Stop Justifying Racism

Several years ago, I became acquainted with a family that believed that the curse Noah put on Ham was that he would be black and a slave.  This family thought that all blacks were without a soul.  I had one discussion with this family and explained that Ham was not cursed it was Canaan that was cursed, and that it had nothing to do with his skin color.   They told me I did not understand the Bible.  I never met with them again.

We had a missionary friend from Hatti that was to be the speaker at a Camp Meeting.  There was a family in attendance who left the meeting when he got up to speak because he was black.  My father talked to them later, and they informed him that blacks have no soul and they would not listen to someone even God had cursed.

Several religions have used the “curse” of Ham to justify their actions.  For years the Dutch Reform Church justified apartheid because of the misinterpretation of the Noah cursed.  Both Ham and Canaan were given a mark believed to be a black skin.  They were to be slaves of slaves and servants of servants.  The “curse of Ham” has been used by all three Abrahamic religions to justify racism and enslavement.  In 1994, the Dutch Reform Church admitted their theory was flawed and apologized.

Another religion that used the “curse of Ham” to justify their doctrine was the Mormon (LDS) Church. Mormonism’s use of the biblical text was intertwined with its own canonized holy works from the mouth of its founder Joseph Smith, who believed that blacks were the descendants of Ham. But Mormons gave further interpretations to the curse on Black people. In addition to the curse of Ham, which is the only Latter-Day Saint scripture used to justify the enslavement of black people explicitly, a belief emerged that the origins of the curse began with Cain for having committed the world’s first murder against his brother, Abel. God’s displeasure with Cain caused a cursing to fall upon him, which many LDS believe was the skin of blackness. And still, new dogma was created in the LDS Church when contemporary Mormon leaders developed racist insights into the descendants of Ham and Cain by spreading the theory that perhaps Blacks could not decide who to serve in the great war in heaven between Michael, the archangel, and Lucifer, the son of the morning. These differing interpretations of why Blacks were denied the priesthood in the Mormon faith were nothing more than racist creations to serve as a justification of bigotry. In 1978, they did change their position but did not address their mistreatment of Blacks.

There has been in Christianity the justification of racial mistreatment, using the Bible to validate doctrines that reduce people to a commodity or devalue them as humans.  For many Christians today, this is unacceptable and is not what Christianity is about.  Even though there are those, who attach racism to any disagreement that may take place with people of color racism is still a reality.

One of the areas of racism that is ignored by many evangelicals is in the relationship of those who are viewed as a hindrance to the fulfillment of end time prophecy. 

How would you feel if I were to stand in the pulpit on Sunday, and preach that Christians have the right to take the life of non-Christian? That the soul of the non-believer is inferior, totally evil, with no redeeming qualities whatsoever, and that a Christian has the right to take vital organs from these non-believers to keep themselves alive, and that I am not required to help a non-believer even if they are dying.  The life of a Christian is of far higher value in the sight of God than the non-believers.  What do you think people would say about my message?  This is precisely what is being used to justify the killing of those in Palestine who are being driven from their homes. What is sad it that evangelical Christian are silent because they have listened to those who have interrupted the Scriptures wrong. Many Christians believe that if we stand with those who are carrying out these acts of violence that God will bless us.  So, let me ask how is that working out?

Evangelical Christians can turn a blind eye to genocide and justify ignoring the atrocities by “God’s Chosen People” by saying we must bless them or God will curse us.  Jesus did not bless them, He identified them for who they were-- children of the devil, worshipper of the Synagogue of Satan and that He would be bringing judgment upon them for their wickedness and disobedience.

It is time that Christians realize that the LORD Jesus Christ died for “whosoever” and forget about who is worthy and who is not fit to be blessed by the LORD. It is not for us to determine who is to be saved and who is to be lost.  We must give the message of salvation to everyone and pray they accept the gift of salvation.   As a Christian stop justifying racist violence because you think God will bless you.