The racism of creationism

A cartoon from Answers in Genesis

The intellectual arguments for young earth creationism are rather lacking, but YECs do have some emotional arguments that pack a bit of a punch. These revolve around moral evils that they claim result from evolution, notably racism and eugenics. In the resulting discussion any evolution proponent is typically put on the defensive and there tends to be a focus on the facts of the matter. Was Hitler’s genocide actually inspired by evolution?

As a result I think these conversations tend to miss the elephant in the room: the racism of creationism.

A key example of what I’m talking about is Dr Henry Morris’ (regarded by many as the father of modern creationism) book The Beginning of the World: A scientific study of Genesis 1-11. This is a pro-creationism work that describes the failings of evolution, as well as the Genesis narrative itself. That last bit is where things start to get nasty.

Chapter 11 is called “Origins of Races and Nations” and opens with a discussion of how “race” is an invented, evolutionary idea. Nonetheless, Morris continues, there are certain…distinctions between groups of people. He claims that these are the result of Noah’s flood. After all life had been destroyed the earth was repopulated by Noah’s 3 sons, Shem, Japeth and Ham. Each of the resulting 3 families has different characteristics they inherited from their respective son.

Shem…with his concern for the Lord and His honor, will through his descendants lead men to
know and follow God. Japheth also, with his more serious approach to life and its meaning, will see his descendants enlarged geographically and mentally, coming to dwell finally in the spiritual house built by
the children of Shem. The children of Ham, however…will have to be content with giving service to both Shem and Japheth providing the material basis of human society

So we have the religious Shemmits, the smart Japethites and the Hamites, whose role is to be “servants” of the other two races families. But just who are the Hamites? Morris explains that….

Thus, all of the earth’s “colored” races — yellow, red, brown, and black; essentially the Afro-Asian group
of peoples, including the American Indians — are possibly Hamitic in origin

Although this is a deplorable view, Morris is careful to point out that he doesn’t just mean the Hamites were meant to be the literal servants of everyone else. Rather, they serve mankind by coming up with all sorts of inventions. Nonetheless, the Hamites are simply not smart enough to fully exploit their work.

The Japhethites and Semites have, sooner or later, taken over their territories and their inventions, and then developed them and utilized them for their own enlargement. Often the Hamites, especially the Negroes, have become actual personal servants or even slaves to the others. Possessed of a genetic character concerned mainly with mundane matters, they were eventually displaced by the intellectual and philosophical acumen of the Japhethites and the religious zeal of the Semites.

So, Dr Morris, grand-daddy of creationism, believes that the “coloured races” lack the intelligence to rise to prominence and will simply form the foundation (sometimes literally) of more developed societies. And the worst bit of all is that Morris doesn’t think that this is necessarily a bad thing, but the

inevitable fulfilment of…the innate natures of the three genetic stocks.

Some creationists, in an effort to (understandably) distance themselves from this position, may complain that this book was originally published in 1977 and so does not reflect current creationist views about the various races families. However, I think this ignores two key facts.

First, the book is still being reprinted and sold by the publishers. In fact they’re currently giving away free copies of the book from Creation Conversations; a forum run by the publishers. Secondly, these views about Noah’s sons are still being espoused by modern creationists. 

Answers in Genesis wrote earlier this year in their News to Note that…

Noah never cursed his son Ham, but he did prophecy in Genesis 9:24–27 that the descendants of Ham’s son—Noah’s grandson, Canaan—would somehow serve those of his brothers.

Although they’re careful to point out that the prophesied failings of Hamites are not linked to the skin tone, they still maintain that the Hamites include a large part of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. In other words, the “coloured” Hamites are destined to be servants, but the fact they’re not white is purely a coincidence. This is hardly an improvement on Morris’ original position.

Meanwhile Ken Ham (CEO of Answers in Genesis), wrote in his personal blog this year (2013)

One only has to look at Canaan’s [a son of Ham] descendants to see some of the most-wicked rebellious people who ever lived and who were judged for their godlessness and immorality.

Again, Ham is careful to note that Canaan’s evil (and the resulting curse from Noah bequeathed on his descendants) was not connected to his skin colour but he does note that the Hamites include

Chinese, Egypt, Libya, West Africa (Phut), Middle East (Canaan), Sinai, Hindu Kush in Asia and Mizoram in Asia, many island nations of Asia, Ethiopia and lower Africa, Babylonia, some of the American tribes (e.g., Athabascans), Portugal, and Spain (due to the Moors mixing)

So Ham, perhaps one of the most influential modern creationists, still maintains that the Hamites have innate failings and it was their genetic destiny to be enslaved. But it’s their relationship to Ham, not their skin colour, that makes this true so it totally isn’t racist.

What an enlightened view.