What Does the Bible Say about Profiling?
by: Allen Domelle
My daughter and I went to a sporting goods store a few weeks ago to purchase some sporting goods supplies that I wanted. I was standing at the cash register, and in front of me was a young man approximately in his early 20’s. His hat was on crooked. His pants were hanging down his backside. He had tattoos all up and down his arms and some on his neck. He had long straggly hair, and looked very unkempt. As I waited for him to get done, I heard him ask the cashier for 2 boxes of 9mm ammunition. I immediately looked back at his appearance and thought to myself, what is he going to do with this ammunition? Because of the way he was dressed, my thoughts led me to believe that he probably was not using the ammunition for good. Yes, I profiled this young man.
As bad as some may think this is, I can guarantee that everyone is guilty of profiling. We have heard much about how bad it is to profile someone because of their appearance. I contend that everyone profiles. For instance, any good parent will tell their children to stay away from the “bad side of town.” Hold it, you’re profiling. How often has a parent said, “Don’t let me catch you hanging around that person.” Again, you’re profiling. We profile everyday. When you see a Rottweiler or a Pit Bull running loose on the streets, are you going to let your two-year-old go and pet the dog? Of course not! Hold it, you’re profiling again. When you see young people hanging around a car in gangster clothes, are you quick to go and spend time with them? No, you will go out of your way to avoid them. Again, you’re profiling. We could go on and on with examples of how people profile every day of their life.
The fact is, profiling is a part of human nature. Profiling is the self-preservation part of a human being. God gave that to us to keep us from getting into danger. It is completely impossible to live and not profile. Even those who trumpet that profiling is wrong are guilty of it. The fact of the matter is, that is how we stay out of trouble. Profiling keeps us from hurting ourselves. Profiling keeps a person from getting into a wrong crowd. God gave us the sense to profile so that we won’t get into sin.
Moreover, do you realize that God profiles? Matthew 7:15-17 says, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.” Judging someone by their fruit is no different than profiling. Look at Luke 6:43-44 which says, “For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit.” In other words, God says every time we look at a tree and say that it is a certain fruit, we are profiling that tree. God didn’t stop there. He said just like a tree is known by its fruit, so every person is known by their fruit. The fruit is the clothing of a tree. If the tree doesn’t want to be known as a certain type of tree, then it needs to stop bringing forth that type of fruit.
The answer to profiling is not to chastise people for doing it, but to get people to change the way they dress and live. If you don’t want people to think you’re a bad person, then stop wearing the clothing of those who do bad. If you don’t want people to think you’re in a gang, then stop wearing gang clothing. It’s as simple as that. It’s amazing that people don’t get upset about someone positively profiling them, they only get upset when someone profiles them in a negative manner.
I’ve learned one thing about life, if you don’t dress like you’re doing wrong, then you won’t be profiled as someone who does wrong. I’ve had many people think I worked for the FBI or the police because of the way I dress. The short hair, white shirt and tie is a dead giveaway as a law enforcement officer. I’ve never had someone question the validity of my claim to be a preacher, because I look like a preacher. The reason is because I have dressed in a manner that allows them to profile me in a positive manner.
Furthermore, if you don’t want someone to consider you to be a liberal preacher or Christian, then stop looking and acting like them. If you drop liberal preacher’s names all the time to give credence to what you say, then we are naturally going to profile you as a liberal. If you let down your dress standards and start allowing young people to hold hands and kiss, then we are going to profile that you have compromised. If you start letting the dresses on ladies to be tight, short and trendy, then don’t be surprised when you’re profiled as a compromiser. When you’re music starts sounding like a Country and Western concert in your church services, then don’t be upset with us when we profile you as having gone liberal. When you cancel your Sunday school and Wednesday night services for home groups, then don’t get upset when we profile you as leaving the old-time religion. It’s not our fault, we are only profiling the fruit.
Let me encourage you not to let the politically correct police influence you into their ignorance. Profiling is self-preservation. God gave us that sense to keep us from danger. Instead, dress right, look right, do right and be in the right place and you will never have to worry that someone may be thinking wrong about you.