Here's how the Bible encourages us to rid ourselves of unseen biases
The Bible has lots of bad advice, but as a non-believer, I'm free to pick out the good stuff and put it to use in my daily life.
As an atheist, I don’t often turn to the Bible for inspiration. But as a religious studies graduate, it would be stupid to ignore good advice just because it happens to appear in the Bible (among other places).
As an advocate for racial justice, as well as for rooting out racism and sexism that society forces into our lives, the Bible is all in all appalling. It supports the existence of slavery (Leviticus dictates how to buy, sell, and treat slaves), and its “mark of Cain” myth has been used to justify atrocities against non-Whites.
But Esau McCaulley, Ph.D., an author and Associate Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College, has flagged some advice we shouldn’t ignore.
“We can’t have a Bible that says cleans me from my secret faults (Psalm 19:12) and be offended by the mere idea that we might have undiscerned racial biases,” McCaulley wrote.
The verse McCaulley is referencing is Psalm 19:12, which reads, “Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.” This section of the Bible shows David asking God to forgive him for sins he may have committed without knowing it.
In a way, this verse does cut to the core of the issue of racial biases that lurk under the surface and end up impacting all of us. After all, it’s an inherent acknowledgment of the notion that we might have faults we can’t recognize.
In an essay for the New York Times, McCaulley elaborated on this notion that the Bible encourages introspection when it comes to things like systemic racism.
“The texts of the Old and New Testaments open up the possibility of introspection and learning. The Psalmist wonders: ‘Who can discern their own errors? Cleanse me from my hidden faults’ (Psalm 19:12). The writer recognizes that there may be parts of themselves that they do not know,” he wrote. “Christians should be open to the possibility that they may have hidden racial biases of which they are not aware. This is well documented, for example, in the areas of health care and medical treatment. When someone gives us a chance to finally know ourselves and heal, we should be open to the possibility.”
He continues, saying, “Training in potential hidden biases is not indoctrination in every case (admittedly it can be done in unhealthy ways); it can be a chance for growth.”
Whether you are a Christian, an atheist, or something else entirely, it makes sense to look inward to see if we have faults left to be uncovered. I hope you’ll all join me in doing just that!
Yours in Reason,
David
Well said! I got into your work through being an atheist and FB, but I have taken Zoom philosophy courses on the gospels with my old philosophy professor in later years! We can learn from these things. One book I am reading about pre-Christian times talks about how many people took things metaphorically, which I can dig, unlike some of my relatives who are hateful "Christians" and don't seem to be reading the Bible at all. Much is just ancient wisdom passed down like other books of the times, which were not literal either. People get so mad when presented with chances for growth sometimes!