| MORMON CHURCH (LDS) | THE AMERICAN INDIAN IS AN INFERIOR RACE (Mormon Teaching) |
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One of the continuing scourges that afflict the human race is that or racism, ethnic bias and
bigotry. The belief that a person's ethnicity or origin is superior to another is ingrained in the
human spirit and dies hard when faced with the reality of the teachings found in the
Bible. One would think that those beliefs, which are grounded in the fallen nature of
humanity, would not be part of religious teachings, since God does not see human beings as to
their racial origin, ethnicity, skin color or accomplishments.
Opening his mouth, Peter said: There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God. For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.Mormon doctrine reveals that it is the Mormon god who is the author of racism, intolerance and prejudice, which is claimed to be justified because of human conduct, both in the Mormon teaching regarding the "pre-existence" and during life of this earth. Mormon doctrine teaches that a person is born with a specific skin color or into a specific racial or ethnic group, as a result of conduct by their spirit in the pre-existence with the heavenly father who is god. It is claimed that the war in heaven, as described in the Bible included elements of choice. Those children who supported Satan in his rebellion against God were condemned. However, those who supported God and Jesus Christ on their side also made choices as to the level or quality of their support. Those who did not participate fully or did not fight courageously were considered to be not as valiant as other children, and depending on the degree of their inadequacy or failure in battle, their spirits were assigned varying shades of darkness that correspond to the varying shades of skin color, ethnic and racial groups on this earth. Those with the darkest skin color (Black persons from Africa) are considered to have been the least valiant during the battle in heaven and have been denied full participation in the Mormon church. Those with the lightest skin color are considered to have been the most valiant during the battle in heaven and were rewarded with the whitest skin. Is there reason then why the type of birth we receive in this life is not a reflection of our worthiness or lack of it in the pre-existent life? ...can we account in any other way for the birth of some of the children of god in darkest Africa, or in flood-ridden China, or among the starving hordes of India, while some of the rest of us are born here in the United States? We cannot escape the conclusion that because of performance in our pre-existence some of us are born as Chinese. some Japanese, some as latter-day Saints. These are rewards and punishments, fully in harmony with His established policy in dealing with sinners and saints, rewarding all according to their deeds...This doctrine regarding skin color and racial origin fit very well with the social views of most Mormons at the time the church was founded. The two major racial groups faced by Mormons in the early years of the church (even into the current time) were Black slaves and American Indians. Both groups had darker skins and were considered to be inferior to most Mormon adherents who were generally of a whiter skin color. Mormon doctrine affirmed the position of the Black African as a slave in this life and also specified that they would be slaves in the next life as well, placing them in subservience for eternity. The American Indian was also seen as inferior, being assigned to that place through revelations from the Mormon god in the Book of Mormon. And he had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, and 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. And it came to pass that those Lamanites who had united with the Nephites were numbered among the Nephites; and their curse was taken from them, and their skin became white like unto the Nephites; and their young men and their daughters became exceedingly fair, and they were numbered among the Nephites, and were called Nephites. And thus ended the thirteenth year. 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 and delightsome people. And it shall come to pass that the Jews which are scattered also shall begin to believe in Christ; and they shall begin to gather in upon the face of the land; and as many as shall believe in Christ shall also become a delightsome people.The Book of Mormon, which the Mormon church has declared to be the "most correct book on earth" states that the American Indians, as a result of their conversion to the Mormon belief system will have their skin color changed to "white and delightsome". Joseph Smith, who translated the Book of Mormon as a direct revelation from God from the golden plates, had no difficulty with the verse in 2 Nephi 30:6, and all Mormon Prophets, Presidents, Seers and Apostles had no difficulty understanding and teaching that the verse referred to an actual color change of skin, and god made no new revelation from 1830 about the interpretation to church officials. But in 1981, the new version of the Book of Mormon appeared with the phrase "white and delightsome" replaced with a new phrase, "pure and delightsome". This change was made with no explanation, certainly in direct violation of their own canonization of the original revelation. Not only did they change the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith, they changed the directly revealed words of god in the process, setting themselves above the authority of Prophet Joseph Smith and of god himself. This change was done, in all probability, because of the embarrassment to the Mormon leadership over the absurd claim that skin color could be changed as a result of religious belief. However, by making the change, the church authorities placed an even greater curse on the American Indians by stating that they were not pure. The attempt to erase an embarrassing doctrine by Mormon authorities resulted in a greater embarrassment to them by insulting the American Indian in an even more serious manner. The Mormon church must still face the reality of the claims in 2 Nephi 5:21, and they are still left with the impossible problem of explaining why previous church Prophets and Apostles claimed that the skin color of the American Indian could be changed as a result of their belief in Mormon teachings, and had, in fact, already been changed in many instances. I saw a striking contrast in the progress of the Indian people today...they are fast becoming a white and delightsome people. ...For years they have been growing delightsome, and they are now becoming white and delightsome, as they were promised. ...The children in the home placement program in Utah are often lighter that their brothers and sisters in the hogans on the reservation.As early as 1831, Joseph Smith claimed to have received a revelation from god that commanded marriage with the Lamenites (American Indians) in order that they might become "white, delightsome and just". This "revelation" has been suppressed and the original document is in a vault at the LDS church historical department. The part of the document, as revealed by Michael Marquardt, is as follows: Verily, I say unto you, that the wisdom of man, in his fallen state, knoweth not the purposes and the privileges of my holy priesthood, but ye shall know when ye receive a fulness(sic) by reason of the anointing: For it is my will, that in time, ye should take unto you wives of the Lamanites and Nephites, that their posterity may become white, delightsome and just, for even now their females are more virtuous than the gentiles.Joseph Smith made it very clear that he was advocating polygamous relationships with the American Indians, and that those relationships were not to be legalized even in the form of a marriage, just like the relationship of Abraham and Hagar had been. Not only was he advocating polygamous relationships, the date of the revelation makes the teaching regarding polygamy to be as early as 1831, when Joseph Smith denied in 1835 that the Mormon church practiced or taught polygamy. Brigham Young, the second Prophet and President of the Mormon church, after Joseph Smith, knew very well about the 1831 "revelation" that Joseph Smith claimed, and he taught as follows: You may inquire of the intelligent of the world whether they can tell why the aborigines of this country are dark, loathsome, ignorant, and sunken into the depths of degradation... When the Lord has a people, he makes covenants with them and gives unto them promises: then, if they transgress his law, change his ordinances, and break his covenants he has made with them, he will put a mark upon them, as in the case of the Lamanites and other portions of the house of Israel; but by-and-by they will become a white and delightsome people.Along with Spencer W. Kimball, another Mormon wrote as follows: The writer has been privileged to sit at table with several members of the Catawba tribe of Indians, whose reservation is near the north border of South Carolina. That tribe, or most of its people, are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon). Those Indians, at least as many as I have observed, were white and delightsome, as white and fair as any group of citizens of our country. I know of no prophecy, ancient or modern, that has had a more literal fulfillment.The Mormon church has taught, since the time of Joseph Smith and his "translation" of the Book of Mormon that the American Indians have darker skins because they are cursed by the god of the Mormon church. There can be no question that the leadership of the Mormon church considered themselves to be of a superior character as a result of the fact that they considered themselves to have whiter skins than those of native Americans. This was, and is, certainly a questionable claim because there are many Mormon families who come from a family heritage in which skin color is quite dark. There are some Mormons in leadership that have skin that is considerably darker than many native Americans, so are they presumed to be cursed also? The Mormon church claims that this curse continues even today: that the skin of a person can become darker as a result of sin or unfaithfulness to the Mormon church through abandonment of the faith: Apostates will ... become gray-haired, wrinkled, and black, just like the Devil. From this it is very clear that the mark which was set upon the descendants of Cain was a skin of blackness, and there can be no doubt that this was the mark that Cain himself received; in fact, it has been noticed in our day that men who have lost the spirit of the Lord, and from whom his blessings have been withdrawn, have turned dark to such an extend as to excite the comments of all who have known them.Mormon doctrine presents the claim that native Americans are cursed because of their skin color, and that the Mormon church has a cure for the difficulty. Not only does the Mormon church have a cure, it presents two different cures, both designed to make the skin color of a person "white and delightsome".
1. God discriminates against people based on skin color rather than their spiritual position. 2. The doctrine is opposed to everything that defines the character of God in the Bible The Mormon church provided the justification for the assertion that Mormons were superior to all other people and lived according to a higher moral standard than others. This sense of self- superiority fit well with the Mormon idea that their performance of duties qualifies them for godhood. Acknowledgment: Ideas, information and quotes: Jerald and Sandra Tanner, Utah Lighthouse Ministry - www.utlm.org Mormonism Web Ministries - http://mormonism- web.com The Mormonism Research Ministry - http://www.mrm.org ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: On This Website: White And Delightsome Is The Preferred Skin Color - Mormon Teaching Black People Are Inferior And Cannot Attain To The Priesthood - Mormon Teaching Skin Color Indicates The Quality Of Spiritual Excellence In A Previous Life - Mormon Teaching Black People Are Under The Curse Of God - Mormon Teaching Other Resources: The Utah Lighthouse Ministry, Jerald & Sandra Tanner Mormonism Research Ministries The Mormonism Web Alpha & Omega Ministries, James White |
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