In Eden, there was God, Adam and Eve and no religion!
Genesis begins with a wide angled view of diversity: God creates a vast range of living things—fish, birds, cattle, wild animals “of every kind” and repeats “of every kind” with each living thing.
When it comes to the creation of man, this recurring phrase “of every kind” disappears. The lesson is clear: There is no “every kind” of humans.
All human beings are created in God’s image.
That is the first declaration of human rights!
To further drive the point, we are told that all human beings are descended from Adam (and Eve) and no person can boast “my ancestor was greater than yours.”
Before there was the New Testament, before there was Quran, The Torah (known as the Old Testament by Christians) speaks against racism.
We have One common Heavenly Parent and one common earthly parent.
To discriminate against any human being based on nationality, color of skin, religious belief, etc. is inconsistent with and disrespectful to the carefully worded Creation story of Genesis.
The Torah goes on to zoom into the specific relationship of God with Jews and how Jews are expected to behave. It starts with the Universe, all of life, all things living, families, individual people and then narrows down to a tribe.
For thousands of years, Genesis has served as the blueprint for oneness and equality. Muslims, Christians, and people of all color should celebrate this truly holy document as do Jews.
