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Posted on 02/24/2004 10:06:43 PM PST by kattracks
(1st Add: Includes comments by Rev. Jesse Peterson, president of B.O.N.D.)
(CNSNews.com) - One day before it debuts in theaters, a black activist group is protesting the Mel Gibson-written, directed and produced "The Passion of the Christ" film, not because of the film's violent depiction of Jesus Christ's final hours. Instead, they say the film is historically inaccurate because Jesus is portrayed as a white man, not a black man.
"Strangely absent from the debate is one very basic inaccuracy which has been long promoted in order to bolster white supremacy and maintain a revisionist history that is beneficial to only people of European descent," said Malik Z. Shabazz, national chairman of the New Black Panther Party in a statement Tuesday.
"This purposely omitted fact is that Jesus was not a European white man. Jesus Christ was a black man - a dark skinned Hebrew Israelite from Northern Africa and even the only Biblical physical description confirms this (Rev. 13:20)," said Shabazz.
"Not only does this film wrongfully depict Christ as white but all the disciples and Israelites are people of European descent, which presents a historical and physical impossibility," he added.
The New Black Panther Party and other black activists plan to stage protests nationwide over the controversy. Not only does the group claim the movie is "false," but also "harmful and racist."
The Anti-Defamation League recently expressed to Gibson its concern that the film would drum up anti-Semetism. Shabazz said his group disagrees with the ADL's claims that the film is "anti-semetic" and challenged the ADL to "deny the historical accuracy of the Jews' attack on Christ."
But Shabazz says, the "true controversy" surrounding the film "lies in the maligned history of African people through the world and the continual inaccuracies presented in every Hollywood production to date of any Biblical story from the 10 Commandments to the Christmas Story."
"These false images presented are 'anti-black' and these false images and interpretations only seek to further the racist and white supremist idea that God and Jesus Christ 'The Messiah' or 'Savior' is European and white," he added.
"This is clearly one more example of how black people in this country are treated unfairly. Black/African history has and continues to be misrepresented, black people worldwide are subjected to the psychologically abusive images of white supremacy and have no collective voice to defend or promote a Black agenda," Shabazz concluded.
Movie 'not racist,' says black conservative
But Rev. Jesse Peterson, president of the black conservative group, B.O.N.D. (Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny) said claims that Jesus is black takes away from the overall message.
Peterson said he saw the movie last weekend and "there's nothing in this movie that is racist at all."
"It was inspiring spiritually," he said. "I think that it's gonna reconfirm the faith in many Christians and it's gonna encourage those who had doubt about Christ. There will be many, I believe, that will believe in him. I knew that this thing would come out that 'he wasn't black' and that 'it's racist.' It's not."
Peterson explained that "the Bible clearly states that Christ was in Israel and that he was a Jew." The movie, he said "clearly points that out as well."
Peterson said to "cry racism is a non-issue. This is an attempt for attention. It's shameful to make that kind of assertion about this movie."
When asked specifically whether Shabazz's physical description of Jesus and his birthplace of Northern Africa was accurate, Peterson said, "I've heard that over and over again, and at one point when I resented white Americans, I believed that too."
But, he said, "in all honesty there is no, I think, perfect description of what Christ looked like anyway, and I think that each race…the white race at one point said that he looked white [with] blue eyes and blond hair. That wasn't true. The blacks are trying to claim him…Hispanics, everybody are trying to claim him as their own."
Peterson said that's why the Scripture clearly states "'do not create a graven image of him, because it will divide and cause confusion.'
"The most important thing is that he was a spirit. It's the spirit of the man, not necessarily what he looked like. And that's the focus that this movie brings out," Peterson said, adding that he thinks blacks and white are likely to focus on Jesus' "spirit rather than the color."
He said the Bible does point out that Jesus was "born in that area, but still he was a Jew, and at that time, maybe they didn't have the straight hair, but it doesn't mean he was…a black, African man."
Peterson said in the movie, Jesus is a dark-skinned man, not white with blue eyes, but a dark-skinned man. "He's not black, but he's not white either," he said.
Race not an issue
Peterson took the New Black Panther Party to task for making Jesus' race an issue.
"It's a shame that you have racist organizations like the New Black Panther Party that will come out and allow the devil or darkness to use them, because that's what's happening," he said. "It's a distraction. It's a trick of the devil to come out and call this movie racist…that he was black, he had nappy hair. That's a distraction."
Peterson believes the group is taking away from the spiritual message of the movie, a message, he said that can possibly help people that are hurting spiritually.
"I think that when people go to this movie, they need to look beyond the color. And I think most will, whether they want to or not…look at the spirit and the suffering that Christ went through," Peterson said.
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That reminds me of the Jewish comdian commenting about Goldwater getting the Republican nomination for President in 1964, "I always knew the first Jewish president would be an Episcopalian."
I saw Khaddafi on TV and he did NOT look black.
That being the case, I just have to see it!
Fanatical liberal groups protesting it can only mean that it is a very accurate and powerful movie!
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