Should Christians Fear Artificial Intelligence?

 AI is a computer program that looks at patterns in data. It has no emotions or personal identity, even though the most advanced programs can carry on a conversation with you and refer to themselves as I.

AI can find obscure information almost instantly, translate between numerous languages simultaneously, whether they are spoken or written, and can create lifelike voices and images in seconds. Many people have begun to use it to enhance their Bible study. Tilly Norwood is a completely computer-generated actress who is now beginning to appear in motion pictures. Yes, AI can be a powerful tool.

We should not fear AI itself. It is not a conscious being, but is actually just numerous extremely fast computer programs which have been trained to mimic human behavior and speech. That is one of the concerns: it was trained by humans. You know about humans.

Rather than fear the computer programs, we need to be careful and wise about them. They can be used by criminals or malevolent persons to create fake videos, spread lies, or steal data. Some evil persons have created pornographic videos featuring the faces of innocent persons to whom they wish to cause embarrassment and harm. Some evil persons have used AI to mine and steal other peoples personal financial or private data. Some actors are afraid that their images and voices may be used to produce films in which they were not actually involved, costing them money, career choices, and personal reputation. Faked videos could conceivably be used to implicate innocent persons in crimes.

Just pay attention. Be as wise as a serpent and as innocent as a dove.

Follow the Finger

 

Apologetics, derived from the Greek word, ἀπολογία, translated in English as "defense," consists of logical arguments and the presentation of provable facts which are intended to explain or justify religious doctrines and is aimed at defusing objections to the faith. This occurs in every religious tradition but, for our purposes, refers to Christian Apologetics.
            

It is difficult to understand how people can ignore or entirely discount some of the facts brought to light by Christian Apologetics, but some always do, sometimes vehemently. Some will insist that apologeticists are misinterpreting facts or taking them out of their proper context. Others outright reject any supernatural interpretations of any facts.

One can easily get bogged down in all the arguments, but I believe that the point of apologetics can be summed up by a line from the Jean-Pierre Jeunet film masterpiece, Amelie: “When the finger’s pointing at the sky, only a fool looks at the finger.” 

            Amelie is a quirky, but beautiful, French-language comedy and is not a Christian film. I, admittedly, am quoting the film totally out of context. The quote is a perfect fit for the point I am making in this post.

The Bible is a Weapon

 

The idea of the Bible as a weapon is played out in the science fiction film, The Book of Eli (2010).  The villain of the film is willing to resort to violence and murder to possess the book. He believes that, if he owns the book, he can have its power by using its words however he wishes. . Denzel Washington, the star of the film, says it is "a story about faith." Eli's mission is to protect the book and deliver it to a site out west. The film is seen by many as a caricature of real Christianity  I will let you watch the film and decide for yourself.

Some people call the Bible the Word of God, but John tells us that Jesus is the Word. The biblical understanding of the Bible as a weapon is more subtle. It is a sword, but it is not meant to kill. 

The Bible sometimes describes itself in military terms but it should never be weaponized against other people, backing them into corners, deriding them, manipulating them, forcing them to make decisions, abusing them, or attempting to silence them. We should never use it to "win." That spirit in a Christian is abusive and unhealthy, it is the sin of self.

See how Jesus reacted to the Rich Young Ruler.  He loved him and spoke the truth that the man needed to hear, even though that truth caused pain.

Mark 10:21; Ephesians 6:17; 2 Corinthians 6:7; Hebrews 4:12; James 4:11.

What They Think of Us: Christmas Themed Horror Films

Below is an alphabetical list of some, but not all, of the Christmas themed horror films.  Most of these films are either set at Christmas time or feature a homicidal maniac dressed as Santa Claus.  In a few cases, the homicidal killer IS Santa Claus.  The list is by no means exhaustive.

Santa Claus is not actually a Christian religious symbol even though many people think that he is.  He is, of course, based very loosely on Nicholas of Myra, a very generous 4^th century bishop in Turkey.  Santa Claus is an increasingly secularized generic symbol of cheer, goodwill, and sharing with others.

These films demonstrate more than anything else a disrespect for the Christmas holiday.  Some express outright contempt.  Depending on the exact nature of their content, some of them may be blasphemous.

Bikini Bloodbath Christmas (2009)

Black Christmas (1974)

Black Christmas (2006)

Bloody Christmas (2012)

A Cadaver Christmas (2011)

Child’s Play (1988)

Christmas Evil (1980)

Christmas Nightmare (2001)

The Christmas Season Massacre (2001)

Christmas Slay (2014)

A Christmas Tale (2010)

Christmas With the Dead (2012)

The City of Lost Children (1995)

Day of the Beast (1995)

Deadly Little Christmas (2009)

Don’t Open Till Christmas (1984)

Elves (1980)

Feeders 2: Slay Bells (1998)

Gremlins (1984)

Initiation: Silent Night, Deadly Night 4 (1990)

Jack Frost (1997)

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Night Train Murders (1975)

One Hell of a Christmas (2002)

Ornaments (2008)

Psycho Santa (2003)

Rare Exports (2010)

Saint (2010)

Saint Nick (2011)

Santa Claus (1959)

Santa Claus and Merlin Battle Satan (1959)

Santa Claws (1996)

Santa’s Slay (2005)

Silent Night (2012)

Silent Night, Bloody Night (1974)

Silent Night, Bloody Night: The Homecoming (2013)

Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)

Silent Night, Deadly Night, Part 2 (1987)

Silent Night, Deadly Night III: Better Watch Out! (1989)

Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy maker (1991)

Silent Night of the Living Dead (in development)

Silent Night, Zombie Night (2009)

Tales From the Crypt (1972)

To All a Good Night (1980)

Two Front Teeth (2006)

Wind Chill (2007)

Three really oddball films:

Bad Santa (2003) This (and its unrated version, Badder Santa) sounds like a horror film but is actually a highly vulgar comedy.

Nixon and Hogan Smoke Christmas (2010) A drug comedy.

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964) A children’s film featuring the first film appearance of the legendarily bad actress, Pia Zadora.

“…. I’d like to think there is a heaven.”

Billy Crystal (b. 1948) is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer, and film director.  He has hosted the Academy Awards nine times and has appeared in numerous classic comedic films.  He recently released a memoir, "Still Foolin’ ‘Em: Where I’ve Been, Where I’m Going, and Where the Hell Are My keys?"

In a recent USA Today interview he mentions his love for his wife of forty-three years.  “… we laugh a lot. Janice has always made me laugh.  … I can’t bear to think of life without her.  I want to go first because I don’t want to miss her.  I’d like to think there is a heaven, and it will start from the happiest day in your life.  I’ll be 18, and Janice Goldfinger will walk by me in a bikini, and I will follow her, and it will start all over again.”

“….  I’d like to think there is a heaven.”  How sad it is that he does not know.

The Earliest Biblical Film

Albert Kirchner patented a motion picture camera, but he is historically significant because of his very odd body of film work as a director.  He directed the first known films in two widely disparate genres.  His personal views are unknown.

In 1896, using the pseudonym of Lear, he directed a film, La coucher de la Marie, which was a recording of Louise Willy's striptease stage show in Cairo, Egypt.  This is believed to be the first pornographic film and was prosecuted as such in 1901 in Europe.

After making a series of comedy short films, Kirchner then (1897) shot La passion du Christ, considered to be the first biblical film.  It is a recording of a stage play performed in Paris.

Kirchner died in 1898 or soon after.

Controversial New Mel Gibson Film

Actor-director-film producer Mel Gibson (born 1956 in New York as Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson) has become quite controversial in the last few years.  He recently added to the controversy when he announced his plans to produce, and possibly star in, a film based on the life of Judas Maccabeus.

Judah the Hammer)

יהודה המכבי

Judas (aka: Judah Maccabee, Y'hudhah HamMakabi, Judah the Hammer) was born in Modiin, Judea (now Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut, 35 km (22 miles) southeast of Tel Aviv and 30 km (19 miles) west of Jerusalem).  He was a son of Mattathias, a Jewish priest who defied an edict by the Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes who had declared Jewish worship to be illegal.  Mattathius started a revolt and then died in 166 BC/BCE.  His son Judah assumed leadership of the revolt and became legendary for his military prowess.  His nickname, "the Hammer," probably refers to his use of rapid hammer-strike guerilla tactics in battle.  The Jewish feast of Hanukkah ("dedication") commemorate the day in 165 BC/BCE when Judah removed Antiochus' pagan statues from the temple in Jerusalem and restored Jewish worship.  


The Jewish Anti-Defamation League  has said, "As a hero of the Jewish people and a universal hero in the struggle for religious liberty, Judah Maccabee deserves better."


Why would the ADL be so upset?  Because Mel Gibson has been accused of adultery, alcoholism, racism, and anti-Semitism.  During his 2006 arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol he yelled racist and anti-Semitic remarks, loudly and repeatedly.


Gibson is a traditionalist Roman Catholic and is described as politically ultraconservative.  In my opinion, he is a man who truly believes in Roman Catholicism but who has failed to make his life match his beliefs.

What Do You Do In the Dark?

The Kiss in the Tunnel (1899) is a humorous one minute long short in which a couple sneaks a passionate kiss when their train goes into a tunnel.  The film is terribly crude by our standards, but remember that it was made one hundred and two years ago.

The film opens with one of the first "phantom rides" ever seen in a film.  This consisted of strapping a cameraman on the front of the train, probably a very frightening thing at the time. The film then switches to a brightly lit studio set (which is supposed to have gone totally dark, but then we would not have been able to see).  We would not have been in on the shocking act.

The couple consisted of the director, George Smith, and his real-life wife, actress Laura Bayley.  When the train leaves the tunnel, the couple quickly ends their liplock and gets back to proper behavior.  The man is in such a hurry that he sit on his hat.



The obvious imagery is sexual, even phallic, as the train enters the tunnel.  Commentators have suggested that nineteenth century British audiences would have missed this symbolism.  I doubt that.  They lived in a very restrained culture but they were not stupid.

The Christian application of this film is as an illustration.  What things do we do in the dark that we have to scurry to hide when the lights come back on?  Don't we realize that all our actions and thoughts happen before God in His bright daylight?

Wise Advice from Forrest

“Remember this: while somebody is down there kissin’ your butt, they could just as easily be bitin’ it too.”  Forrest Gump (The fictional idiot savant of the book, Forrest Gump (1986), and the same named, 1994 Oscar winning film. )  From the book, Gumpisms. The Wit and Wisdom of Forrest Gump, 1994.

Forrest Gump (“I’m not a smart man …”) said whatever came into his mind and sometimes what he said was quite profound.  Flatterers (“butt-kissers” if you will) don’t just give praise, but excessive, insincere praise.  Praise designed to put you off your guard, to deceive you, and to be used to profit the flatterer.

The ultimate butt-kisser is the sycophant, a person who insincerely gives obviously excessive submission to authority in return for the benefits of cozying up to those in power.

"A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet." Proverbs 29:5

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian.   Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, of their orthodoxy or lack of it, or of their actions.  Readers are encouraged to suggest persons who should be included on this list.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr.: (b. 1954, New York, USA) Actor (2 Oscars, 2 Golden Globes, 1 Tony Award). Son of a Pentecostal pastor.  In 1995, Washington donated $2,000,000 to build  the West Angeles Church of God in Christ in Los Angeles (California). Pentecostal.

Prem Singh Gurung: (b. Nepal)  On 18 Oct. 201, Gurung was arrested in Buddhist Bhutan for publicly displaying Christian films in the cities of Gonggaon and Simkharka.  He was sentenced to yjree years imprisonment for the crime of “attempting to promote civil unrest.”

Kang Keke Iew: (b. 1942, Cambodia; aka: Kang kek Iev, Kaing Guek Eav, Comrade Duch, Comrade Deuch, Hang Pin) As a leader in the Khmer Rouge Communist movement, Kang ran the Tuol Sleng prison camp.  In 2010, he was sentenced to thirty-five years in prison.  He is now a lay Evangelical pastor who speaks Thai, French, Khmer, and English.

May Hnin Nu: (b. 1986, Myanmar: aka: Rebecca Win)  Burmese model, actress, pop music singer.  She is fluent in Japanese.

Htee Moo Kee: (b. 1927, Burma – d. 2006; aka: Bo Mya) Karen rebel leader.  Baptist/Seventh-Day Adventist.

Film Comment: The 400 Blows

Director Francois Truffaut (1932-1984) said that his classic 1959 film, The 400 Blows, was autobiographical.  He says he was saved by film.  He was fatherless, drifting with no real purpose or meaning in his life until film critic Andre Bazin became his mentor and inspiration.  Truffaut escaped into the world of films.

The 400 Blows is the first in a series of films about the life of "Antoine Doinel," Truffaut's "everyman" character portrayed in all five Doinel films by Jean-Pierre Leaud.  The French title of the film, Les quatre cents coups,  is an idiomatic phrase which, in English, roughly equals the phrase "raising Hell."  It is the story of a twelve-year old schoolboy living in a family in which his parents are unable to make any sort of meaningful connection with the boy.  They have their own concerns (adultery, for one) to contend with.

Antoine has all the markings of a severely troubled adolescent: emotional detachment, alienation from authority figures, trouble at school, behavior problems, lying, petty crime, stealing, and, as is often the case, strong intellectual stirrings.   He experiences the society around him as insensitive, cruel, and uncaring.

The film ends with Antoine having escaped from juvenile detention and finally having reached his goal, the seashore.  The ocean could be interpreted to be the formless vastness of adult life, which Antoine sees as beautiful, but utterly overwhelming.  He is lost, with no idea what to do next.

What Does It Mean?: Why Jesus Spoke in Parables

"And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand."  Matthew 13:10-13.

Many modern theologians make a major point about the fact that Jesus never came out and simply declared, "I am God."  They speak of the Incarnational Mystery and wonder if Jesus thought of Himself as God.  Two points:

1. The rabbis and religious Jews who heard Jesus speak knew exactly what He was saying but thought that he was speaking blasphemy.  “The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.”  John 10:33

2. Jesus used parables to teach.  The simple stories made His meaning easy to understand for even the most literal of His followers.  The parables also served a second purpose: to conceal.

In Matthew 13:10-13, the disciples asked Jesus about this.  The parables made no sense to those not equipped to understand them.  It is like us being immersed continually in showers of television and radio signals but hearing and seeing nothing because we don't have an internal receiver;  we are not physiologically equipped to perceive the information.

Without the Holy Spirit, the message of the parables makes no sense to those who don't belong to Jesus.  Jesus' motive for this is simple to see:  He wanted followers by faith, not by sight.  “Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”  John 20:29

In Constantine (2005), a secular horror/action film, a cancer-ridden detective named John Constantine is desperately trying to impress God by hunting and killing demons.  He tells the angel Gabriel, "I believe."  The angel replies, "No, you know.  There's a difference."

Book Comment: No Applause - Just Throw Money

The title of this book is from a famous quip by the Vaudevillian jazz dancer Joe Frisco, "No applause, folks, just throw money." The same named book is a fascinating and sometimes humorous historical accounting of the birth, meteoric surge, and dwindling of Vaudeville, the precursor of the modern radio, theater, television, and film industries as well as such regional phenomena as Branson, Missouri, Atlantic City, New Jersey, and the many shows at night clubs and amusement parks around the country. At its height, some of the Vaudeville performers were making as much as $4000 per week, equal in modern dollars to about $40,000.

What does this have to do with Christianity? Actually, quite a lot. The author, Trav S.D. (Travis Stewart) believes that the early assessments of entertainers, traveling showmen, actors and actresses, etc. were accurate. Many were thieves, shysters, and prostitutes. He sides with the entertainers.

Trav S.D.'s assessment of Christianity is at best skeptical and, at times, hostile. He opposes what he understands to be prudery and close-mindedness while detailing how Vaudeville left behind its raunchy, sometimes racist, roots to become squeaky-clean and family friendly even as, behind the scenes, politics and dirty tricks raged. He shows how the organizations and networks developed for the live stage shows formed the basis of the modern entertainment industry.

"...put me on a cross ..."

Kristen Stewart, the star of the Twillight series of films is quoted about her fans in US Weekly for 28 June 2010 on page 14.

"I ... hope that I don't run off at the mouth and say something stupid they'd put me on a cross for."

Ms. Stewart meant no disrespect to Christianity. That was probably never in her mind. What her statement does reflect is the casual way in which our modern culture views religion and the sacred. There is little or no understanding of the holy.

In contrast, to the ancient Jews, the very name of God was too holy to even pronounce. When they came upon it in the uninterrupted strings of consonants in which their scriptures were written, they said "Lord" instead. When, later, vowel marks were devised and added to the texts, the vowels for adonai ("Lord") were added to the consonants HWHJ (Hebrew is read right to left, so we would see this as JHWH, the Tetragrammaton, commonly pronounced today as "Jahweh"). This combination of consonants and vowels was unpronounceable in Hebrew and was spoken as "Lord."

Centuries later, German translators misunderstood and transliterated the name as "Jehovah."

Christian Films

Though not really in any way modern films, Magic Lantern presentations occurred in Europe as early as 1680, when slide projector shows were produced to enthusiastic audience reception. Athanasius Kircher, a Roman Catholic priest, in 680 published Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae about the technique.

The slide shows were adopted by many missionaries, evangelists, and temperance groups who began to switch to short films around the close of the Nineteenth Century. Between 1897-1898 there are at least four Passion Plays known to have been filmed. Some of the earliest Christian films were The Passion Play of Oberammergau (1897 or 1989), Passion Play: Baptism of Jesus (1903), La passion du Christ (1897), La vie et la passion du Jesus-Christ (1897), La vie du Christ (1899), and La vie et la passion du Christ (1906).

The first American feature film was a Christian film, From the Manger to the Cross (1912), a silent film directed by Sidney Olcott. Though you've never heard of him he directed 135 films. Jesus was portrayed by Robert Henderson-Bland and the young Jesus by Percy Dyer.

The Christian Film Database

If you're, like me, a film enthusiast, you're probably already aware of the International Film Database (www.imdb.com). You can find at least some information on virtually any movie ever made (except for porn; there are separate databases for that, but we won't go there.) If you're interested in a 1925 Japanese film, or one of comedian Eddie Deezen's films, it's probably listed in the IMDB.

Now, there is a database being created for Christian films named, appropriately enough, The Christian Film Database. (http://www.christianfilmdatabase.com/) "We don't sell films, we help you find them." The site makes the listed films available through a film rental program (similar to Netflix) for $7.99 per month.

The non-denominational site features Search functions and categories such as Coming Soon, Films in Theaters, Film Trailers, Browse, etc. The film categories may not be as conservative as would please the most traditional viewers but they all address issues which are currently being discussed in the Church. As the Church, we should be able to address and discuss any issue; we don't do the cause of Christ any favor by pretending the issues don't exist.

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This was originally posted in 2010. When I tested this website on 18 June 2025 it was unresponsive.

What We Can Learn from Wolfgang Mozart

There is a 2008 documentary about the electric guitar entitled It Might Get Loud. It often does inside my car.

Today, I was driving up US Highway 31 to get supper at Habaneros and playing "Why" by Joe Satriani, loud. The thought came to me that "Mozart would love this." To those unfamiliar with the composer, put it this way: he was all music all the time. Sure, many thought he was silly and immature; some were probably jealous of him (the movie, Amadeus, certainly declares that Antonio Salieri was; and he had absolutely no money sense (today he would be a multi-billionaire anyway with Oscars for his numerous big-budget film scores).

Mozart is universally recognized as one of the top five composers in history. He was everywhere, composing in every musical style and for every instrument known to his culture (so there were no Mozart compositions for the sitar, the samisen, the huaca, or the didgeridoo). Think what he could have done with a Moog Synthesizer, a theremin, a set of electric drums, or a tricked out Fender electric guitar! I think he would have loved Swing, Jazz, Country, Heavy Metal, and even, shudder, Rap.

We can't all be geniuses like Old Wolfgang (actually he died young) but I think that Christians could learn something from him, at least in his attitude about what was most important to him. He was obsessive about music from the time he was a small child, playing the piano, violin, clavier, and organ and writing symphonies, chamber music, church music, masses, sonatas, concertos, operas; in total, over 600 works. If we studied our Bibles as hard or worked at our callings or ministries, the things we say we love, with as much vigor and determination as Mozart gave to his, just imagine what we could do.

Book Comment: Jesus of Nazareth

Jesus of Nazareth (1977), by William Barclay, is a novelization of the film (also 1977) of the same name by Franco Zeffirelli. The novel adheres closely to the script and is heavily illustrated with color stills from the film. This was a major big-budget movie with more name actors and actresses than you want me to list here and featured a score by Maurice Jarre.

Bollywood, Nollywood, Hollywood

     Hollywood is the movie capital of the world but it is not the movie production capital of the world.  It's actually third.  Number one is Bollywood, the Indian film industry which produces multiple thousands of films annually.  The name "Bollywood" is Hollywood with a "B" because the actual name of India is Bharat.

     Nollywood, the Nigerian film industry, produces thirty to fifty low-budget films a week.  Since the industry was virtually non-existent before the 1992 release of Living in Bondage by Kenneth Nnebue, this explosive growth is extraordinary.

     Most of the films are produced for about $15,000 and filmed in three to five days.  The DVD's sell for $2.00 and earn their producers huge returns.  The reason they are being discussed here is that a great many them are based on Pentecostal Christianity, even, or especially, the ones we in America would recognize as gore and violence filled horror films.  These films are on the level of the Christian Hell House phenomena.  

     The 1992 Igbo language film, Living in Bondage, started it all.  The plot goes like this: a group of men sacrifice their wives and drink their blood in a pagan ceremony which causes them to become rich.  The trouble is that their wives won't leave and continue to torment them as ghosts.  The men are saved when they beg forgiveness and accept Jesus Christ into their hearts.  The film almost immediately sold over seven hundred fifty thousand copies.

     The larger Christian ministries in Nigeria have their own production facilities and their films feature gore, witchcraft, cannibalism, violence, exorcisms, and Pentecostalism. 

"About Nollywood," http://nollywood.com/

"Cinema of Nigeria," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nollywood

Lapeyre, Jason, "Nollywood Nightmares. Inside Nigeria's Homegrown Horror Industry," Rue Morgue, Toronto, #92, 2009.

Film Comment: Watermelon Man

     In Watermelon Man (1970), a comedy directed by controversial director Melvin van Peebles [Sweet Sweetback's Badasssss Song (1971)], an obnoxious white man (Godfrey Cambridge in white makeup not up to 2009 standards) wakes up black and his entire world collapses around him.  He thinks it's a medical condition but he finds out that he's just black.  Everyone starts to treat him differently, even his progressive liberal wife (Estelle Parsons) who finds out that she's not so open minded after all.  He becomes increasingly alienated and hostile.  

     It amazes me that people, black and white, won't let it go, but, in America, race really is still the 800 pound gorilla that won't leave us alone.  Some people are so conditioned to think race first that they assume that any criticism of a black person by a white person must be because of a racist motive.  Others are convinced that persons descended from slaveholding ancestors ought to walk around in a heavy cloud of guilt.

     I am convinced that the solution does not lie in education, patriotism, nationalism, mind control, forced political correctness, shaming, or emerging from a cocoon as a "pod person."  The solution lies in the like-mindedness which comes from having the same nature, the Mind of Christ.

     Racism and other divisive attitudes are incompatible with a declaration of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  If we are His we should be like him.

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:" Philippians 2:5

"Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons; But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him." Acts 10: 34-35.

"For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him." Romans 10:12

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:28.