The truth is, however, the only race is the human race. Skin color means no more than eye color.

I have to say this is one of the best post I've ever read!!Excellent! 

Thank you Remarkable and Jason.

Agreed this is a great post "There is only one race -- the human race."

I disagree however with the following:

"The concept of race was developed in the Western world during the 17th Century as an attempt to justify the terrible crimes that were being committed against Africans"

The concept of race is as old as sin, it is not a western invention. I am a South African (I so happen to be white) in the junior youth group (5-13 yrs) that my wife and I oversee for our church on Friday afternoons we have a great mixof children what we here in South Africa refer to as black, coloured and white children.  I rejoice in the wonder of GOD's creation how out of one man He has made all the different peoples of the world "Red, and yellow black and white all are precious in His sight" as the song went that we used to sing at Good News Club.

This verse comes from the Song of Solomon Chapter 1 verse 5 "

 "I am black, but comely, Oh ye daughters of Jerusalem, As the tents of Kedar, As the curtains of Solomon." the Holy Spirit inspired this most beautiful loive poem and see whatcolour the women describes herself as being.

 I am of the opinion that only liberal humanists have an issue with colour, I as a Christian do not believe that I am better or worse for being white, I am proud of what GOD has made me, I am proud of the fact that He has used my nation South Africa to show how reconciliation can be achieved among the races, there are many black people in our nation who are proud of being black, there are many coloured people in our nation who are proud of being coloured and there are many who our proud that they are white, 

But above all I am proud that I know and serve a GOD who lovingly created all these peoples and calls them to know Him,to serve Him, and to rejoice in His wonderful creation I am blessed to live in what we call the rainbow nation South Africa.

Please do look at the pictures of our "Mighty Warriors" junior youth group and praise GOD with me for the beautiful children he has blessed us with.

Good comment, Billy.  People have been aware of human physical differences for thousands of years, but color was not seen as significant until there was a need to justify the slave trade.  The Romans knew Africans, but did not see them as a different "race."  Roman slavery was based on power, not on color.  The concept of an inferior "race," not just an inferior ethnic group, was not seen in the ancient world.

 

Steve I am sorry I do not agree, yes racism is not only about colour,although to alarge degree it has been in South Africa's recent history. But I remember only 20 odd years ago using racial expletives against children that stayed in the same neighbourhood as I did and these children were as white as I am, here in South Africa white eoropeans are iether of English speaking background or Afrikaans (similar to dutch)

There was animosity between the two groups for a number of years amidst the straight forward Apartheid/Racism that existed in our country.

What I would liketo know having lookedon the internet for an answer is.

How do you know that racism with respect to colour never happened before the 17th century? I mean what proof do you have that since Noah exited the Ark along with his 3 sons and their wives that racism along colour lines has never happened?

I ask these questions in trepidation, I have observed both in my country first hand, and on the pages of the internet a kind of guiltcomplex among europeans (white people) not all Europeans are white like not all Africans are black. I am an African.

I was talking to freinds of mine this morning, and we discussed an interesting rise or increase of racism not between white South Africans and others, but between black and coloured South Africans.

 "My beloved is white and ruddy, The chiefest among ten thousand." Song of Solomon 5:10

The word used for white is Hebrew "Tsach" meaning clear, dry,plainly or white

"I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.
 6 Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept." Song of Solomon 1:5-6

The Hebrew word for black is "Shachor" in verse 5 and Shacharchoreth in verse 6 and both words in strongs talk of the colour black. Again this is scripture inspired by the Holy Spirit by GOD Himself and has nothing to do with a persons humanity, just their very visible colour.

Again I would liketo please ask what proof do you have for this statement "

"The concept of an inferior "race," not just an inferior ethnic group, was not seen in the ancient world. "

Praise GOD for Google and the internet sorry Steve, but with the challenge laid down I (I love academic challenges) lol :) I determined to find something that would "prove" my point in my first comment, it is unnecesssary for Europeans to carry the guilt of racism solely, all cultures are guilty of racism. in whatever form it takes.

This however does not excuse European racism, and especially European racism in the light of their "better knowledge" of the scriptures and this is where the greatest indictment against my race (the white race) and especially the English race lies.

We were blessed with the scriptures in our own tongue and no where do I read  support for racism in the Bible all though I know some have imagined this and have done some creative exposition of scripture here in South Africa the former National Party government, the Klu Klux Klan in America being some of them.

The following comes from the website  

 http://www.raceandhistory.com/historicalviews/2002/2102.htm

"Africans and Africans/Blacks in the Black Diaspora once declared a war against Racism, Colonialism and sanctified Racism. One of the first wars against racism by Blacks occurred in Egypt against the Hyksos who about the 1700's Before Christ to the 1500's Before Christ, invaded Egypt and ravaged the land and people. They plundered, destroyed and tried to enslave the Blacks of Egypt. After about 300 years of tyranny, they were defeated an driven back where they came from. The hero of that fight was Pharoah Ahmose.

One of the longest and still existing wars against racism happened in India, where about 1700 B.C. to 1500 B.C., 'Indo-European" nomads invaded the great Black civilization of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, India. Many historical sources state that the invaders did not immediately invade the Black India but used flooding as well as trickling in gradually."

The other proof I was going to present for racism existing prior to the 17th century is the Koran written in 700AD which speaks of black people as being inferior people, but I do not have Robert Morey' book "Islamic Invasion" at home right now. From which I would quote the verses.

By the way I read an article concerning an American who has since passed away the late Frank Snowden  whose goal was to I quote "

"his scholarship centered on one point: that blacks in the ancient world seemed to have been spared the virulent racism common to later Western civilization. "The onus of intense color prejudice cannot be placed upon the shoulders of the ancients," he wrote." from washingtonpost.com

So I present the above with the awareness that history today is sometimes detewrmined by who writes the book, kind of like the difference betwen the ACLU's version of America's Christian history and that of some Christian freinds of mine who are making this great book available

The Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States 

Be afraid ACLU. Be very afraid. Morris packs The Christian Life and Character with page after page of original source material making the case that America was founded as a Christian nation. The evidence is unanswerable and irrefutable. This 1000-page book will astound you and send enemies of Christianity into shock. Keep in mind that it was published in 1864 and has been out of print for more than a century. It has been newly typeset using a very readable font and added subheads."—Gary DeMar.

It all depends on whose history book you read and when it was written, and what their motive was.