Jesus Was Black, Not White, Group Says

CNSNEWS.com ^ | 2/24/04 | Melanie Hunter

[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.

Send a Letter to the Editor about this article.

[Bonaparte]

"Jesus Christ was... from Northern Africa..."

I could've sworn he was from Bethlehem and that Bethlehem was and is in the Near East, not in Africa.

[Don W]

I was with you right up to:

Real Christians love the Jewish people. It is the wicked Catholic religion that has killed them, mistreated them, and called them "Christ-killers" for centuries on end. Hitler was a "good" Catholic and the Vatican supported him. Hitler WAS NEVER EXCOMMUNICATED from the Catholic religion because they approved of what he did.

I think you had best delve a LOT deeper into the history of the Catholic Church's activities during the second world war. Especially the actions of a majority of Catholic priests. This kind of vitriol is exactly what caused "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland.

Remember that every Christian church on the planet has its origins in Catholicism.

Incidentally, Hitler was NOT a practicing Catholic, either. He was a rabid anti-smoking VEGAN dope addict. He worshipped POWER, nothing else.

[RightWingAtheist]

What's inappropriate about pointing out the truth? Kotto IS Jewish, being descended on his father's side from a Jewish community which has existed for centuries in the Ivory Coast, and claims descent from the original twelve tribes of Israel, and he has made no secret that his Jewish identity is as important to him as his African/Afro-Carribean identity. Although too old to play Jesus now (he could have in the Seventies), he would be great as Moses, Solomon, or any number of other Biblical figures.

[jnarcus]

You must not have read the Old Testament cause there are fair skinned red heads there....tribe of Dan

[Cronos]

White? no. Black? No. Brown. Yes.

[Cronos]

If Jews are white, Jesus was white.

Skin color wise -- 2000 years ago, the majority were brown. Present day -- you're only looking at the Jews from Europe who intermarried. The ones who remained in Israel or the Middle East or India are brown. Jews 2000 years ago would have had the same complexion as the present day Arabs -- hey, in the PErsian paintings of Jews, they are presented as being brown and darker than the Persians.

[Cronos]

I kind of doubt He had red hair -- that would have been highly unusual in the Middle East at that time, pretty unusual anywhere in the Mediterranean too.

[Cronos]

I once received a Christmas Card from a black co-worker and good friend. It depicted Joseph and Mary as black people. I remember Joseph illustrated as a topless man who looked like a cross between Bill Cosby (think "Uptown Saturday Night") and Earl Campbell. I can't remeber who Mary resembled but she held a black Baby Jesus in her arms. Although I tried not to look judgemental about it, I must have looked either stunned or confused because she added, "Jesus was an Ethiopian".

See, He is all things to all men. Ethiopians can depict him as black, because that's how they see Him, Chinese can depict him as chinese, because that's how they see Him. Germans can depict him as blonde and blue eyed, as that's how they see Him. It doesn't matter. All those 'depictions' are only the way we humans try to perceive what is near impossible for us to perceive -- the trueGod.

[Cronos]

Incidentally, Hitler was NOT a practicing Catholic, either. He was a rabid anti-smoking VEGAN dope addict. He worshipped POWER, nothing else.

And, he said in theMein Kampff that the Jewish Christwas too weak for the great Aryannrace and a new AryanChrist was to be created, along with AryanChristianity.

[yankeedame]

I just got back from the site. All I could find was something about knocking on the door, going in and sitting down to eat. I know it's a fake site, but even in the fake site the skin color of Jesus isn't mentioned in any way, shape or form.

[GeronL]

I noticed that too.

I sent that one to Snopes.com

[GeronL]

Hitler considered christianity to be a 'gutter religion' and planned to replace all churches with places to worship aryans and their ancestors.

[Cronos]

places to worship aryans and their ancestors.

Which was pretty wierd when you consider that the 'pure' Aryans would have been in Ariana -- Iran - India, not Germany.

Hitler was a madman and the earlier posters attempt to say that just because he happened to be born a Catholic (which he disregarded) the RC church was to blame. I don't hear of the great pogroms that were carried out by the Russian Orthodox churches. Don't forget also that Poland's ruler (can't remember the name) allowed Jews to come and stay in his country -- so that Poland had a huge number of Jews (and prospered as well) in the Middle Ages. And the Poles are undoubtably one of the most devout Catholic nations.

Again, the atrocities committed by these middle ages churches were wrong and have been condemned. I don't blame the present day Russian church for what they did. If they still want to do it, then I'll blame them, otherwise, it's the same stupidity as some idiot blaming theJews for asking for the death of one of their own.

There's this one anecdote about an old Jewish lady who was put in a Catholic nursing home. The nuns asked her if she would be bothered by the Crucifix kept above her bed. She said "No, why should I? I'm proud of what one of our boys did." And the nuns loved it!

Now that's the kind of inter-religious communion we ought to have -- mutual respect.

Too many Protestants have a hang up about what the Church did in the Middle Ages. It did get corrupted, but all of the points Luther spoke about were reformed within the Church.

[A CA Guy]

Really? So where are all the black Jews? Christ was tan like a current Jew from Israel.

These groups are just full of nut cases.

[A CA Guy]

Sammy Davis Jr. doesn't count.

[Caipirabob]

Here's your black Jesus, now let's move on.

No, no, no! The hat's just wrong! Jesus is a MARLINS Fan !

[Don W]

How about all the Jews who immigrated to Israel in the last couple of decades from (HORRORS) Ethiopia and other mid and North African states?

Judaism is more than a race, more than a culture, more than a religion. Judaism is the base upon which Christianity built. It took the death of a Jewish carpenter (think of the metaphor here) to bring God's message of genuine love to us.

I see ONE dominant race here on this planet: the HUMAN race.

Enviro-weenies and animal rights freaks may apply, but your acceptance depends on your ability to see the difference between a human life, and any other.

[Trickyguy]

his is just too much. What next? Jesus was female?

What? You mean you don't know that Jesus was a black socialist homosexual?

[mhking]

Black conservative ping

If you want on (or off) of my black conservative ping list, please let me know via FREEPmail. (And no, you don't have to be black to be on the list!)

Extra warning: this is a high-volume ping list.

Just damn.

If you want on the list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...

[Jimmy Valentine]

"Malik Z. Shabazz, national chairman of the New Black Panther Party in a statement Tuesday."

This guy is a total punk. I forget his real nema but he is from D.C. and is a professional pain in the behind.

Just another low rent cheap jack race hustler looking for a free ride.

Regards,