When presenting at a large church in Indianapolis a few years ago, a White man came up to me and said “I used to be a Black man!” I looked at him, noting it was obvious that he was a good-looking White man. Wondering what to say in response to him, I thought for a few seconds and then, thanks to my medical background, reasoned the change must be due to vitiligo, a skin condition that results in the loss of skin pigmentation. But his face, hands, and even his arms were all clearly white, so I asked him if his whole body changed, since usually vitiligo only affects small spots called splotches, not the entire body. He explained much of his body was still black. I soon got to know and like this gentleman. His name was Charles Sheppard, and he is the Senior Pastor of First Free Will Baptist Church in Indianapolis where I have since spoken several times.
In view of my interest in the racism birthed by evolution, his example drove home the fact that changes in one trait, skin color, illustrates the observation that often race is only skin deep. Often under the skin is a White man, a fact that helps support the teaching in Genesis that only one ‘race’ exists, the human race. In years past, evolutionists have aggressively taught for decades that there were three races of mankind, Black, White, and Yellow. Furthermore, they taught that the Black race was less evolved than the White race. This racism teaching was firmly implanted in many leading biology textbooks for decades, fertilizing the growth of movements such as the Klu Klux Klan.
The race idea disintegrated as science advanced, and soon the number of races became five, then seven. Scientists eventually accepted the teaching of Genesis and discarded the concept of different human races entirely.
The Medicine Behind Vitiligo
Vitiligo is a long-term condition where pale white patches develop on the skin caused by the lack of the melanin skin pigment. It can affect any area of skin, but it commonly affects the face, neck, hands, and skin creases. The main cause of vitiligo is the body’s immune system attacks the melanocytes that produce the skin pigment in the same way that it destroys viruses or bacteria. Multiple mechanisms often work jointly to cause vitiligo, including the general destruction of melanocytes due to aging, ultimately leading to the same clinical result.
This particular autoimmune disease affects an estimated 0.5 to 2 percent of the worldwide population. Vitiligo affects all ethnic groups and people of all skin types, but is more obvious on dark-skinned persons. I remember reading cases in an old medical book where a Black man became a White man. I then dismissed the report as a foolish claim. Now I know better. Although it is clear that the influences are complex, genetic factors are involved in its development. Treatment involves using dyes to make the white portion black, or bleaching to make the black splotches white. Michael Jackson treated his vitiligo by bleaching the black parts of his skin.
Creationists acknowledge the fact that all men are descendants of Adam, making us all brothers. Pictures, such as fraternal twins where one baby is White and the other is Black, are used by creationists to illustrate this fact. Likewise, pictures of a Black man that became a White man serve the same purpose. There is only the human race.
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