The Bible Says...

Have you heard these arguments before?

"This marriage is in violation of Gods law"

"This is an attack on the nuclear family"

"This will lead to the decay and downfall of America"

"This sexuality is unnatural and degenerate"

THIS IS A STATES RIGHTS ISSUE!

Sound familiar?

All of these statements come from sermons and essays from pastors like Bob Jones Sr, and Jerry Falwell in their fight against desegregation and interracial marriage.

Throughout American history, particularly during the Jim Crow era and the Civil Rights Movement, many white Christian leaders and institutions provided theological cover for racism. By cherry picking the Bible to fit racist and eugenic views they created a framework that not only excused but sanctified segregation as a "biblical tenet" and justified their opposition to interracial marriage. The religious arguments they employed ranged from misinterpretations of Old Testament narratives to appeals to divine order and “Christian liberty.” These theologies of exclusion helped to morally justify white supremacy in the pulpit, in Christian schools, and in the political arena.

One of the most enduring religious arguments for racial segregation came from the misappropriation of the story of Noah and his sons in Genesis 9:20–27. Segregationist theologians and preachers claimed that Black people were the descendants of Ham, whose lineage was cursed by Noah to servitude. THERE IS EXACTLY ZERO EVIDENCE OF THIS. And, Genesis is mostly myth. This was known as the “Curse of Ham” doctrine, was repeatedly invoked to justify slavery in the 19th century and later revived to defend Jim Crow laws and school segregation. Historian Stephen R. Haynes details the evolution of this theology in Noah’s Curse: The Biblical Justification of American Slavery (2002), this has been a foundational lie to support the racism of Christian nationalism.