You don’t have to be a religious racist to follow Jesus

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Men hate each other because they fear each other, and they fear each other because they don’t know each other, and they don’t know each other because they are often separated from each other.”

Sadly, too often it’s religion that separates us. It is religion but not God that divides people into “us” and “them.”

I have the below picture of Martin Luther King, Jr. On the back of the picture I wrote the following words – “determined,” “passionate,” “non-conformist,” “revolutionary,” “rebel,” “undeterred,” “courageous,” “powerful,” “unconventional,” “rule-breaker,” “peaceful,” “fearless,” “angry,” “offensive,” “loving,” “compassionate,” and “selfless.” These are characteristics I see in Martin Luther King, Jr. that resonate with me.

I’m a stand for Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream. It’s a stand for the inherent, equal and divine worth of every human being, and working toward a world that works for everyone.

In the end, anything that separates the human race is a form of racism. Color can be a form of racism. So can religion. The Oxford English Dictionary defines racism as “belief in the superiority of a particular race.” With respect to religion it would read, “belief in the superiority of a particular religion.” This view typically acts as a justification for non-equal treatment of members of another religion. Racial ideologies can lead to the worst horror such as the Holocaust. Religious ideologies can too, most notably the Crusades. God has no religion; neither did Jesus. Jesus did not come to start a new religion, and likely would not had been a “Christian” today.

Religion is racism when it denies the equal divine worth and dignity of every human being, and divides, separates and pits people of different beliefs or practices against each other. Jesus Christ has been and continues to be central to my own spiritual growth and development. But you don’t have to be a religious racist to follow Jesus. In fact, I’m convinced Jesus would never condone religious racism. Martin Luther King, Jr. confronted racial racism, I want to confront religious racism and offer an alternative.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” I’m going with that!