Asymmetric Religion and Philosophy

Ethiopian Christian Art

People often forget that Martin Luther King was a minister of God. He follows a great Judeo-Christian tradition of seeing people's souls instead of their race.

A Christian cannot believe that one race is inherently more valuable than another. Jesus interacts with several black people in the Bible and never mentions race as a factor. God's "great commission," to spread the Gospel, isn't directed at any people in particular. Neither does it exclude anybody.

Many of the Early Church Fathers, including such important figures as St. Augustine of Hippo, were African (the Church's greatest growth today is in Africa). Not only does the Church condemn racism in its modern manifestations, but nobly fought for the rights of American Natives and condemned slavery as early as the fifteenth century.

It wasn't until the enlightenment that people in the West seriously considered race to be an important characteristic. Before then, people separated (and united) themselves by geography, language, or religion.

That differences exist between people on Earth is obvious to anybody with access to cds from both Brittney Spears and Aretha Franklin. To a Christian, however, everybody has a soul (the great equalizer- although Aretha may have a bit more) and, therefore, worth. That ends the issue: In the cosmic sense, everybody is equal.

The Very Best of Aretha Franklin: The 60's

Blackout (Deluxe Edition)