Much to do about something

There appears to be a sizable stink in the air regarding the movie “ Color of the Cross”, and I just simply could not help sticking my finger into the hornet’s nest. If you are not familiar with this movie, I should inform you that the film has generated two controversies; one involving whether or not Jesus Christ was black, and the other concerns the issue of Jesus Christ being crucified because he was black.

First let me touch upon the issue of Jesus being black. I am completely unaware of any proof ever obtained to confirm what Jesus Christ’s skin color was. The Bible does clearly state that Jesus was Hebrew, but unfortunately since Jesus failed to leave us any bones to perform advanced DNA testing upon, we are unable to resurrect his exact color.

Then there’s the issue of why does this really matter to anyone, and why 2000 years later there would be such a stir over his skin color. Jesus transcended race, and his teachings were left for all people of all races to largely sit back and ignore. So as far as I am concerned, no matter which side of the argument you may fall on in this matter, an obsession regarding Christ skin color, only serves to prove that the person obsessing over it is dealing with some serious personal prejudices.

Regarding whether or not Christ was crucified because he was black, I can again point to an overwhelming lack of evidence on this matter. It is human nature to transfer your personal view of the world onto other people, even those people who have been dead for thousands of years. The fallacy of this type of transference is twofold; first it fails to understand the differences in the individual dynamics of one particular person compared to another individual, it also fails to allow for changes in values that commonly occur with the passage of time.

If in fact Jesus were black, and he was spotted jogging through an upscale white neighborhood today, there is a very good chance that Jesus would be stopped for questioning by police. Despite the current societal fixation on those of Arab descent, prejudice against blacks is still prevalent in today’s world. That said, I feel it would be far more useful to focus our attention on why these prejudices still exist today, than expending any great effort in determining whether or not Christ was crucified because he was black.

Frankly the biggest problem with this subject is the almost total lack of familiarity with the teachings of Christ, and I am not just referring to non-Christians. I would in fact, point a the finger at most Christians for failing to adequately study their Bibles. If there were actually enough of us reading the teachings of Christ, there is a fair chance we would not have these problems in the first place.