Re: Racist & Religious?
Originally Posted by
Bratti
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I hope this question isn’t going to have people’s heads spinning but can someone please explain how extreme religious folks can also be racists? Don’t these two clash? If you believe in the 10 commandments then doesn’t being racist not fit in? Or does it?
What am I missing?
Can I ask such a question without causing too much turmoil?
Good question - really. It's much more prevalent in Low Church Christians (LCC) than common or garden Christians.
To start with it's not addressed in any way in the Decalogue (ten commandments) or in the Torah or Haftorah and in fact is specifically prohibited (Leviticus 19:34).
HOWEVER - (there's always an always) in the KJV and indeed all versions genesis 9 describes how Ham, one of Noah's sons, pissed his dad off when he ignored Leviticus 18:7 when Noah was drunk and had thrown his clothes off before passing out.
As a result Noah cursed Ham and kicked him out of town with the mark of the curse on him, travelled South, and bred with animals and produced black offspring.
There's a bit of a twist here, in Hebrew "Ham" means amongst other things dark or burned so that's been a source of debate, was Ham named Ham because he was dark skinned or was he in some way darkened as a result of his dad putting the mockers on him?
Anyhoo that's the biblical background why the LCC believe that the "Children of Ham" are to be treated as Untermenschen. There's quite a bit more that justifies enslaving Blacks that no doubt was used to rationalize the slave trade and slavery in general. Bear in mind that a few hundred years ago the Bible had a much greater importance in day to day life. The closest that people view the Bible today can only be found in such congregations as The Brethren.
Me? I started as a Jew. Very soon I became an Atheist, then a Hard Atheist and then a born again Pastafarian in which I find most comfort not to mention most sense!