Sometimes it is downright embarrassing being an American Christian Caucasian. When I see Nazi flags hoisted by white folks outside a Jewish synagogue, I want to paint my skin purple.
And worse, when I witness support for anyone who believes they are supreme over others, I want to hide in shame. What is wrong with people who think our ethnicity makes us better than our brothers and sisters? Such behavior is mystifying and supported by old Lucifer himself.
My parents would occasionally take my brother and me to the movies. Back in those early 50s days, we grabbed our popcorn, settled in our seats, and watched a cartoon followed by an old newsreel. I vividly recall viewing the reels of World War II, where fighter pilots soared through the sky while bullets flew past them. However, one movie day, I saw the brutal repercussions of Hitler’s Holocaust and those few who survived. I never knew such meanness or heartlessness existed until that moment.
Afterward, Mother slept with me for days because of the nightmares that followed. That is when I developed a deep-abiding loathing and fear for the man/monster called Hitler. I still cannot comprehend how he led folks to obey his warped rules and commands. How could anyone today follow in his evil footsteps after all we have learned since the days of concentration camps and genocide?
Throughout our lives, there are times we all witness or personally experience inhumanity because of race or religion. You would think that after Hitler’s atrocities, we would know how wickedness can undermine society. Sin becomes abundantly clear when we deem ourselves holier than thou and encourage others to follow us.
Some folks say that Satan does not exist. According to biblical scripture, he does live and will until the Lord returns and defeats him in the last war. The evil prince of darkness proclaims victory when we believe our wealth, race, success, or political preferences make us superior to another.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, antisemitism has risen sharply since 2016. Statistically, we tend to see these spikes during civil and political unrest.
Alarming occurrences of antisemitic attacks have increased worldwide, but no nation has more current incidents than our land of opportunity, religious freedom, and equality. America’s number of antisemitic incidents increased by a whopping 35% between 2021 and 2022.
Hate crimes of all kinds have increased by disturbing numbers in the last few years, and the non-prejudiced among us ask ourselves why. The number of victims of this type of crime in the United States has seen a 12% rise over the last year. The FBI reports that 65% were targeted because of race or ethnicity, 16% were attacked because of sexual orientation, and 14% were targeted because of religion.
Why?
Conspiracy theories spread through social media, along with lies and bias, contribute to the growing hatred. When our children witness our disdain for others because of ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation, we perpetuate the idea that we are superior to others. Prejudice is a learned stupidity that begins with bullying and taunting others when we are young.
The Devil is sneaky and distinctly active. He blinds us to the parts of the Bible where our Lord preaches equality, compassion, righteousness, and love. It clearly states in Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.”
So, I ask, where is the fear of the Lord when we believe we are superior to another? If we don’t love God enough to rise above our personal biases and denounce judgmental behavior, we need to fall to our knees immediately. We will destroy our nation with rampant hatred if we don’t stand against it.
I don’t want to be embarrassed by the actions of white supremacists or racist hatemongers. I want to demonstrate that my heart is more important than my skin, achievements, money, or education. I desire to please God by showing Him that I love more than hate and consider all my brothers and sisters.
Why?
Because He asked me to.
Our nation is full of good, wonderfully kind folks who believe in God’s words. But we can continuously improve through our actions. Let’s wear our cloaks of God’s armor, lay our hypocrisy and biases down, and promote genuine human goodwill.
The only one I know who is superior to others is God. All people who believe they are greater than His Holiness are wreaking worldwide havoc.
“Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand safe against all strategies and tricks of Satan.” Ephesians 6:11
