Book of Mormon Seminary Teacher Manual, 2017 wrote:
Make sure students understand that the curse mentioned in this chapter was separation from God. The changing of the Lamanites’ skin was only a mark or sign of the curse.
I'm reminded of the temple endowment wherein covenants are officially made via physical enactment, details of which cannot be discussed in this forum. But, I point out how the apologetic in the Teacher Manual seems to reflect what goes on in the temple in which the initiated (victim/pre-1990) makes a covenant and through that covenant there is a certain sign, token, and penalty that is physically manifested in order to ratify the
Covenant.
The Lamanites were said to have broken their covenants and sacred bonds with Nephi who represented God's will. So, the curse described by Nephi is an alternate type of covenant between God and the Lamanites in which the penalty (skin of blackness) remains fixed so long as they are unrepentant. The Lamanite covenant became a curse and the "skin of blackness" was the sign or token of that curse and the penalty was they would be cut off from God and Nephi and remain a filthy dark-skinned people which was part of the penalty.
We are also given to understand that the Curse upon the Lamanites could be converted into a Blessing through means of a new Covenant:
3 Nephi 2:14-16 wrote: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.
Don, what do you think of those parallels? The gloves are off, buddy. You've had more than enough time to explain yourself, so, like it or not, I'll do it for you.
