Inter-racial marriage and religion

Inter-racial marriage and religion

Dear Editor:

I was intrigued when I read the "Blended Blessings" article by Richard Carpenter in the Nevada Daily Mail of April 18, 2008. I agree with Mr. Carpenter that interracial marriage is not an easy one to write about in our community due to the traditional stereotypes.

I believe that there needs to be a reality check in our society. We are all ultimately descendants of the Biblical man, Noah. No, racial intermarriage is not a Biblical issue, but a cultural and social issue.

Biblically, I realize that the Israelites were forbidden by God to intermarry with the Canaanites when they took possession of the Promised Land. However, that was not a racial prohibition because the Canaanites were distant relatives of the Israelites. Canaan was a son of Ham and the Israelites were descendants of Shem. Ham and Shem were blood brothers with a common father in Noah.

The prohibition was religious in nature because of the Canaanites' pagan worship practices. God wanted to protect the Israelites' worship of the one true God (a pure religion, not a "pure race."). The Christian community now lives under a new covenant (New Testament) in which the Apostle Paul asserts that we are no longer under the civil and ceremonial laws of Israel, but are under the moral law of God.

Jesus summarized the Ten Commandments into the two greatest commands to love God and love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus said that He came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it.

I was born and raised in South Texas where prejudice was strong and hispanic-white marriages were not accepted, but after World War II, this changed. After the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, intermarriages with Asians also became accepted. Perhaps in the future, inter-racial marriages between blacks and whites will also become more accepted. Regardless, World WarII has taught well that Hitler's type of prejudice, hate, and intolerance will only kill and destroy human relationships.

I was a senior in high school in 1956 when forced integration was introduced into my public school. As a Christian, I chose to befriend the first black student in my study hall class. Here was a person created by God, but basically rejected by man, based on his skin color. I saw, first hand, how prejudice tears down a man's self-worth. Since that time, I have made many friendships with people of different races and have been enriched by knowing them. I have seen God's love at work

If World War II taught us anything, it is that "all men are created equal." Let us learn to respect and accept one another regardless of race or color.

Maybe Mr. Carpenter is right that in the generations to come, maybe the "blended" analogy will become reality. Maybe at the time, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "dream" will come to fruition.

Mel Mabra

pastor, Cornerstone Baptist Church

Nevada

Views expressed as "letters to the editor" are the sole view of the writer and not the view of this newspaper or its staff. In our view, racial conflict can divide communities, causing us to overlook talents and opportunities that might otherwise help us to grow, both as individuals and communities. Unrecognized and undiscussed, racial division goes unchallenged. Clearly, not everyone shares this view; -- but if we don't talk about it, who will?