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Is the bible racist and anti-Black? Or was it the interpreters of the bible who were bigoted? How accurate is the translation of the bible and how should we interpret the bible? These are questions every Black Christians should be asking themselves, as there are sections of the bible that seems downright racist and bigoted.

An example of a racism in the bible (King James Version) can be found in the Song of Solomon chapter 1 verse 5: “I am Black, but comely…” in other words it is saying, I am Black, but beautiful. What is very bothersome is the word “but”. The word “but” means to make an exception, for example, “You are late but I will let you in this time” or “I am filled but I will eat this last piece of cake anyway”.

Shouldn’t it have read “I am Black and comely?” It seems like the speaker/writer in the verse felt like Blacks are not normally beautiful and therefore the word “but” instead of “and” is used. If someone was describing a person to me and said “Well she is Black but she is still beautiful” I would probably think this person was a member of the KKK, The Minute Men, The Christian Coalition or whatever they call themselves these days.

So why didn’t the verse say, “I am Black and comely?” It can’t be just a matter of translation right? Surely God’s word were never meant to confuse but to teach, so it would make sense to say that whatever is in the bible should be able easily understood.

Why do you think the bible says, “I am Black but comely” instead of, “I am Black and comely?”