Excerpts from the book of mormon, describing the lamanites as cursed with dark skin because of their wickedness. The bible and the book of mormon for over 100 years, mormon archaeologists have searched in vain for indisputable proof of book of mormon civilizations. At the same time they judiciously overlook verses that contribute to a deeper analysis of the politics described in it. This analysis looks at what these things might mean in context. Lds church rebukes mormon white supremacists, who rebuke. 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. Lds church rebukes mormon white supremacists, who rebuke the church right back. Remember that the mormon version of god is not the god of the bible. The musical the book of mormon is hilarious, outrageous, and brilliant. A seminarian named sarah wilson thought to abbreviate the bible by selecting just one representative verse from each book, resulting in a breathtaking tour through the highlights of scripture. Most mormons dont know what they believe and why the believe it.
The book of mormon is a volume of ancient scripture given through prophets of jesus christ by revelation from god. May 15, 2018 racist quotes from mormon leaders this summer, the church of jesus christ of latterday saints is celebrating their 40year anniversary of giving blacks the priesthood, as this occurred in 1978. Every major protestant denomination in history has taught that. Most didnt even know that racist verse existed in their religious book. The book of mormon is a religious record of three groups of people who migrated from the old world to the american continents. Excerpt from answers to gospel questions, by joseph fielding smith follow the rule, by boyd k. The condensed book of mormon, in 15 verses gently hew stone. What is the most controversial thing in the book of mormon. After a superficial glance it appears that racism is. 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. But when its put in greater context not just of that one chapter, but of the whole bookwell, what most antimormons want it. Shall i tell you the law of god in regard to the african race. The book of mormon is a holy book of scripture about jesus christ and gods dealings with the people of the ancient americas. You can say a lot of nasty things about their religion and their leadership and youd be correct.
But people of african descent arent directly included in the book of mormons past and prophesied future which can be, of course, a troubling point to make in. Book of mormons antiafrican racism is no laughing matter. Mormon 5 does complicate the nonracist verses of mormon 1. The charge of racism in the book of mormon book of mormon. Racism in the lds church statements about race in the book of mormon. This textual emendation has understandably raised questions about the book of mormons racial. When questioned as to how the misconception of mormon racism had originated, he said it was based on statements made by former church presidents. The book of mormon is no jerry springer, he argues but it does at least send up the idea that religion is just the continuation of showbiz by other means. The condensed book of mormon, in 15 verses today i read the most amazing blog post, courtesy of our friends at first thoughts. Opinion racism and the mormon church the new york times.
The book of mormon records the visit of jesus christ to people in the americas following his resurrection. Residual racism in modern mormonism watchman fellowship. 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. She converted to the church as a young woman after being raised as a catholic. Nov 07, 2016 probably the single most controversial passage from the book of mormon is the section from 2 nephi chapter 5, which details how the evil lamanites were cursed with dark skin while the good nephites had white skin. 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. Mar 26, 20 why british critics dont get the book of mormon oliver burkeman the south park creators musical was much lauded in the us, but its satirical sensibility may be lost in translation to london. And it came to pass that coriantumr did smite him against the wall, insomuch that he died. Below are various verses that appear in the book of mormon.
Choosing to stay in the mormon church despite its racist legacy. Apr 24, 2010 rob sivulka reads racist book of mormon passages to black tourists in salt lake city, utah. When the descriptor lamanite is used in the book of mormon, it is used in two different ways. Joseph smith translated passages of the bible with clarifications and changes, but these changes are not provided in the book of mormon when its prophets included the writings that are, more often than not, just as they stand in the king jamesbible before joseph smith made clarifications. Aug 21, 2017 unlike many white mormons who have white guilt regarding these book of mormon verses and want them removed, i do not believe these racist verses should be removed. May 29, 2018 on june 1 of this year, the church of jesus christ of latterday saints or the mormons will celebrate the 40th anniversary of what they believe to be a revelation from god this. Brigham young, smiths successor, also underscored the racist stand of mormonism. Here are the 21 passages containing all the racist verses in the bom, and the pearl of great price. Prophet brigham young, new york herald, may 4, 1855, as cited in. Since the lds church has a lay priesthood, the ban had kept blacks from any leadership positions.
I have said many times onair that like the mormon missionaries, i too believe that every african should have a copy of the book of mormon, if only to learn the truly racist teaching of the mormons. One of them, jane manning james, was part of the first. Euroamerican church leaders in utah tolerated diffuse interpretations of mormon racial doctrine only to the extent that such claims did not undermine their own. These passages in mormon scripture served as the basis for every mormon prophet since smith to teach that blacks were cursed for their supposed sins before earthly birth. The book of mormon gives me direction in my life that leads me closer to jesus christ. Cain was jealous of his brother abel, because god had. One dominating repeated theme in their canon is the admonition if you mix races, you bring the curse of death. The ancient people of the american continent where taught the gospel of jesus christ. Sep 18, 2017 i spoke with mueller about his new book, race and the making of the mormon people, which focuses on a few important figures in mormon history. Last year, the church produced a new manual for its 2020 curriculum, which will be a study of the faiths signature scripture, the book of mormon, which latterday saints believe tells the. Over the past two centuries, the relationship between black people and mormonism has a history that includes both official and unofficial discrimination, but. Some would say that these verses show racism in the book of mormon. It was one of the best nights out that ive had for a long time.
I asked her, in the past year, why her brothers did not join the church when she did. For future reference, simply click on our bom foundation series. As men focus their attention in other areas of research, bits of cultural and linguistic evidence come to the forefront as additional testimonies of the book of mormon. Lds church rebukes mormon white supremacists, who rebuke the. While the book of mormon only discusses the lamanites, early church leaders believed that this applied to all races, and that everyone in the celestial kingdom would have white skin. Is there any truth to the claim that joseph smith, the founder of mormonism, harbored racist views. This is not a true biblical representation of how god operates. Jan 27, 2020 joseph smith translated passages of the bible with clarifications and changes, but these changes are not provided in the book of mormon when its prophets included the writings that are, more often than not, just as they stand in the king jamesbible before joseph smith made clarifications. If you read the official lds gospel topic essay called race and the priesthood, you get the feeling that the lds church today has no clue where. But when its put in greater context not just of that one chapter, but of the whole bookwell, what most antimormons want it to meanits not really there. Theyve set up a campaign for people to sign their petition, remove the racist statements from the book of mormon. Statements about race in the book of mormon theological foundation for racism in the lds church.
Racism in the book of mormon mormons in transition. Mauss, a president of the mormon history association, the churchs racist beliefs originated within protestant denominations from which many mormons converted. One of the foundations of the church of jesus christ of latter. Mormons read the book of mormon in addition to the holy bible. The lds construction of lamanite has historically relied on the racist.
When something uses race or a standin term like blood or seed as a distinguishing factor for elevating, repressing or segregating one group from another, then it is racist regardless of what additional justification they may add. Determined to read the book of mormon in purely naturalistic nineteenth century terms, rather than as an ancient text, recent criticisms of that volume of scripture are offended by some descriptions of lamanites in the text. Probably the single most controversial passage from the book of mormon is the section from 2 nephi chapter 5, which details how the evil lamanites were cursed with dark skin while the good nephites had white skin. There are numerous cases where the nephite writers mimic wording from the new testamenta document to which they had no access. The book of mormon, dark skin, and racist theology religion. Racism in the book of mormon yep, its there rational. While the book of mormon states that god denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free 2 nephi 26.
Why british critics dont get the book of mormon oliver burkeman the south park creators musical was much lauded in the us, but its satirical sensibility may. Forty years on, most mormons still believe the racist temple. The antimiscegenation advocated in the book of mormon is inherently racist, regardless of what the justification is. For over 100 years, mormon archaeologists have searched in vain for indisputable proof of book of mormon civilizations. The journal of religious thought, autumnwinter 1973, pp.
I believe that in 1978 god changed his mind about black people, sings elder kevin price in the broadway musical the book of. Itll take you to their facebook petition page where you can sign the petition publicly telling the church to remove all racist comments from their foundational work. Its offensive because of its portrayal of black people. These groups were led by prophets who recorded their religious and secular histories on metal plates. All rolls, callings and positions in the mormon church are subject to the authority of a priesthood holder. Error in printed lds church manual could revive racial. Aug 28, 2016 choosing to stay in the mormon church despite its racist legacy. The charge of racism in the book of mormon fairmormon.
This obviously implies that the church is never wrong. Some contend that even though the doctrinal impact of pre1978 statements have been greatly diminished, the lds scriptures still retain the passages which were. The negro is damned, and is to serve his master till god chooses to remove the curse of ham. So it was real regret that i concluded that the gleeful depiction of traditional stereotypes about africa dead babies, warlord, hiv, etc reinforced rather than challenged general preconceptions. I come from lamanite heritage that is my mother was born and raised in mexico. The changing of official, churchauthored chapter headings in the book of mormon signifies a contemporary lds. Book of mormon racist teachings life after ministry. You can find no less than 24 racist comments in the book of mormon, and six more in the pearl of great price. The history of racism and white supremacy in the mormon. May 24, 2015 the question of racism in the book of mormon is very close to me. And depending on ones definition of racism, it might or might not be. Rick bowmer ap file photo the book of mormon, foundational scripture of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints.
This episode examines the status of the claim that the book of mormon teaches that dark skin is a curse from god, that because of their wickedness god cursed a group of people and actually brought about a miraculous change in their skin color so as to make them seem loathsome and not enticing to a more righteous group with whom they were in conflict. Having said that, lets see what the book of mormon racism issue is all about. Dec 29, 20 the book of mormon s references to dark skin being associated with a curse have confused and offended many readers. The book of mormon has many troubling passages that speak to the superiority of whiteness. Antimormon writers like to highlight the more shocking verses from the book of mormonthere are several. Why british critics dont get the book of mormon oliver. In 1981, a certain passage in the book of mormon was changed back to the original 1840 version, where pure and delightsome was. The mormon belief in black skin being a curse is found in uniquely mormon books they call scripture. Be sure to check back often for our updates of other categories.
When asked if there were any passages in uniquely mormon scripture on which racist doctrine could be founded, lefevre answered that he could think of none, and that he was not a theologian. The mormon church ensures that women occupy subordinate rolls to men by allowing only male priesthood holders to occupy positions of authority. Funniest scripture in the book of mormon 21 and it came to pass that pacumeni, who was the chief judge, did flee before coriantumr, even to the walls of the city. Thus, change may come through the notion of continuing revelation, but the racist aspects of mormon history will not necessarily be condemned. Do the book of abraham and the book of mormon link a. It also has a few infamous passages that describe blackness as savage, evil, and cursed. Let me begin by noting that, as one trained in anthropology, i abhor the term race and have tried to avoid using it for several decades. I spoke with mueller about his new book, race and the making of the mormon people, which focuses on a few important figures in mormon history. What follows is simply the text of book of mormon passages reflecting racist notions. The book of mormon quotes 25,000 words from the kjv old testament and over 2,000 words from the kjv new testament. After a superficial glance it appears that racism is an integral part of the book of mormon. Error in printed lds church manual could revive racial criticisms. The book of mormons references to dark skin being associated with a curse have confused and offended many readers.
Jan 20, 2014 the musical the book of mormon is hilarious, outrageous, and brilliant. Today were adding another segment to our book of mormon foundation series with our list of racist book of mormon verses. The introduction to the current book of mormon maintains that the lamanites are the principal ancestors of the american indians. Unlike many white mormons who have white guilt regarding these book of mormon verses and want them removed, i do not believe these racist verses should be removed. It helps me be a better friend and a better person. This was changed by joseph smith in 1840 to read that nephis descendants would become a pure and a delightsome people. It seemed only fitting to give this topic its own category for two reasons. Jan 25, 2010 i know that some people use 2 nephi 5 as proof that the book of mormon is racist. Jul 27, 2018 but far too much of the book of mormons laughs came at the expense of black people and some deeply racist portrayals that we dont have the luxury to laugh at or perpetuate in todays buckwild political and social atmosphere. The book of mormon, dark skin, and racist theology. Forty years on, most mormons still believe the racist.
I submit that these racist verses of the book of mormon can be reinterpreted while maintaining ones belief in the historicity of the book of mormon. But it is deeply troubling for me to read passages in the book of mormon and wonder how the term white is meant to be understood if it is not about skin color. I believe that in 1978 god changed his mind about black people, sings elder kevin price in the broadway musical the book of mormon. This summer, the church of jesus christ of latterday saints is celebrating their 40year anniversary of giving blacks the priesthood, as this occurred in 1978. The charge of racism in the book of mormon book of. Book of mormon quotes and verses basic mormon beliefs. Dec 22, 2010 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. I know that some people use 2 nephi 5 as proof that the book of mormon is racist. For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like unto a flint. Theological foundation for racism in the lds church. Book of mormon racist teachings life after ministries. Tvedtnes blacks and the lds priesthood, by darius gray mormon church coveringup curse of cain legacy. Racism in mormon scripture the mormon belief in black skin being a curse is found in uniquely mormon books they call scripture.
Your skin color may be the result of that curse, but you are not cursed. The book of mormon musical is not offensive for its portrayal of mormons. Rob sivulka reads racist book of mormon passages to black tourists in salt lake city, utah. But far too much of the book of mormons laughs came at the expense of black people and some deeply racist portrayals that we dont have the luxury to laugh at or perpetuate in todays buckwild political and social atmosphere. Book of mormon is currently on stage in toronto at the princess of wales theatre for a second time until april 16. Excerpts from the book of mormon, describing the lamanites as cursed with dark skin because of their wickedness racism in the book of mormon mormons in transition skip to main content.