• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Interracial marriage and christians

K

Kenazo

Lifer
It wasn't that long ago that christians (at least the white ones) thought interracial marriage (especially those between white people and any other people) was sinful, or that is the impression I get from reading through old christian literature. What biblical backing was there for this? Obviously it had very little scriptural basis, but I'm just wondering what passages they might have used.

The reason I'm asking is b/c I'm trying to point out to someone how different things that christians have at one time believe to be scriptural truth have been chucked out, and how we are naive to think that we have a devinely inspired understanding now. Make sense?

Also, for those who are christians... don't think I'm trying to bash our religion, just trying to make a point.

<- a Christian.
 
There are many instances of interracial marriages even in the old book. For example, I believe Moses married someone from another race.
 
yeah it makes sense, but i never heard of christans saying interracial marriage was a bad thing, i think some people based on ther opinion, not there religonous belifes, but i could be wrong, i am not christian so

Dogg
 
Interracial marriages have never been frowned upon by the Bible. However Interreligion (in the old testament Christians marrying hethens) was/is looked down upon. I believe the current stance is that you should marry another Christian but race does not matter and that's the way it has always been for the more open minded Christians.
 
Originally posted by: PunDogg
yeah it makes sense, but i never heard of christans saying interracial marriage was a bad thing, i think some people based on ther opinion, not there religonous belifes, but i could be wrong, i am not christian so

Dogg
Click to expand...

There must be some obscure verses that they twisted though to derive that belief. How did the white people justify slavery? Christianity was the dominant religion of the UK and the US during the entire slave trade, thus most slave traders/owners must have been christians, and they had to have justified it somehow.

I'm not really interested in the current christian view, I'm interested in what was the christian view. they must have justified these beliefs to themselves some how.
 
The only Christians who prohibit(ed) interracial marriage are those who do not realize that mankind is of one blood and we are all essentially related anyway. Yes, even Christianity has racists. Shock! Horror! Gasp!

I do not know what they used to justify it.
 
a quick search yields:

What does the Bible teach about interracial marriages?

Nothing in the New Testament prohibits interracial marriage. Christians are at liberty to marry whomever they wish--as long as the other person is also a Christian (1 Corinthians 7:39).

The Old Testament contained some restrictions on whom the Israelites could marry. These were meant to protect the people of God from pagan influences (Deut. 7:3-4) and to guard the purity of the Aaronic priesthood (Lev. 21:13-14). There were even some strict regulations about inter-tribal marriage, designed to keep the various tribes' inheritance from being lost by intermarriage (Num. 36:3-9). All such restrictions are explicitly annulled by the New Testament (Gal. 3:27-29).
 
Originally posted by: Kenazo
Originally posted by: PunDogg
yeah it makes sense, but i never heard of christans saying interracial marriage was a bad thing, i think some people based on ther opinion, not there religonous belifes, but i could be wrong, i am not christian so

Dogg
Click to expand...

There must be some obscure verses that they twisted though to derive that belief. How did the white people justify slavery? Christianity was the dominant religion of the UK and the US during the entire slave trade, thus most slave traders/owners must have been christians, and they had to have justified it somehow.

I'm not really interested in the current christian view, I'm interested in what was the christian view. they must have justified these beliefs to themselves some how.
Click to expand...


Christians justified mistreating blacks because the blacks weren't christian. It's that simple, and it was that stupid. Today, the KKK bases most of their poorly misguided logic off of this same fact.

I'm not sure if this holds true in the middle east in early AD, but when slaves (of all colors) were first brought from the carribean, the strong religious attitudes of the colonists justified the treatment the non-christian slaves got. The reason the southern states were more supportive of slavery was because of the difference in religions.
 
OK, here was the second point I was wondering on.. Geocentricism. At one time everyone thought the earth was the centre of the universe, and it was something that was aspparently biblical truth. how did that one get justified?
 
Good job! You have successfully presented the reasons why modern interpretations of the bible do not prohibit interracial marriage, but it doesn't change the fact that quotes in the old testament were used to support the ignorant beliefs. (this is no reflection on the bible, but the opinions of the people of the time)

Here is a "disproof" (if you want to call it that) of that old belief: Link, it contains the quotes used to support their beliefs.

The different versions of the bible are each an interpretation by a (group of) translator(s), and each is interpreted differently by different people, thus every side of an argument can use the bible as support .

Crypticburn
 
Originally posted by: Kenazo
OK, here was the second point I was wondering on.. Geocentricism. At one time everyone thought the earth was the centre of the universe, and it was something that was aspparently biblical truth. how did that one get justified?
Click to expand...

Here.
 
Originally posted by: Crypticburn
Good job! You have successfully presented the reasons why modern interpretations of the bible do not prohibit interracial marriage, but it doesn't change the fact that quotes in the old testament were used to support the ignorant beliefs. (this is no reflection on the bible, but the opinions of the people of the time)

Here is a "disproof" (if you want to call it that) of that old belief: Link, it contains the quotes used to support their beliefs.

The different versions of the bible are each an interpretation by a (group of) translator(s), and each is interpreted differently by different people, thus every side of an argument can use the bible as support .

Crypticburn
Click to expand...


Nice link, Thanks. 🙂

Also, like your link Descartes. Very informative
 
Originally posted by: Kenazo
OK, here was the second point I was wondering on.. Geocentricism. At one time everyone thought the earth was the centre of the universe, and it was something that was aspparently biblical truth. how did that one get justified?
Click to expand...


I'm in an American History class right now, not European, soooorry. 😛

I would believe that it was because they lacked the knowledge and comprehension to have any reason to think that they weren't... so therefore they believed they were. You have to understand that the bible was written by humans, so the knowledge of humans is a major limiting factor in what some beliefs say. Until the Renaissance, most people didn't care about things like science and art for the sole purpose of science and art's sake, they only cared when it was necessary. So until then, most people truly thought that if there wasn't anything to oppose their opinion, their opinion was fact.
 
Perhaps a prejudiced interpretation of 2 Corinthians 6:14

Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? (NASB)

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? (King James)

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? (NIV)

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? (New King James)

Don?t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can goodness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? (NLT)
Click to expand...
 
Crypticburn's link won't work for me, so it might cover the same thing mine does. If so, I apologize. Anyway, check this out. It talks about Ham, the son of Noah. Back in the day Ham was believed to be the cursed son of Noah, and the "father of the black race." Certain bible verses dealing with this topic (see the link) were used to justify the enslavement of black people and the seperation of the races (and certainly to prevent interracial marriage).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top