Our World - Creation paper for children

TREATED LIKE ANIMALS!
When white Europeans first went to Australia, they found people with dark skin (aborigines) already living there. The white people treated the aborigines cruelly, believing they were less human than themselves. Many aborigines were captured and put in special camps and some were even shot. Some people believed that aborigines had no souls, and that it was a waste of time telling them about Jesus and His coming to earth to die for them. This was nonsense: today thousands of aborigines are Christians.

You are unique — there is no one else on earth exactly like you! The Bible tells is that God created people in the beginning; we did not evolve from ape-like ancestors. God made it possible for there to be lots of variety; there are tall people and short people, people with different skin tints and different coloured hair. But we are all equal in God’s sight, and when people forget that, bad things often happen. We are also equal because, like our first parents Adam and Eve, we have all broken God’s laws. That’s why God sent His Son Jesus to be our Saviour. He never did anything wrong, but willingly died on the cross so that we could be forgiven. Many people refused to believe in Jesus, and many still do, “But some people did accept him. They believed in him. To them he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1: 12). If we accept what Jesus did for us, we are really God’s children. We become members of another family, joining millions of people around the world. Thousands of people are joining this family every day, all brothers and sisters because of their faith in Jesus. Because Jesus rose from the dead, all Christians can look forward to living with Him for ever in heaven. At the end of the Bible we read about John’s vision of heaven. “Then I looked and there were a great number of people. There were so many that no one could count them. They were from every nation, tribe, people, and language of the earth.” (Revelation 7: 9). Everyone who believes in Jesus will be there. Will that include you?

EVOLUTION AND RACISM
Racist ideas have been around for hundreds of years, but Charles Darwin’s evolution theories, (published in the 19th century) gave some people an excuse to be racist. Darwin (top left) believed that black people — whom he called the “lower races” — were closely related to apes. He believed they would eventually die out and white Europeans would dominate. Some people used his ideas to do some terrible things, believing they were “helping evolution”. German leader Adolph Hitler believed Jews and black people were inferior and murdered more than six million Jews. He was very upset when Jesse Owens (below left) won 4 gold medals in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. He didn’t believe black people were capable of this such achievements. Until quite recently, in some countries, including America and South Africa, black people were treated as inferior, and banned from mixing with white people in schools, and on buses. Racism is now against the law in most countries, but black people are still sometimes the victims of hatred.

There was a time, not so long ago, when millions of African people were kidnapped. They were then put on to ships, and taken to America and the West Indian islands. Many died on the way, but those who arrived were sold in markets as slaves. Many were forced to do hard work on sugar plantations. They were treated very cruelly and beaten if they didn’t work hard enough. These people were treated so badly because they were black, and white people thought they had the right to use them as slaves. In the 18th century some people in England began a campaign to end slavery. One of them was William Wilberforce, a Member of Parliament. He believed that all humans were created in God’s image and that using other people as slaves was a sin against God. He was helped by a number of other people who shared his belief, including Thomas Clarkson and Hannah More. It wasn’t until 1833 that Parliament abolished slavery in the British Empire, more than 40 years after Wilberforce began his campaign. During his life he also helped to improve the conditions in factories and prisons. He did all this because he believed that human beings were special.

"Our World" is our creation paper for young people, published 3 times a year, and sent out on a donation basis. The papers must be freely distributed, not sold. Why not distribute ' Our World’ to the children in your family, church, or fellowship? Back issues available — ask for details.
Below are some of the contents of issue No. 105

We all belong to families, with a mother and father, grandparents, and often brothers and sisters, too. But we also belong to a larger family — the human family — and we are all related! The Bible tells us: “God began by making one man. From him came all the different people who live everywhere in the world.” (Acts 17: 26). We also read that “God created human beings in his image.” (Genesis 1: 27). That’s why we are special and precious to Him, and why we should value others, too.

Also in Our World No. 105
There are no "primitive" people!
Nature Notes: potter wasps
Drawings of "ape-me insult black people
Puzzle Corner
Weird and Wonderful:
The Woolly Bear Caterpillar

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