If You're Black, You're Hebrew, And Thus Saved...Really?
 |
| There was a call to repopulate the earth. This came through the three sons of Noah; Shem, Ham, Japheth. Time and geography separated them and their appearance, yet they intermingled. |
The origins of the black American Hebrew myth goes no further than late 19th century America.
A former slave claimed to have a vision and found commonplace with ancient Israel's time of slavery.
His name was William Saunders Crowdy.
Read about the so-called 'divine encounter' from the official church website.
Notice there is no mention of Christ's redemption, but instead of return to the old wine.
Notice further in the doctrinal declaration the explicit belief that a 'prophet like Moses' is attributed to this Mr. Crowdy...and again no mention of Christ whatsoever.
Although Christ claimed to be the One Moses mentioned, and the world has come to acknowledge such as recorded in the Gospel and letters (New Testament), such realities are denied.
The doctrinal points reflect a synthesis with Islamic ideas as they respond to the issue of divinity and covenant completion in Christ.
Before this man, no record of such an extraordinary idea of all descendants of African ancestry being Hebrew exists.
The reflection of 400 years of Israel's slavery in Egypt and 400 years of west African slavery in America being reflected upon.
Figuratively Twisting The Literal For The Metaphorical
The basis for the early 21st century claims are, not surprisingly, about skin color and attempt to attribute such claims to be mentioned in the Bible.
Again attributing to the Old Testament narratives, and sadly taken out of context as you'll read for yourself, the claims regarding a skin tone with ancient Israel is found in the following verses (among others).
As with anything written, context is key and essential to understanding the message.
Anything quoted out of context can be manipulated into an argument as a form of support.
Job 30: 30 (notice the lamentation regarding suffering, not so much declaring one's actual skin color).
Song of Solomon 1: 5-6 (about how dark his lover has become due to being made to work outside; a strong tan).
Lamentations 4:8 (regarding the poor spiritual condition of the people, explained metaphorically).
Amos 9: 7 (God considering Israel as sinful as Cush, yet Israel will not be totally destroyed as others).
Revelations 1: 15 (regarding the depicted color of the feet and color of hair regarding a spiritual vision).
Be Blind No More
Contextually, these claims are silly and are usually are ignored.
I've been avoiding addressing this for such reasons, but as I see this and other religious cancers grow it is challenging to simply stay silent and allow others wallow in ignorance.
Unfortunately, many people are easily swept away by the latest 'new revelations' that seem to sprout up quite frequently online.
This is nothing new, for history shows confusing winds of ideological changes traveling from one continent to another in a matter of years.
Now they move in seconds, yet fester for years.
There are millions of religious people with access to the internet, sharing their warped opinions and, through fallacy, intimidate and fear-monger (among other ill-mannered methods) others.
They convince only the gullible and simpleminded, while revealing so many others challenges of life; namely identity crisis and how poorly educated many people still are.
The world truly is a field filled with sheep and goats, and one cannot tell between them sometimes.
Sadly, many of these religious zealots are doing such efforts in good-faith; they sincerely believe much of the nonsense.
Parrots parroting what other parrots have parroted.
The squawking by such birds of paradise on the interweb jungles attract the birds of prey.
The literal interpretation is argued in support of an ethnic identity, and that is shown to be incorrect and has its origins in political strife, not so much the peace and unity Christ has already provided.
The claims, I think, stem from a motivation to find identity after generations of psychological trauma caused by slavery and its lasting affect.
Patterns From The Past
The personal story of Mr. Crowdy stamps out the pattern of such aims, yet the attempt at a resolve for internal peace can be acknowledged.
As with the flat-earth myth and false prophecies of a future cataclysmic date of worldwide destruction, various heresies, fantasies and religious contempt for anything wise and rational abound in the internets of virtual reality.
Many of the heresies and hysterical myths are from the past, simply packaged and wrapped with a different exterior using different words...but still the same hollow reasoning based on ignorance.
People have indeed made for themselves further gods and formulated new religions in the modern era, and the dissemination of many warped ideologies make their way around the world at the speed of light.
The nature of this particular ideology, the black Hebrew, desires to separate what Christ has united.
It is prejudiced and racist at its core, since it responds to racism with a brand of racism of its own.
The Nation of Islam is doctrinally traced to such political leanings.
Clarity
To mention a need for self-identification with the Savior of the world, understand the tendency to portray Christ according to a particular ethnicity is solely for the sake of reaching such a group.
Replacing the Messiah for a false prophet or impersonator is an ancient warning (claiming a return of another messiah or prophet while denying the Christ).
To represent Christ in any available manner is an echoing of “becoming all things to all men”.
For example; the manner the Gospel was portrayed in China was through a Chinese looking Christ as evidenced in paintings.
Look at the variety of visual depictions of Christ throughout the world.
There is evidence of such efforts throughout the places the Gospel has reached.
I personally don't have issue with iconography as a manner of introducing spiritual concepts to the illiterate.
Symbolism has always been God's communicative method outside of verbal instruction.
For those who hear the message of the Gospel, and are reminded by an image that evokes in them a memory of the Word's message, in part of the loosening and integration of the unseen kingdom into the kingdoms of men.
To visage an African looking Christ as a means to reach people who are bound to their external identity (as all human beings are in most cases) is not an issue of heresy, I don't think.
The issue is that such an ethnic legacy somehow holds preeminence over other people, or that it leads to a surer salvation...THIS is the heresy and the false teaching.
There is a big difference between being ignorant of such identity clashes of the conscience and being a willing promoter of such divisive and intriguing distractions.
Being gullible and ignorant does not disqualify one for heaven, although I'm sure some religious zealots would argue this point as well from a place of puffed up knowledge (gnosis).
What does disqualify someone is knowingly disseminating destructive and divisive ideas.
It is the deceiver within a person who knows very well that something is a lie, and continues to forward such deceptions to others...while the vessel, steeped in intrigue, fear, suspicion and doubt acts upon their carnal instincts.
Hello Historical Reality, Meet Your Elder Brother Biblical Factuality
Regarding peoples who can claim to be both African and draw a legacy back to ancient Hebrew, one needs to look at history and not a manipulated interpretation of Scripture as Mr. Crowdy and so many others have forwarded over the ages since Christ dawned the Light of Life in mankind's heart.
There have been, in fact, Israelites in Egypt and as far south as Ethiopia...who have also traveled into western Arabia over the centuries.
Having intermingled and married into local populations (as all people eventually have done regardless of ancestry), complexion and appearances changed accordingly.
As one looks at the complexions of peoples throughout those regions, one sees a blending and adoption between cultures, ideologies, identities and religious ideas.
However, none of these 'black / African' Hebrews were brought over as slaves during the slave trade, since the slaves arriving into the Americas and the Caribbean all originated from western Africa.
Ethiopia and Egypt are in east Africa, with smaller and more recent communities arriving elsewhere.
Judaism spread sporadically and in small numbers into Africa, one time being in 1492.
The closest some Spanish Jews (Sephardic) came to the lands where the Atlantic slave trade was acquiring people was northern, with the slaving activity happening in southern Mali near the Atlantic Ocean.
Ethnically 'black' Hebrews are historically from eastern Africa, not western.
Wisdom
The desire to affiliate one's suffering with that of past sufferers is the beckoning of the Scripture's message.
This was accumulated personally in Christ for the plurality of the world's people, bringing a unity of identity as a child of God.
This is the purpose of God's message to the world, saying “I know what you've been through, and it has been part of my will all along...go and look to My Son, My gift of Salvation for you”.
We know it is not from God when it causes division and pride in one's skin color or a claim to a bygone heritage, which was also fulfilled in Christ when He was revealed as the Son of God, the King of kings and Lord of lords.
This is why the Jews who claimed superiority due to their roots to Abraham were strongly corrected by Christ when they confused their heritage with automatic redemption, rejecting Redemption as He stood before them.
This correction extends also to those who claim a heritage to Ishmael, a son of Abraham, yet think they have some cosmic standing among their peers.
It is a banal attempt of man to raise himself above God and what God has determined to 'be' on earth.
Man in his right mind won't argue this claim of self-entitled honor, but it is the observation.
This correction is echoed in the letters to the churches regarding where one is to place their hope of salvation; not in their name, heritage nor religious practices, but in Christ and His salvation.
Comments