I’ve been reflecting on recent headlines about the emergence or re-emergence of white supremacy.  I’ve been especially disturbed by how quiet my tribe is and by how defensive conversations around race are among my faith group.  I can’t speak for everyone but I can share about some of the myths that were commonly discussed when I was growing up.

I grew up in a rural/suburban mostly white culture around good hardworking people who went to church, loved their neighbors and were largely good citizens.  Most would never march or support a white supremacist cause or overtly try to hurt anyone.  In fact the unspoken rule was “don’t hurt anyone and be nice to everyone.” Nevertheless, racism was a part of the folk Christianity that I grew up with.  And I use the word folk Christianity because I believe these myths are aberrations and not a part of true Christianity.  I hope to refute these myths as simply as I can.

The first myth I encountered was the “Curse of Ham.”  The curse of Ham was drawn from the story of Noah found in Genesis 9:18-27.  Noah had planted a vineyard and made some wine and after an evening of drinking he became drunk and naked.  One of his son’s noticed that he was naked and told the others who walked in backwards and covered him with a robe.  Ham the one who found his father drunk and naked was cursed.  Ham founded the Canaanites.  As folk religion does, this text was applied to African-Americans who had come from Africa in slave ships to the US serving many years in forced slavery.  The curse implied that Ham’s descendents would serve his brothers Shem and Japheth.  Then I was shown a map of where each son of Noah settled and naturally the map showed that Ham settled in Africa.  It was inferred then that such people were cursed by God and destined for service to the people who settled in Europe and the Americas. Continue reading 6 Ways The Bible Was Hijacked to Support Racism. →