practice. In 1888 Pope Leo XIII outlawed the slave trade in African black people. Pope John Paul II condemned the fact that Christians had contributed to the slave trade. Apartheid in South Africa shall be abolished. This shows that the responsibility has been given to us Christians and that now it is working.
What the church wants to do, to increase that responsibility given to us, is in the following.
- Wants to change racist attitudes including those found among her own members.
- Asks God to open people’s hearts and appeals to people’s moral and religious state.
- Offers a place in which people can be reconciled (brought together)
- Wants to see more initiative between different ethnic groups to welcome each other, snare ideas with each other and to help each other.
- Tries to live by the message, which she proposes, to all human beings. “Every person is my brother or sister.”
In conclusion for the Church’s efforts can say: The effort to overcome racism has become broadly anchored in the Human Conscience. All discrimination must be opposed. The church wants to change hearts and offer a place for reconciliation. And so then finally the Church therefore supports everything in the world, which works against racial Discrimination & prejudice and supports all human rights.
