(First in a series)
by Paul Wolff
Racism is any thought, word, or action which divides the one human race into multiple “races” based on superficial or imagined characteristics.
Note-1: Why a universal definition? A universal definition of racism is required to avoid the relativism which condemns all racism except that which benefits me. A universal definition of racism is needed because racism is always evil, no matter who is supposed to benefit from it and no matter who is supposed to be harmed by it. One cannot adequately fight racism unless one is able to identify it in all its forms from the very beginning. If you use a definition which leaves out some forms of racism that is like trying to close the door to the hen house after the fox has had a chicken dinner and carried off a few more to feed her pups. I once read a book in which the author explicitly defined racism in such a way which only condemned that which sought to benefit “white” and diminish “black” but not the other way around. Such a definition was very convenient for the author who sought to condemn “white racism” while turning a blind eye to her own racist views. By defining racism in this way, she was able to portray herself as righteous and others as “racists”(see Corollary 1b & Corollary 4).
Note-2: This definition assumes that there is one human race. I believe that all people are descended from Adam and Eve who were created by the Almighty, Triune God in the beginning. Such belief, however, is not necessary to come to the same conclusions presented here concerning race. Since all creation shows the glory and the wisdom of God, who created everything (see Psalm 19:1), there is plenty of physical and scientific evidence to confirm what I say here, especially in the realm of genetics. All the characteristics which have been used to define multiple “races” are superficial or subjective and do not stand up to scientific scrutiny (that is to say these unique characteristics either don’t exist or they are not peculiar to any one group of people to the exclusion of any others).
Note-3: The only valid universal distinctions between people are the original distinctions created by God in the beginning, that is, the gender distinction of men and women. Curiously, the “intellectual” culture would diminish the valid distinction of gender and embellish the invalid distinction of races. Scientific research affirms that there are only two genders (male and female) and that the differences between the “races” are only superficial or subjective. Because people are sinful they want to justify their sinful behavior so they invent additional “genders” to justify their wicked behavior and they invent additional “races” to cover up their insecurities and make them feel superior to other people.
Note-4: The primary evil of racism is in dividing people by making false distinctions. All the other evils of racism necessarily follow from this primary evil. Making these false racial distinctions is where racism begins. It is the primary evil because all of the other evils of racism follow from this false idea and without this there is no racism. The desired outcome of racism which is the benefit of one “race” over “another” is only a secondary evil which cannot be undone by “reverse racism.” The evil of racism is only multiplied by this false solution.
Corollary-1a: Racism is not hatred, though they are related. Racism always leads to hatred, but it doesn’t begin there. Racism begins by saying that there are racial distinctions. Then racism says that among these imagined distinctions one (or more) is better than another (or others). Then racism says that one or more is best and others are worse. Then racism says that one is good and others are evil. It will go further if not checked – the last step is that the “good” must to seek to destroy the “evil”. Therefore racism exists along a continuum, and though some points along the continuum seem to be more evil than others, it is all racism and none of it is good.
Corollary-1b: No one would ever become a racist if racism always equated with hatred. It always starts innocently by wanting only good things for the group to which one belongs or otherwise identifies with. In this way racism is easy. That is why it is so prevalent in our culture. Even though racism isn’t hatred it is still evil, even in its most “innocent” form. Simply acknowledging divisions among people which don’t exist in reality creates an “us vs. them” mentality which leads racists to believe that one is better than another, or one is deserving of special or favored treatment over another based on the criterion of the division.
Corollary-2: Racism does not always mean that you believe that your own race is superior or even worthy of special consideration. The most obvious view of racism is that people believe that their race is superior and worthy of special consideration to further the good which their own race brings to the world. I have seen racism where people believe there own race is inferior, but worthy of special consideration. I have also seen racism where people believe their own race is superior, but believe another race is worthy of special consideration. All of these ideas are evil.
Corollary-3a: There is no such thing as black people. All people are varying shades of brown. The pigment which makes up the brown color in people’s skin (melanin) is the same in all people, and has infinite degrees of variability, even in the same family. It isn’t a “yes or no” kind of thing. The term “black” or “negro” or any such variation, is an exaggeration which most often has pejorative connotations as to the state of one’s soul which may or may not be accurate, but either way has nothing to do with the amount of melanin present in the skin. Neither do any such superficial physical characteristics have anything to do with a person’s worth, or lack thereof.
Corollary-3b: There is no such thing as white people. The reasons are the same as in Corollary-3a above. All people are various shades of brown. The foolishness of making these false distinctions is seen by the fact that there are some people who are considered “white” who are darker brown than others who are considered “black”. The term “white” is an exaggeration which may have positive or negative connotations as to the state of one’s soul which may or may not be accurate, but either way has nothing to do with the amount of melanin present (or absent) in the skin. Neither do any such superficial physical characteristics have anything to do with a person’s worth, or lack thereof.
Corollary-4: In a racist society, some things which are called racism are not. Much that is not called racism is. This is a tricky one. Racists don’t usually want to be identified as such because if they admitted the truth then they could no longer claim that what they are doing is righteous. They usually call their racist favoritism “justice” or “balancing the scales” or some such noble deed like “favoring those who are most deserving”. However, in a racist society those who treat all people equally and expect the same kind of civilized behavior from all people without regard to race are called “racist” because they do not give preferential treatment to those of the favored “race” and those who rely on that favoritism to make their lives easier complain that this is “racist” when it is truly the exact opposite.
Corollary-5: Racism is not only found in the church, the Christian church is primarily responsible for the propagation of racism in society. This one is not obvious. Whether racism starts in the church or not, I cannot say. It may or it may not begin in the church, but whenever the church takes a stand against racism it cannot continue in Christian society. Also, whenever the church is silent or complicit in acknowledging racist attitudes then it only gets worse in the secular society.
Corollary-6: America in the early 21st Century is a racist society. It has been racist at least since the 17th century (and maybe was so even before Columbus discovered the New World). Neither the Civil War of the 19th century nor the Civil Rights laws of the 20th century eliminated racism. The specifics have shifted, however. The favored “race” is currently those people who are considered “black” in some form or another. The only accepted racism is that which favors those who are considered “black” or sometimes “Hispanic” (but rarely “Asian”) over those considered “white.”
Corollary-7: The descendants of aboriginal North Americans are likewise not helped by racist preferential treatment. “Reservations,” “Indian Casinos,” and other preferential treatment of so-called “Native Americans” are cruel racist jokes and do not truly serve the needs of the people who “benefit” from them. Both society as a whole and members of these groups are best served by assimilating into the greater culture as have the vast majority of subsequent immigrants such as Germans, Scottish, Irish, Italians, etc.
Corollary-8: Darwinists are inherently racist based on their false ideas about God and the origin and “evolution” of Man. They may claim otherwise, but whoever believes in some form of Darwinian evolution already believes that there is this process of “evolution” where creatures somehow magically (i.e. against all that is scientifically known) transform into something different and more “advanced”. Because of this Darwinists will always think that some people are better or more “evolved” than others.
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