Racism

The first thing to understand in this discussion is that there is only one race—the human race. Caucasians, Africans, Asians, Indians, Arabs, and Jews are not different races. Rather, they are different ethnicities of the human race. All human beings have the same physical characteristics (with minor variations, of course). More importantly, all human beings are equally created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27). God loved the world so much that He sent Jesus to lay down His life for us (John 3:16). The “world” obviously includes all ethnic groups.

God does not show partiality or favoritism (Deuteronomy 10:17; Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11; Ephesians 6:9), and neither should we. James 2:4 describes those who discriminate as “judges with evil thoughts.” Instead, we are to love our neighbors as ourselves (James 2:8). In the Old Testament, God divided humanity into two “racial” groups: Jews and Gentiles. God’s intent was for the Jews to be a kingdom of priests, ministering to the Gentile nations. Instead, for the most part, the Jews became proud of their status and despised the Gentiles. Jesus Christ put an end to this, destroying the dividing wall of hostility (Ephesians 2:14). All forms of racism, prejudice, and discrimination are affronts to the work of Christ on the cross.

Jesus commands us to love one another as He loves us (John 13:34). If God is impartial and loves us with impartiality, then we need to love others with that same high standard. Jesus teaches in Matthew 25 that whatever we do to the least of His brothers, we do to Him. If we treat a person with contempt, we are mistreating a person created in God’s image; we are hurting somebody whom God loves and for whom Jesus died.

Racism, in varying forms and to various degrees, has been a plague on humanity for thousands of years. Brothers and sisters of all ethnicities, this should not be. Victims of racism, prejudice, and discrimination need to forgive. Ephesians 4:32 declares, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Racists may not deserve your forgiveness, but we deserved God’s forgiveness far less. Those who practice racism, prejudice, and discrimination need to repent. “Present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God” (Romans 6:13). May Galatians 3:28 be completely realized, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Racism in the Philippines

Actually, this is not racism in its purest form. Filipinos are not so much discriminating on the basis of race as much as mere skin tone. Philippine society is very much segregated by skin color. The paler your skin the greater the level of success is available to you. Likewise, dark skin is a fast ticket to the bottom. Most of the dominant families in politics are pale skinned.

Historically, this traces back to the Spanish occupation. The wealthiest, most powerful Spaniards who came to the islands were pale skinned. During their time in control of the archipelago, they vigorously spread their genes among the brown skinned natives. The lighter offspring of these pairings received higher social status and even became eligible. Soon, an even paler generation of native Filipinos emerged. These were born to privilege and lived in the big hacienda bearing the name of legitimacy, their father’s name.

The brief decades of American governance did little to change these patterns as America was equally segregated by skin color. Filipinos adjusted to some degree as the Civil Rights Movement eventually lead to a degree of equality for Blacks in America. The Viet Nam War brought large independent, strong Black men to the islands.

This brings us to modern Filipino society. It remains very conscious of color, promoting the lighter skin above all. Virtually every product in the country contains skin-whitening ingredients. Women walk around on sunny days huddled under an umbrella afraid to tan. They go to the beach in long pants and shirts for the same reason. This also explains the fact that natives of tropical islands do not usually know how to swim.

                                                                                                                                                                           Yes, the Philippines has racism. However, they will never solve the problem until they first acknowledge the problem. Unfortunately, one of the traits of Spanish Catholic cultures is to deny any faults and to become angry and defensive if somebody points them out. That is the biggest difference between American and Filipino cultures. We face our faults and act to eliminate them.

Police 'paid bounties' in Duterte's war on drugs: report

Police 'paid bounties' in Duterte's war on drugs: report

The Biggest Racial Lie

The Biggest Racial Lie

Obama Proudly Poses with Racist Mass-Murderer

Obama Proudly Poses with Racist Mass-Murderer