Coronavirus Outbreak Exposed Deep-Seated xenophobia and Racism Against East Asians
God’s Wrath: Do not Oppress the Foreigner or the Poor
The Bible makes it clear that “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek” (Romans 10:9–13) According to God’s will: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other” (Zechariah 7:9–10).
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
People might connect the infectious disease with China and then extend the connection to East Asians. As for me, I ponder over the connection between God’s wrath and natural disasters. I would like to make a bold assumption that the disease in China has more to do with religious persecution in China since 2018. China’s Communist party intensified religious persecution since 2018. Churches were being closed, pastors were jailed and scriptures were converted into inspirational quotes of Xi Jinping. The local authorities removed crosses from churches, and underage children and teenagers are not permitted to attend religious activities. More Info: Insider Information of Religious Persecution in China
The epidemic of the coronavirus is transforming into hostility against China, its people, people of Chinese descent. The hostility toward East Asian people has surfaced, which also exposed a deep-seated xenophobia. Washington Post reporter John Pomfret writes, “ A rumor circulated among the children that all Asian kids have the coronavirus and should be quarantined.” Since coronavirus outbreak, Stories of discrimination against Asians have been reported on any number of social media sites. For instance, pedestrians have crossed the street to avoid Asians, or being verbally abused as “virus carriers.” People in Los Angeles and Toronto have experienced racist comments. Chinese restaurants are struggling because of widespread misconceptions about the “cleanliness” of their food. Meanwhile, American President Donald Trump has been restricting immigration for Chinese students and scholars since 2018.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the US the flu leads to more than 19 million illnesses, 180,000 hospitalizations and 10,000 deaths this season. Cases of measles are also increasing. “Misinformation, coupled with the fear that it provokes, can bring existing xenophobia to light,” said Edith Bracho-Sanchez, assistant professor of pediatrics at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, who has worked on health issues.
There are reports mentioning the wave of discrimination against East Asians since the outbreak of COVID-19. Disease stigma makes it harder to defeat infectious diseases. As the discrimination against the infected people rises, the affected people are more likely to avoid seeking health care immediately.Crucially, the government need the help from the infected people to track down everyone with whom they have been in contact.
Merlin Chowkwanyun, historian and assistant professor of sociomedical sciences at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, told Vox “ in the early days of the HIV epidemic in America, Haitian immigrants were singled out as “high risk” because of their nationality.” Historically, xenophobia and discrimination is omnipresent.
Remember, pride and apathy are included in the 7 deadly sins in the Bible. As we hold prejudice against people who do not deserve it, we commit sins in the eyes of God. According to the Bible, we are not allowed to judge others. Only the all-knowing God is authorized to judge us.
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Race discrimination means when you are treated differently because of your race, colour, nationality, ethnicity or national origins.President Chester A. Arthur signed the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 that banned the immigration of Chinese laborers to the US for 10 years. The purpose of the act was to “ assuage prevalent concerns about maintaining white ‘racial purity.’
God’s Will from the Bible: Do not Oppress the Foreigner or the Poor
God’s Wrath over The Wickedness of Pride, the Capital Sin in the Bible, and Prejudice
The 7 deadly sins are the character weaknesses of human beings. The Bible reminds us not to undermine the wickedness of pride, anger, lust, laziness, apathy, jealousy, love of money, binge eating to vanity.God wants human beings to “revere” Him so as to “shun evil” (Proverbs 14:16–22).
Those who receive God’s blessing should not be prideful for that. Pride is the capital sin in God’s eyes. God gives blessings and God will take back the blessings if we do not deserve it.
People undermine the sin of pride. Pride potentially leads to bias or arrogance. Apathy means lack of compassion to others’ suffering. Vanity makes a person pursue self-interests.
As said in the Bible, “There is an evil which I have seen under the sun and it is prevalent among men” (Ecclesiastes 6:1). Social prejudice and discrimination are intertwined. That’s why pride is recognized as the capital sin in the Bible. Generally, pride and social prejudice lead to conflicts, persecution, bullying, discrimination and violence in the world, which paves the way for countless tragedies on earth.
According to the Bible, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Proverbs 18:21). In Latin, ‘compati’ means “suffer with.” It might be hard to differentiate compassion, empathy and sympathy, all of which means others’ heartbreak becomes our heartbreak.
People do not believe in God’s existence, God’s justice or God’s wrath. People seek material comfort and self-interest instead.
The Bible says, “If it is possible…live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge…leave room for God’s wrath” for God will repay the evil deeds (Romans 12:18–19).Believe in God’s arrangement. That’s why the Bible says “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19 ESV).
The righteous God abhors wickedness. Thus, God’s punishment demonstrates God’s wrath and God’s justice. The omniscience of God is assured. God is all-knowing and “God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14). Much like the leading character Truman Burbank in the film “The Truman Show,” we are living under God’s supervision. God is watching our every move. According to the Bible, God reads our minds and every spoken word will be judged by God (Matthew 12:36 NIV). Everything we have done for the lifetime will be recorded in a book. God will evaluate our performance on Judgment Day and He will determine whether us lived a life of righteousness. “[A]bout that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven” nor Jesus, but only God (Matthew 24:36).
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More Bible Verses About Racism and Discrimination
“ The one who loves God must also love his brother.” 1 John 4:19–21
“Do not show prejudice if you possess faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.” James 2:1
“Have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?”- James 2:4
“‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.” Leviticus 19:33–34
“Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt.” Exodus 22:21
“Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” Philippians 2:3–4
“For God shows no partiality.”- Romans 2:11
“God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean.”- Acts 10:28
“But if you show partiality, you are committing sin” James 2:9
“ So Peter opened his mouth and said: Truly I understand that God shows no partiality.”- Acts 10:34–35
“ So God created man in his own image…male and female he created them.”- Genesis 1:27
