When speaking to some audiences, William Branham's stage persona aligned with the white supremacy views concerning the origin of people with dark skin, supported segregation, and strongly opposed the integration of black and white.[1] Branham had a switch installed at the Branham Tabernacle that allowed him to discuss topics such as this without the tape recording (and now transcripts) capturing it.
1961: And I got a little switch here, supposed to be somewhere, that it censor—censor what I didn't want. Oh, here we are. This is it. What I want on tape, and what you don't want on tape. So, brethren, if your tape is a little messed up, well, don't…You can cut that part out. Now, but in there, that way, so many taking, when Brother Mercier and them had the only ones who, could take tapes, why, I'd have them to censor them out there before I let them go out. But in this, anybody can take them now, you see, anybody that wants to take them can take them. And so I—I have to censor them myself, from this switch right here, what I don't want to say, or, let go out over the tapes.[2]
1963: This tape is on? [Brother Neville says, 'That's the light switch there.'—Ed.] Oh, light switch. I see.[3]
Theologically, Branham's "Serpent's Seed" and "Hybreeding" doctrines were based upon the Christian Identity doctrines of Wesley A. Swift. According to Swift, the original sin in the garden of Eden was a sexual union between Eve and the Serpent.[4] The result of this, according to Swift, was Cain.
Swift:
The significance of this is:....that when Lucifer seduced Eve and then Cain was born, then Yahweh said to Adam and Eve....now women shall bring forth in their conception in pain and sorrow.[5]
Branham:
And she said, 'The serpent give me an apple'? All right, preacher, get next to yourself. 166 She said, 'The serpent beguiled me.' Do you know what beguile means? Means 'defiled.' The…she…the s-…devil never give her an apple. 'The serpent has beguiled me.' And then the curse came. He said, 'Because you listened to the serpent in the stead of your husband, you took Life from the world. And you'll—you'll multiply your sorrows; and your conception shall be to your husband,' and so forth.[6]
The racist Christian identity doctrine was strongly opposed by ministers of the era. One of the main arguments against Swift's doctrine was that the Bible states that angels are without gender,[7] and therefore could not produce offspring. Swift and Branham countered this argument by quoting an obscure Old Testament passage from the book of Genesis and a New Testament passage from the book of Jude. "When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of Go
1961: And I got a little switch here, supposed to be somewhere, that it censor—censor what I didn't want. Oh, here we are. This is it. What I want on tape, and what you don't want on tape. So, brethren, if your tape is a little messed up, well, don't…You can cut that part out. Now, but in there, that way, so many taking, when Brother Mercier and them had the only ones who, could take tapes, why, I'd have them to censor them out there before I let them go out. But in this, anybody can take them now, you see, anybody that wants to take them can take them. And so I—I have to censor them myself, from this switch right here, what I don't want to say, or, let go out over the tapes.[2]
1963: This tape is on? [Brother Neville says, 'That's the light switch there.'—Ed.] Oh, light switch. I see.[3]
Theologically, Branham's "Serpent's Seed" and "Hybreeding" doctrines were based upon the Christian Identity doctrines of Wesley A. Swift. According to Swift, the original sin in the garden of Eden was a sexual union between Eve and the Serpent.[4] The result of this, according to Swift, was Cain.
Swift:
The significance of this is:....that when Lucifer seduced Eve and then Cain was born, then Yahweh said to Adam and Eve....now women shall bring forth in their conception in pain and sorrow.[5]
Branham:
And she said, 'The serpent give me an apple'? All right, preacher, get next to yourself. 166 She said, 'The serpent beguiled me.' Do you know what beguile means? Means 'defiled.' The…she…the s-…devil never give her an apple. 'The serpent has beguiled me.' And then the curse came. He said, 'Because you listened to the serpent in the stead of your husband, you took Life from the world. And you'll—you'll multiply your sorrows; and your conception shall be to your husband,' and so forth.[6]
The racist Christian identity doctrine was strongly opposed by ministers of the era. One of the main arguments against Swift's doctrine was that the Bible states that angels are without gender,[7] and therefore could not produce offspring. Swift and Branham countered this argument by quoting an obscure Old Testament passage from the book of Genesis and a New Testament passage from the book of Jude. "When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of Go
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