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.

[Lawdoc]

Does it really matter one way or the other? It is only important that was who he says he was and did what he did, for all of us (Red & Yellow, Black & White, they are precious in His sight).

[MrB]

He was a rabid anti-smoking VEGAN dope addict. He worshipped POWER, nothing else.

Sounds like he would have made a GREAT DemocRat politician if he were alive today.

[ought-six]

"When my grandmother stated that 'Dogs go to Heaven too' I felt like saying there is no Scriptural evidence that our pets will join us in the afterlife and, rather, that there was some Scripture that would imply that they won't."

If dogs don't go to heaven then I don't want to go there, either, because if dogs don't go to heaven then heaven is a fraud. There isn't a creature that ever lived that is more deserving of heaven than a dog, what with its unconditional love, deep loyalty, and just plain goodness. Heaven without dogs? It's like summer without sunshine.

[Cvengr]

LOL

[verity]

New Black Panther Party AKA SOS Party.

[Preachin']

Anyone who says "I will only worship Christ under these condtions" doesn't really know Him.

We need to realize that Christ relates to our sin, and not to our color. We need to get our minds off the paint job and get back to the interior design.

[Consort]

Jesus is all things to all people.....or was that Bill Clinton?

[Slings and Arrows]

And He drove a Honda because He said that He and His disciples were of one Accord.

[Walkingfeather]

So what color is best when you are sacrificing yourself for the sins of the world? .... I mean really... who cares? And those who do.... Why do you care?

[yarddog]

Forget the Religious overtones or the Black/White overtones. The whole question is this: Since when can a person make totally, 100% idiotic statements and have a large part of the population agree with it?

First of all, the only accounts of Jesus life are from the gospels. He clearly looked like everyone else in the area. They even had to bribe a guy to betray him with a kiss so they could pick him out of a crowd.

The area was populated by people of Mediterranean and Semitic characteristics.

Since there is zero evidence he was from Africa it should not be necesseary to even mention that even if he was from North Africa, it wouldn't matter since that area was settled by the same type people who lived in Palestine. The only possible difference is the Moors and Berbers of N. Africa had a large Celtic influence.

[Bikers4Bush]

It only matters with respect to exposing the lies of these people. Other than that it doesn't matter at all.

[MacDorcha]

hmmm... highly unsual... Jesus? nah, He had to be status quo... He was only perfect, and born Divinely. as others have said, all speculation is just that. speculation.

[MacDorcha]

just to be fun. why wouldnt he? :)

[logos]

Once in seminary we were assigned two readings and asked to select one of them to "write up". One of the readings was by an ex-nun, who posited that Jesus was actually female. The other reading was by a black theologian who posited that Jesus was really black. Having read them both, I wrote and submitted a paper which I titled "Was Jesus the first Aunt Jemima"?

I was offered counseling, which I declined. ;^)

[N3WBI3]

When was 5n the 7th grade we had a spanish teacher try to pull this on me when talking about easter....

She said Jesus was black, I said he was not

Her automatic responces was that I thought he was white, I laughed and pointed out he probably looked alot like an Arab (Black hair, Dark eyes, olive skin)... She was shut up not because I proved my point but because she assumed whites thought jesus was blond/blue. This stupidity takes away from him if they want to see a Black Jesus than belive it, if you want to think he was white go ahead it matters not..

[Flightdeck]

A while back, a CNN reporter (I think it was CNN) did a story on black Israelis. Being the "politically correct" reporter, they were referred to as African-American, when they were neither African nor American. Sometimes I understand foreigners who hate Americans. I can't stand about half of them either.

[Paleo Conservative]

A while back, a CNN reporter (I think it was CNN) did a story on black Israelis

As I recall they were evacuated from Ethiopia by the Israeli military. They had been separated from other Jewish populations for thousands of years. Ethiopia is a part of Africa.

[breakem]

Since no one was alive back then, I really don't care myself.

Quote of the day!

[hellinahandcart]

I thought Shabazz was Muslim.

He is, but his group has lost so many members that now he must be courting the Black Israelites as fill-ins. He sounds just as crazy as they do.

[cyborg]

*LOL*