Racism and the Book of Mormon

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_Mary
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Racism and the Book of Mormon

Post by _Mary »

Brian Dalton's video on Racism and the Book of Mormon. I don't know if I dare post it on Facebook, I think I would lose all my active friends. But I must admit he makes a very good point. What think you? Is he being fair?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5_L1coztJ4
"It's a little like the Confederate Constitution guaranteeing the freedom to own slaves. Irony doesn't exist for bigots or fanatics." Maksutov
_Drifting
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Re: Racism and the Book of Mormon

Post by _Drifting »

Alternatively you could post a quote from the Book of Mormon itself...

21 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, 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.

22 And thus saith the Lord God: I will cause that they shall be loathsome unto thy people, save they shall repent of their iniquities.

23 And cursed shall be the seed of him that mixeth with their seed; for they shall be cursed even with the same cursing. And the Lord spake it, and it was done.

24 And because of their cursing which was upon them they did become an idle people, full of mischief and subtlety, and did seek in the wilderness for beasts of prey.


2nd Nephi Chapter 5.
“We look to not only the spiritual but also the temporal, and we believe that a person who is impoverished temporally cannot blossom spiritually.”
Keith McMullin - Counsellor in Presiding Bishopric

"One, two, three...let's go shopping!"
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_DrW
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Re: Racism and the Book of Mormon

Post by _DrW »

Mary,

Thanks for posting that link. It is a very well done and factually correct video and should be required watching for anyone planning to vote for Mitt Romney.
David Hume: "---Mistakes in philosophy are merely ridiculous, those in religion are dangerous."

DrW: "Mistakes in science are learning opportunities and are eventually corrected."
_Mary
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Re: Racism and the Book of Mormon

Post by _Mary »

DrW. No worries. I have been watching his videos on Youtube all morning. I love the way he thinks. He did put in the apologetic spin
on 'Pure and Delightsome' at the end I noticed.

Drifting, but Brian makes the concepts so much more accessible and entertaining! (sadly)
"It's a little like the Confederate Constitution guaranteeing the freedom to own slaves. Irony doesn't exist for bigots or fanatics." Maksutov
_Drifting
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Re: Racism and the Book of Mormon

Post by _Drifting »

Mary wrote:DrW. No worries. I have been watching his videos on Youtube all morning. I love the way he thinks. He did put in the apologetic spin
on 'Pure and Delightsome' at the end I noticed.

Drifting, but Brian makes the concepts so much more accessible and entertaining! (sadly)


Get it (the you tube) posted! :biggrin:
“We look to not only the spiritual but also the temporal, and we believe that a person who is impoverished temporally cannot blossom spiritually.”
Keith McMullin - Counsellor in Presiding Bishopric

"One, two, three...let's go shopping!"
Thomas S Monson - Prophet, Seer, Revelator
_why me
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Re: Racism and the Book of Mormon

Post by _why me »

Mary wrote:DrW. No worries. I have been watching his videos on Youtube all morning. I love the way he thinks. He did put in the apologetic spin
on 'Pure and Delightsome' at the end I noticed.

Drifting, but Brian makes the concepts so much more accessible and entertaining! (sadly)


You know Mary, I do like you. I appreciated your help on the postmo and enjoyed your posts over the years....but.....you really need to dig your head out of the anti-mormon hole. It seems that you are looking for reasons to believe the way you do. And I am getting the impression that you must be the life of the party with your active friends. You just may be too deep in the antimormon hole to see a light.
I intend to lay a foundation that will revolutionize the whole world.
Joseph Smith


We are “to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to provide for the widow, to dry up the tear of the orphan, to comfort the afflicted, whether in this church, or in any other, or in no church at all…”
Joseph Smith
_beefcalf
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Re: Racism and the Book of Mormon

Post by _beefcalf »

why me wrote:You know Mary, I do like you. I appreciated your help on the postmo and enjoyed your posts over the years....but.....you really need to dig your head out of the anti-mormon hole. It seems that you are looking for reasons to believe the way you do. And I am getting the impression that you must be the life of the party with your active friends. You just may be too deep in the antimormon hole to see a light.


Hey there, Mr. me, why don't you do a blow-by-blow of all the many incorrect assumptions and outright lies in Brian's video. That should't take you very long, and I'm sure Mary would be very grateful.
eschew obfuscation

"I'll let you believers in on a little secret: not only is the LDS church not really true, it's obviously not true." -Sethbag
_Harold Lee
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Re: Racism and the Book of Mormon

Post by _Harold Lee »

I see a lot of black people in Mormon advertisements now, if that doesn't prove Mormons aren't racist I don't know what will.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&featu ... FYTc55nGEI

"I prefer a man who can swear a stream as long as my arm but deals justly with his brethren to the long, smooth-faced hypocrite." -Joseph Smith
_Mary
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Re: Racism and the Book of Mormon

Post by _Mary »

You know Mary, I do like you.


I like you too Why me, and have respect for your determination to defend the church and your daughters activity in it and happiness from it.

you really need to dig your head out of the anti-mormon hole.


Can you say what you mean by that. If it is because I have posted Brian's latest contribution then I don't consider his piece to be anti-mormon. He admitted that in all his years of activity he never met one 'racist' Mormon. I can pretty much agree with him having come from a multi-cultural society like the UK. Though in the spirit of honesty I did encounter racist ideas over marriage and black people when I got to Utah and spent 4 months there in the late 70's early 80's.



It seems that you are looking for reasons to believe the way you do.


?????



And I am getting the impression that you must be the life of the party with your active friends.


Many of my active friends see me as a threat to faith, so avoid me. Those that know as much or more than me do not avoid me but discuss issues with me as an equal with mutual respect and love. I long for the day when I will be able to talk to all my active friends on such terms. I know it will be a long time coming but I think we might just get there one day.



You just may be too deep in the antimormon hole to see a light.


What part of Brian's piece is 'anti-mormon'? I put it up because I thought he was actually being fair and got to the crux of the issue. The church has a hard time distancing itself from racist theology because it is there in the Book of Mormon (and Pearl of Great Price).

My opinion is that believers can get through this by recognising that the racist passages are anachronistic and are a reflection of the 19th Century mindset, although I can accept that historically civilisations may have seen white skin as more attractive (my Hindu friend saw this in the history of her own culture in modern India). I have no evidence for this though. Do you?

I believe a member can keep faith by arguing that the Book of Mormon was filtered through Joseph's mind and therefore will contain his interpretations and views of the world.

I don't believe I am in an Anti-Mormon hole.
"It's a little like the Confederate Constitution guaranteeing the freedom to own slaves. Irony doesn't exist for bigots or fanatics." Maksutov
_sock puppet
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Re: Racism and the Book of Mormon

Post by _sock puppet »

Mary wrote:I believe a member can keep faith by arguing that the Book of Mormon was filtered through Joseph's mind and therefore will contain his interpretations and views of the world.

You think a member can cling to the loose translation notion despite the explanations of the modus for the 'translation' given by scribes Oliver Cowdery and Emma Smith, which were that the English appeared, word for word, above the magic stone in the crown of a hat and would be dictated by JSJr from that, the scribe would read it back and only if it was correct, did the supernaturally given English phrase disappear and the next one appear in its place?

That racism came, word for word, from Mormon god.
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