With the election campaign in full swing, we anticipate a very common question at our seminars this fall: “How do you explain the origin of the races?” Our answer to this question almost got us tarred and feathered one time. We had said that all “races” originated from Adam and Eve, and more recently from Noah and his family. Therefore, we aren’t so distant from our black brothers and sisters. Whew! Some of those in attendance didn’t want to hear that! It was a small church, but at that point the door really looked a long way away! In this issue of T&B, we rick re-opening the bucket of tar and feathers and look at some Biblical and scientific topics relating to the origin of “races” and how we see “race” playing into the current “political race.”
Prejudice and judgments based on race, culture, and customs have long divided human beings. This has resulted in hatred, discrimination, conflict, wars, and even genocide. What is the root of these problems? Perhaps it’s because we have forgotten our Creator; we have forgotten our origin from one man and one woman; we have forgotten that we are all of “one blood;” and we have forgotten Jesus’ command to “love your neighbor as yourself.” In addition, racism received additional impetus and scientific respectability with the widespread acceptance of Darwinism.
Darwin’s book, On the Origin of Species, set off a whirlwind. Few people realize that the subtitle of Darwin’s famous book was: The Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Survival, nor do they know Darwin’s racist beliefs expressed in his later book, The Descent of Man. Few understand the impact of Darwinism on the spread of racism in modern times, including large-scale genocide in Australia, Rwanda, and, most commonly known, in Hitler’s Germany. For the most part, modern-day neo-Darwinists deny or distance themselves from Darwin’s racist views. Such views are not popular in today’s climate of “diversity,” “multiculturalism,” and “tolerance,” and yet Darwin’s legacy and the blight of racism continues to our day.
Our founding fathers sought to establish a government based on fundamental Biblical truths. Therefore, our founding documents reflect that we are all created equal and endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights. Very little is said in Scripture about “race” as we use the term today. Instead, God’s Word focuses on faith, character, and actions. It distinguishes between the wise and the foolish, the godly and the ungodly, the righteous and the unrighteous, the just and the unjust. God’s desire is for people of every nation, tribe, and language, regardless of skin color, to worship and follow Him.
But the thorny question remains, what place does “race” play in the current political “race?” While some will vote for or against a candidate simply on the basis of skin color (including those who merely vote to demonstrate their “impartiality”), we urge you to look more deeply. This presidential race should not be about external characteristics, but about fundamental beliefs, expressed, not in rhetoric, but in actions. We encourage you to seek the Lord in prayer for an understanding of each candidate’s fundamental beliefs. Do they reflect Biblical values? Do they really support the value that all people are created equal and in the image of God – regardless of race, sex, or age (including the unborn)?
No matter who is elected in November, we still long for the Biblical promise of a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13). In the meantime and in this day, may we all bow to our Creator and extend His work here on Earth as we let Him rule our hearts, minds, and actions.
(Note: AOI as an organization does not endorse specific candidates.)
Originally published in the September/October 2008 issue of Think & Believe newsletter.
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