My friend Deen Chatterjee has a BOM on the bookshelf in his office. It's an older one, blue with the golden Moroni on the front. It's in pristine condition, unexamined by anyone, especially him.

I'd like to show Deen the reference about "white and delightsome." As a non-caucasian, he'll appreciate it. As a professional philosopher, he'll tell lots of folks in high places about it.

http://mrm.org/white-and-delightsome

Here is a good discussion of this topic.

At the U, most of our philosophers are not from Utah and didn't grow up Mormon. So they're unaware of this silliness. I'm taking the time to correct this. As long as I'm making polygamy known to the professional philosophical community, I might as well show them some other problems.

Deen is primarily a political philosopher, but he is also a highly accomplished philosopher of religion-and an atheist.

here it is again.

http://mrm.org/white-and-delightsome

I might have to print it out for him. He's not fully into the computer age. One of his jokes is that when he was young he majored in hunting and minored in gathering. He grew up in the jungle at the foot of the Himalayas in India.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/26/2010 03:19AM by Troy.

1 Nephi 11:13 / RLDS 1Nephi 3:53And I beheld the city of Nazareth; and in the city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and she was exceedingly fair and white.


1 Nephi 12:23 / RLDS 1Nephi 3:134 And it came to pass that I beheld, after they had dwindled in unbelief they became a dark, and loathsome, and a filthy people, full of idleness and all manner of abominations.


1 Nephi 13:15 / RLDS 1Nephi 3:151 And I beheld the Spirit of the Lord, that it was upon the Gentiles, and they did prosper and obtain the land for their inheritance; and I beheld that they were white, and exceedingly fair and beautiful, like unto my people before they were slain.


2 Nephi 5:21 / RLDS 2Nephi 4:39 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.


2 Nephi 30:6 / RLDS 2Nephi12:84 And then shall they rejoice; for they shall know that it is a blessing unto them from the hand of God; and their scales of darkness shall begin to fall from their eyes; and many generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a white (1830 and RLDS edition) and a delightsome people. Current LDS version 1981 says Pure.


Jacob 3:8 / RLDS Jacob 2:59 O my brethren, I fear that unless ye shall repent of your sins that their skins will be whiter than yours, when ye shall be brought with them before the throne of God.


Alma 3:6 / RLDS 1Nephi:104 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, who consisted of Nephi, Jacob, and Joseph, and Sam, who were just and holy men.


3 Nephi 2:15 / RLDS 3Nephi:52 And their curse was taken from them, and their skin became white like unto the Nephites.


Mormon 5:15/ RLDS Mormon 2:43-44And also that the seed of this people may more fully believe his gospel, which shall go forth unto them from the Gentiles; for this people shall be scattered, and shall become a dark, a filthy, and a loathsome people, beyond the description of that which ever hath been amongst us, yea, even that which hath been among the Lamanites, and this because of their unbelief and idolatry.

As the references above point out, "white and delightsome" is only part of the story. "Dark and loathsome" is probably more damning, and the church was too clueless to try to change it. And they couldn't do anything about the concept of less-than-white skin color being a curse and a sign of inferiority without ditching one of the major story lines of the BoM.

More links:

http://www.utlm.org/newsletters/no46.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhDH0w13K2Q



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/26/2010 08:14AM by michaelm.