gt5599d@prism.gatech.edu (gt5599d TOLBERT,JASON ALAN) (07/18/90)
I know that Ham is the son of Noah and that Canaan is his son.
However, I do not what people on this Earth today are descendants of
Canaan and Ham. What did they contribute to this world of today?
Someone once told me that Ham was the ancestor of Black people of this
Earth and that he was cursed. Could someone tell me more about this?
I have read about it in the King James Version but I do not get enough
from that.
--
TOLBERT,JASON ALAN
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
uucp: ...!{allegra,amd,hplabs,seismo,ut-ngp}!gatech!prism!gt5599d
ARPA: gt5599d@prism.gatech.edu
[Ham was cursed because of some action between himself and his father,
described in Gen 9:20ff. There are many puzzling aspects to this
passage, including a possible confusion between Ham and his son
Canaan, questions as to whether Ham is the second or youngest son, and
even questions as to what exactly he did to get himself condemned.
(Are we dealing with a euphemism for something more explicitly
sexual?) However for purposes of your question, none of this is
really relevant. The relevant points would seem to be: (1) To the
extent that there were "racial" implications to the passage, they were
directed against the Canaanites. There is probably in this story an
indication that the Canaanites are viewed as cursed because of their
sexual practices. In the list of nations in Gen 10, the closest to a
representative of the Africans would be Cush (Ethiopia). Although
Cush is a son of Ham, I see no negative associations with him. He is
the father of Nimrod, the mighty hunter before the LORD. (2)
Christians certainly do not view any race as cursed. We are all
cursed by being sinners, and we can all be redeemed by God. To
suggest that there is any difference in either of these aspects on
racial grounds is to challenge the very basis of Christianity. If
you have really heard Christians say that Blacks are accursed because
they are descended from Ham, I am appalled. I don't know of any
church that would tolerate such views. --clh]mmwx@vax5.cit.cornell.edu (07/20/90)
In article <Jul.18.04.50.24.1990.15864@athos.rutgers.edu>, gt5599d@prism.gatech.edu (gt5599d TOLBERT,JASON ALAN) writes: > Someone once told me that Ham was the ancestor of Black people of this > Earth and that he was cursed. Could someone tell me more about this? > > TOLBERT,JASON ALAN According to Gen. 9, the 'curse of Ham' is that his descendants would be servants. Slave owners claimed blacks were the children of Ham and thereby justified the enslavement of blacks as being the will of God. Meredith Bitnet: MMW@CRNLNS
gross@dg-rtp.dg.com (Gene Gross) (07/25/90)
In article <Jul.18.04.50.24.1990.15864@athos.rutgers.edu> gt5599d@prism.gatech.edu (gt5599d TOLBERT,JASON ALAN) writes: > > I know that Ham is the son of Noah and that Canaan is his son. >However, I do not what people on this Earth today are descendants of >Canaan and Ham. What did they contribute to this world of today? >Someone once told me that Ham was the ancestor of Black people of this >Earth and that he was cursed. Could someone tell me more about this? >I have read about it in the King James Version but I do not get enough >from that. The following comes from a book by Dr. James McKeever called _Claim Your Birthright_, Chapter 11, page 169. Ham | | ---------------------------------------------------- Cush Mizraim Phut Canaan ---------------------------------------------------- | | ----------------------------------------------------- Amorites Ethiopians Egyptians Libyans Phoenicians Canaanites Jebusites ----------------------------------------------------- | | Black Ethiopian Jews I make no claims for the accuracy of this chart--it is part of a chart that delineates the lines of Ham, Shem, and Japheth Noah's three sons. Interesting book, BTW. It examines who is Israel. Gene Gross