Even though skin color has come to be associated with race, the value of relative skin color was social, not racial. And the Lord spake it, and it was done.”. Armand Mauss, a professor emeritus of sociology and religion at Washington State University, discusses the assumption of those who are critical of the Book of Mormon: The “skin of blackness” was certainly intended to be a pejorative term, but it was not a physical description. The purpose of the curse was to separate the two peoples. 2 Nephi 27. It would be seen as a prevention of apostasy, exactly like the prohibition against marrying Canaanites in the Old World. Nevertheless, “white” Nephites become even whiter. They were not, however, based on skin color as has been part of the more modern U.S. culture. …and the Lamanites, which are not filthy like unto you, nevertheless they are cursed with a sore cursing, shall scourge you even unto destruction. Of significance is the fact that Moroni had to “search” for a Lamanite soldier. As set forth in 2 Nephi 2 and 2 Nephi 9, discuss the three fundamental doctrines of the gospel, the creation, the fall, and the atonement. This barrier is very clearly a religio-political one, because it specifically forbids intermarriage. Mormon’s following statement, which shows how the curse of the Lamanites also came upon the Amlicites, is an obvious and extensive utilization of 2 Nephi 5:21–24.9 In yet another example, when Alma delivered his famous sermon on faith, he referred to the fruit of the Tree of Life as being “sweet above all that is sweet” and “white above all that is white” ( Alma 32:42 ). For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like unto a flint; wherefore, as they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon … The most typical reading is that there was some type of dramatic change that turned white skin into black skin. Once they are Nephites, they are fully and wholly Nephites, incorporating all of the “good” qualities of Nephites. CLICK HERE to read 2 Nephi 14.. It is human selfishness-the unbrotherhood of man to man....the cry which rises into his ears is the cry of stricken humanity-the cry of the poor and needy, the cry of the sad and weary...He hears God call him to lash the sins of the nation; but to him all the sins of the nation are forms of a single sin-selfishness....The burden of Isaiah is the burden of human compassion. There are some keys that we should use, and the very first is to remember the dangers of reading ourselves into a text in ways that the text did not intend. Accompanied by other Nephites, this soldier takes the wine to the guards, and Moroni1’s plan is successful. 2 Nephi 32:9 -- On Praying Always "But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul." The Canaanites were not only the people who lived in the land before Israel conquered it, but they were also a people with a similar religion. Rodney Turner, LDS professor of religion, attributes this pigmentation change to God’s direct and miraculous action: Along with the assumption that the skin pigmentation was darkened as part of the curse, there were many who also believed that the conversion of dark-skinned “Lamanites” to the gospel would lead to a physically whiter skin. 2 Nephi 33. In prophecy, Nephi places the darkness of the Lamanites over 1,000 years later than we find it in 2 Nephi 5:21. William Smith, a Bible scholar, notes: Because marriage dictated the flow of rights and properties, the legal problems of exogamy included regulations designed to keep land and goods inside the group. 2 Nephi 9. All refer to identifying letters. Separation occurs with the label “Lamanite,” not because of skin color. It is not a physical change and therefore does not have a specific point of inception. 2 Nephi 31:13 Follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no … 2 Nephi 22. Before beginning with the text itself, it is important to clarify some facts that will help us sort the textual usage from our modern assumptions. See pp. Therefore, we should see this prohibition as similar to that against the Canaanites. Two things happen to the Lamanites as a result of their “harden[ing] their hearts against him.” The first is that they are cursed. While there is a set of people whose skin can be very black, they are not native to the western hemisphere. Second Witness: Analytical & Contextual Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Vol. When they are insiders, they are “delightsome,” available as marriage partners. Humans have certainly placed values on the color of one’s skin, but for most of history the value is social. (See commentary accompanying Jacob 3:3.). 2 Nephi 23. 25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. The condition of darkness comes with dwindling in unbelief. Similarly, I conclude that the association between skin and white/black is metaphoric, not intended to indicate pigmentation. Hence, Nephi’s record seems to follow the same pattern as the “plan of salvation,” namely the creation, the fall, the atonement, and then passing through the veil and into the presence of God. When the curse is operating and the Lamanites are outsiders, they are “loathsome” (the opposite of “delightsome”)—not desirable marriage partners. The group was the meaning, and individuals who did not conform were considered deviant. Note how Jacob uses the “filthy” label that accompanies “dark” in 1 Nephi 12:23 Mormon 5:15: “But, wo, wo, unto you that are not pure in heart, that are filthy this day before God; for except ye repent the land is cursed for your sakes; and the Lamanites, which are not filthy like unto you, nevertheless they are cursed with a sore cursing, shall scourge you even unto destruction” (Jacob 3:3). [2 Nephi 5:21] . My bowels boiled, and rested not: the days of affliction prevented me. This happened in 70 A.D. when the Roman Army invaded and destroyed Jerusalem. Armand L. Mauss, professor emeritus of sociology at Washington State University, discusses this very issue: There are many ways in which color may be associated with a person. Nibley stands on the metaphorical side of the issue, though he still suggests that exposure to the sun could create the “blackness.” With this much disagreement on a single phrase in the text, how can we know how it should be read? I went mourning without the sun: I stood up, and I cried in the congregation. 2 Nephi 29:11-12 This is a good reminder that we should be open to revelation and truth from many geographic sources, since the Lord speaks to people in "all nations of the earth," but it seems to also be a very strong encouragement to us to write down our spiritual experiences. They are called “red.” It should be recognized, however, that they are not “red.” Those whose skin is called “white” are also not white. 2 Nephi 17. 5:21, 4 Ne. The use of “mark” quotes Genesis 4:15, stating that God set a mark on Cain. 2 Nephi 30. At the point Jacob addresses his people, he applies this outsider label to them directly to highlight their adoption of outsider practices. 2 Nephi 32. For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like unto a flint; wherefore as they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them. 11:35). 2 Nephi 26. 2 Nephi 6:11 The phrases “driven to and fro ” is also in Job 13:25 and, “come to the knowledge of” is the same in 2 Timothy 3:7. Israelites also shared this widespread prejudice against “others,” as Malina and Neyrey point out: “First-century members of the house of Israel felt concerning all other peoples the way the Greeks felt about barbarians.”. And cursed shall be the seed of him that mixeth with their seed; for they shall be cursed even with the same cursing. They are based on some visual perception, but coalesce into large categories that reflect the human tendency to categorize people. 5:21). For this reason, it was much less of a problem for men to marry “outsider” women than for women to marry outsider men. 2 Nephi 31 . He provides no explanation for how this alteration occurs, other than to note that it comes through God. Textual Evidence for Actual Skin Pigmentation: Does the Book of Mormon text contain events where distinguishing race by skin color becomes important? This cultural background contrasts the ancient collectivist personality with the modern individualist personality. It is not intended to be a physical description. 36:5–9). According to this model, the Book of Mormon would predictably follow a model of a collective, excluded-middle, conception of others as “bad,” opposed to themselves as “good.” If it did not, it would not accurately represent the culture that produced it. Furthermore, these descriptions of the Lamanites as the opposite of the Nephites vanish as soon as the Lamanites cross the outsider/insider boundary. The function of the mark is social separation, but it is the same insider/outsider barrier already discussed. Veil (2 Nephi 31–33) ((Spencer, An Other Testament, 42. The tree’s whiteness symbolizes righteousness or heavenliness. The use of that skin color to make cultural assumptions about race is social. However, that prejudice always arises along the insider/outsider boundary, not the white/dark boundary. 2 Nephi 10. Likewise, Nephi utilizes the language of Isaiah 2:8 (= 2 Nephi 12:8) in his warning against making “flesh his arm” in 2 Nephi 28:31. However, Jacob compares white/whiter, not white/black. The Book of Mormon makes those associations, and the question is what the text means when it makes those associations. The possibilities range from simple description to metaphorical value judgments. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.”. “When asked if she understood the scripture, Sebrina confidently said she did. The Nephites could not have survived without a wider range of marriage partners than the very small number of lineal Lehites who were in the city. In order to remove the possibility that our assumptions are coloring our reading of the text, it is important to find locations in the text where the action of the text would create circumstances where a difference in pigmentation would be obvious. Colors also have social meanings that are quite separate from describing the eye’s perception of light waves. Asians are termed “yellow,” although they certainly do not have yellow skin. One is this establishment of rules concerning potential marriage partners, and the second is the nature of the skin of blackness. There are two important aspects to this declaration. 2 Nephi 20. This barrier is similar to the explicit prohibition against marrying Canaanites. The cursing follows the people who work iniquity. 2 Nephi 7. 43–63 for an elaboration on these identifications, yielding the evidence justifying the “plan of salvation” model. )) Why should metaphorical righteousness/unrighteousness be manifest in a “color” of skin? Thus, Nephi can claim that the Lamanites are cursed because they fall under that foundational prophecy of the land which included both a blessing and a curse, according to righteousness. She noticed the elders’ countenances change and sadness come over them. Alma 3:6 tells us that the mark was the curse (according to the mark which was set upon their fathers, which was a curse upon them), so the reference is circular. In normal reference, the Lamanites are “dark” and “filthy.” However, that “filthiness” is obviously a moral quality. 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