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Prejudice has been around possibly longer than prostitution, depending on how you define it. Was there some degree of prejudice in Cain’s killing Abel? Consider that God favored Abel over Cain, because of what Abel offered to Him. While accepting Abel’s offering of one of his sheep, God chastises Cain for offering Him what he pulled out of the ground which Cain worked. It is believed by some that Cain was chastised for offering something that would have been thrown away had it not been offered to God, whereas Abel offered to God a sheep which, instead of being something that could be thrown away, is something that could be used to raise so it can do things like help give birth to other sheep, thus continuing God’s Creation.
What motivated Cain to kill Abel? Did he think God would now favor Cain since Abel is gone? Or was it jealousy which gave rise to prejudice? You might say that Cain killed Abel perhaps because in Cain’s eyes God would forever favor Abel over him. What Cain may not have accepted is if he were as generous as Abel, if in fact he offered something he helped make that he could use himself to produce other things, God would favor him too.
Seems that Cain may have taken what he thought to be the easy way out, instead of being as generous as his brother, by killing him. In so doing, if so, he falsely presumed that God would now favor him. We know, however that that didn’t come to pass. In fact, in Genesis 4:11-12, God condemns Cain to wandering the earth with his guilt. But how easy it was for Cain to think that obtaining God’s favor by killing Abel, out of extreme prejudice if you will, would be a sure thing.
In another sense, one may assert that Cain scapegoated Abel for Cain’s woes out of being disfavored by God. So much easier to blame someone for setbacks and misfortune, isn’t it? Doesn’t take much energy, does it?
The Jews are no strangers to being scapegoated and prejudiced against, the way Abel may have been. They have been blamed for the Bubonic Plague which killed millions of people in Europe in the 14th century. Some in certain areas are now being scapegoated for the prevalence of Covid-19, but now they are joined by Asians everywhere who never set foot in China., nor have many of them associated with those who were in China at the time Covid-19 broke out. And what’s worse, some of this prejudice has afflicted some of our leaders.
Some may make the argument that prejudice, scapegoating or typecasting, whatever you call it, is perfectly acceptable in the Bible. They may point to Titus 1:12-13 which says, “One of the Cretans, a PROPHET of their own, said, ‘Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.’ This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply...” But is this prejudice?
Lexico.com defines prejudice as “Preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience.” Thus, to assert that ‘All Jews do this,’ all Asians do this,’ is more than likely a preconceived opinion that, although some may assert is based on reason to a certain extent, is in all likelihood not based on actual experience. Contrast this with Titus 1:12-13 in which a PROPHET, no less, definitively says “Cretans are always liars,” etc. This is not spoken out of prejudice; it is spoken out of the truth.
Some of our leaders, on the other hand, spew out things that are yoked in prejudice. The irony is that they are leaders in a nation supposedly under God, so in accordance with Romans 13:1 they should be leading as an extension of God.
Would God bless anyone who is inclined to prejudice? Galatians 3:28 says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek...for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” In that context, considering we are all one in Jesus, if we were to marginalize and disenfranchise certain groups of people, we would be effectively cutting off our nose to spite our face, or dismembering ourselves if you will. That doesn’t make us any better, and it doesn’t accomplish furthering life that is God’s Creation...we only end up being the same person, except we now have no nose!
What motivated Cain to kill Abel? Did he think God would now favor Cain since Abel is gone? Or was it jealousy which gave rise to prejudice? You might say that Cain killed Abel perhaps because in Cain’s eyes God would forever favor Abel over him. What Cain may not have accepted is if he were as generous as Abel, if in fact he offered something he helped make that he could use himself to produce other things, God would favor him too.
Seems that Cain may have taken what he thought to be the easy way out, instead of being as generous as his brother, by killing him. In so doing, if so, he falsely presumed that God would now favor him. We know, however that that didn’t come to pass. In fact, in Genesis 4:11-12, God condemns Cain to wandering the earth with his guilt. But how easy it was for Cain to think that obtaining God’s favor by killing Abel, out of extreme prejudice if you will, would be a sure thing.
In another sense, one may assert that Cain scapegoated Abel for Cain’s woes out of being disfavored by God. So much easier to blame someone for setbacks and misfortune, isn’t it? Doesn’t take much energy, does it?
The Jews are no strangers to being scapegoated and prejudiced against, the way Abel may have been. They have been blamed for the Bubonic Plague which killed millions of people in Europe in the 14th century. Some in certain areas are now being scapegoated for the prevalence of Covid-19, but now they are joined by Asians everywhere who never set foot in China., nor have many of them associated with those who were in China at the time Covid-19 broke out. And what’s worse, some of this prejudice has afflicted some of our leaders.
Some may make the argument that prejudice, scapegoating or typecasting, whatever you call it, is perfectly acceptable in the Bible. They may point to Titus 1:12-13 which says, “One of the Cretans, a PROPHET of their own, said, ‘Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.’ This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply...” But is this prejudice?
Lexico.com defines prejudice as “Preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience.” Thus, to assert that ‘All Jews do this,’ all Asians do this,’ is more than likely a preconceived opinion that, although some may assert is based on reason to a certain extent, is in all likelihood not based on actual experience. Contrast this with Titus 1:12-13 in which a PROPHET, no less, definitively says “Cretans are always liars,” etc. This is not spoken out of prejudice; it is spoken out of the truth.
Some of our leaders, on the other hand, spew out things that are yoked in prejudice. The irony is that they are leaders in a nation supposedly under God, so in accordance with Romans 13:1 they should be leading as an extension of God.
Would God bless anyone who is inclined to prejudice? Galatians 3:28 says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek...for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” In that context, considering we are all one in Jesus, if we were to marginalize and disenfranchise certain groups of people, we would be effectively cutting off our nose to spite our face, or dismembering ourselves if you will. That doesn’t make us any better, and it doesn’t accomplish furthering life that is God’s Creation...we only end up being the same person, except we now have no nose!
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