Understanding Prejudice    2019-025

Understanding prejudice is something that I feel, cannot be done. Prejudice is tied to intolerance to a degree, which is also something that cannot be understood. Can hatred be the factor that feeds those that endorse or hold fast to these beliefs?

What other influences would lead those having such despicable thoughts towards others? The hatred for anything is NOT a justifiable defense for prejudicial intolerance. Neither is using any religion or religious dictate for having thoughts that go against normal decent beliefs.  I would think that the word normal is the key word here.

Self-avowed racists or some that claim they are not, but ARE, due to their words used or actions taken, at times, do NOT care if they are looked at as prejudicial or intolerant. Also, God fearing, holier than thou advocates, that use their Bible as weapons to try and prove their righteousness and disapproval of others are examples of why the problem with religion is religion itself.  

Liberals AND conservatives that stretch their beliefs either to the far left or right and show the world their prejudice and intolerance to others on the other end of the spectrum need to learn what compromise means.

Many, but not all, major faith groups use a variation of the Golden Rule in their beliefs. This thought of “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you is sometimes forgotten.

Listed below are some prejudices that are common, but there are more I am sure. Since I am a Christian, I will use an excerpt from the teacher Jesus Christ as an example of how I feel people could look at others. 

In Mark 12 versus 29-31 it states that Jesus told His disciples how they must adhere to the following: “The most important (commandment) is this:  Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love this Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.  The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself.  There is no commandment greater than these.”

In other words, being prejudicial and intolerant is NOT the way to be, if you are a Christian and want to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.  In Luke 14:27 Jesus also said, “And anyone who does not carry His cross and follow Him, cannot be my disciple.”

I just used the Bible to show some thoughts, not as a weapon, but as a guide to living life with Jesus, so you could still call me a hypocrite for doing so, if you wish. 

It is so too easy to show our feelings about something that is prejudicial towards anyone, but if we do so it identifies it as a factual feeling experience, and it can give us an opportunity to change ourselves as part of the process of change and healing oneself.

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Peace,
Den Betts            bettsden@gmail.com    email or thebettsden.com Blog Site