Ending Racism Against The Indigenous People Of Canada

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Ending Racism Against The Indigenous People Of Canada

Post #1

Post by Amos Ministries »

Systemic racism against First Nations groups in Canada is a major problem. The following scripture is the very essence of systemic racism and oppression of the poorer elements of society, such as Indigenous peoples and immigrants.

Ecclesiastes 5:8 – “Don’t be surprised if you see a poor person being oppressed by the powerful and if justice is being miscarried throughout the land. For every official is under orders from higher up, and matters of justice get lost in red tape and bureaucracy.”

Despite the attempts made to remedy the historical mistakes from Canada’s past, racism against Indigenous peoples (First Nations, Aboriginals, Metis) still exists. The bible teaches us how this systemic racism can be broken and the solution lies within each of us, individually.

James 2:1 & 9, 12-13 – “My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?… 9 If you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.”

The reason why systemic racism against Indigenous peoples still exists is because we haven’t changed our own perspective. We continue to adopt the same perspective as our forefathers. The term ‘forefathers’ includes but is not limited to explorers, pioneers; even ancestors such as our grandparents and parents. We do not see change in our society because we are still subscribing to our forefathers’ ways of thinking. The 'name' of our forefathers lives on in preceding generations when we follow their ways, views, philosophies and teachings. Society has handed us down a set of racist beliefs and we are condoning them by believing them and in turn, living by them.

Matthew 15:3 & 6 – He replied to them, And why also do you transgress and violate the commandment of God for the sake of the rules handed down to you by your forefathers? 6 So for the sake of your tradition (the rules handed down by your forefathers), you have set aside the Word of God [depriving it of force and authority and making it of no effect].

We cannot believe in both the ways of our forefathers AND God’s ways. We must either believe in the culture and traditional philosophies that have been handed down to us by man. Or we must believe in the teachings and philosophies of Jesus.

The traditions and cultures handed down to us by our forefathers nullifies the word of God. This means their teachings are filled with iniquity and therefore, are contrary to the word of God. Thus nullifying the power of the word of God in our lives.

If we continue to subscribe to our forefathers, grandparents, countries and founders’ way of thinking, we will be guilty of the same judgment from God that awaits them. People today didn’t participate in the physical taking of this land. However, we are guilty of upholding their actions of racism and oppression when we continue to agree with what they did and the way they treated the Indigenous people. This in turn causes us to treat Indigenous peoples with the same contempt.

Racism and hate is taught. We have learned to hate from society, media, family, friends and even the Church. Our actions are based on our perspective. The pioneers and explorers of Canada had a negative perspective of Aboriginals as being inferior and savages. This perspective gave them the justification they needed to carry out horrendous crimes against the First Nations peoples. In the same way today, a dangerous perspective of Indigenous peoples as being ‘inferior’ and ‘burdens on society’, can also justify actions of racism and oppression against them.

Luke 11:48 – But in fact, you stand as witnesses who agree with what your ancestors did. They killed the prophets, and you join in their crime by building the monuments!

We also join in the crime of abusing and oppressing the First Nations peoples when we glorify the pioneers and explorers of Canada, who oppresses, tricked and swindled the First Nations peoples out of their land.

Galatians 5:20-21 – idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Acts 17:26 – From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.

This means that God sets the boundaries of each tribe and ethnicities’ land, and no one should move that marker to extend their own boundaries.

Deuteronomy 19:14 – Do not move your neighbor’s boundary stone set up by your predecessors in the inheritance you receive in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess.

The early settlers, pioneers and explorers falsely claimed this land as the new Israel in order to justify their horrendous acts. We must not believe the same distortions and manipulations of scripture as we will be punished just the same for doing so.
The North American continent is not the nation of Israel. Only the nation of Israel was promised such land. But even the Israelites could not extend their borders.

The establishment of Israel was a specific promise from God. It is not a free for all for any nation to extend their borders. Paul understood this concept since he preached to different Gentile nations, and never preached to extend a nations’ borders.

Paul preached about God to the Gentiles but he did not try to conquer them and take their land. This is the example the pioneers and explorers should have followed. They should have come to new lands, preached the gospel and returned home, being content with their own land.

King Hezekiah is an excellent example of what all followers of Christ should be doing, when he tells the people of Judah in:

2 Chronicles 29:6-7 – Our parents were unfaithful; they did evil in the eyes of the Lord our God and forsook him. They turned their faces away from the Lord’s dwelling place and turned their backs on him. 7 They also shut the doors of the portico and put out the lamps. They did not burn incense or present any burnt offerings at the sanctuary to the God of Israel.”

King Hezekiah had no problem admitting the truth about how his parents, forefathers/ancestors acted wrongly. He refused to think the same way they did and by doing so, he did not commit their same wrong actions. He changed his way of thinking so as not to receive the same punishment.

Again, Hezekiah says in:

2 Chronicles 30:7 & 8 – Do not be like your parents and your fellow Israelites, who were unfaithful to the Lord, the God of their ancestors, so that he made them an object of horror, as you see. 8 Do not be stiff-necked, as your ancestors were; submit to the Lord. Come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever. Serve the Lord your God, so that his fierce anger will turn away from you.”

We must undo the hate and indifference our society has taught us by changing our perspective on Indigenous peoples. Each person has to see Indigenous people as equal within themselves. Canada’s forefathers had an evil perspective on Indigenous people. Their intentions were covetous in nature and so they labelled the Indigenous people as inhuman, so that they could justify their oppression and take advantage of them.

The Bible clearly states that we are not to associate with such people. This means that we must not condone, think like or accept the philosophies of people, such as the ancestors who through covetousness and lies, stole this country.

1 Corinthians 5:11 – But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.

Micah 2:1-3 – Woe to those who plan iniquity, to those who plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they carry it out because it is in their power to do it. 2 They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them. They defraud people of their homes, they rob them of their inheritance. 3 Therefore, the Lord says: “I am planning disaster against this people, from which you cannot save yourselves. You will no longer walk proudly, for it will be a time of calamity.

First Nations communities are rife with poverty, depression, drug addiction, alcoholism, abuse and crime. If we were put into the same circumstances as the Indigenous people, we would be no different than they are today. Indigenous people are humans just like us. If any one of us experienced being forced off our land and into a desolate reservation, stripped of our culture and way of life and separated from our children or parents; if we were starved, abused, abandoned, oppressed and unemployed, our outcome would be the exact same. Their brokenness is a direct result and reflection of the circumstances that society has put them in. They are acting according to the way they have been treated and we must not fool ourselves into thinking that we would be any different if we were put into the exact same conditions.

The only way we can make sure that we are not included in the punishment that awaits those in the past who have oppressed the Indigenous people of Canada, is to admit that what was done to the Indigenous peoples was wrong and to change our perspective going forward. If we do not change our way of thinking and speak out against our country’s past actions of racism towards Indigenous people, we are condoning and upholding the acts of injustice and inequality. In God’s eyes, we will be equally as guilty as the founders and pioneers of Canada if we don’t change the way we think about our ancestors’ philosophies and in turn, the way we think about Indigenous people.

We must also change the way we look at the explorers and pioneers of Canada. Imagine if someone came into your home and took it over by force. Would you call that person a great explorer or pioneer? Would you build a road or statue in their name? Would you tell great stories about them to your children?

We shouldn’t be glorifying the actions of our forefathers. We hail them as great explorers and pioneers, but they were really thieves and murderers. They roamed the Earth to see what they could steal, plunder and conquer for selfish ambition and greed. It is no different than a thief roaming a neighborhood to see if there is anything of value to take/steal.

To make matters worse, they did it in the name of Jesus. The explorers of this land claimed their expeditions were to ‘save the savage’. If that were the case, they should have introduced Christianity and gone back to their own lands. Even after converting natives to Christianity, they were not treated equally like brothers; they were still oppressed. Indigenous Christians were not recognized as brothers nor were they shown any amount of Christian brotherly love.

As our perspective on Indigenous peoples change, so will our actions. Once we have achieved a balanced perspective, our decisions and actions towards Natives will also become balanced.

Doing what is right, however, should not depend on what the other person may do. Today may be the day that you finally decide to undo past thoughts of oppression and racism against Natives. You may even feel like embracing the next Native person you meet. But that doesn’t mean that the Native person has come to the same conclusions about you. They may still harbor feelings of hate from being oppressed, and we can’t blame them. Don’t let their reactions determine your willingness to change. After all, the change you are making is so that you can be accepted by God as his child and ultimately enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Your salvation should not depend on the thoughts and actions of others.

Our goal as Christians is to reflect Jesus Christ. Our identities should rest solely in Jesus; his ways, teachings, views and philosophies. To do this, we must rid ourselves of all other identities, whether racial, ethnic, social, cultural or traditional. This also includes the identities we receive from our mother, father, grandparents and ancestors. We must only see ourselves in Christ or as followers of Jesus and only him. Jesus cannot share the platform with anybody else. Our identity must only be in Christ and we must slowly erase all else. Otherwise, we are at risk of sinning like our forefathers, by glorifying them and their flawed ways. God taught the children of Israel not to glorify their forefathers and their history. They were meant to honestly examine their ancestors and history to recognize the flaws and mistakes of their past. Glorifying or even just focusing on only the good deeds of our ancestors causes us to walk in their flawed ways instead of Jesus’ perfect way. So that we do not repeat the sins of our forefathers, we must recognize, point out and dwell on their flaws and shortcomings. We must not glorify them in any way, shape or form. Only Jesus deserves such glory and honor.

The Jewish people were never taught to respect or glorify their forefathers and their history. They were meant to be realistic about their ancestors and their history and to recognize past mistakes and flaws so that future generations do not repeat it. They were not taught to only remember the good (which is what society teaches us; to respect and honor the dead. This concept is not a Biblical concept). Doing so will cause us to walk in our forefathers’ flawed ways instead of imitating Jesus’ ways.

They say ‘time heals everything’ but not with God. His anger will not subside and He doesn’t forgive and forget unless a person is truly repentant and willing to change. We must declare Canada’s history as wrong so that we are not included in God’s punishment.

Our hearts should reflect that of Jeremiah 3:25

“Let us lie down in our shame, and let our disgrace cover us. We have sinned against the LORD our God, both we and our ancestors; from our youth till this day we have not obeyed the LORD our God.”

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Re: Ending Racism Against The Indigenous People Of Canada

Post #11

Post by Mrs.Badham »

My ancestors were Scottish/ Irish people looking for opportunity and a new life. They worked mostly on farms.

There are people in Ethiopia right now in exactly the same situation. Just looking for opportunity. They’re going to immigrate to Canada.

Are we going to call them thieves because they buy property on land that used to belong to the Natives that lived here first? Are we going to call them murderers? No. That’s not what they’re doing. And it’s not what my ancestors did either.

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Re: Ending Racism Against The Indigenous People Of Canada

Post #12

Post by Amos Ministries »

To say that European discovery of North America was not inevitable is absurd. We’ve been to the moon!!!
I'm saying that stealing the land is not biblical. Discovering land and stealing it are two totally different things.
Neil Armstrong: One small step for a man, one giant leap for..... Holy crap, there’s another continent down there!!!!
Thou shalt not steal. This is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Bible quotes are useless. I can find dozens that defend what the European explorers did.
These quotes are only directed to the children of Israel, not any nation. Even the children of Israel were not allowed to extend their borders. They are the ones who also had to abide by 'do not covet from your neighbor'.

Numbers 31
17. Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known a man by lying with him.
18. But all the women children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

I mean almost the entire book of Psalms explains why the Europeans were successful.
Psalms 108
13. Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.
No, you are manipulating these scriptures. These are for the nation of Israel only. Don't twist it like the explorers did - that would mean having to incur their sin because you agree with their actions.
The Natives were killed mostly by disease, but God is fond of plagues, so it could be argued he brought that too.
The early settlers stole the land, don't try to confuse the topic.
I don’t feel the Natives have been treated fairly, but calling all my ancestors murderers and thieves is just plain incorrect. Most of my ancestors arrived here in the late 1800’s. No more murderering and thieving than someone arriving from India, Pakistan, Ethiopia or England today.
The original settlers and pioneers stole this land. You cannot justify the taking of what is someone else's. If you are so immoral that cannot even see this, I pity you. India, Pakistan and Ethiopia did not come here with the intention to steal, conquer and kill. This is what the European settlers did. It's a very simple concept. We cannot move forward without acknowledging the past.

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Re: Ending Racism Against The Indigenous People Of Canada

Post #13

Post by Amos Ministries »

[Replying to Purple Knight in post #10]
I don't recall anything about repentance in that quote.

https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/Matthew%2018%3A21

Here is every version of it and I don't see a mention of the brother being repentant. Not only that, but by some point far prior to seventy times seven, you well know (as do I, as does everyone) that that person is not repentant. Someone who steals my stuff that many times is not repentant. Yet Jesus said to forgive them.
LOL!

Luke 17:3-4 - So watch yourselves.

“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. 4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”

Read the scripture I provided and you will see that if someone is starving they can steal from you many times even though they know it's wrong.
I actually agree with your assertion but unfortunately it is not in the Bible. What is in the Bible is that people should just let others walk all over them (turning the other cheek) and forgive anything and everything an infinite number of times. When repentance is mentioned, it is always, always as a prerequisite for God forgiving a person, not a person forgiving another person. The latter is spelled out to be unconditional.
You are wrong. Luke 17:3-4 - So watch yourselves.

“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. 4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”

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Re: Ending Racism Against The Indigenous People Of Canada

Post #14

Post by Mrs.Badham »

[Replying to Amos Ministries in post #13]

Maybe god rewarded the Europeans.

Psalm 18
24. Therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.

I will say the same thing you did. Your bible quotes are for Isrealites.

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Re: Ending Racism Against The Indigenous People Of Canada

Post #15

Post by Mrs.Badham »

[Replying to Mrs.Badham in post #15]

Psalm 105
44. And he gave them the lands of the heathen: and they inherited the labour of the people.

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