Would this qualify as "racism" or would it be called something else? [duplicate]

Question

I was listening to an Aboriginal women speak about indigenous rights and the government. She made a few references juxtaposing Christianity and their beliefs. For example, it is perverse and uneducated to think Adam and Eve (and their children) could populate all of man. Immediately after she went on to talk about Turtle Island which is the belief that North America is on the back of a living turtle (I know wikipedia says it's just an Aboriginal name for North America, but the speaker definitely stated her people believe it to be more than that).

What world would be used to describe the speakers attitude or speech towards Christianity? At first I thought it would be racist but then I realized religion has got nothing to do with race. Also she did not necessarily say it's inferior to another. Is my understanding correct: that by definition for something to be considered racist it must make a generalization about a race (usually based on skin colour) and say it's inferior to another? What would a better term be used to describe the way Christianity was disused?

Answer 1

I am afraid that this question invites mostly opinion based answers, because the question itself is immensely opinionated.

However, the adjective "opinionated" could be used for what the woman was saying.

The speakers attitude towards Christianity is one that could simply be called rational, and possibly judgemental. But while holding on to the assumption that one religion's supernatural claims are more valid than another's it will be impossible to objectively discuss this from a language point of view.

edit: I may have misread the last question as implying that it is strange to reject an "accepted " religious view in favour of another.

As the comment states

My point was on one hand they use science when it's convenient to them, and on the other abandon it.

I would simply call that religion, or religious zealotry.

Not because the word religion is coined to describe this behaviour, but because it is an incredibly common attribute of religion to show this kind of behaviour.

But there we do go into opinions anyway, I am afraid...

Answer 2

How about calling it what it is: "reality" ?

Yes, most religious people get defensive or hostile when their fundamental tenets are described as mythology, but that's their problem, not the speakers. If you haven't read them, grab Joseph Campbell's The Power of Myth books.

Answer 3

This person is simply ignorant of basic geography and plate tectonics, at least on a global scale.

Answer 4

Consider the term chauvinism

unreasoning devotion to one's race, sex, etc. with contempt for other races, the opposite sex, etc

The term can be applied to many different personal characteristics (either ascribed or acquired), including race, religion, gender, nationality, hair color, etc.

As to your final question, the difference between magic, miracle, and misdirection is in the eye of the beholder. Many people hold multiple views that seem wholly congruent to them but irrational to an observer. Most religions require an acceptance of unprovable tenets (often characterized as demanding faith). That doesn't mean that the adherents have to accept every unexplainable phenomenon or claim.

Answer 5

I believe that what you are seeing is known as fundamentalism.

Religious fundamentalism is the strict adherence to the core tenets of any religion to the exclusion of all others. (And, hence the immediate discount of all others.)

This person's beliefs are valid. (I believe I'm legally required to say that!). And her view of the world creation myth is real enough to her to make yours seem utterly ridiculous.

In fact, you are experiencing a shade of fundamentalism yourself. While you may not inherently believe that Adam and Eve created all human life, the idea is less preposterous to you than another belief system that is not the fundamental one you grew up hearing.

I would argue, sub-conciously, you have created a tier system for how you view religions. And, given that you seem to not believe in the Judeo-Christian ethos (mythos seems insulting here, but apt?), you've assigned it a low tier level of ignorance based upon your familiarity. Next we have other belief systems to which you have ascribed a higher tier of ignorance (at no fault of your own).

Keep in mind, I'm not calling you a monster or any such insult. This is a NORMAL human thing to do. We compartmentalize our world into things we feel we understand, and those we do not.