If you want racial tolerance, you want a religious agnostic

[MillCreek]

http://psr.sagepub.com/content/14/1/126.abstract

http://news.usc.edu/26776/Study-Links-Religious-Groups-and-Racial-Bias/

http://mic.com/articles/29397/religious-people-tend-to-be-more-racist-study-finds#.MmkkMMDhJ

A meta-analysis of past research examines the link between religious belief and racism.

[charby]

I hope you're wearing Kevlar underoos.

[Perd Hapley]

Meh. I was raised by conservative Christian anti-racists. Many are not so lucky. Plenty of non-religious racists out there.

[Strings]

Thinking through the white racist/bigoted folks I've known, there does seem to be a correlation between sincere religious beliefs and racism. However, correlation doesn't equal causation

[freakazoid]

Racists!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beecher%27s_Bibles

[BlueStarLizzard]

Thinking through the white racist/bigoted folks I've known, there does seem to be a correlation between sincere religious beliefs and racism. However, correlation doesn't equal causation

I'm guessing correlation. It has a lot more to do with people who are raised within specific traditional conventions and those who aren't or who reject them. The lot that sticks with how they are raised are more likely to stick with all they were raised with and not question it as much. So, if they happened to be raised up in a racist family or a racist community, they will stick with that and usually families and communities like that center around some sort of social convention like religion. Thus, religious being more likely to be racists.

[Perd Hapley]

I'm guessing correlation. It has a lot more to do with people who are raised within specific traditional conventions and those who aren't or who reject them. The lot that sticks with how they are raised are more likely to stick with all they were raised with and not question it as much. So, if they happened to be raised up in a racist family or a racist community, they will stick with that and usually families and communities like that center around some sort of social convention like religion. Thus, religious being more likely to be racists.

Something like this, but I suspect it has more to do with people claiming to identify with a particular religion than actually being "centered around" it. Also, what do the various studies include in the category of racism?

[MechAg94]

So are we talking about the hateful racism stuff or the kind of racism where they assume a race is incompetent and want racial quotas for them? 

[MechAg94]

I guess I should add the other kind of racism where you just want to be left alone and think all lives matter.

[MechAg94]

Most of the studies reviewed by Wood’s team focused on Christians because Christianity is the most common religion in the United States.

The report observed that "members of religious congregations tend to harbor prejudiced views of other races." The study surveyed over 20,000 white Christians, citing their role as the largest demographic, both in terms of race and religious denomination, in the United States.

Pulling these quotes out:  Yes, they only focused on Christians.  And my brief skimming tells me they were looking for any and all signs of prejudice and labeling it as racism.  I got the impression they were ignoring culture in general.  I wonder if looking at other religions or other countries might force them to confront other cultural issues rather than just dogging on Christianity.  I suspect one of their general themes might be that anyone with firm convictions about anything will be naturally prejudiced, but that may be my cynical reading of it. 

[MechAg94]

Question for whoever might know fur sure:  They throw out the Good Samaritan story from the Bible.  I was thinking that area was largely Jewish at the time (though with different views) and generally of the same race.  I believe Judean Jews looked down on Galileans also.  Just something that caught my attention.  Amazing what you think you know that was based on something you can't remember very well.   

[roo_ster]

1. The vast majority of humans are religious.
2. The vast majority of humans are racist (for most contemporary values of "racist").
3. Water is still wet.

As for agnostics, they are all wet, too.  Generally just as prejudiced, but merely different bases for their prejudice.

[brimic]

I find that people who throw the 'racist' label around a lot are close minded and bigoted people in general.

[Strings]

Just to clarify my first statement: when I said "religious", I was including followers of any faith. And when I say "racist", I mean actual "hates people of other races". Some of the worst I've seen ave been Asatrau (pagan Norse path), although I suspect they latched onto the faith to help justify their bigotry.

I WILL admit that racist Christians confuse me when I meet them though. They always seem to be VERY devout, but I've never figured out how they reconcile their hatred with their faith (seem to recall Christ preached love). They also seem to be some of the touchiest about people questioning their faith, in any way

[Scout26]

Funny, but one of the hotbeds of the abolitionist movements was Wheaton College here in Illinois, which has always been an evangelical Christian school.  Wheaton also being the home of of the Medill Family which owned the abolitionist Chicago Tribune and patron of Abraham Lincoln.

[Ron]

The word "racist" does not mean what it has historically meant.

If you aren't a progressive you're a racist in the new usage of the word. 

[Perd Hapley]

I WILL admit that racist Christians confuse me when I meet them though. They always seem to be VERY devout, but I've never figured out how they reconcile their hatred with their faith (seem to recall Christ preached love). They also seem to be some of the touchiest about people questioning their faith, in any way

I have had the privilege of being acquainted with such an one. He goes in for a particular brand of old-time religion, Reagan Republicanism, avoiding computers (cell phones, new cars, etc) so that he won't be tracked by the government, and vocal racism. Or at least he is vocal among white folk. He's odd in other ways, though. For example, he proposed marriage to a girl 40 years his junior (he knew her family, but the two of them weren't dating). He will say things that he should know are offensive (aside from the racism) to other old-time-religionists. And he'll keep saying them until he's nearly kicked out of church meetings and social functions. Part of his back story is that he was once assaulted by a group of blacks. Or so he says. He also spends most of the year at his digs in Hawaii, and the rest in the city of St. Louis. Probably not the best places to live, if you don't like brown people. Our church was also a poor choice for him, given the color of our Sunday School classes.

[charby]

I find that people who throw the 'racist' label around a lot are close minded and bigoted people in general.

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks that way.

[MechAg94]

The word "racist" does not mean what it has historically meant.

If you aren't a progressive you're a racist in the new usage of the word.  

This.  Judging from the way the summary links were written, I think this is where the study is coming from.  It was not using a strict definition of "racist" meaning active hatred.  The title talks about racism, but when you read it, they are referring to prejudices.  Those are two different words with very different meanings.  If they are equating them, then the study isn't worth a damn.  

Looking back at what I quoted above, they only surveyed a bunch of white people.  That alone should tell you where they are coming from. 

[Strings]

Well yes... there's lies, damn lies, and statistics.

[BlueStarLizzard]

Something like this, but I suspect it has more to do with people claiming to identify with a particular religion than actually being "centered around" it. Also, what do the various studies include in the category of racism?

Actually, I wasn't even thinking religion as being a big part of anything. It was early in the morning so I don't think I was as clear, but what I was trying to get at is that most people are raised with some form of religion (yes, even me) and that the agnostics are the ones who rejected the beliefs they were raised with. So the people who are more likely to reject one part of the philosophies they were raised with, they are probably more likely to reject the others as well.

I would think in actual statistics (I haven't read the article and based on the other responses, I don't see why I should bother as it appears the study is deeply flawed) agnostics/atheists would come in first, people who rejected their upbringing but follow something else now would be second (including born again Christians) and from there it would narrow down from more mainstream religion towards less mainstream. In terms of raw numbers, it would give the agnostics a slight edge over people who stayed with their upbringing.

That somehow seems just as confused as my first post, but maybe you can figure it out...  because apparently I can't.

[MechAg94]

My guess at your meaning is that a number of people were raised with certain racial prejudices, but people who are willing to change their thinking as adults on core issues such as religion are more likely to question the prejudices they are raised with.  I guess I would say that far fewer people today are raised with such prejudices than a generation or two ago and it wasn't everyone even then. 

[grampster]

The fact of the matter is, if one delves into it, is that the color of skin nowadays is really of no importance.  The objection to others has more to do with culture or lifestyle.  But that has been twisted back into a skin color thing.  That's mainly having to do with it's easy to divert scrutiny from lifestyle or culture to skin color.  Sort of like blaming the tool for the action of the person.

[Strings]

I keep thinking about the one friend I have who has racial tendencies, and his son (who goes overboard with it)

VERY religious. Raised in the Deep South, in the 60s. Has his prejudices, but tends to look past them (unless given evidence they're correct). Not only has racial biases, but religious and lifestyle (absolutely HATES gays and Muslims), but doesn't act overtly on them (of course, I've never seen him confronted with a Muslim, so)...

His son idolizes him. And even the father has had to jerk him up short on some of the bias BS (like him asking me if he could borrow my pistol at Starbucks, because he "saw a couple fags"). But still, he seems to have seriously internalized "hatred of the Other"... and lacks the self discipline to control it.

Kinda rambling, trying to get my thoughts to gel on the whole thing. Sorta building on what Liz was saying: that those who were raised with both religious and racial tendencies and reject one, usually reject both. And it seems that, those who DON'T reject them, tend to have stronger feelings on the issue...

[Northwoods]

Some religions I can see a possible connection.  But anyone claiming to be Christian while espousing real racism (so not counting the claims of obsessively offended set) hasn't really come a true understanding of Christianity.  The Jews of the time of Christ were rather xenophobic.  Anyone not "us" was "them" and therefore not part of the community and couldn't become part of the community the vast majority of the time.  Christ specifically sought to end that and allowed into the "chosen people" the Gentiles that were previously excluded.  That change was about as dramatic at the time as if the Phelps clan suddenly came to embrace homosexuals today, or if radical Muslims were to suddenly become actually peaceful.