“WHITE AND DELIGHTSOME”: RACISM IN THE BOOK OF MORMON
My good friends over at RationalFaiths.com published an article on their blog about Racism found in the Book of Mormon. I thought it would be appropriate to post it here for my readers. Enjoy the article.
The Nephite Racism Towards the Lamanites
Last week we had a reader write in asking for an explanation regarding the meaning of the wording in the chapter heading of 3 Nephi chapter 2:
“Converted Lamanites become white and are called Nephites.”
Following is my response to their inquiry that Paul and I thought might be “blog worthy” Let me know what you guys and gals think.
When looking at the Book of Mormon, it is important to understand that the headings before each chapter are not part of the original revelation but were added much later as an editor’s summary, not Joseph Smith’s. That however doesn’t answer the issue. If one holds to the historicity of the Book of Mormon, there are a few ways in which the racially charged passages of the Book of Mormon can be interpreted.
When the descriptor “Lamanite” is used in the Book of Mormon, it is used in two different ways:
- A certain belief or orthodoxy. That is, to be a Lamanite, one has to believe that Nephi mistreated Laman and Lemuel and that the leadership of the family, following Lehi’s death, should have been passed on to the elder brothers, Laman and Lemuel.
- Skin color
Let’s explore the first descriptor, that of belief.
Mosiah 10:12-13 reads:
” …Believing that they were driven out of the land of Jerusalem because of the iniquities of their fathers, and that they were wronged in the wilderness by their brethren…that they were wronged while in the land of their first inheritance…”
Alma 3:11 reads:
“And it came to pass that whosoever would not believe in the tradition of the Lamanites, but believed those records which were brought out of the land of Jerusalem, and also in the tradition of their fathers, which were correct…were called Nephites. ”
In 3 Nephi 3:10-11 we find Nephite dissenters, who had joined forces with the Lamanites, claiming the same foundational story as the “Lamanites”. Yet, there is no mention of the Nephite dissenters color changing:
“…that this my people may recover their rights and government…”
Now, let’s explore the second Lamanite descriptor, that of skin color. The issue of skin color first raises its head in 2 Nephi 5:21:
“And he had caused the cursing to come upon them…wherefore as they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome…the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them.”
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