Why are Christians often still racist?

Question

It seems so many Christians still express racism. I know and have witnessed personally many Christians being racist toward African-Americans (forming the majority of my friends), Latinos, etc. I know someone including one member of my family from a strict Christian family who has expressed a few racist views toward Mexicans and said "Why do they put Spanish on McDonalds drive through now, it is ridiculous".

I am perfectly aware Christians are often hypocritical and just like everyone else, but to me personal sin is separate from how you treat others which is dictated by Jesus telling Christians to love their neighbor, and generally treat others with respect. What Would Jesus Do is the popular saying, obviously he would not be racist.

And for that matter, most Christians I know do not even attempt to act like Jesus in how they treat others, their just judgemental and self-centered. Their worried about their own salvation only, and keeping themselves out of hell.

Answer 1

Because most mainstream Christians don't really study the bible. I don't mean memorizing scripture and reciting it on command. I mean really studying and understanding what Jesus really taught and in what context and what that means for us today. It is also hard to literally see Jesus in colored people when all you see is white Jesus propaganda. Jesus lived in the Middle East. Just imagine, if Columbus viewed Jesus in historical context he probably wouldn't have poured gold down the throats of so many indigenous people because Jesus would've looked so much like them.
You are right that many Christians are only concerned with their own salvation. This is because rather than preach the context in which the bible was written and why (in order to better understand the scripture) people rattle off scripture without truly understanding. That is why people are so uptight about cursing/stealing/etc. People say it is sin and focus on that rather than the oppression of most of the world. Jesus did not preach to the upper class and that is very important to remember. He wasn't looking to bring hope to them. He wanted salvation for the poor and that is what should be the first and foremost Christian ideal.

Answer 2

I see this sometimes. My husbands family is very religious and they do (not often, but enough) make comments about certain people of other races. I think it is simply because we as humans are not perfect and never will be. Everyone has their faults, however some like to think that they don't. I too am a christian and I try to do and say the right thing for the most part. I am not racist (my ex-fiance was black), but of course I have many other faults. No, there is no justification for christians (or anyone) being racist other than that no one is perfect and everyone has their opinions and feelings that have been shaped by many factors, right or wrong.

Answer 3

Many African Americans are racist towards whites too. Racism is always wrong, no matter who's doing it.

WWJD is a bunch of crap b/c as much as we can try, we'll never be perfect like Jesus was.

The statement "Why do they put Spanish on McDonald's drive through now? It is ridiculous" is not racist. He's asking a question and apparently he doesn't like it. Why? Americans are supposed to accommodate those who do not want to learn English, yet want all the benefits of English teachers. Not to mention long-term American factory workers are fired because Mexicans will work for much less. Should we accomodate the lawbreakers even more?

Answer 4

Some Christians are racist (and sexist, and ageist, and class-ist, etc.) because they haven't learned the core principles of Christianity. They're also HUMAN! Humans are very flawed - we should know this. We try to be like Jesus but we're not. We should rethink our thinking every single day and ask ourselves if we're doing the right thing, but we often just get lazy and fall into a pattern.
Humans are also angry, and looking for a target for their anger. We all know how that goes. They're also scared, which can lead to dangerous, desperate deeds. We all want to believe we're better than other people and that we're saved, but we're scared that it's not true.
If we take care of ourselves, and love ourselves, it'll be easier NOT to hate other people who haven't done us any harm.

Answer 5

i apologize that you and some of the people that have ans. your q had bad experiences. the bible tells us not to follow a man but to follow God because He knows we are human and make horrible mistakes. just because those you know are not doing what they are supposed to doesn't diminish the truth of the Word. people who believe in Christ and follow Him make mistakes that are huge.racism is in alot of denominations of religions unfortunately. I am black and a christian and i want you to know that i love all with a Godly love. You have to understand racial inequality happens every day. do you know it wasn't till the 70's that black and white football players shared the same field. and that's just playing a game. we as a country have come a long way but racism is still being taught to children every day its like a decease. you sound like someone that can make a difference in your community maybe at your church you should start an awareness group to mend the gap. people sometimes don't realize how destructive their views are until they are confronted w it. and as always correct them w love.many blessings to you.be comforted that now you met someone else who is not racist at all.

Answer 6

I'm an atheist, but I'll go to bat for the Christians on this one. Racism is a form of xenophobia - a fear or hatred of anything that is strange or foreign. Some people are racist or bigoted regardless of their professed religion. In my experience, this is a product of environment (e.g., they had parents or friends with racist attitudes). Hypothetically the "environment" that nurtures their attitudes could include their church, but it could also include their local bowling alley or kitchen table.

Answer 7

that's an easy one-they're NOT Christians! the problem is, not many people seem, at least in this forum, to know what a Christian IS...believing in God doesn't make you a Christian-having attended a 'christian church' or even being a member of a 'christian' church doesn't make you a Christian-in fact, the church you attend or belong to has nothing to do with it! you can't inherit "christianity' from your parents, no one can make you a Christian by praying for you or sprinkling water on you, dunking you under, or lighting candles for you-to be a Christian requires that you accept that you need Christ's sacrifice on the cross, accept the gift of salvation, profess your faith in Him, and follow His commandments-most folks who call themselves 'Christians' skip right to the 'profess' part and ignore the rest...

Answer 8

I'll start of by saying, not all christians are racist. I've known quite a few christians, and many of them were not racists. Having said that, religions help promote an us-vs- them mentality. It is this mentality that can feed into an already racist persons racism. Us-Vs-Them quickly translates into my race-Vs-Your race, republicans-Vs-democrats, my sexuality-Vs-your sexuality, east-Vs-west, my country-Vs-your country and so on. With the added weight of religion backing you up, it becomes very easy to imagine that god hates everyone you hate. Therefore they feel justified in hating them even more.

Answer 9

The people you describe obviously don't know what Jesus told us to do. We're not only supposed to be good role models, we're supposed to go out make make more deciples-- basically the opposite of what you're seeing.

It makes me sad to see that a nonChristian now has this view about us because of how a few professing Christians live their lives.

Answer 10

All religions have hypocrites... unfortunately these are usually the people that are most visible, and they end up giving the rest of the group a bad name.

Try to focus on the "real" Christians, and don't pay attention to the ones who just claim to hold the faith.