Why does the Bible say there are different races of people...

[Cato]

Look, a few times I hear yanks use the term "race relations" including I believe their president Obama, but there's no validity to citing different races of people and this was not known in the bronze age, or even for most of the 20th century. It was only latter in the 20th century we worked that out. There's only one human race. And anyone that disagrees is unable to list them or to say how many races there are. But yanks aside, no one uses the term now because we know it's based on bronze-age mythology and has been disproved scientifically. So why does the Bible claim otherwise?

You should probably clear your baffles before opining.

Race relations between black and white Australians is one of the nation's great challenges, the country's new prime minister said in an "Australia Day" message, as the word "Sorry" was written in the sky above Bondi Beach.

http://dalje.com/en-world/race-relations...day/117894

The referenced speech was given by Rudd in 2008.

[Aractus]

And he was dead wrong - there's no such thing as race.

[Cato]

And he was dead wrong - there's no such thing as race.

You're being idealistically absurd. I agree with you, but only in the context of a strict taxonomical definition of the word. This consideration doesn't mean that long standing traditional understanding and use of the word suddenly become invalid. Even if we were to adopt a strict taxonomical definition of race we would have to come up with another term to take the place of its more conventional use. Perhaps you would feel more comfortable using breeds instead, like we do for Canis lupus familiaris.

If the concepts behind race, racism, and race relations make you uncomfortable then you're one of the good guys. Enforcing a strict use of the word race will not eliminate discrimination based on superficial biological or cultural differences. A campaign of this nature is quixotic.

The all too human fear of 'the other' is at the root of the common understanding of racism, not a belief that others are of a different species. We have made significant process regarding racism. The fact that it didn't immediately disappear with the knowledge that we are all the same species should give you pause for thought.

[professor]

I am surprised someone as smart as Aractus is trips over the Jews being told to not have relations with the pagan tribes around them.
It has nothing to do with what we call "Race".

[vorlon13]

Hate to sound like an apologist this occasion, but if the word we see in english is meant more to convey the concept of 'tribe' rather than 'race' I'm not sure the criticism, this time for the scriptures being FU is that crucial.

Still, God personally blessed, oversaw and exalted the King James 1611 version and uniquely consecrated that translation over all others as canon, so I can see a specific criticism of the word choice in that book alone.

[dyresand]

Well if you look at the original mormon bible and stories they are pretty racist....

[Minimalist]

The bible is all about favouring certain groups of people, and not giving a fuck about the rest, in fact go and kill them and take their stuff.

Lots of creation myths explain how a certain people were created by the gods. This jewish shit is not unique...it is typical of creation mythology and I know the jesus freaks hate to hear that but FUCK THEM.

[vorlon13]

Racism in sermons, Doctrines and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, and Book of Mormon is ASTONISHING.

And the wording of their 1970s backpedaling on the topic is PUTRID. They apparently never were racist, it was God all along, and they kept nagging him to relent and he finally did.

Total bullshit, absolute total bullshit and the LDS poobahs know it. Not one of them could pass a polygraph test, and none of them would ever to submit to one.

[dyresand]

Racism in sermons, Doctrines and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, and Book of Mormon is ASTONISHING.

And the wording of their 1970s backpedaling on the topic is PUTRID. They apparently never were racist, it was God all along, and they kept nagging him to relent and he finally did.

Total bullshit, absolute total bullshit and the LDS poobahs know it. Not one of them could pass a polygraph test, and none of them would ever to submit to one.

If they did all credibility for them not being racist gets thrown out of the window. And it doesn't help that they made videos either i was watching bible reloaded and they were picking it apart. They paused it and was like woooow that is racist.

[Aractus]

You're being idealistically absurd. I agree with you, but only in the context of a strict taxonomical definition of the word. This consideration doesn't mean that long standing traditional understanding and use of the word suddenly become invalid.

Um, you are missing the point. It is invalid because the belief that different people are fundamentally different to your own people is wrong and has been scientifically disproved. Let me point to the example I provided:

"For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands."

It's incorrect, doesn't matter how many non-hebrews they procreated with, it would not change their so-called "race", it wouldn't dilute it as is suggested by the Bible.

Even if we were to adopt a strict taxonomical definition of race we would have to come up with another term to take the place of its more conventional use. Perhaps you would feel more comfortable using breeds instead, like we do for Canis lupus familiaris.

Firstly, we don't usually use the word race any more in modern society - because it's an invalid construct. We use terms such as ethnicity or better yet ethnic identity. Or we use the word culture. Regardless though, no human being on the planet belongs to a separate race to your own. They might belong to a different culture, they might have a different ethnic identity, but they're the one race.

So again, why does the Bible specifically state that there are separate races of people?