If you believe the Hebrew scriptures and Christian Old Testament ... God's Chosen People are the Jews. But he told them to kill everyone in "the promised land" - so it's not based on skin color.
I'm a NEW TESTAMENT GOD gal Walt. GOD IS LOVE. When I was 12 at our local Presbyterian Church I had little kids in my Sunday School class. I was the teacher. Yes. I was precocious. The only GOD in my life is one that is loving. When I prepared my lessons every Saturday there was no way I was going to tell the little ones that God was filled with wrath, was vengeful and murderous and jealous. It didn't seem logical to me that a LOVING GOD would be like that so I simply chose the one that made sense to me. I still do. Thank you for your reply. The God of which you speak is not and never has been the one I talk to each day. Different strokes! :)
This post was edited by RosieG at July 19, 2019 9:33 AM MDT
Are you certain that GENTILE is racist Walt? If someone is NOT JEWISH what is he/she but GENTILE? Never in my life did I think the word describing non-Jewish people was RACIST. I'm trying very hard to get a handle on it and it just isn't computing. I looked up GENTILE and it means those who are not Jewish, specifically Christians. If Gentile is racist is Jewish racist too? What about Muslim or Buddhist or Zoroaster? Boy you really threw me a curve. So how and why do you assert that the word GENTILE is racist? I'm gonna ask. Thank you for your reply Walt.
Racist: shows or feels discrimination or prejudice against people of other races.
Most cultures have a term that means "outsider". Sometimes it is purposefully offensive, sometimes not. But either way, it is racist because just creating the term is discrimination.
We could claim that "Gentile" is both racist and bigoted ... as Jews are both an ethnicity and religion.
I don't know if there is a term for those who are not Zoroaster, but that could also be a racist/bigoted word (as Zoroaster is hereditary, as Jewish is).
When a non-Muslim is referred to as an "infidel", that is a bigoted term because it implies they are less than the Muslim. Same as when a non-Christian is referred to as a "pagan" or "heathen". (Unless that person IS a pagan, and the speaker knows it.)
If someone is called an "unbeliever", that is not bigoted because it describes the person's relation to a religion without any implication.
Gentile is not racist or bigoted....it is a description of people meaning they are not Jewish. A Gentile is a person from the other nations which is where the word comes from means "Nations". No different than saying a "foreign national"....means the same thing a person from a different country.
Is saying some is Protestant bigoted? No it is just a description of a Non-Catholic Christian.
How about Person of Color? Racist or just a description of the people.
I am of Armenian descent. You are not. So when i refer to you as being not Armenian (the equivalent of a Jew referring to a non-jew as a gentile) your assert is that I am being a racist. Surely you don't believe that. I respectfully suggest you rethink what you wrote. Because what you are saying is ALL CLASSIFICATIONS ARE RACIST. Being a vegan/vegetarian and referring to those who aren't as meat eaters is racist. Being of whatever religion and referring to those who don't believe in religions as ATHEISTS is racist. It separates segregates. Being an American Citizen and referring to those who aren't as non-citizens is RACIST. They may be white Christians just like you but you still segregate classify. I could go on with examples but really is it necessary?
It IS racist, by one of the definitions of"Racist":
Racist: shows or feels discrimination or prejudice against people of other races.
Look at one of the definitions of "Discrimination".
Discrimination: recognition and understanding of the difference between one thing and another.
Therefore, YES ... EVERY term recognizing a difference between ethnic groups IS racist.
Thus, I have proven racism is a neutral thing. It is neither inherently good nor bad. We are ALL ... every single one of us ... a racist, because we recognize there is a difference between each ethnic group.
The Bible is a record of the salvation history of all creation, with the emphasis on the chosen people of God through whom He chose to reach out to and redeem all of mankind.
And we in our "wisdom"(?!) decide that it evidence of discrimination / racism.
My wife and I are approaching out 38th anniversary. For all that time she has been discriminating against all other men in favor of me.
Walt O'Reagun 