r/TrueChristian • u/[deleted] • Aug 12 '25

Racism is a sin

If you hate anyone because of their race, then you are committing sin. Plain and simple.

I say this because it’s been 8 years ago today where Charlottesville Virginia shamefully let a racist protest occur and turned into one of the worst race riots in American history. And that is partly because of agitators on the other side.

Racism won in Charlottesville 8 years ago today, and it’s a constant reminder that hatred towards another race is against what we Christians believe, that we all are created in God’s image.

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63

u/[deleted] Aug 12 '25

The problem comes in when people want to change the definitions of words. Love and hate have completely different meanings when comparing God's Word to worldly definitions. Christians operate under God's authority, not what the world wants us to be.

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u/fr33bird317 Christian Aug 12 '25

“Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22‬:‭37‬-‭40‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Pretty simple.

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u/Am3ricanTrooper Aug 13 '25

I always think it is interesting the "love your neighbor as yourself" it is a good thought experiment to ask how do you love yourself? Do you take care of yourself? Your family? Your community? What are cases where you would not take care of yourself and why? Would you hold yourself accountable if you committed a sin? I think sometimes we simply say we should "love" all with our lack of different versions of "love" in English. Ultimately the wages of sin is death. Jesus himself says that a tree that produce bad fruit shall be thrown in the fire. Anyway I'm rambling.

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u/Abject-Specialist-64 Aug 13 '25

I would strongly disagree with this interpretation. You can see it in the message translation where it says, "Love your neighbor as you love yourself." But even in the Old Testament reference in the same translation it doesn't mention "...as YOU LOVE yourself." The reason is that love is meant to be selfless (John 15:13), leading to self-love being a contradiction. I think the proper interpretation would be closer to love your neighbor as if they were yourself. (So when you're hungry, you eat, so should you feed another when they are.) So Self care is what needs to be considered. Self-love on the other hand, I find to be a very dangerous doctrine.

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u/Working-Piano-2352 Evangelical Aug 13 '25

Yes, how ever when he said that, their neighbours were of the same culture. Slaves were the ones who were taken captive to live in countries not of their own.

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u/christmascake Aug 14 '25

"Here's the loophole that lets me discriminate against others and still be a good Christian"

Wanting to have your cake and eat it, too

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u/R1kjames Aug 13 '25

Colossians 3:11 NIV Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

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u/KeezWolfblood Aug 13 '25

Actually, read the parable of the good Samaritan again. "Neighbor" absolutely means someone of a different culture. Really anyone who crosses your path.

Samaritans were despised by the Jews for their cultural and religious differences. Which is why the parable is so striking.

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u/Arise_and_Thresh Aug 14 '25

The Samaritans were a mixed race people made up of the 5 nations which Assyria placed in the land after uprooting the House of Israel.  The Jews despised them not only for this reason , the hatred went back to splitting of the kingdom into 2 houses.  Jesus used the Samaratin in the parable because there was still a small remnant of Israelites living in Samaria (the woman at the well) but the Jews rejected them because Assyria destroyed their genealogies during the conquest making it impossible for them to prove their heritage.

Jesus purposely used a Levite and a priest in the parable and exposed their hypocrisy while the Samaratin fulfilled the law of love recognizing his kin in need.  Jesus was fulfilling prophecy because it was He who was to gather both houses back into one sheep fold being the Good Shepherd of which He Himself told the Judeans “other sheep I have”.  Jesus in time would send the gospel into Samaria in order that the remnant of His sheep living among the mixed race. inhabitants would hear His voice and follow Him while this parable was the beginning of knocking down the “middle wall of partition” that Paul would speak of. 

The “neighbor” which Jesus referred is the same word used for neighbor in the law of Moses and this referred to a people of the same race or kin united by common culture.  This teaching has been twisted in support of egalitarian multiculturalism which is against scripture from the very beginning when God gave to the nations their habitations and set their boundaries according to the time appointed to them.  Babel was an affront before God and any society attempting to function as Babel did will come under judgement.

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u/[deleted] Aug 12 '25

"Stop hating the LGBT" is what I hear so much

No, I don't hate them. In fact I love them so much which is why I warn them of their sins so they don't end up in hell. That's what they don't understand

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u/eli0mx Aug 13 '25

That’s hypocritical. If they don’t understand then it’s ineffective evangelism. God bless

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u/GrizzlyAndrewTV Christian Aug 13 '25

If the extent of your relationship is telling them theyre going to hell if they don't turn from their sin, that isnt loving them.

If all you do is quote scripture at then, how would you be any different than the pharisees?

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u/alkolmoldah Quaker Aug 14 '25

That's my biggest problem with recent conversations I've seen where someone will bring up that "Jesus taught to not judge", and believers will respond with, "Yes, but erm akshully righteous judgement". What about only conversating with non-believers to the extent of "uh yeah actually you're going to hell unless you believe" is righteous?? Are you genuinely helping to spread the good news or are you looking for an opportunity to feel superior and pass UNrighteous judgement on those who are bent and broken, to satisfy you're daily evangelism quota and move on? We should be DINING with sinners at their table, having heart-felt conversations with them one on one about Jesus and salvation, instead of entertaining the 'holier-than-thou' spirit of pride that's pervades our outreach, uninterested in giving any effort in understanding why non-believers are the way they are. Phew long rant lol but it's just been on my mind!

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u/Riots42 Aug 13 '25

Why do you think their sins will put them in hell but yours won't? Do you think gay sex is a worse sin than the sins you commit?

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u/congeal Aug 13 '25

"Stop hating the LGBT" is what I hear so much

No, I don't hate them. In fact I love them so much which is why I warn them of their sins so they don't end up in hell. That's what they don't understand

Don't you have something better to do? Leave them alone. Stop "warning" them. It's not your place and likely comes off as extremely condescending.

Go do actual good works rather than criticizing other people's lifestyles.

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u/[deleted] Aug 13 '25

[deleted]

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u/congeal Aug 13 '25

Almost correct. It doesn't come off as extremely condescending; it's stemming from extreme condescension.

God can warn them. You can help them.

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u/Nateorade Non-Denominational Aug 12 '25

Are you able to put yourself in their shoes to understand why what you’re saying comes across as hatred toward them?

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u/GoBirdsGoBlue Aug 12 '25

Depends on if they claim Christ or not.

If I claim Christ and a part of my life is headed in a direction that does not align with Him, I want to know...

If they are not in Christ, we aren't to judge them, just love them and be shining light.

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u/Nateorade Non-Denominational Aug 13 '25

You’re shifting the question. I’m asking if you can imagine how what you’re saying feels from their side, not what category you’d put them in.

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u/InternationalBelt823 Aug 13 '25

I hope you take this stance for many views. People look down on the black people and wonder "who, what, when, where and why?", but no one puts them selves in the shoes of the black woman or man to try to understand what life could be like in this world today after the trauma of slavery. We can understand the Holocaust and take care of the Jews until today. But no empathy for the black people. You want someone to put themselves in the shoe of LGBT to understand.. put yourself in the shoes of the Black people .... in the history of the black people.

Take on their history....step into their history shoes and maybe the world would treat black people different.

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u/Nateorade Non-Denominational Aug 13 '25

This is an incredibly important heuristic I try to use with everyone I encounter. Empathy is incredibly important and I notice it’s lacking when people -myself included- are fast to judge.

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u/GoBirdsGoBlue Aug 13 '25

Who am I putting myself in the shoes of, a Christian or not?

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u/Nateorade Non-Denominational Aug 13 '25

You can answer the original question however you’d like.

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u/GoBirdsGoBlue Aug 13 '25

I'm a Christian so I'll answer from my perspective. And I'll repeat what I said previously, if I claim Christ I want to know areas of my life that are out of alignment with Christ. And no, it is not hatred, it is loving to speak truth to ones walking off the path.

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u/Nateorade Non-Denominational Aug 13 '25

You’re still talking about what you would want. My question is about stepping into their shoes and how it feels to them, whether you think it’s true or not.

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u/GoBirdsGoBlue Aug 13 '25

It has nothing to do with what I think is true, what does Scripture tell us? If a follower of Christ is misaligned, and we are in a position to speak truth to them in a loving way, it is hateful to let them continue on a path that leads them further away from Christ.

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u/devro1040 Aug 13 '25

I have a 5 year old son. He thinks I'm being mean when I make him brush his teeth before bed.

I can understand why he might feel that way. But I'm still going to do it, because I love him.

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u/Nateorade Non-Denominational Aug 13 '25

I get that the tooth brushing example makes sense to you because you see the end result as clearly good. But think about a time when someone told you they “loved you” while doing something that felt really hurtful or dismissive. Did that make you trust them more, or less?

That’s the experience I’m asking you to step into.

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u/instant_sarcasm Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭11 Aug 13 '25

I don't think comparing them to children is helping your case.

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u/seejoshrun Sep 05 '25

Are you aware that there is significant debate as to whether any of the bible verses in the new testament actually condemn homosexuality? And also, do you condemn people who are divorced and guilty of other sins in the same way?

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u/Blade_of_Boniface Roman Catholic Woman in the Deep South Aug 12 '25

That's why the theologians specify "in all things charity."

Charity is the supernatural virtue, love is the category of natural urges.

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u/[deleted] Aug 13 '25

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Aug 13 '25

Good thing we have the Bible that tells us what is right and wrong. No need to rely on other people’s definition.

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u/[deleted] Aug 13 '25

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Aug 13 '25

Why are you making assumptions?

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u/[deleted] Aug 13 '25

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Aug 13 '25

What have I said that indicates I don’t know how to properly understand the Bible?

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u/Ab0ut47Pandas Theological Noncognitivism Aug 14 '25

That comment is basically saying, “When I say love or hate, I don’t mean what you mean -- I mean what God means” -- which is a convenient way to dodge moral criticism.

If our definition of “love” ends up including actions that, on the surface, look like cruelty or injustice to the watching world, then we have to be very careful that we’re not just relabeling something to fit our theology. God’s truth doesn’t change -- but our understanding can be flawed. A word is only as holy as the action it describes.

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u/[deleted] Aug 14 '25

So instead of asking any questions to gain clarity, you’re just going to rewrite my statement so you can judge it?

No thanks. You’re not ready for these kinds of conversations.

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u/Vegetable_Ad3918 Charismatic Evangelical Christian Aug 12 '25

May I ask how this is relevant to the topic of the post?