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Welcome
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Whitewashing the Bible

Season
Season 3
Episode Number
104
Release Date
February 17, 2021
Tags
GenesisHamAdamEve
Welcome
Welcome

5 “I am black and beautiful,

You daughters of Jerusalem,

Like the tents of Kedar,

Like the curtains of Solomon.

6 Do not stare at me because I am dark,

For the sun has tanned me.

Song of Solomon 1:5-6 NASB

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DEFINITION

Whitewash [1]

noun

  1. : to alter (something) in a way that favors, features, or caters to white people: such as a : to portray (the past) in a way that increases the prominence, relevance, or impact of white people and minimizes or misrepresents that of nonwhite people b : to alter (an original story) by casting a white performer in a role based on a nonwhite person or fictional character

Genesis

  • Adam is from the Hebrew word meaning red (Edom is from the same word)[2]
  • Red, like red clay—remember Adam was created from the "dust of the ground" (Genesis 2)
  • Dirt around the world actually matches human skin tones (generally) and the dirt that would have been near Eden would have been the kind good for growing plants; this type of soil is dark brown or black
  • If two people possess only recessive traits (e.g., blue eyes), the cannot create a baby with dominant traits (e.g., brown eyes)
  • Two "pure" white people cannot give birth to a black baby
  • Two "pure" black people however can have white babies; there are also black people in Africa with naturally blue eyes and blonde hair

The Non-Existent Curse of Ham

  • To justify the mistreatment of Africans, "Christian" Europeans came up with the non-existent curse of Ham (it is actually Ham's son Canaan that is cursed in Genesis 9)
  • The curse was said to be dark skin
  • Below are some things to consider about this "theory"
    • Canaan actually settles in the Middle East, not sub-saharan Africa
    • The Canaanites intermarry with the Israelites—specifically, the entire line of Judah stems from a Canaanite woman (Genesis 38)—so if the curse is dark skin, the Israelites could not have been white
    • Cush, Mizraim, and Phut who eventually migrate into the main African continent are never cursed

Confusion of Nationality

  • The Israelites and the Egyptians had to look similar because they're always being confused for each other
  • Joseph's brothers don't notice he's Hebrew when they journey to Egypt during the famine. (Genesis 42:23)
  • Pharaoh doesn't say anything about his daughter taking in a Hebrew baby when he's just ordered all of them killed
  • The Midianites confuse Moses for an Egyptian (Exodus 2:19)
  • Paul is confused as an Egyptian (Acts 21:38-39)
  • Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus flee to Egypt to avoid Herod's decree; in fact the Israelites always fled to Egypt in times of trouble. Likely they blended in better, just as I would blend in better in Brazil than in Japan.

The Curse of Whiteness?

  • DISCLAIMER: This is not meant to suggest that white people are white because they are cursed; it is merely to point out the irony of claiming a curse of blackness to inflict harm when the Bible suggests something closer to the opposite
  • In 2 Kings 5 a man named Gehazi, and all his offspring, is cursed with leprosy--the description is that he turned "white as snow" (2 Kings 5:27)
  • The leprosy of the Bible which is not the leprosy of today[3] is actually associated with whiteness multiple times:

References and Footnotes

  1. "Whitewash". Merriam Webster; visited February 2021
  2. "Strong's H119. אָדַם". Blue Letter Bible; visited February 2021
  3. Dr. Alan L. Gillen. "Biblical Leprosy: Shedding Light on the Disease that Shuns". Answers in Genesis. June 10, 2007
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PSALMS to God is a blog, podcast, and YouTube channel that discusses many topics and issues, always keeping YHWH as the anchor. Hosea 4:6 says “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”—here, the aim is to always ask questions and study to find the answers. You can keep up with new content by signing up for the weekly newsletter.

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