I am not a Christian and I hope someone can help me find out why Jesus is always depicted in films and tv as a white man. When Madonna's 'Like a Prayer' video came out there was a black jesus in it caused outrage (as well as some other things in the video)
If Christians believe that Jesus was the son of God and they also believe he lived in an arabic part of the world why can't they comprehend he had dark skin?
2006-09-01 08:53:35 · 65 answers · asked by chcic 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
The most logical answer is that Europeans have been followers of Christianity for the longest time. Jesus has been associated by the Europeans for so long, that they started believing that Jesus was actually a white skinned person like them.
Another factor was racism. Back then, dark skinned people weren't really looked up in the best way. Making Jesus a African person would have been a outcry to the people, and would have greatly reduced the power of the Church. As a result, the Church has kep Jesus "white" or fair skinned, to keep itself in power and to show that since Europeans were "the leaders then", then Jesus should be white, because he is the "divine leader".
I believe that if Asia had been a super power, instead of Rome, and adopted Christianity, and had Caucasians as slaves, then Jesus would be represented as a Asian, not white.
2006-09-01 09:03:20 · answer #1 · answered by Live Laugh Love 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think people were outraged not so much that it was a black man in the video but that Madonna was making out with him then rolling around on the pews and floor similarly to the Like A Virgin video. Jesus was dark skinned but everyone has been brought up with the light skinned versions so I think that is why it is continued that way the are just repeating what they know.
2006-09-01 09:07:29 · answer #2 · answered by fyrechick 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do you really think these white, well dressed Christians are going to worship anyone with a "brown" skin tone?
Not in this world they won't.
Their minds are just too small to comprehend the fact that their Jesus was a Jewish Hebrew man. And back then the Jews had a darker skin tone. Now days there has been much mixed breeding of the race and that is called a form of evolution which the Christians also don't like to talk about.
2006-09-01 09:00:24 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
The message is what is important, not the man - people who worship Jesus do not understand the message, they are but lost sheep
There was no "Black Jesus" in the Madonna Like a Prayer Video - there was however an innocent black man accused of beating Madonnas character, the Video is a dream sequence inter cut with several scenes of "reality"...
2006-09-01 10:13:00 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
His skin tone was described as dark in the book of Revelations.
The oldest icons of him are blackskin. The Black madonna and child are worshipped in Russia, Spain and Poland and other places in europe. When asked by a noted historian why the oldest statues were black - he was told that over hundreds of years ago there had been a fire in the church and the skin subsequently was blackened. The historian asked if there was a fire then how do you explain the fact that the whites of their eyes are still white?
On the front side of a Coptic christian church (the earliest christians) in Heliopolis Egypt is an icon of a black christ and underneath is a white or light colored angel. Maybe the color of the angel had flaked off over time,I dont know.
2006-09-01 09:28:15 · answer #5 · answered by worriedaboutyou 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Jesus was born a Jew, but in reality, Jesus is all colors. Jesus is the Messiah for all mankind. It's who He is and what He did that matter, not what He looked like. However, if you're interested in the latter, check out the Shroud of Turin.
As for the Madonna video, I don't think the black Jesus was really what caused the outrage, do you? Let's be honest. That's certainly not what offended me.
2006-09-01 09:02:43 · answer #6 · answered by bob 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jesus was an immaculate conception, his father not of this world, so he well could have been white, but presuming he got most of his genes off Mary then he could have been of a darker skin complexion. Jesus gets potrayed as white because of church leaders, most Christians I would say are white, so it only makes sense to have a white-skinned figurehead, hypocritical I know but did you know Christmas originally was an advertising campaign for the church?
It matters not though what a persons skin tone is, it's what is beneath that skin, and Jesus was a great role model for man, he not only was born to relinquish man of his sins but also as an example.
2006-09-01 11:55:23 · answer #7 · answered by true_searcher 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As a Christian, I am more concerned about what Jesus did for us and the message that he brought to the world. His skin color doesn't even matter to me.
I do know that since Jesus was a Jew, He likely had very tan skin, dark eyes, and dark hair. And I can comprehend that.
2006-09-01 09:01:14 · answer #8 · answered by TY 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet Muhammad(sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) said,
"The Prophets are like brothers; they have different mothers but their religion is one.Iam the closest of all the people to Jesus son of Mary, because there is no other Prophet between him and myself. He will come again, and when you see him, you will recognise him. He is of medium height and his colouring is reddish-white. He will be wearing two garments, and his hair will look wet. He will break the cross, kill the pigs, abolish the Jizyah (A tax paid by non-muslims living in Muslim lands) and call the people to Islam. During his time, Allah will end every religion and sect other than Islam, and will destroy the Dajjal (Anti-christ). Then peace and security will prevail on earth, so that lions
will graze with camels, tigers with cattle, and wolves with sheep;
children will be able to play with snakes without coming to any harm.
Jesus will remain for forty years, then die, and the Muslims will pray for
him."
2006-09-03 03:08:25 · answer #9 · answered by Bilal 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You say this because of today's skin tones. Arabs and Jews are members of the white race. Do you know that their skin tone has always been darker than some? In the bible it talks about how fair skinned the children of Israel were. Why must you insist any different? native Americans have a darker skin tone as do many others that are of the white race. I have a very olive complexion and yet my ancestors all came from great Briton. What is your point here?
2006-09-01 09:05:00 · answer #10 · answered by oldman 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋