Xenophobia

It used to be that any science fiction aficionado knew exactly what "xenophobia" meant. You see, the prefix, xeno, refers to that which is alien and, of course, we all know what a phobia is. And what's not to be afraid of? Aliens from outer space are scary. They may be your friend or they may be your enemy, but you won't know which it is until they try to kill you. And besides, they're so ... different.

In truth, xenophobia is not actually the fear of beings from other planets. It is more accurately the fear of anything foreign or strange. It usually manifests itself in the form of hatred for that which is foreign or strange. And while we like to think of ourselves as open-minded, welcoming, and even brave, the truth is that all humans suffer to some degree or another from this malady. We all have some sense of fear for that which is different.

You can see this easily in the very common fear of change. We get used to something and we like it that way and now you're asking for it to be different? No! We don't want it to change! Why? Because it's foreign or strange. Not actually rational, just ... xenophobia.

Xenophobia is the primary reason for racism wherever you find it. There is "us" and there is "not us" and the "us" part is known and comfortable and the "not us" is not. The fact that the difference between "us" and "them" is likely minuscule is irrelevant. They're different. This occurs in racial differences, in economic differences, in religious differences, in geographic differences, in any differences you might consider. We will gravitate toward the "us" and tend away from the "not us".

For some this fear and loathing is minor and for others it is all-consuming. This is determined somewhat by the person and personality, but it is largely determined by the size of the difference. Little differences will cause little response. Major differences ... well, you get it.

This is one of the primary reasons why there is such a big human problem ... with God. The Bible describes Him repeatedly (even repeatedly in the same sentence) as HOLY. I put that in all caps because that seems to be what the Bible is implying. And when the Bible references the "holy", it isn't merely "not sin". It is other. It is separate. It is foreign and strange. And God is, in the Isaiah 6 format, "Strange, strange, strange." This kind of strange produces the xenophobia that sci-fi fans dream about. Whether or not God is good, He is so different as to be a threat. It is the fear of the unknown (because the finite cannot fully grasp the infinite) coupled with the intrinsic fear of that which is different. God tells us, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways" (Isa 55:8) and an astute observer would be tempted to suggest that maybe God ought to keep that to Himself because He's only making things worse.

If xenophobia is the fear of that which is different, God is sufficiently different to provide ample fear and hatred of that which is foreign and strange because He is all of that. Sure, people love darkness rather than light because it exposes their evil (John 3:19-20), so, coupled with our xenophobia and our sin, you have to see that it is nothing but expected that "The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God" (Rom 8:7). It is, in fact, a certainty. We are born xenophobes.

Thanks be to God that He can and has overcome this inborn "fear of other" in those whom He chooses. Xenophobia is normal. We can only hope that He will make us more exceptional than normal.