Has Prejudice Ever Helped Christianity Grow


I don't claim to be a historian, especially one in religion. But from my memory, prejudice and discrimination have always been the part of the Christianity remaining when changes happened. Surely we can conclude slavery and segregation, endorsed by parts of the faith, hurt and did not help it. How can discrimination against LGBT+ help the faith?

Oh yes, I know well the argument those Christians especially in the South, who practiced slavery and later segregation, were not "really Christians." They did not, the argument goes read properly nor understand the Bible. Think about this. Slavery existed for about 400 years on our soil. For 400 years preachers told the faithful slavery was ok with God. And, there is slavery in the Bible.

Now, with noses high in the air, there are Christians saying their view on sexual issues is correct and others are not. This has been going on for several decades now. It may take 400 more years before it, like slavery, is buried in the sands of time. While prejudice lives on in the faith, it will continue to fall.

I see a parallel between prejudice and Christians and the person in the 24/7 news, Donald Trump. Trump believes the world trading system in made up of individual contracts. When you drive the seller's price down you win. If he does that to you, he wins. Reality is all trading taken together is a wash, everyone wins the same as they lose but on balance all goods are cheaper because the right countries make the goods that best fits them. Trump cannot see the forest for the trees.

Something similar goes on with Bible quoting Christians. They find individual scripture that justifies prejudices. But, taken as a whole, the Bible says accept and convert. That's what counts.

Time is the friend of people who want a smaller Christianity. It shoots itself in the foot regularly.  


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