The book of mormon is not fully understood by lds leaders. Hence, a black mormon male could not hold the highly regarded lds priesthood 1 because of his dark skin. Book of mormon action figures include darkskinned lamanites. Updated statement on gods curse including skin color in. My wife and i have been reading the book of mormon together each night. We control our destiny roman civics vs israelites prisoners of war. Mormons have historically associated lamanites with presentday native american cultures. The book of mormon literally says god cursed lamanites. Are we to believe that black people have a dark and loathsome skin because of their iniquity, whereas white people have a fair and delightsome skin because they are righteous. Enos prays mightily and gains a remission of his sinsthe voice of the lord comes into his mind, promising salvation for the lamanites in a future daythe nephites sought to reclaim the lamanites enos rejoices in his redeemer. One group has claimed it cannot be racist as white skinned nephites and blackskinned lamanites are nothing more than.
Joseph smith altered the phrase white and delightsome in 2 nephi 30. It was one of those infamous changes to the book of mormon. Remember that the mormon version of god is not the god of the bible. The curse is expressed in two antithetically parallel phrases.
The book of mormon does not say that the mark of dark skin came upon the lamanites after the nephites separated from them. Mormon church finally says dark skin is not a sign of god. Are we to seriously believe that the color of ones skin is the result of ones moral behavior 2 nephi 5. Slowly, yet deliberately, church manuals, magazines and general conference speeches will be revised to exclude any connection between book of mormon lamanites and amerindian peoples living today. Some mormon stuff a blog about mormon history, its people and beliefs. The book of mormon, dark skin, and racist theology. This was changed by joseph smith in 1840 to read that nephis descendants would become a pure and a delightsome people. Dark skin no longer a curse in online book of mormon religion. Dark skin no longer a curse in online book of mormon. It is clear that the danger the book of mormon prophets preached. Their dark skin was a curse put upon them because of their transgression, which in a day to. Although mainstream archaeologists, geneticists, and historians do not recognize the existence of lamanites, adherents of the latter day saint movement typically believe that the lamanites comprise some part, if not the primary origin, of. Its not as bad as it sounds, but i feel as though a lot of people try to use this to attack the church. But in none of this did their skin color become dark.
It is said that god cursed the lamanites with black skin so. These colors cover nearly the same range as were found anciently around the mediterranean coast and in the near east. The lamanites in the book of mormon were cursed with a dark skin because their fathers ancestors chose evil instead of good. The book of mormon, first published by joseph smith, jr.
The dark skin was placed upon the lamanites so that they could be distinguished from the nephites and to keep the two peoples from mixing, the book explains, citing a statement made some 60. Why does the book of mormon claim that there were white skinned nephites. For nearly 150 years, the mormon church had taught that all blacks were cursed. Also, was this after they destroyed the nephites, or just prior to. Lds people of my generation were raised to understand that the indigenous peoples of north and south america are the descendents of the lamanites, a belief that has been challenged by anthropologists. Yes, we understand that there were a white race and a dark race in. The book of mormon taught that the phenotypical features of lamanitestheir dark skincame about as a consequence of unrighteousness. I go through the pertinent passages in the book of mormon.
And the skins of the lamanites were dark, according to the mark which was set upon their fathers, which was a curse upon them because of their transgression and their rebellion against their brethren. The book of mormon, however, sometimes does call the mark a curse, as shown in alma 3. What does the book of mormon mean by skin of blackness. Error in printed lds church manual could revive racial. And even a stranger claim in the book of mormon is the claims that at one time, about 121 b. Latterday saints urge church to spread the word about. The book of mormon and the curse of dark skin learning about.
And since he could not hold this priesthood, he could not enter the mormon temple. There is no explicit reference to the restoration of the dark skin in the book of mormon. The mark initially distinguished the lamanite from the nephites. The curse of dark skin was not mentioned at all in the great jaredite civilization that was also said to have come to a choice land above all other lands. While reading that chapter it became clear to me that, despite my own arguments above, that there was, indeed, an actual physical change in skin color of the lamanites. The first time we hear about the curse of dark or black skin in the book of mormon is 2 nephi 5. This change was lost to lds readers until the 1981 edition of the scriptures. Excerpts from the book of mormon, describing the lamanites as cursed with dark skin because of their wickedness. Christ was racist when he called the black phoenician woman a dog. This passage is quoted in the book of mormon student manual for institute in a section that goes to great lengths to teach that dark skin of the lamanites was the sign of the curse and not the curse itself. The mark initially distinguished the lamanites from the nephites. Nor is it likely that future dedicatory prayers will praise those in attendance as sons and daughters of father lehi. This textual emendation has understandably raised questions about the book of mormons racial.
According to the book of mormon, when did the lamanites. One derived from a single family who fled jerusalem in 600 b. Joseph fielding smith quote on lamanite curse removed from. If you take this passage at face value, the cursing caused a skin of blackness to come upon the lamanites so that they would not be enticing to the white and delightsome nephites. Alma 3 the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. When you compare the 1830 version of the book of mormon with todays version, you will see a. The white race was called nephites and the darker race lamanites. In the book of mormon, not the musical but the actual sacred text dark skin is a sign of gods curse, while white skin is a sign of his blessing. Why did book of mormon prophets discourage nephite. Church removes racial references in book of mormon headings. The book of mormon taught that the phenotypical features of lamanites their dark skin came about as a consequence of unrighteousness.
The book tells of a conflict between two lost tribes of israel, the lamanites and nephites, who journeyed to. Later, as both the nephites and lamanites each went through periods of. The phrase white and delightsome was changed to pure and delightsome. Nephi was racist when he said that the lamanites skin was dark and loathsome while the white skin of the nephites was fair and delightsome. After we reported the elimination of racist theology from chapter headings in the online edition of the book of mormon here at rd late last week, readers have written to point out that verses linking dark skin to accursedness remain in the book of mormon itself. Connecting the word mark with skin colour falls back on the same racist narrative that cain and lamanites, and others, were cursed with a mark of black skin, which is not biblical and not accurate. According to the book of mormon, a lamanite is a member of a darkskinned nation of indigenous americans that battled with the lightskinned nephite nation. The book of mormon literally says god cursed lamanites who joseph smith claimed were native americans with dark skin so that they would be unattractive to the white and delightsome people. The best explanation for needing an authentic lamanite is that moroni needed his language skills, not his skin color, for the ruse. The book of mormon promises that lamanites, being cursed. The nephites were said to have raped the lamanite women, torturing them unto death, and then eating their flesh moroni 9. This particular change was made to the 1840 edition of the book of morm. More information can be found here about the native americans lamanites as it relates to the book of mormon and racism the above map comes from the 1975 ensign article titled, who and where are the lamanites.
Church removes racial references in book of mormon. Why were lamanites referred to as cursed with a dark skin. Mormon amlicites mark their foreheads red after the manner of the lamanites to distinguish themselves from the nephites. The mormon belief in black skin being a curse is found in uniquely mormon books they call scripture. A theory of nephitelamanite skin color lehis library. The book of mormon considers the people with dark skin the. The book of mormon also states that a mark of dark skin came upon the lamanites after the nephites separated from them. The nature and appearance of this mark are not fully understood. Lds and black skin department of christian defense. Critics of the book of mormon often cite isolated passages as evidence that latterday saints view dark skin as a curse and white skin as an.
In the book of mormons narrative, the lamanites began as wicked rivals to the more righteous nephites, but when the nephite civilization became decadent, it lost divine favor and was destroyed by the lamanites. The most accurate description of race in the book of mormon is not that dark skin is bad and light skin is good, but rather that all are alike unto god and that the first shall be last, and the last shall be first. With the book of mormon figures, the dark skin seems to follow the scriptures story line. The 1830 edition of the book of mormon had nephi prophesy that his descendants would become a white and a delightsome people through the gospel of jesus christ.
Again, the book of mormon states that the lamanites and who the church believes are native americans in our day were cursed with dark skin so that the white. The indians on the american continent are descendants of the tribes of ephraim, judah, and manasseh, we are told by the book of mormon. An aside is then given regarding the lamanites supposedly darker skin color. The lamanites are one of the four ancient peoples described. Racism in the book of mormon mormons in transition. The dark skin was placed upon the lamanites so that they could be distinguished from the nephites and to keep the two peoples from mixing. These books, known as the book of mormon and pearl of great price published by the church of jesus christ of latterday saints are racist as the list of verses below show. Whether or not the ancient sign of the loss of the spirit was imposed immediately, or gradually over a period of many years, or only after the final destruction of the nephite nation in the late fourth century is unknown. Though the book of mormon also speaks of the skin color of lamanites as dark, when it does so, it always references the original curse of blackness, and therefore dark in this context cannot be interpreted to be any other hue than black. One critic asks, according to the book of mormon a dark skin is a curse imposed by god on the unrighteous and their descendants as a punishment for sin. Is this when their skin is turned colors to resemble the american indian. Lamanite skin color is not an important plot point when this passage is read carefully.
The skin shades of surviving peoples in book of mormon lands include a substantial range, from dark brown to virtual white. Let us conclude by examining the lds scriptures, which indicates plainly that dark skin was a sign of gods curse. That is scientifically wrong, insanely racist, and i cant believe i ever believed it. As one book of mormon scholar put it, the prohibition against intermarriage in alma 3 was to protect the nephites from these dangerous false traditions. The account, known as the book of mormon, first published in 1830, primarily tells the story of gods dealings with two israelite civilizations living in the new world. Lds scripture church drops dark and skin of blackness from lamanite descriptions.
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