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P6 The Panther
February 20 1995
Blacks In the Bible: A Well Kept Secret
By Kristie K. White
Editorials Editor
“It’s the white man’s book
... the white man’s religion ...”
As I travel the streets of the
Atlanta University Center, I
am often bombarded with
such fallacies in assault of the
Christian faith. I watch sadly
as so many of my own pave
their ways to eternal hell by
embracing the doctrines of
false religions to which they
often turn to in refuge from a
Christian faith, which is, by
popular misguided belief, not
intended for the black man.
What so few fail to acknowl
edge, however, is the positive
presence of blacks in The
Holy Bible. Yes, as quiet as it
is kept, blacks did exist and in
key roles in biblical scripture.
KRS-1, of the popular hip-hop
group Boogie Down Productions,
points this point out in his “Why
Is That?” from “Ghetto Music:
The Blueprint of Hip Hop, ” 1989.
Through funky hip-hop lyrics, he
communicates outstanding roles
of blacks within the Bible.
Ebony Magazine dedicated
an article in one of last year’s
issues about the topic. In it, the
writer mentioned that many
blacks reject the Christian faith
after having been sold to the
claims that its doctrines, origins
and intentions are antithetical to
black spiritual roots. I, myself,
have even encountered individu
als who reject Christianity and its
teachings, purely on the basis of
its supposed exclusive Caucasian
ties and origins.
My reading of ’’Blacks in the
Bible” in Ebony, planted a
seed of interest in my intellect.
I was further intrigued about
the issue when I heard John
Henrik Clarke make mention of
it at his lecture last spring at
Clark Atlanta University. Why
is it, I wondered, that so many
black ministers neglect to high
light, or make mention of the
roles of blacks within biblical
literature? After discussing the
issue with various individuals, I
contend that many pastors of
the black church perhaps omit
the issue because of the belief
that in reference to man’s (all
man, regardless of race) rela
tionship with the Almighty, it is
the state of the soul, and not
the pigmentation of the skin
which is important. While I
fully embrace this concept, I
also realize that the mentality
of man does not consistently
function on that higher plane
which would be necessary in
order to remain fully cog
nizant of that idea. Thus, as
the Rev. Winters of Mount
Moriah Baptist Church in
Atlanta pointed out one
Sunday in early February, per
haps we colored peoples of the
earth do need to delve into the
lives of our own who existed
in biblical doctrine. While it
will not, in God’s eyes,
change the appearance of our
souls, by all means it could
uplift the states of our oppressed
spirits, as so many of us allow
the fallacies and inaccurate bib
lical images turn us away from
the love of our unprejudicial
Creator.
It is troubling to acknowl
edge the point that instead of the
spiritual guidance and healing
which God's word is intended to
give, it has been, in many cases,
twisted and misinterpreted to
present delusory messages. The
Rev. Walter Arthur McCray in
his book “The Black Presence
in The Bible " says, “It has
been the misuse of the Bible
and the erroneous ‘interpreta
tions’ of men which provided
the cesspool of so-called curses
and actual murder upon black
humanity” which has resulted in
a perpetuation of fallacies. He
goes on to say, “Further, abu
sive explanations and applica
tions of the scripture—especial
ly, but by no means exclusively,
with regard to black people,
stem from both a depraved heart
and poor scholarship manifested
in an ignorance of biblical
data.”
Not only does the Rev.
McCray go into specific details
as it relates to the presence of
the blacks in the Bible, but he
includes quantitative data of
black biblical characters. As he
points out, blacks can be identi
fied through adjectives, name
references, genealogical line
studies, chronological correla
tions and extra-biblical informa
tion. It is positively confirmed
that in the Bible, the mention of
Ham occurs in the Bible 17
times, the mention of Kush
(Africa) nine times, Ethiopians
12 times, Egypt 617 times, Ham
descendent Sheba 17 times, and
so on. The presence of blacks
is indelible and immensely
clear.
In light of such research. I
personally dismiss all claims
that Christianity was “given to”
my enslaved ancestors as being
completely erroneous and
obnoxiously and very aggres
sively mendacious. For, quiet
as it is kept, we were, as the
Rev. Winters said, “there all
along.”
CAU Should Cash In On Recycling
By Tarsha Burton
Contributing Writer
Since the 1970s, when Earth Day was first celebrated on April 22, 1970, emphasis has been placed on the environment and the
conservation of our planet. However, over the past five years, environmental consciousness seems to have declined. Earth Day
for many corporate businesses is a day for profit. It has become too commercialized.
The recycling rates for state wide programs are very low. In many state programs, less than 20 percent of waste is recycled.
And people wonder why Americans produce a
larger amount of trash than any other country.
Even in states where recycling programs are suc
cessful, less than 30 percent of waste is actually
recycled.
These results are contradictory to some three out
of four Americans who express concern about
environmental issues. This means that we as a
people care for our planet but don’t do anything to
help rectify the problem.
Spelman and Morehouse Colleges both have
school-wide recycling programs while it appears
that Clark Atlanta University does not. Many
may not think this is an important issue, however,
CAU may miss out on scholarship opportunities
because there is no recycling program.
It pays to be environmentally conscious. If CAU
take all the recyclable paper, plastic, aluminum
and glass products that are normally thrown away
and drop them off at a recycling center, they’d be
killing two birds with one stone. First and fore
most, CAU would become more environmentally
conscious. Second, CAU could receive money for
recycling.
There are local recycling centers that will pay for
recyclable products if they are dropped off. So
why is it that CAU does not recycle? The
resources are available. It’s simply poor organiza
tion and laziness that causes CAU not to have a
recycling program.
If we don’t begin to make a change for the better, our children and grandchildren will suffer.
Many of the nations landfills are overflowing with recyclable goods. While the earth naturally recycles some waste, products
such as aluminium, glass and plastic take more than a life time to recycle. And some never do.
How would you like to have your future house built over top of a mountain of trash? Believe it or not, this can happen. In
Michigan, many landfills have been closed only to have contractors build houses, resorts, or even playgrounds and parks on top of
a closed landfill. Is this what America has been reduced to? Why not simply take the time and energy to recycle. It’s a much
smarter choice than living over a closed landfill.
It pays to be environmentally conscious.
If CAU was to take all the recyclable paper,
plastic, aluminum and glass products that are
normally thrown away and drop them off at a
recycling center, they'd be killing two birds
with one stone.
First and foremost, CAU would become more
environmentally conscious. Second, CAU
could receive money for