Religious attitudes to racism
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Religious attitudes to racism vary among different sects, and have changed dramatically, from a historical perspective, from how they once were. Most major religions today officially deplore racism, although there remain some sects which still promote racial ideologies, such as the World Church of the Creator, The Nation of Islam, and Christian Identity.
Historically, however, official promotion of racial ideology within religious groups was once much more common, as it was in society in general, and some major religions have had significant racist elements associated with them in the past. An example was the widespread racism in Christian churches in the United States before the success of the civil rights movement of the 1960s caused this to be inconsistant with the social norm.
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[edit] Christianity and racism
Officially, most Christian religious figures today reject racism. Historically, Christian scripture has been variously interpreted to either encourage or deplore racism.
Genesis 5:2 - "Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created." (emphasis added) -- no mentioning of colour; any multi-coloured couple can procreate
Acts 17:26 - "And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation..." (emphasis added) -- one blood means that all are related in some way
Galatians 3:28 - "There is neither Jew nor Greek [i.e. Gentile], there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." (emphasis added) -- we're not supposed to practise discrimination
Racist ideologies where Christianity is a norm of society have sought out justification from the religion; however "The critical observer will readily agree with our observation that racist Christianity does not derive its doctrines from an impartial reading of its sources. Race theology is, more properly speaking, not a theology so much as a predetermined ideology expressed in words commonly used within Christian theology. To be truthful, racist Christianity, though using the power of religion and religious language, does not originate within a religious context, but a social and political context that uses religion for its own purposes." Children of a White God: A Study of Racist “Christian” Theologies
[edit] Islam and racism
Islam has always accepted converts, or what it regards as "reverts", from all ethnic and racial groups, and condemned any ideas which would keep any group of people from joining together in brotherhood and submission to God on the basis of ethnic or racial characteristics.
Muhammad himself was ethnic Arab and took Zayd ibn Harithah (presumed African) as his adopted son. Another prominent early African Muslim was Bilal ibn Ribah.
While Islam is the majority religion across several countries of the culturally destinct regions of North Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, there are Arab nationalism and Pan-Arabism movements and regional Islam is part of that struggle as well as a Shi/Sunni = Persian/Arab dynamic (so for example Sunni terrorists blew up a Shi shrine)[1]. For further reading also consider Beyond the Undifferentiated Mass: Diversity in Islam for Absolute Beginnersand Islam: A Home of Tolerance, not Fanaticism
[edit] Judaism and racism
Although Orthodox Judaism teaches that Jews are God's chosen people, many Jews believe it to be a distortion to present this as a doctrine of racial superiority. Numerous rabbinic sources specify that each nation was chosen for its own special task. Further, it is made clear by the Oral Torah that Israel's covenant with God means added responsibility, not added worth. However, many opposing sources do state that Jews are intrinsically more holy than gentiles, even to the point of saying that Jews have an additional soul.
Some Jews however are accused of racism towards non-Jews when they refer to them as 'goyim'. However, the meaning of the term 'goyim' is highly fluid and is subject to interpretation, not all of them racist. Most Jews prefer to describe non-Jews as 'gentiles', or, at most, as 'goyische', a term with less racist resonance. Most claims of racism inherent in Judaism have been demonstrated as antisemitic propaganda.
Furthermore, interpretations of the meaning of Judaism vary widely among its various sects; some promoting Judaism to be only a religion, while others believe Jews to also be a race, or an ethnicity. All forms of Judaism, up to and including the Haredi or "ultra-Orthodox", accept sincere converts from any racial or ethnic background. In traditional Judaism, however, the convert enters in to the Jewish nation and is considered an ethnic Jew. There are a wide-variety of people that call themselves Jews, including the Black Jews of Ethiopia, and the Indian Jews.
Defenders of Slavery in the United States sometimes interpreted Leviticus 25:44–46 to support their position, as it describes the enslavement of pagans, but this was never a widely-held supported position among Jews.
[edit] Zionism
Zionism, a political movement and an ideology that supports a homeland for the Jewish people, has frequently been criticized for having a racial bias. This issue is complicated by various differing interpretations of the meaning of Judaism and Zionism, some whch carry a race-based aspect, and some which exclude race as a factor in Jewish identity altogether.
In 1975 the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3379 was passed. It stated that "zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination"[1] The resolution 3379 was rescinded in 1991 by the Resolution 4686[2]. This issue is discussed in length in the article on anti-Zionism.
[edit] Buddhism and racism
Buddhism's founder, Siddharta Guatama, was a Hindu that, among other positions, rejected India's dominant system, at the time, of discrimination by caste, and could be interpreted as rejecting racism in general.
Modern mainstream Buddhism promotes the peaceful coexistence of all humans, and therefore interprets the Theravada doctrine as clearly rejecting racism. As Buddhism is a significant religion in many countries across Southeast Asia and Buddhism is also divided into a highly complex and fractured set of sects, and some may promote different interpretations of the scripture and traditional doctrines. Some titles that speak to the topic are Making the Invisible Visible: Healing Racism in Our Buddhist Communities, Dharma, Color, and Culture, and Turning Wheel issues on Racism and Buddhism include: Racism in Buddhism (Spring 1993), Buddhists of Asian Descent in the USA (Fall 2000), Buddhism in Las Americas (Spring 2001), and Black Dharma (Summer 2003). There are also known race riots.
[edit] Hinduism and racism
The Indian caste system has frequently been referenced as an official doctrine of Hindu promotion of racism. Many scholars have the opinion that the caste system was not rigid in early vedic times[citation needed]. They aver that change of one's caste could be affected with relative ease, by changing ones vocation and gaining an education[citation needed]. The precept of mobility in the caste system comes from the Manusmriti where it is written:
| As the son of Shudra can attain the rank of a Brahmin, the son of Brahmin can attain rank of a shudra. Even so with him who is born of a Vaishya or a Kshatriya |
| ManuSmriti X:65 |
The above verse is believed to sanction support for vocational non-hereditary caste system, suggesting some flexibility in the propagation of the Castes. Since the castes are decreed as mobile the claim of racism can be debunked on those grounds.
Historical examples of mobility in the Indian Caste System among Hindus have been researched. The "Noniya" Caste of salt makers have claimed to the higher status of the "Chauhan Rajput". They have risen well above the untouchable line and their leaders have, in the past, mobilized upwards along the caste hierarchy[3]. There is also precedent of certain Shudra families within the temples of the Shrivaishava sect in South India elevating their caste[3].
A well-known precedent for mobility in the caste system is that of Shivaji, the founder and monarch of the Maratha Confederacy, who was born into a lower caste but was elevated to a higher caste to facilitate his coronation[4].
The view of the caste system as "static and unchanging" has been disputed by many scholars. Sociolgists such as Bernard Buber and Marriott McKim describe, for instance, how the perception of the caste system as a static and textual stratification has given way to the perception of the caste system as a more processual, emprical and contextual stratification. Other sociologists such as Y.B Damle have applied theoretical models to explain mobility and flexibility in the caste system in India[3].
Regardless of its original intent, caste had become a common point of discrimination in India by the 19th century, and caste discrimination is illegal in India today.
Hindu leaders and saints of modern times have been known to denounce racism. Some Hindu attitudes among certain segments of the orthodox Brahmin community have been interpreted as racist, although this interpretation has been criticized as having been made by certain segments of the western academia that are alleged by Hindu advocacy groups to be extremely prejudiced against Hindus and serve as a concerted attack on the growing Hindu communities in the West.
Despite its variations and complexities, the largely common religious philiosophy of Hinduism states that all life forms (not just Humans) have a soul and are a part of a Supreme being. Hindus generally believe that all of the world's monotheistic religions worship the same god.
- See also: Indian caste system.
[edit] The Bahá'í Faith and the vision of race unity
One of the main teachings of the Bahá'í Faith is the unity of humanity which transcends all divisions of race, nation, gender, caste, and social class.[5][6] The Bahá'í Faith states that humanity is a single race and that we must become unified under the umbrella of a global society, while not seeking meer uniformity.[5][7] Bahá'ís believe that the unity of humanity is the goal of the human experience on the planet, and that racism is one of the main reasons why the goal has not been achieved.[5] The Bahá'í teachings state that all humans are essentially the same, and that the racial separation is a cultural artifact, and the diversity that has historically been the reason for the separation should instead be viewed and appreciated as an essential ingredient of life on the planet.[6]
In Bahá'í belief the source of racism has been due to the blind imitation of past practices and Bahá'u'lláh calls for the rejection of past conceptions and blind imitations.[6] Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith has stated that the rejection of these past practices requires "ceaseless exertions," "sacrifice," "care and vigilance," "moral courage and fortitude," and "tact and sympathy."[6]
In the United States the Bahá'í community has, since 1890, the year the Bahá' community was founded in the United States, taken a strong stand to affirm racial equality and promote positive race relations.[8][7] It is understood, however, that just becoming a Bahá'í does not automatically render racist tendacies and practices null and void and so important priority of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States has been fostering racial unity in the American Bahá'í community itself.[8] Shoghi Effendi identified racism as "the most challenging issue" facing the American Bahá'ís, and so many Bahá'ís constantly hold meetings and consultations about how the goal of racial equality can be achieved.[8]
[edit] Notes
- ^ The UNGA Res 3379 was passed at the 2400th plenary meeting on 10 November 1975. (PDF).
- ^ The UNGA resolution 4686 was passed at the 74th plenary meeting on 16 December 1991 by a vote of 111-25-13. The text of the resolution is available here.
- ^ a b c James Silverberg (Nov 1969). "Social Mobility in the Caste System in India: An Interdisciplinary Symposium". The American Journal of Sociology 75 (3): 443-444.
- ^ Singh, Patwan (2001). The Sikhs. Doubleday Publishers.
- ^ a b c National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States (1991). Vision of Race Unity: America's Most Challenging Issue. bahai-library.org. Retrieved on 2006-09-16.
- ^ a b c d van den Hoonaard, Will C. (1993-11). Prejudice and Discrimination. bahai-library.org. Retrieved on 2006-09-16.
- ^ a b The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States (2006-06-13). The Vision of Race Unity. bahai.us. Retrieved on 2006-09-16.
- ^ a b c Stockman, Robert (1995). “The American Bahá'í Community in the Nineties”, Dr. Timothy Miller, ed.: America's Alternative Religions. SUNY Press.
