Origins of racism

““Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.””

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ 

I saw a video recently that suggested that the roots of anti-Semitism lay in the fact that the Jews have always become too successful wherever they are. For me this has become the most compelling argument, and also explains racism in general. The easiest example close to home are the anti-Chinese riots in Indonesia that erupt every so often.

There are other theories about the origins of anti-Semitism e.g. they killed Christ, and some of it is more modern such as their treatment of the Palestinians but the verses in Exodus provide the earliest description of such a movement. 

Today, right-wing politicians make increasingly bold statements that echo such sentiments, and tap into such fears. MP Enoch Powell said in 1968 that Britons were becoming “strangers in their own country” and was kicked out of the shadow Cabinet. The current PM Starmer used the unfortunate phrase an “island of strangers” to talk about the same issue of immigration and it was naturally compared to Powell’s speech.

The theme about the success of others leading to resentment is the easiest explanation. And thus we come back again to the issue of coveting and fear of loss. God can bless us abundantly, in ways we don’t even think about - our health, a roof over our heads, a stable environment in the home, in the office and in the country etc. But we tend to end up far more preoccupied with comparison ( the thief of joy, as the cliche goes) with others over the size of our homes, cars, holidays and such.

Who is your king?

“But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” “Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.”

‭‭John‬ ‭19‬:‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Something struck me when I read or heard this verse recently.

The US is becoming a very dangerous place where truth no longer matters. All that matters to Americans is where you stand on Trump. (I think for the rest of the world, that is pretty much a foregone conclusion) Is he their king? Indeed Fox News even had someone asking if he was the biblical Moses. Not that the question even made any sense but that does not matter.

Trump is Caesar, and in this analogy he is also Pilate. He is the type of king for whom the truth does not matter, justice does not matter. All he wants is your fawning loyalty and if you give it to him, he will give you what you want (as long as it doesn’t undermine his power).

I commented previously on the idea propagated by some in the Christian community during his first term that he was anointed by God, despite 'evidence' to the contrary (depends on what we mean by 'anointed'.) It does not matter. Trump does not need to see that there is a significant community out there saying this. All he needs is the seed of the idea planted in his mind and he will exploit it to the maximum. The media will help him amplify it. The recent picture of him in the Pope’s garb is another example. Nothing is too outrageous, and some point out that he is constantly stretching the boundaries of what is considered acceptable. To normalise the extremes, so to speak.

So in a sense, Trump isn't the problem - sooner or later, someone like him would have tapped into the same sentiments that he did. His 'genius' was that he was the first one willing to go further than anyone had before - to reach into the darkness of our hearts, to tap into sin.

I believe the problem for some Christians who endorse Trump is that they believe he is the right candidate because he says what they want to hear. The Jews who wanted Christ dead were willing to acknowledge anyone who could fulfill their wish, and Pilate gave them what they wanted.

But that is the easy conclusion and not that helpful in a sense because unless we identify the cause, we may fall into the same traps. The real question is why do they hold these beliefs? For the Jews who wanted Christ's crucifixion, it was because He was a threat to them, their status, their authority. He did not fit their description of who the Messiah was supposed to be and what He would bring.  He took away their ability to determine the outcome - they forgot who the real authority and power should be.

It was the fear of loss, one of the most powerful human motivations. The same holds true I think, for Christians who back Trump. What do they fear losing? The debates about LGBTQ, about transgenders, about abortion - these are all issues Christians hold dear and rightly so and in a sense I understand the concerns that Christians are losing their voices in the media/society as the liberal left became more militant in shutting down debate. They felt betrayed by the Democratic leaders and felt Trump was their only option (the other tragedy is that in such a 'democratic' system, they had no other choice but a seriously flawed candidate).

To drill down deeper, this fear is in a sense the fear of loss of status. This is a fear common across what was once Christian Western society that has drifted (or been pushed) into atheism. Christian beliefs are constantly mocked as being archaic and the refuge of the simple-minded. Unhappiness with this state of affairs is a very human response. No one likes being in the minority, not being in the “in group”. 

But we have a different destination, and it does not matter if our current “status” makes us the target of mockery and scorn. It does not mean of course that we take perverse pride in this, but to simply understand that it is the nature of sin. And the best way to overcome this is to remember the early Christians who were a persecuted minority. Did they embrace those who would retaliate against their persecutors? I’ve no doubt some did. And they would have lost. Betting on an earthly king will only lead you astray. The early church let their faith do the talking. They held fast to who their real king was.

The story has not ended

 “Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭45‬:‭4‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

In our darkest moments, this is a good reminder. God has a plan for us. Sometimes it means not giving us what we want. Sometimes it means suffering. Sometimes we are persecuted, bullied, oppressed. Sometimes we go down pathways, unsure where our destination is.

But even in such moments, we need to trust that some good will or is happening. The good may not be for us at that moment. (Joseph lost his family but went on to save a nation from famine, and in the process, regain his family.) Perhaps someone is more deserving. And that is God’s justice, if we are open to His message. What we feel we deserve, is often a product of our coveting. We are often fixated on ourselves, not on what God’s plan is. He loves us all, not just our individual selves. We are part of His team.

And if we find peace, we are far more likely to see the greatness of His plan for us, far more likely to fully embrace and realise what it is when it does happen to us. The Bible does not really tell us I think, how or when Joseph came to this insight but we know he must have because of how he treated and tested his brothers when he next saw them. He saw that he was part of a greater plan (even if he didn’t know what lay ahead), and that there might be redemption for his brothers.

And when it happens, wouldn’t it wonderful to see that moment as part of His continuing grace for all of us? We have not arrived, the story is yet to be completed, and there will be other blessings (and “disappointments”) along the way. The hope is that something changes in our hearts and in our perspectives so that we no longer see disappointments, but merely see them as rest stops, as opportunities for reflection, to try and discern what His plan is for us over the horizon.