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Keeno
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19 Jul 2009, 10:05 am

Christianity does not encourage racism, it's individuals who might appear to.



phil777
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19 Jul 2009, 10:27 am

Eskimos invented whale hunting without use of huge boats, they are amongst the first to use dog sleds (which are still used even today). Kayak was also invented by inuits. And from their south cousins, we owe them the totem pole (admit that it's at least a nice contribution to general human culture). Also :

Toboggan
Toboggan comes from the Algonquian word odabaggan. The toboggan is an invention of the Eastern First Peoples. Indian hunters first built toboggans made of bark to carry game over the snow. The Inuit (sometimes called Eskimos) used to make toboggans of whalebone, otherwise a toboggan is made of strips of hickory, ash, or maple, with the front ends curved back.

Snowshoes
Snowshoes were invented by the Eastern First Peoples.

The game of Lacrosse was also invented by Iroquois and Huron people.

They invented birch bark canoes (could go where big european ships couldn't) Also invented mocassins and tipi.

Might be more but from the source i used (http://inventors.about.com/od/famousinv ... erican.htm) that's all there was. Minimizing contributions made to the collective culture of humankind denotes ignorance -.- .

And huh, the printing press is mostly a way to mass produce a written text. It still does not change the fact that writing came before and is much important than whatever is used to promote it. <.<

And just to play devil's advocate even further here. Tell me how much all those brilliant inventions of ours have not harmed us in any form or shape? Modern medecine does saves lives, but is also now being used for purposes that are purely esthetic or selfish (such as was denoted by the 69 year old woman who wanted and obtained 2 babies). What about the disposal of radios, cars and Tvs? Because of all the hazardous components of these objects, they take years to rot in scrap yards -.- . We all know what kind of abuses internet suffers. Space travel seems to be the lesser evil here, but it does use a LOT of fuel to even get our people into space, the actual component that contains the astronauts seems really small when you compare it to the fuel tanks...

In all honesty, western civilization has made a lot of brilliant discoveries over the years, some good, some bad, some rather pointless. But in essence, the act of invention and innovation itself should be celebrated when it comes to humans, as this is what sets us apart from the other animals on the planet. The only other animals which have shown the same potential for innovation are our more distant primate cousins.



xenon13
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19 Jul 2009, 2:06 pm

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Last edited by xenon13 on 20 Jul 2009, 5:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

phil777
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19 Jul 2009, 3:06 pm

agreed with the above. :P This is why i think you have some very rare black jewish africans. :P



mgran
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19 Jul 2009, 4:45 pm

Actually, there are Chinese, Indian and African Jews.



DrizzleMan
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21 Jul 2009, 8:05 am

phil777 wrote:
"it isn't." That answer lacks the elaboration required to prove that it actually isn't. <.<

Leviticus, chapter 19, verse 34 (King James translation):

"But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God."

Wombat wrote:
OK, I DO think I am better. Who invented science and the printing press and modern medicine and democracy and the automobile and space travel and radio and tv and the internet?

Did you personally play any part in inventing those?


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Jono
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21 Jul 2009, 2:12 pm

Wombat wrote:
phil777 wrote:
Wombat, then if i read the first line of wiki's article on racism :

"Racism is the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race."

I doubt that kinda fits you, no? Since you claimed that you do not think you are "better" :P .


OK, I DO think I am better. Who invented science and the printing press and modern medicine and democracy and the automobile and space travel and radio and tv and the internet?

Gee, let's see. What did the Eskimos or the Zulus or the New Guinea natives invent?

Errr... Nothing?


Well lets see. The Chinese invented gunpowder and the compass. The Aztecs and Mayans discovered some mathematical concepts before the Greeks discovered them independently. Most advancement in science and mathematics took place in the east during the Middle Ages.

Wombat, you're talking BS and lets not get into a discussion about how white people are better than everyone else. OK?



0_equals_true
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21 Jul 2009, 5:00 pm

The bible is kind of like a horoscope. It has something for everyone (including racists) and no one at the same time.

As to whether it is explicitly racist. Probably no more than any other work of the time. Christianity was just emerging the time. They didn’t have formally written down gospels, it was just word of mouth, and it was coming in drip and drabs all over the empire. Of course it appealed to minorities and the natives of the colonies, where they where treated differently depending.



Last edited by 0_equals_true on 21 Jul 2009, 5:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

0_equals_true
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21 Jul 2009, 5:04 pm

DrizzleMan wrote:
Did you personally play any part in inventing those?

That is the thing about obsessive nationalists. it is sort of a hangers-on/wanabe club. Also they tend to believe an nostalgic but inaccurate portrayal of their 'heroic' history.



MissConstrue
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21 Jul 2009, 5:48 pm

This might sound simple and dumb but there are A LOT of christians that aren't white. There are no direct links only people's own interpretations in written scriptures. Same as Islam..men changed and interpretated what was acceptable and what wasn't.

I think Christianity in its earliest stages was first more prominant in western societies. It wasn't until it dominated the west that missionaries were dispatched into turfs that were not christianized. Although, you could argue that religion was not the main motivator but political and idealogical agendas in the making. Take the manifest destiny for instance. This was ruled under the notion of God's destiny and virtue to do his divine work by expanding their ideals and notions in how they saw U.S. fit. Of course this was mostly influenced by the anglo-saxons giving a new term to slavery and genocide of those who looked or did not fit their social hierarchy. But that alone was not christianity per se since it was influenced by the ideas of men and their set beliefs in what they considered devine.

There are other aspects not so far apart from eachother in how they interpreted their devine plans under the direction of god. The Spanish Inquisition whom not only persecuted Jews but also "Christians" who didn't share the common practices, ideologies, and lifestyles in their moral code of christianity. One was lucky if their only way out was salvation through conversion. Paganism was of course looked down upon by people of christian faith. However, pagan traditions were practiced and even immersed with christianity such as easter and christmas. They were originally defined by the changes in seasons such as the winter solstace. These pagan beliefs were then redefined by beliefs in the christian faith.

The same is true for other cultures who have immersed their polytheism with the faith in one deity. I doubt Christianity in its own identity encouraged racism since their main focus was to "save" the souls of those who would be forever damned for their "sinful" lifestyles and beliefs. But even Christianity has always clashed with itself among those of christian faith. In other words, people have often manipulated religion to suit their own motivations regarding political schemes and social agendas. People give so many interpretations of in some of the roles christianity plays in their daily life and what of its intentions. Yet overall they share two factors in common, the belief of a man who was a messenger and incarnation of god from the land of Judea and an ominpotent deity mostly personified as a male father figure.


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jmac01
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21 Jul 2009, 11:30 pm

For a history, google for "Religion and the creation of race and ethnicity" and read the first chapter of the book at google books.

For a "contemporary" attitude, google for "Concerning the origin of the races, the Bible records that:"

I'd give you links but WP won't let me.



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26 Jul 2009, 1:11 pm

lets see, The Mayan's made the most accurate calendar to date, 1,000x more accurate then ours.

The Middle East gave us Algbra, astronomy, A lot of Alchemey come from there (its the precursor to modern chemistry)

The portugese gave us the Astrolabe

Japan gave us modern eletroncics

Native American's actually taught the eurpoeans how to grow in Virginia's poor soil

The native people of south america gave us numerous medicines like Quinine (Treats Malaria)


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ruveyn
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26 Jul 2009, 1:28 pm

cognito wrote:
lX

Japan gave us modern eletroncics



The practical transistor was invented at Bell Telephone Labs (NJ, USA) in 1947 by Britain, Bardeen and Shockley.

The integrated circuit was invented by scientists at Texas Instrument Co, Inc.

Modern electronics was invented in the U.S.A. However the Japanese were the first to apply it widely to consumer items.

The Japanese have a great talent for piggy-backing practical gains on stuff invented elsewhere.

ruveyn



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26 Jul 2009, 6:45 pm

And no one wants to point out that the printing press, and movable type, were both developed by the Koreans in the 1100s? :-)

Oh, and by the way, Mr. Anglo-Saxon Arian, democracy was developed in its modern form by the Greeks - a Mediterranean, arguably even a Semitic, people. The Aryans, meanwhile, were supposed to be an offshoot of the Indians (that is, the peoples of India, not the "Indians" of North America, who descend from Asians).


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Orwell
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26 Jul 2009, 7:22 pm

DeaconBlues wrote:
Oh, and by the way, Mr. Anglo-Saxon Arian, democracy was developed in its modern form by the Greeks

Athenian democracy bore only a vague resemblance to the modern liberal democracies.

But we do owe a great deal of our cultural heritage to the Greeks.


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cognito
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26 Jul 2009, 7:50 pm

its said that greece is the birthplace of the western world and its quite true. The concept of a republic was from the Roman Senate.

The English language is simply A german Alphabet read in french/latin

Surfing, from the Native Hawiians

modern rockets came from China, and in fact, the majority of space rockets came about from Germany from the V2 rocket, the first thing to enter the upper atomsphere.

Hot air ballons are french

I can not even begin to list all the accomplishments african americans gave us

The first battery were acid batteries from ancient messopotimaia


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