| Race or ethnicity-based prejudice and | | | | nationality. The Bible does not say that any man |
| discrimination are as pervasive today as they | | | | or woman was made superior or inferior to |
| were in the past years. Even with tougher state | | | | anyone. But this has not stopped many from |
| and federal laws racism continues to be on the | | | | accepting racist ways or beliefs. There seems to |
| rise. Many people regardless of race, ethnicity or | | | | be a pervasiveness of racist behavior across |
| nationality whom we would not normally consider | | | | many communities and societies, regardless of |
| racist, voice racist thoughts or exhibit racist | | | | race, ethnicity or religion. Therefore, we could |
| behaviors. | | | | safely assume that even self-professed Christians |
| On the surface many people flaunt their racist | | | | are not necessarily less likely to be racists than |
| "banners" and pretend to be accepting or tolerant | | | | others. Still, the fundamental precepts of the Bible |
| of all people. But is this really the case? Are those | | | | give us spiritual guidance on how to treat others. |
| who tell you that they are not racist actually | | | | This means that any willing person could in fact |
| being honest about the true feelings that they | | | | act positively based on God's Holy Word to cancel |
| harbor in their heart? Why has it become a "fad" | | | | out any influence of racism in their life. |
| to take an anti-racism stand only to turn around | | | | We as individuals cannot fight racism within the |
| and speak or act in a racist manner? | | | | larger society unless we are able to deal with our |
| The Bible tells us that out of the abundance of | | | | own racist minds, thoughts or actions. |
| the heart the mouth speaks (Mathew 12:34). In | | | | Deep-seated racism that lurks in the heart of an |
| other words, you cannot say that you don't | | | | individual must first be dealt with by an honest |
| harbor racist thoughts or that you have no racist | | | | self-examination and self-conviction without |
| intent, or motives, or that you have no racist | | | | self-condemnation. This is a critical first step |
| roots dug deep in your heart, and yet you hurl | | | | before we can even scrutinize others, or accuse |
| racist slurs and insults at someone. This is not | | | | anyone of harboring racist thoughts, speaking or |
| possible because a racist mind empties its | | | | acting in a racist manner. Otherwise, it becomes |
| thoughts in the form of words and actions. Still, | | | | purely hypocritical if we as individuals do not first |
| many individuals insist that their racist slurs against | | | | rid ourselves of the same ill that we point out in |
| others does not necessary mean that they have | | | | others (Mathew 7:5). So, the first step to fighting |
| a racist heart. Are such people in self-denial? Could | | | | racial prejudice and discrimination is to start with |
| what's not in one's heart, good or bad, be uttered | | | | self-examination. Ask God to help you as an |
| in words or exhibited in actions? | | | | individual to identify all areas of your own life |
| Racism is a destroyer of an essence of our | | | | where you may have been a perpetrator of |
| human soul. Both the soul of the racist | | | | racism in one form or another. Be willing to |
| perpetrator and the individual who is on the | | | | surrender your heart and soul for a "circumcision" |
| receiving end of racism is negatively affected by | | | | by God to chisel away any racial prejudice that |
| this social ill. Every individual, regardless of race, | | | | you may be harboring. |
| ethnicity or nationality, should use the guidance of | | | | Because of the privacy of individual thoughts and |
| God's Holy Spirit, to honestly search within | | | | mind, no one could really accurately judge the |
| themselves for any areas where racial prejudice | | | | heart of another person except God, although we |
| or bias may reside. | | | | may judge the words and actions of individuals. |
| If you are a Christian, you probably already know | | | | Let us not as individuals wait until we loose control |
| that the Bible tells us that all humans are created | | | | of our subconscious mind and utter racial slurs |
| equal and made in the excellent image of God | | | | against another person before we begin to deal |
| (Genesis 1:26-27), regardless of ethnicity, race or | | | | with the racism that we harbor in our hearts. |