Race and Religion

Comment

Comment by Carla on April 19, 2010 at 3:18pm

Dear Chevas,

Clearly you have been hurt on a deep level regarding this. We live in a fallen world ... satan is the god of this world...2 Cor 4:4. I am using that verse out of context...just to show that for now satan does have some freedom while God allows it.

There are many things that break our hearts here on earth..racism is one of them.

Since I have received Jesus as Savior, it breaks my heart that God is so continually misrepresented and misunderstood. What breaks my heart also is knowing that I was once a person who vehemently opposed God. But God showed me that He is real, and He forgave me, and received me as one of His adopted children.. The only way for me to begin to understand this is His Grace. Chevras, I love that you are seeking. I hope that you will continue to do just that. There are a lot of angry people in the world.. please also remember that not everyone who calls themselves a Christian, is truly a believer. They may have a religion...Perhaps they have rules and rituals that they follow to a 'T', but Christianity is not about religion...it is about a personal relationship with Christ.
Christianity is about living a life surrendered to Jesus, for His purposes. We can't do that perfectly as Jesus did when He was here...but by God's Grace we are continually improving..God is not finished with us yet.. We are all 'works in progress'.

I want you to see my Jesus.

You will see my Jesus by the Power of the Holy Spirit, when you read the Gospels. Start with the gospel of John...then read Matthew, Mark and Luke. You will also see my Jesus as He puts true laborers (workers) in your life...if He is pursuing you, you will not be able to get Him off your mind or out of your thoughts.. His Love is compelling and His Mercy is endless... His Love for you is neverlending.....Our finite minds cannot grasp Eternity.. But His Love for us is Eternal.

2Ti 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right.

I would not have believed the above scripture before I understood by my personal experience....Now I study, and the more that I study, the more this proves it to be true. Jesus was born into the Jewish faith..he was a jew.. as I study the scriptures from a jewish perspective, I am blown away by how consistent and Awesome our God truly is.. Our God is an Awesome God!

I want you to see my Jesus... please don't look at me, I will only cloud your perception and vision of who He truly is.

Love in Christ, Carla

Comment by Chevas Samuels on April 4, 2010 at 10:27am

M & M's? Really?

Comment by Chevas Samuels on April 4, 2010 at 10:26am

One more thing. God is not a God of Rules. Rules are something man assigned to himself in order to control others. God gave us free will. I exercise my own free will. What was that about "Judge not lest ye be judged?"

Comment by Chevas Samuels on April 4, 2010 at 10:20am

I'm speaking from my own experiences, but I believe that being honest about my waivering faith is not something that should be judged. It's too easy to get on sites and get preachy. @ David, obviously you're not looking if you don't see racially inflammatory remarks on certain sites, I don't feel the need to prove anything to you, find the proof you say doesn't exist for yourself. I agree that we are one race, human. The Bible never spoke of race, only ethnicity. Race is something that was made by man. I'm not a religious person. I think religion provokes some to be overzealous and judgemental. Historically, religion has started many wars and caused countless deaths, even today many cloak their sins and weaknesses with religion. My experiences have made me who I am. I cannot be the person you want me to be based on your experiences. I don't claim perfection, truth or supreme knowledge of anything. I learn everyday and that's all I can promise. In studying the subject, I've experienced a range of emotions and I won't apologize or explain myself for it. Funny, this is the ONLYreligious site I belong to and the people (some) are the most judgemental I've experienced. If I have waivering faith, then attacking me with scriptures will not help. Don't I have to find it for myself? @ Ginnybee, you have expressed a part of what I've discovered through my research. Thank you all for proving that we are not perfect and none of us possess the answers, just our own opinions, which is what I expressed, MY OWN OPINION. To even think that racism doesn't exist in some religions is the ultimate denial. @ Stacey, I don't know how faith works, I don't think you know either.

Comment by Stacey Osana Arquines on March 18, 2010 at 3:11pm

HOW DOES FAITH WORK?

WHY DO YOU "WAIVER" HOW DO YOU EXPECT GOOD THINGS WHEN YOU DOUBT?

Comment by David Velasquez on March 18, 2010 at 4:12am

"I found that the most racially inflammatory remarks were made on religious websites."

Show me. It is easy to make such accusations but show me, post a couple of those comments you found. Are you sure you are not reading your own concerns or fears into them?

Be blessed and a blessing

Comment by Stacey Osana Arquines on March 17, 2010 at 3:51pm

WE ARE ONE HUMAN RACE but different ethnicities
(thanks Bro D!)

I say We are like M&M candies, different colors but one taste. We may all have different "religions" but if we all believe the same thing that there is ONLY ONE GOD, THE FATHER THE ALMIGHTY MAKER OF HEAVEN AND EARTH OF ALL THAT IS SEEN AND UNSEEN AND THROUGH THE ONLY SON OF GOD JESUS CHRIST BY THE HOLY SPIRIT MAY WE LIVE. then that is a start to reach salvation. It is not sufficient to just believe, for once you accept this belief you must bear good fruit to bring Glory to God. You must do GOOD to raise up the lowly, you must be good examples for people to follow, you must follow the pathway of RIGHTEOUSNESS AND TRUTH. What good is it if you believe and consent to the goodness of the Lord but you do not do what is expected in return? As believers we have an obligation to be citizens in Christ. We cannot go around gallivanting about the good life we have because God has been so good to you. You too must share the blessings that have been brought forth to you by the Father. Does he not open opportunities for you if you ask? If a lady says to her niece 'Here you go here is $27 dollars, now go do good but if the niece does not follow the directions what do think will happen? Now the niece goes and spends the money selfishly for drugs and everything that relates to sin and before the niece realizes she spent all her money not for good but for evil. What will she do? Now if the niece does not go back to her aunt right away she will guilty and happiness will fade away and eventually become miserable and die. Her aunt was so good but yet she used the money to sin when sin was already killed though the Lord Jesus Christ. ( Jesus live a life of no sin to take away sin, he died on the cross so that we might live, sinning no more) Was Jesus Christ death done for nothing? Do you negate his death on the cross for all sin? SIN NO MORE PEOPLE for in all righteousness the Father gave up his only SON the Lord Jesus Christ to take away SIN. DO NOT LIVE IN SIN ANY LONGER FOR IF YOU DO THEN YOU DO NOT KNOW JESUS CHRIST. DID JESUS CHRIST DIE SO THAT YOU CAN STILL WRONG THE FATHER OUT OF EVIL OR DO DID HE DIE SO THAT YOU CAN LIVE TO SHOW THE FATHER HOW MUCH YOU LOVE HIM BACK FOR BEING A JUST AND GOOD LOVING GOD, OUR FATHER.

THINK ABOUT IT DONT NEGATE WHAT JESUS CHRIST DID FOR YOU, HE TOOK AWAY ALL SIN, not this sin not that sin, THE SIN, the sin that cause people to do evil works. BE DOERS OF GODLINESS AND IF ANYONE COMES TO YOU STILL SINNING THEN PRAY THAT THEY MAY BE SAVED. OUR GOD IS A GOOD AND RIGHTEOUS FATHER, HE IS ALWAYS FORGIVING BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN YOU CAN GO BACK TO YOUR OLD WAYS TO DO BAD. YOU BRING PAIN TO THE FATHER WHEN YOU SIN. HE GAVE UP HIS ONLY SON FOR YOU TO REMOVE THE SIN THAT HAS PROVOKED YOU SO WHY DO YOU KEEP HURTING THE FATHER. JUST LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU AND LOVE ME AND CHERISH THE LIFE THAT YOU HAVE. BRING GLORY TO GOD. DO NOT FEAR WHEN I REBUKE YOU FOR I AM NOT ATTACKING YOU BUT RATHER THE EVIL THAT HAS BEEN IN YOU THAT MUST COME OUT SO THAT THE LOVE THAT I HAVE POURED INTO YOU MAY COME OUT. I AM A FORGIVING FATHER SO COME BACK TO ME RIGHT AWAY AND REPENT SO THAT I MAY RULE JUSTLY AND FAIR AND IN RIGHTEOUSNESS AND TRUTH. I HAVE ALREADY GIVEN MY SON TO SAVE YOU AND TO SHOW YOU THE WAY THAT WILL SET YOU FREE DON'T MAKE ME HAVE TO GIVE UP ANOTHER LIFE TO SAVE YOU ALL NOT BECAUSE YOU DESERVE IT BUT BECAUSE I LOVED YOU FIRST.

Comment by Stacey Osana Arquines on March 17, 2010 at 3:17pm

If you are a religious person? It is important that the religion is not practiced in vain. What I mean by this is that it is not right for someone to claim that they know God when the fruit they bear is not good. There is no difference in Religion so long as people believe that there is only ONE GOD THE FATHER THE ALMIGHTY, ONE SON JESUS CHRIST LORD SAVIOR and BY THE HOLY SPIRIT ARE HIS MIGHTY DEEDS FOUND. THE HOLY TRINITY. Gentile or Jew, Woman or Man, no more. One bread, one body, one lord of all, ONE CUP OF BLESSING WHICH WE BLESS, and we though many throughout the earth, we are one body in through this ONE lord.

Comment by Ginnybee on March 17, 2010 at 1:06pm

By my understanding, Chevas, racism is a sum factor of fear, as are also so many other tasteless prudence, or fears of indifference. As mere and corrupt human beings, people seek what is most familiar to them when conditions look unfamiliar, and as we all have learned from personal experience, unfamiliarity is naturally scary. Thus, instead of allowing the self to feel scared, or weak, persons will instinctively turn fear into a form of unjust power, which in this case represents the form of racism. I'm not intending to justify racism, no, but I am claiming that we should undertake God's command to love one another, which calls for us to dig a little deeper into people than we naturally would in order to recognize vulnerabilities that lead them into wrong judgment and wrong action. When we can understand the weakness behind the aggression, then we can all abide in love better.

Affecting mainly those unripe in their faith, mortal impulses dominate man’s actions rather than the knowledge of God. What I'm getting at here is that human impulse will have us battle each other over who is right and wrong instead of resolving our true issues in a kindly fashion. Moreover, it just happens that when we perceive a flaw in any factor, whether it be in a person or something else, we commonly place everything relative to that person under scrutiny, such as his/her race among other things. It's simply a humanistic trait that can only be overcome through proper faith in God--reaching a degree of holy maturity.

Comment by Leonard T on March 17, 2010 at 12:26pm

Chevas,

Are you not trying to stereo-type and in a sense demonstrate a form of prejudice of your own in your comments based on your study that appears to have affected your objectivity. Your premise starts with the conclusion being a group, when Christianity is built on individuals. Some are good examples (not perfect) and some are bad examples, but either way each person must be evaluated individually and then each church.

Race plays no significant part in the church I am at. We are an international church. Race plays no significant part in my life as my son is married to a lovely African-American and they have a lovely child together. With that said I must ask the question, will you not find pockets of racism in every group? In every group, color and nationality you will find good and bad examples of people and you will find racism within pockets of every culture. We live in a fallen world. If you have found a church that rejects you because of color you found the wrong church. God is not in error, they are. Regarding the websites you mention I cannot speak to the individual sites, but can conclude if you found racism they are in error and not following Jesus as they should.

Simply my thoughts on the subject.

Lord Bless,
LT