One divisive creation of fallen humanity which came into being after the finalization of the cannon deserves mention. When God gave humanity several languages at Babel (Gen. 11:1-10), the result was that they scattered throughout the land, and at some point, a certain number of them eventually became polyglots (able to speak more than one language) and interpreters. The reason was to keep humanity from being united in rebellion against God. The division of the human race into several races (polyracism) by external appearance (phenotype) was created in the seventeenth century AD by pagans wishing to subjugate certain of their fellow human beings further. People who believed in this created “scientific racism” in the 19th century. By the middle of the 20th century, these had been shown as false. This satanic Babel is an enabling sin that yields hatred, warfare, and other sins. It has no scientific backing. Biological race assumes that our customary races—the people we customarily classify as black or white—are divided by genes or heritable traits, but most biologists now understand that no cluster of genes or heritable traits divide them. So why does pagan society continue to cling to the myth of polyracism? This erroneous belief is endemic in society and has produced sins of bias, pride, and others.
Some have said that some portions of the Scriptures are racist. This is untrue. The invention of the pseudo-races occurred 1500 years after the last Apostle died. The error is seeing scripture with the tainted lenses of 21st century polyracism. The Scriptures and even human science state that the human race came from a single pair. Differences in skin pigment concentration have been around since creation. Some have posited that Adam and Eve’s children (see Gen. 5:4) likely had different skin colors, and that Adam and Eve possibly had different skin colors as well. Most scientists believe that humanity came from a single female. While they differ from the biblical perspective and contend that humans originated from Africa rather than the Middle East/Asia, the belief in a single lineage for all humanity does have sound scientific backing. Dividing people by skin color is inappropriate since all humans have the same brown pigment, melanin, in different concentrations. Fallen human pride plays a large part in the continued existence of this erroneous belief.
When Paul defended his beliefs before those at Athens, he said concerning the creation of humanity by God, “He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation” (Acts 17:26). Polyracism is counter to God’s creation. It is also counter to the basis of the community of faith (Gal. 3:28). The Church must declare the unity of the human race instead of seeking for racial understanding. If the members of the Body of Christ are to be ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20) of the Kingdom of God, then each one must be separate from the pollution of the world. Why has this satanic lie spread so well throughout humanity? The answer is that although one group of humans began it, other humans tolerated and later adopted it. People after that were not given this false identification from one that abused them, but by the very people who loved them more than life itself.
If a person brought an idol into a church building and began to insist that all should worship it as well as God, they would meet with determined opposition. The community faith has only one God and worships Him alone, so why does the Church welcome the tenets of polyracism in any form? Why do churches conform to this pagan philosophy? Why do Christians hold the banner of Christ while holding this same lie as a mark of identity? As Apostle Paul commanded the Christians of his day to shun the practices of paganism, so the community of faith must shun any association with this pagan belief.
Assignment: Watch Dr. Seuss' The Sneetches. If you don't have it, it is on YouTube. Answer this question: Who is represented by Silvester McMonkey McBean? Hint: McBean is one who knows the Sneetches' ways and seeks only to impoverish not help them.
Comment::
Re: Tower of Babel.... A most interesting and unique Revelation of the origin of racism. Re: McBean I believe that he represents the Devil. What I find interesting is that after all the prejudice, bigotry and turmoil, when he was done with them, they finally found the truth. Romans 8:28.... God is in total control and can use any and every situation, good or bad, to bring us back to Him.
Question for class members: In your opinion, is it better to accept these pseudo-races as real and strive for "interracial" understanding or reject them within the Church as valid? How does this relate to the issue of being a peacemaker vs. a peacekeeper?
[Hint: peacemakers seek to change people and so affect reconciliation. peacekeepers seek to get the people involved to avoid trouble.]