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3 Table of Contents Introduction... 1 Chapter 1: A Better Understanding of Racism and Our Scriptures; Part Chapter 2: The Complete Curse Scriptural Catalogue Chapter 3: The Curse Revisited Chapter 4: The Egyptian Concept of Skin Chapter 5: An Egyptian Reference to the Skin/Soul Enigma Chapter 6: The Request to an Egyptologist and His Answer Chapter 7: The Word Exchange Chapter 8: A Bibliography for By The Power of God? Chapter 9: How Does the Urim and Thummim Work? Chapter 10: Why Would the Urim and Thummim Work in a Supposed Manner? Chapter 11: Race Terminology Chapter 12: Race Origins Chapter 13: The World View Chapter 14: Personal View (The Emancipation Proclamation) Chapter 15: The Scriptural View (Etymology and Construction) Chapter 16: Organizational View (Church) Chapter 17: Theological View Chapter 18: Scientific View Conclusion iii

4 Early Sites Research Society July 2013 Anyone who desires to distribute this publication may do so in its entirety as long as there is no monetary exchange involved and you have received permission from the publishing author. To obtain permission, please contact Neil Steede through the ESRS website at iv

5 A Comprehensive Study of the Book of Mormon Curse as it Relates to Color and Skin By Neil Steede and David B. Brown July 4, 2013 Introduction The Book of Mormon curse is a concept developed from a series of scriptural passages that on the surface appear to identify God s displeasure with humanity by the color of the skin. Those who are in favor with God are apparently white and delightsome while those who are disobedient have their skin darkened. This implies that those whose skin is racially dark come from a stock of people who have received a mark of disobedience as a result of their spiritual darkness. Yet, this concept does not seem consistent with a just and loving God. This is an emotional subject to quite a few people. Overtly, the curse concept as given in the Book of Mormon is accepted by all as it is a perspective carried by many throughout the Restoration. In reality, the curse is a very emotional subject for many. The overt acceptance is because most people in stations of power within the Restoration religions are white. Unfortunately, this has caused an imbalance in the views expressed. That is to say, while most Restoration believers are actually of darker races, their resistance to the view of the curse is muted. Most whites are totally unaware of these feelings. Upon accepting the Restoration gospel most people are aware of the fullness that they are receiving. These feelings cross all cultural and racial lines. There is no difference in the exuberance a person when they receive all fullness of the gospel whether they are black, brown, yellow or white. The white person that has received the fullness has no immediate problem with the curse, but the same is not true for those of darker races, particularly Blacks and Latinos. These same people are not so quick to express their questions concerning the curse because of the exuberance that they have about receiving a fullness of the gospel. These people often recognize the truth of that fullness on the spiritual level. Those who are within the races that are apparently cursed tend to remain silent because none of their mentors raise the question. Silence is the manner in which this apparent discrepancy is addressed. Meanwhile, whites tend to see no issue because they are not one of the cursed races. That is not to say that there are not whites who have questioned the curse there are. But, whether white or dark, most of those who have questioned the curse have simply abandoned the Restoration gospel and this is unfortunate. The reason for abandonment should be obvious, there appears to be no resolution concerning this curse perspective. Remember that when the scripture concerning the Book of Mormon curse was brought forth in the newly formed United States of America that the social consciousness battle over racism was ramping up and the division over free and slave states was in full swing. In the early 1800s even those who were darker color accepted the concept as presented in the Book of Mormon. At that time it seemed to be the natural order of things. However, times have changed over the century and a half that has passed. So many things from the Emancipation Proclamation to the Watts riots have rewoven the tapestry of our culture. We might be tempted to believe that this only refers to the culture of the United States, but this revolution has taken place worldwide. During the decades of cultural perspective changes, the scriptures have not changed. The same question asked 1

6 when the scriptures came forth is still asked today. How does the curse work in today's society. How can scriptures that seem to be obviously erroneous find acceptance in today's society? In my opinion, to avoid asking this question is a gesture of being content with stupidity. The very Restoration scripture that we accept today tells us that we are being tested in our Book of Mormon faith, and in my opinion, we are being tested in many ways. Today the landscape of the Restoration gospel is barren from those who do not accept the Book of Mormon as gospel. Thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of people have turned away from the Book of Mormon because they have been consistently told again and again by socalled professionals who claim to know all about Native American history that the events described in the Book of Mormon could not have actually occurred in ancient America. Yet, recent discoveries such as the San Bartolo Murals now provide remarkable support that the Book of Mormon story actually occurred as stated. But, if the history of the Book of Mormon proves to be true, then how is it that the curse cannot be proven to be true? There are two readily available answers between which most people choose; 1) that it is true, and 2) that though it makes no sense it should be accepted. Most who accept this first premise are either racist at heart or simply wish to remain ignorant. This first view accepts the fact that skin color was changed to reflect the level of their disobedience of the Lord only because it is stated that such. However, those who have chosen to blindly accept the validity of the curse as expressed in the Book of Mormon believe that they are doing so as a matter of faith. I disagree with this view. I believe that God wants me to be a thinking person rather than blindly obedient. Those who do not question the curse of the Book of Mormon will believe that I am in error. They will believe that I am attempting to subvert the word and that to question God is a thing of Satan. I am not questioning God. I am questioning how we understand the scriptures involved. This brings us to view number two. View number two does not accept the Book of Mormon curse and results in two actions. The first action is that people simply abandon the Restoration gospel because they know that the curse cannot be true as presented in the Book of Mormon. There is a small group of people who also do not accept the Book of Mormon curse, but they realize there is an overall truth to the Restoration gospel. These people must be performing some incredible form of mental acrobatics to be able to continue to be part of the Restoration gospel. Some choose to believe that the curse did exist at one time but that it no longer does. Some choose to believe that the curse never existed, but they do not have an answer as to why it is expressed as it is in the Book of Mormon. There are those who simply reject the book of Mormon and use all other Restoration scripture. The large majority of this latter group simply does not think about it because they can see no resolution. This collection of papers is presented for those who want to find resolution. For reasons expressed I have questioned the curse for years. I am happy to say that I am not the only one. All of the authors who have participated in this publication have shared the same set of questions. We have found that all of our answers have come together in this publication to rationally address the curse question. Now that all the puzzle pieces are brought together it seems curious that we have not combined our efforts before. However finally we have come together. In this collection we find that simple reasoning demonstrates that the historical understanding of the curse concept does not fit within Restoration scripture. We also find 2

7 that Restoration scripture do not jive with ancient beliefs as well as people assume. We have also found that there is no evidence of any curse ever existing in the way it is presently interpreted from the Book of Mormon. We find that if we assume that the curse statements in the Book of Mormon are openly hiding something, then we can find resolution. As it turns out, there is an ancient Egyptian homonym causing the confusion found in the Book of Mormon. This ancient homonym has openly hidden the true curse message. When understanding the connotation of this ancient homonym we can see why this allusion to a curse was manufactured so that today our modern culture could distinguish between valid Restoration inspiration and invalid ones. It turns out that a close examination of the curse in all of its detail tells us more about today s Restoration movement than any other single piece of information. The goal of this publication is precisely to find the answers to that question. Explanation This book addresses the issue of the Book of Mormon curse. For more than a century now this subject has been a curse for believers. That is to say, the very thought that a person s literal skin color can be used to judge the spiritual condition of a person is not only politically incorrect, but in our opinion is also spiritually incorrect. Many people who accept the narrow view of the curse being imposed on a sub-culture in the form of changing the pigment in the skin will believe that my opinion is simply motivated by an attempt to be politically correct. However, this is not the case as I have attempted to resolve this issue for decades. The collection of papers included in this book is the result of my study, and I feel that it is time to present this work to public scrutiny. This book is divided in several parts. Part One deals with the scriptural evidences found within the Book of Mormon, Bible and the Doctrine and Covenants. Ralph Williston is the author of this first segment. It is my belief that Ralph makes a strong case and his views are critically important because of his Native American heritage. His segment is followed by Frank Stribling s compilation of all the Book of Mormon scriptures referencing the curse. This work is very important and we thank Frank for his contribution. Part Two of this book presents the archaeological evidences. This segment is my specialty and deals with illustrations created by the ancient peoples of the Americas. It is not a comprehensive study in the sense that it does not include all ancient pictorial evidences. However, it does include pertinent illustrations to demonstrate that the traditional perspective of the curse described in the Book of Mormon is never portrayed in ancient Mesoamerican illustrations. Part Three covers linguistic evidences. Here we investigate the possibility of language homonyms found in Maya. But, because the thirty-plus ancient Mayan languages are not comprehensively recorded we have also taken the clues provided in the Book of Mormon as to the possible parent language of the authors; Egyptian. By a linguistic study of the Egyptian language we have discovered some compelling parallels in word meaning as it relates to semantic connotation. We have included here a report on the probable existence of a homonym for skin and the soul in ancient Mesoamerica. Along this line we have also engaged an expert in ancient Egyptian language to obtain his perspective on Egyptian homonyms that relate to skin and color. This section is followed by Eric Scott s report that addresses the usage of the word pure in the original Rifkin manuscript of the Book of Mormon having been exchanged for the word white in the printed form of the manuscript. 3

8 Part Four discusses the mechanical aspect as to how the Urim and Thummim operate. Where does the interpretation take place? Did the device transport intelligence through time to the mind of the individual writing? Does the Urim and Thummim have the ability to consciously decide what word to use? Does it affect the one interpreting? Part Five considers the impact this work has on how the Book of Mormon is perceived in our modern world. Part Six is an open ended question of where do we go from here? It is requested that anyone who reads this manuscript please consider its content prayerfully. 4

9 Part 1: The Scriptural Evidences Chapter 1: A Better Understanding of Racism and Our Scriptures; Part 1 By Ralph Williston Taking Offense If anyone should have been offended by the supposed racism in our scriptures, it should have been my father because of his Native American heritage and the supposed connection to the bad Lamanites. I remember what my father always said whenever someone wanted to give the Native Americans some kind of recognition or privilege. He would say, Anyone born in the United States is a Native American. We are all alike to God. While visiting with a Choctaw man who is an artist for one of my books he said, I do not like the Book of Mormon because of the terms like, white and delightsome skin, curse of darkness of skin color I decided it was time to search our scriptures. Pretend that you are that person and you have just said, I find some of the terms in our scriptures such as white, fair, filthy, and delightsome, offensive and evidence of racist terms. I did find the term filthiness. In my Bible and in the Doctrine and Covenants, the term filthy is used as a reference to sinners. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (II Corinthians 7:1) And for more of the same, see the following scriptures: Job 15:16; Psalm 14:2,3; 53:2,3; Proverbs 30:12; Ezekiel 16:36; 22:15; 24:13; 36:25; II Corinthians 7:1; Ephesians 5:4; James 1:21; Revelation 17:4; 22:11; D & C 36:10b; 85:8b. I see references to filthiness as clear references to a spiritual state of being filthy before God. But wo, wo unto you that are not pure in heart; that are filthy this day before God; for except ye repent (Jacob 2:51) When I read your Book of Mormon. 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 a delightsome people. (II Nephi 12:84) I am thinking I am a Native American. My skin is brown does that mean that I am not a righteous person? Are the scales of darkness still over my eyes? Do I have to become white? Yes, and I found in my Bible. And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try to them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end; because it is yet for a time appointed. (Daniel 11:33, 35). Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. (Daniel 12:10). And I do not understand. I also found in my Bible And when these men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, the sons of men saw that their daughters were fair, and they took them wives even as they chose.(genesis 8:2) 5

10 And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. (I Samuel 17:42). I do not understand? But when I read about Jesus in your Book of Mormon: And it came to pass that Jesus beheld them, as they did pray unto Him, and His countenance did smile upon them, and the light of His countenance did shine upon them, and behold they were as white as the countenance, and also the garments of Jesus (III Nephi 9:25). And behold the whiteness thereof did exceed all the whiteness, yea, even there could be nothing upon earth so white as the whiteness thereof. (III Nephi 9:26) And when Jesus had spoken these words, He came again unto His disciples, and behold they did pray steadfastly, without ceasing, unto Him; and He did smile upon them again; and behold, they were white, even as Jesus. (III Nephi 9:31) I went back and read Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.(isaiah 1:18) And the vision given to Nephi when he saw the Gentiles coming to his land: And I beheld the Spirit of the Lord, that it was upon the Gentiles; that they did prosper, and obtain the land for their inheritance; and I beheld that they were white, and exceeding fair and beautiful, like unto my people before they were slain. (I Nephi 3:151) And when I read your Doctrine and Covenants and in the book of John in the Bible I do not think of skin color therefore, if ye have desires to serve God, ye are called to the work, for, behold, the field is white already to harvest (John 4:37; Doctrine and Covenants 4:1c) I looked at other scriptures that mentioned.garments are made white and considered that God was trying to picture the spiritual condition of people. And behold they are righteous for ever; for because of their faith in the Lamb of God, their garments are made white in His blood. And the angel said unto me, Look! And I looked and beheld three generations pass away in righteousness, and their garments were white, even like unto the Lamb of God. And the angel said unto me, These are made white in the blood of the Lamb, because of their faith in Him.(I Nephi 3: ) I re-read verse 151 in I Nephi, chapter 3, when God was showing Nephi a vision of people coming to the promised land I beheld the Spirit of the Lord that it was upon the Gentiles and they prospered and obtained the land for their inheritance and I beheld that there were white and exceedingly fair and beautiful, like unto my people before they were slain. I repeated white and exceedingly fair and beautiful White and exceedingly fair and beautiful was their spiritual condition! 6

11 I re-read what Nephi was told about the last days And the gospel of Jesus Christ shall be declared among them; wherefore, they shall be restored unto the knowledge of their fathers, and also to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, which was had among their fathers 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 a delightsome people. (II Nephi 12:82-84) Their scales of darkness shall begin to fall from their eyes they shall be a white and a delightsome people was a beautiful example of the proper use of the term, they shall be a white and delightsome people. And these terms did not refer to their skin color, but to their spiritual condition. The scales of darkness over my eyes fell away! Then I read in Jacob from the Book of Mormon He commanded the Nephites to repent and to no longer revile against the Lamanites because of the darkness of their skins. 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. (Jacob 2:59) This was another analogy of spiritual condition that their skins be whiter than yours and was not pointing to skin color. Jacob was speaking to his people because they were deep in sin. The Lamanites might become more righteous than the Nephites 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. (Jacob 2:59) Jacob s use of whiter reflected to me an excellent example of purity and righteousness. I found another example which may well refer to the change in the spiritual condition: 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. (III Nephi 1:52,53) Oh then, ye unbelieving, turn ye unto the Lord; cry mightily unto the Father in the Name of Jesus, that perhaps ye may be found spotless, pure, fair and white, having been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb at that great and last day.(mormon 4:65) And I found other examples even in your Doctrine and Covenants: But firstly, let my army become very great, and let it be sanctified before me, that it may become fair as the sun, and clear as the moon, and that her banners may be terrible unto all nations (D.& C. 102:9a) I read again when Jesus came to the people of the Book of Mormon: And it came to pass that Jesus beheld them, as they did pray unto Him, and His countenance did smile upon them, and the light of His 7

12 countenance did shine upon them, and behold they were as white as the countenance, and also the garments, of Jesus (III Nephi 9:25) And behold the whiteness thereof did exceed all the whiteness, yea, even there could be nothing upon earth so white as the whiteness thereof. (III Nephi 9:26) And when Jesus had spoken these words, He came again unto His disciples, and behold they did pray steadfastly, without ceasing, unto Him; and He did smile upon them again; and behold they were white, even as Jesus. (III Nephi 9:31) Conclusion Terms found in our scriptures, such as white, filthy, delightsome, fair, and pure are not references to race or skin color or racial terms, but to the spiritual condition of people only. 8

13 Part 1: The Scriptural Evidences Chapter 1: A Better Understanding of Racism and Our Scriptures; Part 2 Introduction Part 2 of this chapter is a further development of my experiences that formed my perspective. At a recent Temple event as I was visiting with a black pastor who stated that he did not use the Book of Mormon because it was a racist book. It uses racist terms, and the curse of a black skin mentioned in the Book of Mormon is very offensive to me and my congregation, he stated. My heart went out to him. I decided it was time to learn about what racism was, and to search our Scriptures. What do I say to him? Racism and Our Scriptures First, let us define terms. Racism is: 1. Any program or practice of racial discrimination; based on racialism. 2. A belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement; usually involving the idea that one s own race is superior and has the right to rule others. 3. A hatred or intolerance of another race, or other races. 4. A doctrine or teaching, without scientific support, that claims to find racial differences in character, intelligence, etc., that asserts the superiority of one race over another or others, and that seeks to maintain the supposed purity of a race or races. 5. A policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination. Discrimination is: 1. A judgment or opinion formed before facts are known; preconceived idea; suspicion; intolerance or hatred of other races, creeds, regions, or occupations. I searched our scriptures and found that our scriptures teach that all human beings are created in the image of God and all are alike to God. 1. And God said, Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness (Genesis 1:26,27 Inspired Version) 2. There is neither Jew or Greek, slave nor free, male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:2) 3. Or in other words, he said that man was created after the image of God, and that Ammon said unto him, I am a man; and man in the beginning, was created after the image of God (Alma 12:112) 4. reading the Scriptures unto the king; how God created man after His own image (Alma 13:44) 5. The Doctrine and Covenants teaches: after His own image and in His own likeness created He them, and gave unto them commandments that they should love and serve Him, the only living and true God, and that He should be the only Being whom they should worship. (D. & C. 17:4b) 6. The Book of Mormon is very clear about accepting all people: He doeth not anything, save it be for the benefit of the world; for He loveth the world, even that He layeth down His own life, that He may draw all men unto Him. (II Nephi 11:96) 9

14 7. And He denieth none that come unto Him, black and white, bond and free, male and female (II Nephi 11:114) 8. And He remembered the heathen, and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile. (II Nephi 11:115) 9. And My Father sent Me, that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, I might draw all men unto me. III Nephi 12:26. But would these nine verses help my black pastor brother? I continued to study. In history, God did separate out certain groups for His purposes. In the Old Testament, God divided humanity into two racial groups: Jew and Gentile. 1. God intended for the Jews to be a kingdom that would minister to the Gentile nations. 2. Instead, for the most part, the Jews became proud of their status, and despised the Gentiles. I found that Jesus put an end to this by destroying the wall between us. For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us (Ephesians 2:14) Then I remembered that God separated a group of people out of the Jews for His purposes, and they were called. Holy people, or chosen people; a special people to be above all people; a peculiar people For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God; the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto Himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 7:6) For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto Himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth. (Deuteronomy 14:2) God also selected a group of people that He called a chosen people in the Book of Mormon. These people were not of the chosen people of the tribe of Judah because their lineage was from the tribe of Joseph, as noted when Jesus identified all of the Book of Mormon peoples as of the house of Joseph in III Nephi 7:13: Ye are My disciples; and ye are a light unto this people, who are a remnant of the house of Joseph. The Nephite group considered themselves also to be a chosen and holy people. And again we thank Thee, O God, that we are a chosen and a holy people. (Alma 16:94) And behold, their hearts are set upon them, and yet they cry unto Thee and say, We thank Thee, O God, for we are a chosen people unto Thee, while others shall perish. (Alma 16:106) But does this make our scriptures racist to our black pastor brother? I think not. The Doctrine and Covenants supports the Bible in that it, too, declares that the Jews (Israel) are a chosen people. 10

15 And lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days, for thou shalt deliver my people from bondage; even Israel My chosen. (Doctrine and Covenants 22:18) At least twice in history, God separated out a group because of their rebellion. And I, the Lord, said unto him, Whosoever slayeth thee, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold; and I, the Lord, set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. (Genesis 5:25, Inspired Version; Genesis 4:15 King James Version) Now, maybe I m finally getting to the part that is really bothering our brother: the curse of the black skin. I knew I needed a better understanding, too. After studying this, and the following scriptures, I realized that the most important discovery was that the mark was not the curse. Apparently, the life of Cain and his families were in danger of being killed (vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold) because of the sin he had committed. The love of the Lord is shown here when God wanted to protect them by placing a mark on the family. The real curse is what follows in the very next scripture! And Cain was shut out from the presence of the Lord, and with his wife and many of his brethren, dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. (Genesis 5:26, Inspired Version; Genesis 4:16, King James Version) Thus, this action of God to Cain s rebellion had two parts: 1. Some type of mark (for protection) 2. Being shut out from the presence of the Lord, or God withdrawing His Spirit from him and his family, which was the real curse. Guess what I did? I searched the book that my good black brother had rejected. Laman, through Nephi, was warned what would happen if they rebelled against the Lord: And inasmuch as thy brethren shall rebel against thee, they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. I Nephi 1:55. (See also: II Nephi 1:34, 3:9, 4:31, 4:32, 6:14; Alma 7:16-18; Alma 17:30 & 44; Alma 19:88, 90, 92, and 96; Alma 22:21, Helaman 4:68, 5:70; Ether 1:41, 4:55) This action was not limited to just the Lamanites, because I found that even when the righteous Nephites rebelled, God began to withdraw His spirit from them, too. And thus we see that the Spirit of the Lord began to withdraw from the Nephites, because of the wickedness and the hardness of their hearts. (Helaman 2:162) And when the wicked Lamanites repented: And thus we see that the Lord began to pour out His Spirit upon the Lamanites, because of their easiness and willingness to believe in His word. (Helaman 2:163) So just like the rebellion of Cain, God withdrew His Spirit from those that rebelled in the Book of Mormon. Speaking to Nephi, the Lord withdrew His Spirit first! (The curse). Wherefore, the word of the Lord was fulfilled which He spake unto me, saying: That inasmuch as they will not hearken unto thy words, they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. And behold, they were cut off from His presence. And He had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. For behold, they had 11

16 hardened their hearts against Him, that they had become like unto a flint (II Nephi 4:31-34) I found many scriptures to support the Bible. Speaking in Alma, the Lord mentioned that He had already cursed the Lamanites, but not yet set a mark on them. Behold, the Lamanites have I cursed; and I will set a mark upon them, that they and their seed may be separated from thee and thy seed, from this time henceforth and for ever, except they repent of their wickedness and turn to Me, that I may have mercy upon them. (Alma 1:113) Now we have the curse (withdrawal of His Spirit) and then we have the mark (a visual sign of their rebellion). I discovered that rebellion caused two actions God withdrew His Spirit (actual curse) and also He set a mark (some visible sign). And again: I will set a mark upon him that mingleth his seed with thy breathren, that they may be cursed also. And again: I will set a mark upon him that fighteth against thee and thy seed. (Alma 1:114,115) It is interesting that some Nephites, having rejected the Nephite religion, did mingle with the Lamanites, bringing the same curse upon his seed and having a mark set upon him. Again, we see that the curse and the mark, while going together, were two different actions. And thus we see that the Spirit of the Lord began to withdraw from the Nephites, because of the wickedness and the hardness of their hearts. (Helaman 2:162) And when the wicked Lamanites repented, (And thus we see that..) the Lord began to pour out His Spirit upon the Lamanites, because of their easiness and willingness to believe in His word. (Helaman 2:163) So, just like the rebellion of Cain, God withdrew His Spirit from those that rebelled in the Book of Mormon. But my heart went out to my good black brother again. What might he say in response to all of the above? Would he say something like this: Ralph, you have supported the idea that we are created after the image of God. You have supported the idea that God does respond in two ways when a people rebelled against Him. I can see that the scriptures do support the idea that God does withdraw His Spirit as part of the action of rebellion. I can now see that some terms like white, pure, fair, and delightsome refer to spiritual condition, and not skin color. But, I still have a problem separating the curse from skin color and whether it is permanent, or temporary, and whether it continues through today! At this point, I might feel like the Master of the vineyard in Jacob 3:100: But what could I have done more in my vineyard? Maybe this will help; what started out as a skin of blackness (II Nephi 4:35) 1. Became a skin of darkness. (Jacob 2:60) 2. Then to only a red mark on the skin. (Alma 1: ) 3. Then, the skin only had a stain. (Alma 14:33) 4. Then by Lamoni s time, there was no difference! (We will soon get to this discovery.) Only the withdrawal of God s Spirit continued and then the Spirit returned! At this time of Alma s record (Alma, chapter 25), there may have been no skin color change in the Lamanites only the withdrawal of God s Spirit. Captain Moroni wanted to find a former Lamanite who had joined his army, to go to the Lamanite camp and be a spy. Moroni 12

17 had to ask for any Lamanite who had joined his army to come forward. A man by the name of Laman stepped forward, who used to be a Lamanite. Hitherto, he had not been recognizable as a Lamanite through the color of his skin! So when that Lamanite joined Moroni s army, there apparently was no skin color difference between the Nephites and the Lamanites at that time. And now it came to pass that when Moroni had said these words, he caused that a search should be made among his men, that perhaps he might find a man who was a descendant of Laman among them. And it came to pass that they found one, whose name was Laman; and he was one of the servants of the king who was murdered by Amalickiah. Now Moroni caused that Laman and a small number of his men, should go forth unto the guards who were over the Nephites. Now the Nephites were guarded in the city of Gid; therefore Moroni appointed Laman, and caused that a small number of men should go with him. And when it was evening, Laman went to the guards who were over the Nephites, and behold, they saw him coming, and they hailed him. But he saith unto them, Fear not. Behold, I am a Lamanite. Behold we have escaped from the Nephites, and they sleepeth; and behold, we have taken of their wine, and brought with us. (Alma 25:30-35) This tells us that the skin color change, or marking themselves, or God s withdrawal of His Spirit were not meant to be permanent. Some Lamanites Painted Themselves And the Amlicites were distinguished from the Nephites; for they had marked themselves with red in their foreheads, after the manner of the Lamanites (Alma 1:102) Now we will return again to the Amlicites, for they also had a mark set upon them; yea, they set the mark upon themselves, yea, even a mark of red upon their foreheads. (Alma 1:111) The following is quoted by Michael D. Cole, who is considered a most modern Mayan Anthropologist: (that) in ancient times warriors painted themselves black and red! until marriage young men painted themselves black, and so did warriors at all times 1 Then I remembered what the Choctaw artist said when I mentioned The Book of Mormon and being called a Lamanite. Positive Nephite Attitudes Toward the Lamanites Nephite prophets and writers consistently referred to the Lamanites as their brethren. Once united in tradition and beliefs, skin color and other ethnic or tribal differences become irrelevant as far as the Lord and the Nephite prophets are concerned. Significantly, Nephi, who first reported the skin of blackness, also wrote that the Lord accepts both black and white who are willing to come unto Him. Wherefore, when thou hast read the words which I have commanded thee, and obtained the witnesses which I have promised unto thee, then shalt thou seal up the book again, and hide it up unto me, that I may preserve 1 Morely, Suvanious G.; The Ancient Mayan, 3 rd Ed., revised edition, pp. 169,

18 the words which thou hast not read, until I shall see fit in mine own wisdom, to reveal all things unto the children of men. (II Nephi 11:144) Nephi s brother Jacob publicly chastised the Nephites for hating the Lamanites because of their skin color. While some Nephites looked upon the darkness of skin as a curse, Jacob corrected this erroneous assumption of superiority by noting that the Lamanites of that time were more virtuous and pure than some of their Nephite contemporaries, and that such external differences as skin color were temporary and do not necessarily signify spiritual states: Behold, the Lamanites, your brethren, whom ye hate, because of their filthiness and the cursings which hath come upon their skins, are more righteous than you. For they have not forgotten the commandments of the Lord, which were given unto our fathers, that they should have, save it were on wife: and concubines they should have none; and there should not be whoredoms committed among them. And now this commandment they observe to keep; wherefore because of this observance in keeping this commandment, the Lord God will not destroy them, but will be merciful unto them; and one day they shall become a blessed people. Behold, their husbands love their wives, and their wives love their husbands, and their husbands and their wives love their children. And their unbelief and their hatred towards you, is because of the iniquity of their fathers; wherefore, how much better are you than they, in the sight of your great Creator? (Jacob 2:54-58) Later generations were able to convert large numbers of Lamanites, and the righteousness and faithfulness of the Lamanites sometimes exceeded the righteousness of the Nephites. (See Helaman 1: , ; 5:93-104; III Nephi). For example: For behold, there were many of the Nephites who had become hardened, and impenitent, and grossly wicked, insomuch that they did reject the word of God; and all the preaching and prophesying which did come among them. (Helaman 2:119) And this is according to the prophecy, that they shall again be brought to the true knowledge, which is the knowledge of their Redeemer, and their great and true Shepherd, and be numbered among His sheep. (Helaman 5:104). Even when the Nephites became unfaithful, some of the Lamanites continued to be faithful. And thus there became a great inequality in all the land, insomuch that the church began to be broken up; yea, insomuch that in the thirtieth year the church was broken up in all the land, save it were among a few of the Lamanites, who were converted unto the true faith. (III Nephi 3:15) The Book of Mormon makes it clear that the color of one s skin has no bearing on one s status as a righteous or sinful person. Nephi, the son of Helaman, declared to the Nephites: Now therefore I would that ye should behold, my brethren, that it shall be better for the Lamanites than for you, except ye shall repent; for behold 14

19 they are more righteous than you; for they have not sinned against that great knowledge which ye have received. (Helaman 3:26) Therefore the Lord will be merciful unto them; yea, He will lengthen out their days and increase their seed, even when thou shalt be utterly destroyed, except thou shalt repent; Moreover, Nephites such as the sons of Mosiah and their generation, who welcomes converted Lamanites into their society, have only good things to say about these converts. (Helaman 3:27) The only teaching in the Book of Mormon that might be considered prejudiced would be the nine teachings by the Lamanites about the Nephites, which they taught their children for many generations: 1. Believing that they were driven out of the land of Jerusalem, 2. because of the iniquities of their fathers, 3. and that they were wronged in the wilderness by their brethren; and 4. that they were also wronged while crossing the sea; 5. and again: that they were wronged while in the land of their first inheritance, after they had crossed the sea; (Mosiah 6:46,47) 6. and all this, because that Nephi was more faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; therefore he was favored of the Lord, for the Lord heard his prayers and answered them, and he took the lead of their journey in the wilderness. (Mosiah 6:48) 7. And his brethren were wroth with him, because they understood not the dealings of the Lord (Mosiah6:49) 8. And again: they were wroth with him when they had arrived to the Promised Land because they said that he had taken the ruling of the people out of their hands; and they sought to kill him. (Mosiah 6:51). 9. And again, they were wroth with him, because he departed into the wilderness as the Lord had commanded him, and took the records which were engraven on the plates of brass; for they said that he robbed them. And thus they have taught their children, that they should hate them, and that they should murder them, and that they should rob and plunder them, and do all they could to destroy them; therefore, they have an eternal hatred towards the children of Nephi. (Mosiah 6:52-53) Conclusions 1. Terms used in our scriptures, such as white, fair, pure, filthy, and delightsome, are references to spiritual conditions. 2. Racism has a number of definitions. 3. In our history, God did select two faithful groups for His purposes. 4. In our history, God did respond in two ways to various groups that rebelled, and it included what is called a curse and a temporary skin color change. (Overview of the studies that formed my opinion) Ralph Williston Masonic Dr. Dearborn, MO (417) ralph.williston@att.net 15

20 Part 1: The Scriptural Evidences Chapter 2: The Complete Curse Scriptural Catalogue By Frank Stribling Introduction We all have heard the term Beauty is only skin deep referring to a person not conventionally pretty meaning that a persons character is more important than their appearance. We may hear the term, He gets under my skin indicating that something more than the person s epidermis is involved, such as a person being emotionally festered or irritated. Since geographic, moral and religious divisions covering different groups of people over two thousand years have occurred in Mesoamerica, terms such as dark, fair, pure, white, etc. have multiple meanings. When scholars analyze textual data in the Book of Mormon to determine its message it is not difficult to develop various schools of thought. After studying the following references the reader may develop a better idea of the Book of Mormon s message. That message is for people of all races to become fair, pure and white by putting on the garments of righteousness. All people are called upon to forsake the influence of that evil one who leads mankind to darkness and destruction. Underlined words/phrases by demonstrating various word usages in the following references make the message very clear. Webster s Dictionary Definitions (Copyright 1981) Dark devoid of or deficient in light, not fair; as, a dark complexion; devoid of moral or spiritual light; evil; wicked; Fair pleasing to the eye; pretty; light in hue; unblemished in appearance, quality, or character; as one s manner; honest, open, frank, impartial, or unbiased; Garment any article of clothing; outside covering; Pure free from all extraneous matter, esp. from anything that impairs or pollutes; free from anything that defiles or contaminates; innocent; spotless; chaste; stainless; genuine; White of the color of pure snow; light or comparatively light in color; having a light colored skin, as a Caucasian, free from spot or stain; pure or innocent; not intending harm. WHITE Book of Mormon (Authorized Edition 1955) I Nephi 3:53 And I beheld the city of Nazareth: and in the city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and she was exceedingly fair and white. I Nephi 3: And behold they are righteous for ever; for because of their faith in the Lamb of God, their garments are made white in his blood. And the angel said unto me, Look! And I looked and beheld three generations pass away in righteousness, and their garments were white, even like unto the Lamb of God. And the angel said unto me, these are made white in the blood of the Lamb, because of their faith in him. 16

21 I Nephi 3: And the angel said unto me, Behold, these shall dwindle in unbelief. 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. I Nephi 3:151 And I beheld the Spirit of the Lord, that it was upon the Gentiles; that they did prosper, and obtain the land for their inheritance; and I beheld that they were white, and exceeding fair and beautiful, like unto my people before they were slain. 2 Nephi 4:32-36 And behold they were cut off from his presence. 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 exceeding 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 thus saith the Lord God, I will cause that they shall be loathsome unto they people, save they shall repent of their iniquities. II Nephi 11:114 And he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female. II Nephi 12:82-84 And the gospel of Jesus Christ shall be declared among them; wherefore, they shall be restored unto the knowledge of their fathers, and also to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, which was had among their fathers. 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 a delightsome people. 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 1: 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. Alma 3:39-44 I way unto you, Ye will know at that day, that ye cannot be saved: for there can no man be saved except his garments are washed white: Yea, his garments must be purified until they are cleansed from all stain, through the blood of him of whom it has been spoken by our fathers who should come to redeem his people from their sins. And now I ask of you, my brethren, how will any of you feel, if ye shall stand before the bar of God, having your garments stained with blood, and all manner of filthiness? Behold, will they not testify that ye are murderers, yea, and also that ye are guilty of all manner of wickedness: Behold, my brethren, do ye suppose that such an one can have a place to sit down in the kingdom of God, with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, and also all the holy prophets, whose garments are cleansed, and are spotless, pure, and white? 17

22 Alma 16:171 And because of your diligence, and your faith, and your patience with the word, in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by, ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white; yea, and pure above all that is pure: Alma 3:48-49 Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble? That your garments have been cleansed and made white, through the blood of Christ, who will come to redeem his people from their sins? Alma 10: 3-4 Therefore they were called after this holy order, and were sanctified, and their garments were washed white, through the blood of the lamb. Now they, after being sanctified by the Holy Ghost, having their garments made white, being pure and spotless before God, could not look upon sin, save it were with abhorrence; Alma 16:236 Yea, and he has also said, that the righteous shall sit down in his kingdom, to go no more out; but their garments should be made white, through the blood of the Lamb. III Nephi 1:52-53 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 exceeding fair, and they were numbered among the Nephites and were called Nephites. And thus ended the thirteenth year. WHITE - Old Testament References (Copyright 1944 Seventh Printing June 1957) Psalm 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Psalm 68:14 When the Almighty scattered kings in it, it was white as snow in Salmon. Ecclesiastes 9:8 Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment. Lamentations 4:7 Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubles, their polishing was of sapphire: Their visage is blacker than a coal; they are not known in the streets; their skin cleaveth to their bones; it is withered, it is become like a stick. Daniel 7:9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool; his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. Daniel 11:35 And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end; because it is yet for a time appointed. 18

23 Daniel 12:10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. Joel 1:7 He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree; he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white. WHITE - New Testament References Matthew 23:24 Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are like unto white sepulchers which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but are within full of the bones of the dead, and of all uncleanness. Revelation 3:4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy. Revelation 15:6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles. DARK Book of Mormon References Jacob 2: Behold the Lamanites, your brethren, whom ye hate, because of their filthiness and the cursings which hath come upon their skins, are more righteous than you; For they have not forgotten the commandments of the Lord, which were given unto our fathers that they should have, save it were one wife; and concubines they should have none; and there should not be whoredoms committed among them. And now this commandment they observe to keep; wherefore because of this observance in keeping this commandment, the Lord God will not destroy them, but will be merciful unto them; and one day they shall become a blessed people. Behold, their husbands love their wives, and their wives love their husbands, and their husbands and their wives love their children; And their unbelief and their hatred towards you, is because of the iniquity of their fathers; wherefore, how much better are you than they, in the sight of your great Creator: 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 Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you, which is the word of God, that ye revile no more against them, because of the darkness of their skins; neither shall ye revile against them because of their filthiness; But ye shall remember your own filthiness, and remember that their filthiness came because of their fathers. Alma 1: Now the heads of the Lamanites were shorn; and they were naked, save it were skin, which was girded about their loins, and also their armor, which was girded about them, and their bows, and their arrows, and their stones, and their slings, etc. 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 the brethren, who consisted of Nephi, Jacob, and Joseph, and Sam, who were just and holy men. 19

24 And their brethren sought to destroy them; therefore they were cursed; and the lord God set a mark upon them, yea, upon Laman and Lemuel, and also the sons of Ishmael, and the Ishmaelitish women; And this was done, that their seed might be distinguished from the seed of their brethren, that thereby the Lord God might preserve his people, that they might not mix and believe in incorrect traditions which would prove their destruction. And it came to pass that whosoever did mingle his seed with that of the Lamanites, did bring the same curse upon his seed. Therefore whosoever suffered himself to be led away by the Lamanites, was called under that head, and there was a mark set upon him. DARKNESS Book of Mormon References III Nephi 5: The light of the body is the eye, if therefore thine eye be single, they whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, they whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! Ether 3:89-90 And Akish did administer unto them the oaths which were given by them of old, who also wought power, which had been handed down even from Cain, who was a murderer from the beginning. And they were kept up by the power of the devil to administer these oaths unto the people, to keep them in darkness, to help such as sought power, to gain power, and to murder, and to plunder, and to lie, and to commit all manner of wickedness and whoredoms. PURE Book of Mormon References Alma 3:44 Behold, will they not testify that ye are murderers, yea and also that ye are guilty of all manner of wickedness? Behold, my brethren, do ye suppose that such an one can have a place to sit down in the kingdom of God, with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, and also all the holy prophets, whose garments are cleansed, and are spotless, pure, and white? Alma 10:3 Therefore they were called after this holy order, and were sanctified, and their garments were washed white, through the blood of the Lamb, Now they, after being sanctified by the Holy ghost, having their garments made white, being pure and spotless before God, could not look upon sin, save it were with abhorrence: Alma 16: And because of your diligence, and your faith, and your patience with the word, in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by, ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white; yea, and pure above all that is pure; And ye shall feast upon this fruit, even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst. GARMENTS Book of Mormon References 20

25 Jacob 1:20 Wherefore, by laboring with our mights, their blood might not come upon our garments; otherwise, their blood would come upon our garments, and we would not be found spotless at the last day. Jacob 2:2 Now, be beloved brethren, I, Jacob, according to the responsibility which I am under to God, to magnify mine office with soberness, and that I might rid my garments of your sins, I come up into the temple this day, that I might declare unto you the word of God; Mosiah 1:65 I say unto you, that I have caused that ye should assemble yourselves together, that I might rid my garments of your blood, at this period of time when I am about to go down to my grave. Alma 3:39-44 I say unto you, Ye will know at that day, that ye cannot be saved; for there can no man be saved except his garments are washed white; Yea, his garments must be purified until they are cleansed from all stain, through the blood of him of whom it has been spoken by our fathers who should come to redeem his people from their sins. And now I ask of you, my brethren, How will any of you feel, it ye shall stand before the bar of God, having your garments stained with blood, and all manner of filthiness: Behold, what will these things testify against you: Behold, will they not testify that ye are murderers, yea, and also that ye are guilty of all manner of wickedness: Behold, my brethren, do ye suppose that such an one can have a place to sit down in the kingdom of God, with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, and also all the holy prophets, whose garments are cleansed, and are spotless, pure, and white? Alma 5:42 And may the Lord bless you, and keep your garments spotless, that ye may at last be brought to sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the holy prophets who have been ever since the world began, having your garments spotless, even as their garments are spotless in the kingdom of heaven, to go no more out. Alma 16:236 Yea, and he has also said, that the righteous shall sit down in his kingdom, to go no more out; but their garments should be made white, through the blood of the Lamb. FAIR - Old Testament References I Samuel 17:42 And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. Esther 2:7 And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle s daughter; for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; Proverbs 8:21 With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him. 21

26 Proverbs 11:22 As a jewel of gold in a swine s snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion. Proverbs 26:25 When he speaketh fair, believe him not; for there are seven abominations in his heart. Daniel 4: The tree grew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth; The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much. FAIR - New Testament References Acts 7:20 In which time Moses was born, and was exceedingly fair, and nourished up in his father s house three months; Romans 16:18 For they that are such serve not our lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. FAIR - Book of Mormon References II Nephi 8:79 In mine ears, saith the Lord of hosts, of a truth many houses shall be desolate, and great and fair cities without inhabitant. Jacob 2:41 And I will not suffer, saith the Lord of hosts, that the cries of the fair daughters of this people, which I have led out of the land of Jerusalem, shall come up unto me, against the men of my people, saith the Lord of hosts; Mosiah 6:54 For this very cause has King Laman, by his cunning and lying craftiness, and his fair promises, deceived me, that I have brought this, my people, up into this land, that they may destroy them; yea, and we have suffered this many years in the land. Alma 24:26 And it came to pass that Moroni, having no hopes of meeting them upon fair grounds, therefore he resolved upon a plan that he might decoy the Lamanites out of their strongholds. III Nephi 1:53 And their young men and their daughters became exceeding fair, and they were numbered among the Nephites, and were called Nephites. And thus ended the thirteenth year. III Nephi 4:27 For the devil laugheth, and his angels rejoice, because of the slain of the fair sons and daughters of my people; and it is because of their iniquity and abominations that they are fallen. 22

27 IV Nephi 1:11 And now behold it came to pass that the people of Nephi did wax strong, and did multiply exceeding fast, and became an exceeding fair and delightsome people. Mormon 3:18-20 And my soul was rent with anguish, because of the slain of my people, and I cried, O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord! O ye fair one how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you! Behold, if ye had not done this, ye would not have fallen. But behold, ye are fallen, and I mourn your loss. O ye fair sons and daughters, ye fathers and mothers, ye husbands and wives, ye fair ones, how is it that ye could have fallen? Mormon 4:65 O then ye unbelieving, turn ye unto the Lord; cry mightily unto the Father in the name of Jesus, that perhaps ye may be found spotless, pure, fair and white, having been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, at that great and last day. Ether 3:41 And when Corihor was thirty and two years old, he rebelled against his father, and went over and dwelt in the land of Nehor; and he begat sons and daughters; and they became exceeding fair; wherefore Corihor drew away many people after him. FAIR - Doctrine & Covenants References Section 5:3d I will give them power that they may behold and view these things as they are; and to none else will I grant this power, to receive this the beginning of the rising up, and the coming forth of my church out of the wilderness; clear as the moon and fair as the sun and terrible as an army with banners. Section 102:9a But firstly, let my army become very great, and let it be sanctified before me that it may become fair as the sun, and clear as the moon, and that her banners may be terrible unto all nations: 23

28 Part 2: The Archaeological Evidence Chapter 3: The Curse Revisited By Neil Steede Introduction I recently had a conversation with an individual that I admire greatly where this person approached me hesitantly and stated, I know that you think that you are right about everything, but I want you to know that I think you are wrong about the curse. This person was making reference to the curse referred to in the Book of Mormon where it is given to understand that a curse is effectuated on those who turn away from the Lord. This curse becomes manifest in the darkening of the person s skin and knowing that my friend was making that reference I said nothing. After a moment the person continued, I know that you do not believe in the curse, and so I interrupted, I never said that I do not believe in the curse. I said that I do not believe that the curse is the coloration of skin! I think you're wrong, explained the person, because the curse in third Nephi says that the Lamanites came to live among the Nephites and their skin turned white. Yeah, I remarked, but I believe that the scripture is written in Maya-speak. You're just changing the words so that it will say what you want, he retorted. Look, I said, you can believe what you want. I make no requirement for anyone to take my word as dogma. You're just stubborn! Well, it's fine if you wish to believe that, I said you can believe anything that you want. Silence followed. It was at this moment that I realized that I must revisit the subject of the curse as I had obviously not explained my views clearly enough. This is why I am writing this paper. The Arguments There are a myriad of reasons why I believe that the curse is a spiritual condition and not skin color as viewed by my friend. Where do I start? That friend was right about one thing; I fully believe that I am right in my views on this subject. I believe that I have been able to comprehend Mayan cultural perspectives because I was able to move beyond my old views of this curse and how it is manifested. That is to say, I believe that I have been able to find large volumes of Book of Mormon evidence because I was able to remove my curse blinders. By curse blinders I mean the following; when we assume that the color of skin is a determination of the differences in the character among people then we assume that we are able to physically see the quality of people. That attitude blinds us to reality. By holding to this belief we begin to assume that those with darker skin cannot obtain the same spiritual level as those with lighter skin because the person is cursed. While there are those who believe in the curse that will deny that they believe as I just expressed it, they still unconsciously practice it. They have predetermined to judge in favor of a person or against a person based upon the color of their skin. This is because they honestly believe that they have insight into the character flaws of their fellow man because they are scripturally aware 24

29 of the curse. They believe that they have a more accurate view because they can see the truth displayed on the skin of others. There are varying levels of these views and this is why the subject is so difficult. I therefore feel the need to make a series of arguments about my views concerning the curse because there are a variety of foundational concepts that I hold. Remember, the curse concept has had more than 150 years of growth and I do not believe that it is too much to ask if this paper should take you several hours to read if we can finally arrive at a perspective that is consistent throughout all scripture and archaeological experience. The Beginning I was a student from Graceland University in Iowa and Missouri State University when I found that my real interest was in archaeology and had decided to attend the University of the Americas in Mexico City because they specialized in the field. I had chosen wisely, but I had done so by happenstance. As it turned out, the University of the Americas was one of the very few programs still battling for independent thinking. It was a one of the last vestiges for the rapidly disappearing hippie. It was the late 1960s, and while the hippie movement seemed to be gaining strength in the USA, it was beginning to turn more into a fad because of the vast amount of converts. At the time people such as myself did not realize that the hippie dream was about to come crashing down. It was in this dreamy state of idealism that I took an art history class with Dr. Alexander von Wuthenau. I had heard that he was a hard professor, but I had also heard that he had very unusual views concerning Mesoamerican archaeology; particularly his views that there were many races in ancient America before Columbus. I had read his first book on the subject and decided to take his class. This was probably one of the best decisions I ever made. Unbeknownst to me at the time, most of the professors at the University of the Americas were loners. They were people who had escaped from the prisons of greater universities and moved to join the University of the Americas where their burgeoning theories could be cultivated. There were no rules or regulations concerning what the University approved or disapproved. Some professors were very liberal and others were ultraconservative, but none of them held their tongue. Wars of ideas raged on campus behind closed administrative doors and sometimes openly in front of students. Several of the professors were but students themselves. So into this volatile soup I was immersed, tossed and turned by the waves of contention. Finally, I washed ashore landing upon a rock of reasoning which had been placed there by my mentor, Alexander von Wuthenau. Dr. von Wuthenau was a Hitler refugee. He had been in line for the crown of Germany when Nazism permanently removed his family from power. Some of those removals were by death while others like Alex escaped to the New World. In Alex's case he chose Mexico because he found himself interested in the American Indians. He had a lifetime of experiences from which I was about to benefit. The class was simply marvelous. Dr. Alex provided evidence upon evidence depicting myriads of races found among the American Indians. Wave after wave of images assaulted my mind. I could see that Alex was correct in spite of what his many critiques had said. I do not remember the specific class or date. I do not remember where or with whom I sat, but still some 50 years later I do remember many of the specific lines stated in a particular lecture; those statements pushed me to become one of Dr. Alex's best friends and 25

30 colleagues. Before relating those statements I must explain one more thing about von Wuthenau. Alex was very professional and his demeanor was an old European style. He never allowed personal feelings to bleed into his work. Though I now believe that he must have been quite religious, he never predicated any hint of religious belief. Yet, in particular statements that he made during the lecture he bared his soul, and when doing so it was as though a part of his soul reached out and touched me so profoundly that it changed my life. He said the following: If there is a God, then it follows that there is a devil. And if there is a devil, then it follows that he created evil. And if it follows that the devil created evil, then the evil he creates will be the most vile. And, the most vile of all evil is that one person should judge another by the color of their skin. And it is this evil that permeates our world today. He was right on! I remember how deeply this series of statements struck me. I remember how at that very moment I made the conscious decision to reject my preconceived views concerning race. I had been raised to believe in the curse of the Book of Mormon. I previously held no doubt concerning it, but the elegant rational of this man who had faced the evil of Nazi Germany now caused my former beliefs to come crashing down like a house of cards. Over the years, I have spoken at length with former Book of Mormon believers who had similar experiences. For those people the answer was to abandon their beliefs in the Book of Mormon, but somehow, thankfully, I was not dissuaded from my belief in the Book of Mormon. I was only dissuaded in my belief that the curse is the coloration of skin, and this change allowed me to see the first project I would tackle; the Cacaxtla Murals. It was in the late 60s and early 70s that the Cacaxtla Murals were discovered. I was a student in Puebla, Puebla, Mexico at the time and several things happened during 1970 that opened many doors for me. One of the greatest was the Cacaxtla Murals. Being so close I was one of the first on the scene. I wrote a paper concerning the murals 2 for which I received attention from Alex. This followed with the paper concerning migrations to the Americas as outlined by the Book of Mormon of which he published a synopsis in his book. 3 However, it was the Cacaxtla Murals which made me think the most. Here in these ancient murals were redskins and blackskins at war with each other. How could it be? Weren't the Nephites white? The murals made it very clear that the followers of Quetzalcoatl were redskins and that the bad guys were black; I don t mean like in a dark brown, I mean black like India ink black. Within a year I read several reports by Book of Mormon believers who claimed that these murals proved the curse, but how? If the Nephites created these murals why would they portray themselves as redskins? Everybody knew that the redskins were the remnant Lamanites! The redskin was a curse put on the Lamanites so that they would be different from the Nephites and the two groups would not intermingle. Further, why depict the Lamanites as India ink black? No one was that black! The murals were unrealistic, yet I knew that the Nephites had painted them I had no doubt as to their origin. Finally the light came on; the murals were displaying the spiritual nature of the Lamanites as perceived by the Nephite artists who were redskins, the difference was the spiritual condition, not their skin color. So, I returned to third Nephi to reread the scripture because unlike my colleagues I did not reject the Book of Mormon 2 Steede, Neil; Cacaxtla, the Last Classic Maya Site, 1970, unpublished paper. 3 von Wuthenau, Alexander; Unexpected Faces, Crown Publishers, New York, New York. 26

31 story I was simply questioning the curse aspect. This began a 40-year trek and the conclusions that I have reached I will be sharing here momentarily, but first I believe that I must share a few more items that also affected my perspective. The second event that occurred in 1970 was my opportunity to work with Dr. John Paddock 4 in Oaxaca. As a student of University of the Americas I was allowed to participate in excavations at Monte Alban, Mitla, Lambityeco, Yugul and several other sites of Mesoamerican fame. While at Lambityeco, I was involved in the discovery of a tomb that carried a symbol which was later identified as representing a Oaxacan descendant who claimed ancestry to all three Book of Mormon cultures. 5 Those three branches imply that the person in the tomb was Jaredite, Mulekite and Nephite. How could that be? The Book of Mormon states that all of the Jaredites died at the final battle. So what was going on? Was this yet another Book of Mormon scripture to be proven wrong? No wonder my colleagues had abandoned the book. During that year John and I also became good friends. And without divulging that I believed in the Book of Mormon I inquired concerning aspects that might relate to the Nephite final battle described in the Book of Mormon. He then revealed to me a pet theory of his where he believed that in the area called Tuxtepec is where one might find the site of a great battle. He based these conclusions on a site known as Huijatzoo in eastern Oaxaca where several murals had convinced him that a large battle occurred northward of that site. I decided to follow through on John's invitation. Another event that occurred that year was that I caught a glimpse of the Covenant Codex. 6 This codex had been kept from the Spanish conquistadores by the Cacaxtlans and after generations of having kept the codex hidden the family wanted to sell it; they were starving. I got a glimpse of it before it disappeared. Fortunately, more than 20 years later in the 1990s, it was my great fortune to be approached with the opportunity to hold and study this document. But in that short viewing I was shown that even Quetzalcoatl was portrayed as a redskin. It was also in 1970 that I met Coty who eventually became my wife. A 1958 beauty queen of the state of Mexico, she had abandoned a career as a nun to become a secretary for the Michigan Clark Company. Just after quitting that job she opened a restaurant and a boarding house in Puebla. Her recently deceased father had left her and her mother destitute. So they had moved to Puebla where I met her. I was infatuated with her at first sight. Though some 12 years my senior, I knew that I must convince her to be mine. But, she was a Lamanite! She could trace their ancestry back through to the Royal Aztec line, and to this aspect she was very adamant. Her career experience was as a nun coupled with the beauty and business backgrounds which made her an enigma, but I could see that she truly was not cursed. She had a most wonderful mind. The year 1970 ended with not receiving a diploma from the University of the Americas 7 but it did lead to two particular events that are related to this paper. First, I traveled to the theoretical battle site in northern Oaxaca which I believed to be the Cumorah 4 Paddock, John; Ancient Oaxaca, 1966, Stanford University Press, CA 5 See: Steede, Neil; Book of Mormon Archaeological Evidences; Artifact-by-Artifact, 8 volumes, 2008, ESRS, PO Box 4175, Independence, Missouri, Steede, Neil The Covenant Codex, 2005, ESRS, PO Box 4175, Independence, MO Though later I became an adjunct professor for a Japanese university and was contracted by the Mexican government for some 10 years. 27

32 battle site described in the Book of Mormon. While there I had an experience that also affected the rest of my life. I met the man who I believe may have been one of the Three Nephites. During that experience I was shown many things. One of those things is particularly pertinent to this paper. I will share that now. I saw a valley with gently rolling hills. Those hills rose into the distance to become mountains that bordered the valley. As I focused closer I begin to see that the low rolling hills were made from titles of books. The books were all open and piled upon each other with the open pages facing upward. As I looked closer at the books I could see that they were very colorful. The pages were blue with yellow printing, red with green printing, purple with orange printing, and so on. I knew that they were history books relating all the history of mankind. Then, I looked again at the horizon and I could see that the clouds were moving and that the sun was appearing. Before that moment I had not realized that I was under a cloud-covered sky, but now I saw the rays of the emerging sunlight racing across the valley floor toward me. I also saw that the exposed book pages were changing color as the rays of sunlight hit them. Red pages with green print were changing to green pages with red print. Blue pages with orange print were changing to orange pages with blue print etc. Everything was changing to opposite colors. All of the books said exactly the same words that they had before, but under the bright light of a full sun it looked totally different. And, then there was the man who I thought was one of the Three Nephites. I realized that he was dark, almost to the point of being a dark-tone Negro American. How could this be? Unknowingly, I had been granted the gift of full understanding concerning the curse. Within a space of three years I had received all of the reasoning to understand how the curse worked. If you understand all that I have written so far, then you are blessed. For those who did not, I will now begin to explain for it took me the next 40 years to understand and unravel the meanings of what was given and to find ways of explaining it. I will now attempt to do that. All of the pieces of evidence recounted above are the pieces of the argument needed to understand. However, we must be willing to let go of our ego if we want to understand them. In my opinion, it is our ego that fuels the view that we are able to discern a man's spiritual state by his skin color; spiritual aspects that can be seen with temporal eyes. In my opinion, to believe that physical genetics determine a person s spiritual state is in and of itself a sin. This view is worse than being the foundation for contention between men for it is also the foundation for a man to believe that he can fairly judge like a God. So let us reason together and coldly look at the spiritual texts given to us, but let us view them under sunlit skies, not cloudy ones. The Book of Mormon Curse There are several references in the Book of Mormon concerning the curse, but the clearest of them all is found in III Nephi. 8 Here it tells us that the Lamanites who came to live with the Nephites became lighter in skin color after having been there. Of all of the references to the curse being skin color related, this appears to be the most obviously racist. Now, while I am fully aware of what the scripture says, I am also aware of Maya-speak. So 8 III Nephi 1:52 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; [53] And their young men and their daughters became exceeding fair, and they were numbered among the Nephites, and were called Nephites. And thus ended the thirteenth year. 28

33 first I must explain what I mean by that term. There are a myriad of examples of specialized vocabulary in the English language. Everything from football s third and eight to the carpenter s justification are examples of specialized jargon which is used to abbreviate long expressions between fellow workman. The jargon of a botanist is not the same as the jargon of a veterinarian. The jargon of a quantum physicist is not the same jargon as a concert pianist etc. Yet all of those people are professionals and they can communicate with one another. The trouble in communication begins when they attempt to communicate with one another concerning their professional fields and utilizing their specialized language. In my opinion, this is the case with the Mayaspeak embedded within the Book of Mormon. Book of Mormon believers have a tendency to forget who the writers of the Book of Mormon really are. They are professionals in their respective fields. All of them are in the same profession of being seers. How many of us can claim to be professionals in that field? I suspect none of us; it is a rarity. Once again, our deficiency is our pride. None of us are willing to admit that our vision is limited by the very blinders we wear. The Blinders The blinders can be composed of anything. They may be composed of preconceptions that are erroneous. Or they may be composed of misconceptions deliberately set in place. It really makes no difference since the result is the same, but I must say that I believe the self-imposed blinders are much harder to recognize than the erroneous preconception blinders. The former requires a far greater desire from the individual to remove them than the latter. Moreover self-imposed blinders are much harder to diagnose than erroneous preconceptions. In fact, I believe that I can only make a true case for the erroneous preconception blinders due to the very nature of the self-imposed blinders. Therefore, I will only deal with the first case of erroneous preconceptions. Once a good friend of mine stated that they did not want to use the Book of Mormon as reference material because of two things: the constant reference to war 9 and the racism. I understand the person s feelings, and in her defense this person is very active in a Restoration Movement church. 10 However, just as this person recognized the truth of the organization to which she belonged, she also recognized that the commonly accepted view of the curse was incorrect. This person did not know why it was incorrect; she simply knew that it was. In my opinion she was attempting to be politically correct. She knew that the politically correct view of skin color being meaningless sounded and felt correct. In that sense she was right. However, I am not a fan of doing things so that they are politically correct. Nevertheless, the person referenced was not an archaeologist, so she only had her inner instincts and the Holy Spirit to guide her. The person had prayed about it and had come to the conclusion that there must be some other meaning to the Book of Mormon scripture referenced. So, she settled on disagreeing with it. She was not exactly aware of why, and she was not attempting to disavow allegiance to the Book of Mormon. Rather, she chose to avoid an inner conflict. Again, I say that this person had more guts to take the 9 This first point has been dealt with elsewhere. See: Steede, Neil; New Book of Mormon Archaeological Evidences, Vol. 3, 2013, ESRS, PO Box 4175, Independence, MO By Restoration Movement I mean any organization that has Joseph Smith Jr. original organization as an ancestor. Therefore, I include everything from the Utah LDS to Community of Christ, and from Strangite of Elijah's Message to the Temple Lot and FLDS. 29

34 position taken than anyone else I know. So, this introduces us to the first set of erroneous preconception blinders worn by many. These blinders are learned from what we consider to be a holy source, and in a sense that source teaches an error. These holy people were simply expressing the scriptures to their best ability. In that sense they were completely honest. They used the words that were verbally stated. They did not mean that we should be a racist. Instead they fully believed that we could have these beliefs and not be racist, but times have changed since the 1960s. Now we are required to think these things through, and in my opinion, my friend had thought them through. The person earlier reference had chosen the most difficult road of all. They had chosen to believe in spite of the evidence. That position is the hardest position to choose. In my opinion she had passed the test given to the Restoration Movement when it was told that they would be tested by the faith that they expressed in the Book of Mormon. 11 So, what is truly being said in III Nephi? It is Mayaspeak. Racism Most people believe that they are not racists. They base this assumption on their attitudes towards other races. In this segment I want to discuss the true meaning of racism as is practiced by most Book of Mormon believers. 12 I have been married three times. All three wives have passed on, and each had passed before I married the next wife. However, my point in bringing this up is that all three wives were not Book of Mormon believers when I married them though all were Book of Mormon believers before they died. Further, all three wives were very different races. The first was Native American; the second was descendant Welsh, and the third was African-American. I like variety. My second and third wives had children from previous husbands. I ended up with a Native American child from the first marriage, and white and black children from the second and third marriages. I love all of my children equally. Yet, now I must teach my children, not to mention my wives, of how to interpret the curse of the Book of Mormon. Do I tell my darker children that they are cursed and thus will never obtain entrance to the highest heaven? Do I inform my white children that they can obtain entrance where the others will not be allowed? I mean, just how far does this cursed thing go? I taught all of them, wives and children, that they were equal, no matter what. In fact, over the years I have met many blacks who do believe in the Book of Mormon and they also believe that they are cursed. I cannot imagine living in that manner. Further, I cannot imagine anyone teaching the scriptures in that manner. It reminds me of the movie Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? That movie confronts the problems faced by a couple whose white daughter is about to marry a black man. As the parents say one to another, we taught her to not be racist, but we didn't mean that she should marry one! Unfortunately, most people do not consider themselves to be racists. Yet most fall into the category of the parents just described. Whether or not these parents realize it, they are racists. They have trapped themselves. Uncountable people, both white and black, have been taught and have adopted the concept that this curse begins with Cain and Abel. Cain was cursed with the darkness that overcame him when he killed Abel. 13 Yet this occurrence 11 Scripture referring to being "tested" by the Book of Mormon 12 I am also speaking of Book of Mormon believers whether they are white, black, red, yellow, or blue. 13 Genesis 5:25 And I, the Lord, said unto him, Whosoever slayeth thee, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold; and I, the Lord, set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. [26] And Cain was shut 30

35 does not say that his skin turned black. In my opinion, the reference is to his soul to his spiritual condition after the Holy Spirit withdrew from him. Therefore, his spirit darkened. Moreover, we never think the same about Isaiah. In the scripture about Cain we are told that the veil of darkness covered him. In fact, there are many who claim that Cain is the first black. Further they claim that all blacks are descended from him. Oh, yeah? So why are the children of other murderers not born black? Moreover, didn't the descendents of Cain all die in Noah's flood? The claim is made by some that the son of Noah was cursed with the same blackness. In fact, let us explore the curse for a minute. The scripture says that Ham saw his father's nakedness. 14 Yet, when we read Leviticus it states that to see the father s nakedness means that a man sleeps with his mother. 15 So what Ham actually did was sleep with (or raped) his mother. While I agree that such a sin should merit a punishment, there is no hard evidence that a skin of blackness is what happened to Ham. In both cases it needs to be pointed out that there never has been, is, or will be a race that is black. All of the darker races are shades of brown and neither is there a race of whites. This is why Crayola brand crayons have a flesh color in the box. White is only used for ghosts like Casper the Friendly Ghost. As a society we are seemingly at a crossroad and must decide which way to turn. How do we explain the yellow race? What about the Australian aborigines? What about a race called the Negrito? 16 What about red-heads? Are these all variations of curses? Moreover, why would God create such a curse? But, there is a much deeper problem that looms in the future; it is the problem of the pygmies. It has only been within the last decade that DNA testing has really taken off. While DNA testing has solved many a crime, it has done much more. It has proven that the oldest human race is the African Pygmy. The African Pygmy has the simplest DNA of all the races, and recent DNA mapping demonstrates that we can follow all lines of humans back to the African Pygmy. What does this mean? It means that I, you, and everyone who will ever read this text are descendents of African Pygmies. 17 For those who are unaware, African Pygmies are black. There are those who reject this concept as hogwash because they do not want to believe it I cannot help that. This is an accepted fact of science. It is provable. Moreover, recent studies have shown that Neanderthal DNA represents 4% of every race's DNA except for Africans. 18 What does this mean? It means everyone who reads this text with the single exception of Africans have 4% Neanderthal DNA in their blood. In this sense, Africans are more human than the rest of us. Now what? While I am on the subject, out from the presence of the Lord, and with his wife and many of his brethren, dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. 14 Genesis 9:28 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his brethren without; and Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid upon both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father, and they saw not their father's nakedness. [29] And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his youngest son had done unto him, and he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. [30] And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant, and a veil of darkness shall cover him, that he shall be known among all men. [31] God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. 15 Leviticus 20:11 And the man that lieth with his father's wife hath uncovered his father's nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. 16 Asian features but black skin. 17 African pygmy DNA, (and variants), Internet. 18 Neanderthal DNA and humans, (also variants), Internet. 31

36 there is one more aspect to cover concerning the African Pygmy. While the following is not accepted science, it is still evident that pygmies are twice as ancient in North America than in Africa. 19 Though there are apparently many lines of evidence, this continental dating aspect is still not accepted, but it far out does the presently accepted evolutionary argument. Regardless of the evolution question the problem is that for any person to believe that another is inferior due to his skin color is not scientifically provable and whether this view is accepted or not by the reader, it is sustainable. So, if all of us are descendents of blacks, then how can the curse be to have a black skin? This view simply does not make sense. Now I turn to the way in which the Nephites represent themselves. There are several perspectives here, so be patient. The Cacaxtla Portrayals The Cacaxtla murals are both Gnostic and Sethian. To be Gnostic implies that there are mystical meanings hidden within the text, or in this case, images. 20 This is certainly true of the Cacaxtla murals. Sethianism is usually reserved for Christian belief systems and is applied to texts and/or images having a dualistic nature. 21 The Cacaxtla murals are both. These murals are images of Native Americans that can be divided into two obvious groups. One group is redskin while the other is blackskin. The redskins are always followers of Quetzalcoatl (with a single exception) and the blackskins are followers of a variety of organizations. From the context of the murals it is easy to see that the redskins are Nephites and the blackskins are Lamanites. Why would the Nephites portray themselves as redskins? If the curse is the coloration of skin and all of the Nephites were killed off by the Lamanites, then it follows that all of the redskins born from the Lamanite descendents are a manifestation of the Book of Mormon curse. If the above is true, then Nephites are portraying themselves as redskins. Why? 19 Steede, Neil; Mysterious Origins of Man, Parts I and II, NBC network, BC Video and ESRS, PO Box 4175, Independence, MO Valsequillo, BC video and ESRS, PO Box 4175, Independence MO Valsequillo, Five Years Later, BC Video and ESRS, PO Box 4175, Independence MO New Evidence of Early Man in the Americas: Suppressed, BC Video and ESRS, PO Box 4175, Independence, MO Finally, the soon to be released Pick Me America, (working title), Neil Steede, ESRS, PO Box 4175, Independence, MO Gnosticism, Internet. 21 Sethianism, Internet 32

37 In my opinion, it is because the murals are Gnostic and Sethian which requires us to decipher their encrypted true hidden messages. If there are hidden messages, which there are, 22 then the dualistic and cryptic messages must be embedded within the skin colorations depicted. Several clues to this message are found in the War Murals. The War Murals depict the ancestor to both the redskin and the blackskin; the ancestor is a redskin. 23 If I am reading this mural correctly then how is it that the Lamanite became black? For those who believe in the traditional interpretation of the curse as skincolor, the obvious proclamation is that there are black because of the curse. But, I repeat my previous argument: there is no race that is a jet-black color. So allow me to take this analysis a step further. To the left of the ancestor figure is a figure of a man who is black from the knees down and red from the knees up. What is this? Is this a portrayal of how the curse starts at the feet and works upward? In my opinion this illustration portrays that a later generation of Nephites were overcome by the curse. It is attempting to show that their foundation (the lower part of their legs and their feet) was steeped in the Lamanite tradition of darkness and ignorance (black). There are those who have told me that this depicts a person being changed from Nephite to Lamanite by depicting the color change as it occurred. I do not agree with this assessment for a variety of reasons. First, people are not cartoon characters. On a cartoon we may see a character put his toe in freezing water and subsequently his whole body turns blue to indicate the extreme frigid temperature of the water, but to assume that this actually happened with people who were cursed seems ludicrous to me. If such an event happened, then it would force people to see the change occurring and therefore take away their freedom of choice. That is to say, their agency would be removed by visually seeing the curse occur. Moreover, there is the problem of the Governor s Murals at Cacaxtla that depict a black Nephite priest. In the Governor s Murals there are two panels that act as contrast/comparison mirrors. 24 The left mural depicts a Lamanite priest while the right mural depicts a Nephite priest. The Nephite priest is dressed in an Eagle costume and portrayed as black. He is standing on a Plumed Serpent so there is no mistaking that the priest is Nephite. In my opinion, he is a priest after the order of Nehor as defined in the 22 Steede, Neil; New Book of Mormon Archaeological Evidences, Vol. 1, 2012, ESRS, PO Box 4175, Independence, MO Ibid. 24 This reflecting is part of the Sethianism of the murals at Cacaxtla. 33

38 Book of Mormon. 25 While all might agree that the Order of Nehor is not of Christ and is a bad thing, this image is a Nephite, not a Lamanite, yet he is shown as black. There is no scripture in the Book of Mormon that claims that anyone from the Order of Nephi became cursed with the black (or even a darker) skin. So why is he represented like this? In my opinion, there are several reasons, but to understand them we must step back from the murals and consider the context. The Cacaxtla Mural Context We should consider several things when we view the overall context of the Cacaxtla Murals. The people painting the murals are prohibited by Mosaic Law from creating true likeness images. 26 Therefore, when viewing the murals we must realize that the faces are generic. That is to say, all of the faces are almost identical. This is not realistic, but it is consistent with Mosaic Law. 27 This being true, then it must be assumed that all other factors 25 Alma 14:56 Now the greatest number of those of the Lamanites who slew so many of their brethren, were Amalekites and Amulonites, the greatest number of whom were after the order of the Nehors. [57] Now among those who joined the people of the Lord, there were none who were Amalekites or Amulonites or who were of the order of Nehor, but they were actual descendants of Laman and Lemuel: [58] And thus we can plainly discern, that after a people have been once enlightened by the Spirit of God, and have had great knowledge of things pertaining to righteousness, and then have fallen away into sin and transgression, they become more hardened, and thus their state becomes worse than though they had never known these things. 26 Exodus 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 34

39 are also being presented generically including skin coloration. So, I want to examine the aspect of skin coloration in these murals. A close examination of the murals indicates that all redskins and all blackskins are the same shade. That is to say, none of the images vary a single degree in their skin color. 28 This aspect is not realistic. Just as all of the blackskins have no variation in their skin color, neither do the redskins. When we observe the literal color of any race, skin color variations are always present. Therefore, it must be assumed that the non-variation of the skin tone is used to illustrate something. In my opinion that something is the spiritual nature of the group being depicted. Moreover, it is known that the Maya (and this is a Mayan mural) 29 had the ability to create murals that depict skin tones. I believe that the Cacaxtla Murals are depicting the curse at the spiritual level. Before I move on, there is one more observation to make concerning the Cacaxtla Murals; they do contain a representation of the Christ. To the left of the stairway that bisects the War Mural is an image of a human enveloped in a Venus enclosure. Archaeologists know that there was a belief system they referred to as the Venus cult. The visual characteristics of the planet Venus were used by this group to depict the concept of resurrection. 30 So, it appears that this image surrounded by representations of Venus is the Christ. If so, then it seems strange that he is depicted as a redskin and without a beard. Why did the artists do this? Because he is being portrayed just as all of the others in the scene they are all portrayed metaphorically as opposed to realistically. The same is true of the image of Satan. At the bottom of the stairway is the mural known as the Cacaxtla (backpack). In my opinion Satan is depicted here. It should be noted that he is depicted as a redskin as well. One might choose to believe that my interpretations of the murals are wrong, and there are many who believe that. That s okay it doesn t offend me. But, if I am in error, then someone must come up with alternative meanings. The Bonampak Murals Based on research that has been published we understand that the Bonampak Murals 27 Ibid. 28 Obviously some variation does appear, but this is due to differences in the erosions upon the murals. The original pigments were equal. 29 Steede, Neil; New Book of Mormon Archaeological Evidences, Vol. 1, opinion cited. 30 Steede, Neil; Book of Mormon Archaeology; Artifact-by-Artifact, 2008, ESRS, PO Box 4175, Independence, MO

40 are the history of the Anti-Nephi-Lehis and the Ammonites. 31 These murals are quite different from the Cacaxtla Murals. They were created by the Ammonites to give their view of their history, and while a sketchy outline of their history is given in the Book of Mormon, the murals display much more detail of their move to Jershon and the later move to the City of Melek as related in the Book of Mormon. 32 But, an interesting aspect to these murals pertains to the portrayal of skin color. The variances are realistic though I must admit that the millennia of erosion have taken a toll. Nevertheless, it is interesting to note that there are images of particular Book of Mormon characters portrayed in these murals. In my opinion, the people portrayed include Ammon, Aaron, Himni, Omner (the Mosiah Boys); Alma II, King Lamoni, King Anti- Nephi Lehi and his father and mother. This is an opportunity to examine in detail the relative comparisons of the individual skin color. It is my belief that the portrayals are realistic for the very reason that I bring them to your attention for review; the reality of the skin color curse or lack of it. 33 The first four figures represented in the Bonampak Murals are the Mosiah Boys. These are the four sons of Mosiah the Younger and their names are Ammon, Aaron, 31 Steede, Neil; New Book of Mormon Archaeological Evidences, Vol. 1, opinion cited. 32 Ibid. 33 Once again, it is entirely within the right of any individual to proclaim that my identification of anyone or all of these individuals is mistaken. However, if that is done, then beware that one must also reject all of the other findings and parallels that I have done concerning Book of Mormon archaeology. Therefore, it is up to the individual to judge the validity of my identification on a personal level. 36

41 Himni and Omer. They are depicted as darker than many of the Lamanites to whom they are preaching. Why? While true, that all of the portrayals given are redskins, there is a distinct difference between individual skin colors. They run from being redskin to a very dark, almost black, redskin. These variations strike me as very realistic, unlike the Cacaxtla Murals that I believe to be generically using skin color in a metaphysical sense these murals seem to be representing skin color in a realistic sense. If this is so, then we have a realistic window in which to view the skin-color perspective. That is to say, if this skin color curse is true, we should be able to view it in these murals. As stated earlier, the Mosiah Boys are represented with darker skin than many of the Lamanites to whom they are taking the gospel. If the Lamanites are cursed with a darker skin, then why aren t they portrayed that way? One may argue that since the murals were painted by Lamanites they would not be portraying their true colors (pardon the pun), but this view does not stand up to the fact that the Book of Mormon states they converted and eventually became more righteous than the Nephites. If they are so righteous, then why would they be less than honest concerning this important aspect? That is to say, why do they depict themselves as being lighter than the missionaries who brought the gospel to them? In my opinion to take that assumption and use it as the reason for their less-thanhonest portrayals is to deprecate the change that occurred within them. The first individuals represented in the murals are the four Mosiah Boys, and though they are cloaked in white (to represent to their purity) they are darker than many of the Lamanites, but this line of reasoning goes even further. Both King Lamoni and his father are portrayed as true redskins. Lamoni's mother is portrayed as beige while King Anti-Nephi-Lehi 37

42 (Lamoni's brother) is portrayed as a dark-skinned Lamanite. How is this possible? If there is a skin color curse it seems that King Anti-Nephi-Lehi should be lighter than his mother, father and King Lamoni. After all, he gave his life for his beliefs. 34 Further, there is the scene in which Ammon meets Alma II to ask Alma II for permission for his Lamanites to move into Jershon. In that scene Alma II is also darker than many of the Lamanites. How can this be? I must assume that the portrayals are realistic and honest. If so, then the curse of skin color is not true. The San Bartolo Murals We find representations of Lamoni s father and mother in the San Bartolo Murals. These murals are a testimony of their conversion to Christianity. It is impossible for me to believe that any type of dishonesty is portrayed here. Once again, you may believe that my identification of these aspects in the murals are incorrect, but please realize that Mesoamerican archaeology also recognizes the Christianity in these murals. This is unprecedented. It changes the entire relationship between Book of Mormon believers, archaeologists and epigraphers. Therefore, in this case my personal identification of who created these murals is irrelevant. While there may be those who do not except my claims, I caution you for this reason; this is the beginning of the very event that Book of Mormon believers have been waiting for because these murals represent the archaeological worldview cross-over from Pagan Mayans to Christian Mayans. With that warning in place I will now discuss the racial comments found in the murals. The San Bartolo Murals are both Gnostic and Sethian as are the Cacaxtla Murals. These murals are dated from 150 to 100 B.C.E. (BC) and are in two parts. There is the King s Mural and the Queen s Mural. Both murals are giving the account of events that happened to this couple. However, I am not concerned with the religious views portrayed here as I have already addressed them. 35 I am specifically addressing the curse aspect in these murals. To begin, I turn to the last scene in the King s Mural. In my opinion, this scene is a depiction of Ammon and of King Lamoni's father. Both are depicted as redskins. The King sits naked before Ammon to receive the written word. He has thrown off his jaguar cloak which hangs on the back of his throne, and in so doing 34 Ibid. 35 I suspect that He is known as the God of Maize because of the multiple colors represented in each kernel on the ears of Maize. This is symbolic that all people, it regardless of color, have the opportunity to be accepted by him. 38

43 he is naked without covering and ready to be clothed with the Word. If he is the same color as Ammon, then it appears as though his skin color curse has already been lifted. Supposing that to be true, then he has become a redskin just like Ammon. Still, both are redskins. A completely different case can be observed in the Queen s Mural. In the Queen s Mural the Queen is portrayed as beige in color (as in the Bonampak murals). In the second scene of the mural she is also shown to be bound and naked from the waist up as she offers her participation of the sacred supper to Quetzalcoatl who is in the form of the corn God (God of Maize). She raises her cup and bread as an offering to his image. The god is accepting her offering, but the next scene is the important one. The next scene shows the Queen facing the opposite direction. She has completely changed her life's direction. Again she is portrayed as being on her knees in front of her God, but her wrist bindings have fallen away and directly above her is another image of her again. Now, with that description in mind, I will review all of the skin colorations. She is still beige in the lower image, but the upper image is a much darker color. In fact, the upper image is an illustration of her sins being taken from her. It is obvious here that this image is metaphoric for we cannot see sins being taken from a person, but the imagery goes much further. The God portrayed is the same color as the sins being lifted from her. Why? It appears to me that this God is portrayed as dark because the artist wants us to understand that He has not only lifted the sins of the Queen from her, but more importantly, He absorbed the sins that she had committed. Nevertheless, in my opinion the portrayal is of Christ. Here Christ is portrayed as being dark and this theme is prolific throughout Mesoamerican 39

44 art. In fact, there are many portrayals of not only dark gods but of totally black gods. In all cases this God is recognized by archaeologists of being the Corn God (God of Maize). 36 In fact, there are scholars who believe that these black portrayals prove that Africans made it to the Americas before Columbus. 37 But, these portrayals are not absolute evidence because all of these murals require interpretation and human interpretation is subject to error. Therefore, other lines of thought must be considered. Spies There are two incidents in the Book of Mormon concerning intermarrying of the Nephites and Lamanites. One of those incidents is well-known by the average Book of Mormon reader, but the second one is more telling. The first goes back to Chinkultic (City of Nephi) and to the story of King Noah s 24 priests. King Noah's 24 priests kidnapped Lamanite women. Later, the Lamanite army caught up with them and were about to execute those 24 priests until they heard the pleas of the stolen women to spare the lives of the priest captives because they were now their husbands. 38 Therefore, we here find that there were marriages between the Lamanites and Nephites. During the Moroni wars the Lamanite men within Nephites territories were requested to become spies. Now, why did the Nephites request Lamanites to become spies? Some may argue that the reason for this request was based on skin color. I disagree. I believe that the reasons for the Lamanite men being requested were varied. However, I believe that skin color was not necessarily one of them. I suggest that the strongest reason is language. Elsewhere 39 I have shown that there were a variety of languages used within the Nephites territory. Therefore, it stands to reason that there were also a variety of languages or dialects used in Lamanite territory. Some of those dialects may have been as closely related to one another as our American English Texas twangs and southern drawls. But, it is also known that there were at least 35 different Mayan languages, and by far and large they are mutually unintelligible. It might also be a situation that body type differences would easily expose spies. For example I turn to George Catlin. In the late 1800s a man by the name of George Catlin produced a two volume book called Indians of North America. 40 In this book Catlin drew hundreds of Native Americans in tribal settings. Catlin s drawings demonstrate that you could recognize many tribes simply by looking at their face types. This may have also been true in Book of Mormon cultural settings. Therefore, the use of the Lamanites would have been important to avoid detection for reasons other than skin color. This might also be true from the standpoint of dress, personal grooming, cultural specific jargon, referents and the like. From the Book of Mormon it is known that there are cases when hairstyles reversed between the Lamanites and Nephites. At one point the Lamanites shaved their heads while 36 Steede, Neil; New Book of Mormon Archaeological Evidences, Vol. 1, opinion cited. 37 van Sertima, Ivan; They Came Before Columbus. 38 Mosiah 11:37 And it came to pass that Amulon did plead with the Lamanites; and he also sent forth their wives, who were the daughters of the Lamanites, to plead with their brethren, that they should not destroy their husbands. [38] And the Lamanites had compassion on Amulon and his brethren, and did not destroy them, because of their wives. 39 Steede, Neil; Book of Mormon Archaeology; Artifact-by-Artifact, opinion cited. 40 Catlin, George; Indians of North America. 40

45 during another Nephites did. If the need for Lamanite spies occurred when the Nephites shaved their heads, 41 then one would have to wait months for a spy to grow his hair. The point is that while skin color might be consider, there are many other considerations as to why the Nephites chose Lamanites as spies. Moreover, if the Lamanites that had married Nephite women had moved into Nephi territory, then by this skin coloration standard it could be supposed that the Lamanites had already had a skin color change. Or if they had not, then how could Nephites trust them? While the subject is being discussed about the spies, there is the following aspect that many skin color curse believers like. It is the question of the Olmec race. The Olmec Race It has been shown elsewhere 42 that the Jaredite nation was a very distinctive group as compared with the Nephite and Mulekite nations. The Jaredites were largely Asian and African. It appears that the people consisted of about one third Asian, one third African, and one third mixed. 43 According to von Wuthenau, the mixing of these two races eventually culminated in a golden brown race. 44 Alex believed that the redness of the American Indians developed when the Jewish element was added to the mix. 45 Whether this is the case or not, it is true that the Olmec race was darker than the original Lamanite, Nephite or Mulekite races. It has also been established that not all of the Jaredites died in the final battle. 46 The Book of Mormon Scripture making this statement implies that all of the Jaredites who were gathered for the battle died. It has also been shown that large numbers of Jaredites (Olmecs) had abandoned the battle area and the fled to the southern Guatemala region before that battle and mixed cultures with the Lamanites. This explains why Jacob suddenly found that the Lamanites in the City of Lehi-Nephi were so numerous and darkskinned which Jacob interpreted to be a result of their curse. 47 I suggest that the Jaredites 41 Mosiah 6:37 And it came to pass that they came up upon the north of the land of Shilom, with their numerous hosts, men armed with bows, and with arrows, and with swords, and with cimeters, and with stones, and with slings; [38] And they had their heads shaved, that they were naked; and they were girded with a leathern girdle about their loins. Alma 1:102 And the Amlicites were distinguished from the Nephites; for they had marked themselves with red in their foreheads, after the manner of the Lamanites; nevertheless they had not shorn their heads like unto the Lamanites. [103] Now the heads of the Lamanites were shorn; and they were naked, save it were skin, which was girded about their loins, and also their armor, which was girded about them, and their bows, and their arrows, and their stones, and their slings, etc. 42 Steede, Neil; Book of Mormon Archaeology; Artifact-by-Artifact, opinion cited. 43 von Wuthenau, opinion cited. 44 von Wuthenau, Alexander, private communication. 45 Ibid. 46 Ether 6:21 And in the second year, the word of the Lord came to Ether, that he should go and prophesy unto Coriantumr, that if he would repent, and all his household, the Lord would give unto him his kingdom, and spare the people, [22] Otherwise they should be destroyed, and all his household, save it were himself, and he should only live to see the fulfilling of the prophecies which had been spoken concerning another people receiving the land for their inheritance; [23] And Coriantumr should receive a burial by them; and every soul should be destroyed save it were Coriantumr. [24] And it came to pass that Coriantumr repented not, neither his household, neither the people; and the wars ceased not; and they sought to kill Ether, but he fled from before them, and hid again in the cavity of the rock. The evidence indicates that there were large groups of people moving from north to south during this time period in an effort to escape the wars. The prophecy concerning the destruction of the people is focused on the royal houses that were battling for the throne. 47 II Nephi 4:31 Wherefore, the word of the Lord was fulfilled which he spake unto me, saying: That 41

46 (Olmec) refugees that fled south joined up with and began to mingle with the Lamanites. Thus, the Lamanites became more numerous and darker of skin. However, this provides a natural genetic mix of people as the curse to explain the early skin of darkness. Note that by the time the Book of Mormon story reaches Mosiah there is no mention of it. Because of all of the factors given above, I believe that there might have been some mixing of races and therefore racial distinction in the early Book of Mormon. But, if this is true then greater problems appear. By supposing that Africans were involved with the Jaredites, then we must suppose that Jared and the Brother of Jared (Bro J, as I call him) were black. The archaeological evidence on Stela 5 of Izapa and other monuments supports this supposition. 48 The Brother of Jared (Bro J) Since the evidence implies that Bro J was black, then how can it be that the Scripture is written about his perfection? To paraphrase, He is the most perfect man to ever live. 49 inasmuch as they will not hearken unto thy words, they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. [32] And behold they were cut off from his presence. [33] And he had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. [34] For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like unto a flint; [35] Wherefore, as they were white, and exceeding 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. 48 Steede, Neil; Book of Mormon Archaeology; Artifact-by-Artifact, opinion cited. 49 Ether 1:98 Behold, I have written upon these plates the very things which the Brother of Jared saw; and there never was greater things made manifest, than that which was made manifest unto the Brother of Jared; 42

47 Over the years I have noted that many people add on a sentence fragment to the scripture written by people from coast to coast and border to border. In my opinion, it is wrong to add on this sentence fragment. It is: Up to that time. I do not see that sentence fragment in the passage of scripture so I believe that it is absolutely wrong to add it. Why attempt to detract from this most perfect man? The Lip Seam It seems very likely that Bro J and Jared were equatorial Africans. Equatorial Africans do have one racial aspect not found among other races; a lip seam. This visual marker is a defining line of slightly puckered skin where the face and the lip edge meet one another. It does appear to be a dominant trait since it is still found among Native American pre-hispanic descendents today. It is feasible that this lip seam was the reason for the Nephites to want Lamanite spies. Whatever the case, there is still strong evidence that Bro J was black because his apparent stone portraits have the lip seam. How is it that the most perfect man who ever lived was black? How is it that apparently Adam and Noah were black? These are questions with which those who truly believe in a skin color curse must wrestle. Other Questions There are still more questions that should be answered. Why are none of the races in the Old World cursed with the skin of darkness? It seems as though this curse should also apply in the Old World. As pointed out earlier, a veil of darkness comes over Cain when he kills his brother, but it bothers no one that a veil is lifted from Isaiah so that he may see. Why has no one questioned this? Is it simply that because there is no evidence of a curse that no one asks? Yet, there are similar questions that should be asked concerning the Book of Mormon. There is a scripture in the Book of Mormon that states that the curse is that the gospel will be withdrawn. 50 I believe that this is the curse referenced in the Book of wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me to write them; and I have written them. 50 Alma 1:102 And the Amlicites were distinguished from the Nephites; for they had marked themselves with red in their foreheads, after the manner of the Lamanites; nevertheless they had not shorn their heads like unto the Lamanites. [103] Now the heads of the Lamanites were shorn; and they were naked, save it were skin, which was girded about their loins, and also their armor, which was girded about them, and their bows, and their arrows, and their stones, and their slings, etc. [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 trangression and their rebellion against their brethren, who consisted of Nephi, Jacob, and Joseph, and Sam, who were just and holy men. [105] And their brethren sought to destroy them; therefore they were cursed; and the Lord God set a 43

48 Mormon, but let us turn to III Nephi and again study this scripture. III Nephi 1:52 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; There is so much to discuss here. First, the final phrase: the curse was taken from them, and their skin became white like unto the Nephites. This is one of the strongest scriptures in the Book of Mormon concerning the skin color curse. Many view this scripture like the cartoon character turning blue that was referenced earlier. How does this literal change occur? When did it occur? Most believers in the skin color curse state that they believe that the change occurred over time, kind of like losing a tan. So let me consider the possibility. If the curse faded like a tan then it follows that it first manifested like a tan, only this tan never faded. In my opinion, this makes as much sense as an automatic turning on and off of the color as discussed in relation to the cartoon character. Slowing the event down does not change it. If there was documentation of such an event happening anywhere else in the world at any time I would feel better about it. Moreover, the description uses the word white. Were they albinos? Those in favor of the skin color curse are probably offended by this question. I do not mean to make light of the curse. I am attempting to discuss all the aspects of this important issue. The scripture does not say that their skin turned fairer, or lighter, and it does not say that it turned red or beige or light brown. It does not use the Crayola word flesh. It says White. My first contention is that the use of the word skin is actually referring to the spirit. The opposing side states, You are trying to change the words to fit what you want to believe! My retort, Okay, I now accuse you of not accepting the word white as it is written mark upon them, yea, upon Laman and Lemuel, and also the sons of Ishmael, and the Ishmaelitish women; [106] And this was done, that their seed might be distinguished from the seed of their brethren, that thereby the Lord God might preserve his people, that they might not mix and believe in incorrect traditions which would prove their destruction. [107] And it came to pass that whosoever did mingle his seed with that of the Lamanites, did bring the same curse upon his seed. [108] Therefore whosoever suffered himself to be led away by the Lamanites, was called under that head, and there was a mark set upon him. [109] And it came to pass that whosoever would not believe in the tradition of the Lamanites, but believe those records which were brought out of the land of Jerusalem, and also in the tradition of their fathers, which were correct, who believed in the commandments of God, and kept them, were called the Nephites, or the people of Nephi, from that time forth; [110] And it is they who have kept the records which are true of their people, and also of the people of the Lamanites. [111] Now we will return again to the Amlicites, for they also had a mark set upon them; yea, they set the mark upon themselves, yea, even a mark of red upon their foreheads. [112] Thus the word of God is fulfilled, for these are the words which he said to Nephi: [113] Behold, the Lamanites have I cursed; and I will set a mark upon them, that they and their seed may be separated from thee and thy seed, from this time henceforth and for ever, except they repent of their wickedness and turn to me, that I may have mercy upon them. [114] And again: I will set a mark upon him that mingleth his seed with thy brethren, that they may be cursed also. [115] And again: I will set a mark upon him that fighteth against thee and thy seed. [116] And again I say, He that departeth from thee, shall no more be called thy seed; and I will bless thee, etc., and whomsoever shall be called thy seed, henceforth and for ever: and these were the promises of the Lord unto Nephi, and to his seed. [117] Now the Amlicites knew not that they were fulfilling the words of God, when they began to mark themselves in their foreheads; [118] Nevertheless they had come out in open rebellion against God; therefore it was expedient that the curse should fall upon them. [119] Now I would that ye should see that they brought upon themselves the curse; [120] And even so doth every man that is cursed, bring upon himself his own condemnation. 44

49 either. Does white mean white or does it mean something else? More than likely, there is no response. For the opposing party realizes that, indeed, white is white. There will be some who argue that the Nephites were using the term white just like we do today. It was used to mean a race identification, but how do they come by that justification? Only since the time of Hitler am I aware of a race calling themselves white. There is no hint of that in biblical scripture. The Jews did not identify themselves as being a white race. Therefore, if the argument is to be that one must read the Book of Mormon as it is written, then there are larger problems lurking. This implies that the Book of Mormon has absolutely no mistakes and I believe that I have shown this not to be true. 51 What if there is another mistake here? I realize that most will not like this suggestion, but there are several reasons for believing it to be plausible. We have seen that the use of skin color in the murals is relative to the mural context. That is to say, skin color is assigned depending upon the intent of the mural message. Cacaxtla is a fine example of this. It is on arguable that there is no race with India ink black skin; it is impossible to exist in human pigmentation. So, with all the talent that the Maya had, why not paint the Lamanites portrayed at Cacaxtla as dark red or a dark brown? Why black? It was not because they lacked a dark Crayola in their coloring box. 52 Moreover, all of the redskins and blackskins are colored identically. Therefore the intent of the murals is not to be literal in their use colors. Rather, the intent is to be symbolic. But, wouldn t this symbolic message be better served if the Nephites were painted white, light gray or light beige? The Maya certainly had these choices. There must be an explanation. If the Cacaxtla painters viewed themselves as white these certainly would have painted themselves in that manner. For absolutely white people would be just as out of place as the absolutely black ones. If so, why paint themselves red? Moreover, why is Jesus, Satan and the ancestor figure all red? And why does the first generation from the ancestor to the right appear black? In my opinion, the colors are used to relate the story of those who were pure of heart and those who were not. Those that were pure of heart are depicted within the range of normal. That is to say, redskin for being a redskin was the norm. Everybody was a redskin! And, not wanting to confuse the reader of the murals, all of the Lamanites were depicted as black. Of course, because being a redskin was the norm, both Jesus and Satan were depicted as redskins. But wait: shouldn't Satan be depicted as a blackskin? There is no question that the image at the bottom of the stairway at Cacaxtla is Satan. He has all the identifying marks. The jaguar eyes, the foreword brushed ponytail and the nose tendrils all identify him as the Mayan God L who is the underworld god (the devil). Yet, he is being depicted as a redskin. Why? If the blackskins are used to depict a curse that was placed upon them by God, should not the curse also be placed upon the most evil of evil? At first, it might seem so, but we must remember that it is God who places the curse, not Satan. Therefore, it is probable that the authors of the murals did not believe that Satan had been given such a curse. In my opinion, this reasoning is circular. It seems that there must be more to it. In fact, there is a scripture that seems to clarify this issue. Behold, the Lamanites have I cursed; and I will set a mark upon them, that they and their seed may be separated from thee and thy seed, from this time henceforth and for ever, except they repent of their wickedness and turn to me, that I may have mercy upon them. If this is the curse 51 Steede, Neil; New Book of Mormon Archaeological Evidences, Vol. 2, opinion cited. 52 Dark Reds and Brown's exist within the Cacaxtla murals themselves. If one doubts this then look clearly at the blood the spurting forth from the victims. It is a dark red for example. 45

50 and the coloration of skin is not, then the whole scenario makes more sense to me. Satan is not a creator. As far as is known, he has no children. Therefore, it follows that God's curse whether of skin color or withdrawal of his spirit for several generations would not be placed upon him. Satan does not qualify as a candidate for the curse. This explains why he is redskinned even though he is evil. If the curse is not skin color, then it follows that the Lamanites were depicted as an unrealistic black so as to make the distinction between them and the Nephites more apparent. But, could the artists not have simply given the Nephites and Lamanites different dress to distinguish them? If they had done so I believe that it would have become confusing. Looking at the Nephite headgear it is fairly obvious that they wear the Quetzalcoatl headdress, but the Lamanites headdresses vary because there are differences among the Lamanites that they want to depict. 53 However, it is obvious that it is a Nephite that is depicted in the Governor's Murals. 54 He has an eagle headdress, yet he is black. So we must conclude that the difference between the Lamanites and the Nephites is not just based on skin color. Apparently, all redskins are Nephites and not all blackskins are Lamanites. It has already been shown that the Nephite generations to the left of the redskinned ancestor figure are black (one of them only up to the knees). So here are two more black Nephites. And what about those recognized as Lamanites to the right of the ancestor figure? Because of the different headdresses found among the figures to the right of the ancestor figure in the right War Mural, it might be answered that some of these previously classified as Lamanites might actually be turn-coat Nephites. The scriptures are full of dissident Nephites so there were plenty of them. 55 On the right door jamb of the Governor's Murals at Cacaxtla is another black Nephite. This Nephite does not where Quetzal feathers and he is attempting to bash his way to the truth as depicted by the corn plant around the corner. 56 What is even more interesting is that this figure is carrying a large conch shell which is a common symbol of Quetzalcoatl. Emerging from the shell is the weirdest human of all those painted at Cacaxtla. That human has red hair. So what is this symbolizing? While there are several attributes given to understand that this human is representing church 53 At this time it is not known exactly what all of those differences are. 54 Steede, Neil; New Book of Mormon Archaeological Evidences, Vol. 1, opinion cited 55 Qualifications for this type of black skin images could be peoples such as the Amlicites and so forth. 56 Steede, Neil; New Book of Mormon Archaeological Evidences, Vol. 1, opinion cited. 46

51 members, it is most important to realize that they are part of the battering ram that is being used to force open the way to the truth (the corn plant). Yet, they are being depicted white with red hair. So is this the only figure being used to represent the Nephites? I do not believe so. I believe that this figure is representing the church membership (red hair as cornsilks ) who is used by the priest who carries them. In essence, they are his pawns. Yet here that same blackskin Nephite priest wears a Lamanite jaguar loincloth. So again, Nephites are blackskin. This does not fit well with the concept of the skin color curse placed upon the Lamanites. Therefore, one must conclude that while all of the redskins appear to be Nephites, not all of the blackskins are Lamanites. It appears that no matter how appealing it is to utilize the Cacaxtla Murals as an example of a representation of the skin color curse, we cannot. It appears that in this case, skin color is being used to express soul condition. There is no other argument which that water. So, if the Cacaxtla Murals are not depicting a skin color curse, then what about the San Bartolo Murals? Again, both Ammon and King Lamoni s father have already accepted the gospel so the curse has already been lifted. If so, then why are all the Native Americans today redskins. If we ignore that question for the moment and simply view the murals, than it must be noted that they King's wife is beige (as stated earlier). The sins being lifted from her are dark red therefore one might suggest that the curse is a dark skin as opposed to a light redskin. If so, then why the beige color before the curse is taken from her? There is no question as to who the protagonists are 57 so how does color qualify here as depicting a skin color curse? They don't. Christ is also shown as being a dark red color. As stated, this God is depicted black elsewhere such as the San Bartolo Murals and the Bonampak Murals. The argument that he is depicted in this color because he is absorbing the sins of man is sound, but if this is true then it appears that his red skin in the Cacaxtla War Mural is not a sign of skin color curse. After all, this is a portrait of the Christ. So, it must be assumed that this portrays the Christ absorbing sin. If so, then there is no skin color curse depicted here either. Even the Bonampak murals depict no skin curse. In the last two cases we may argue that it is Lamanites who are painting the murals, and it may be argued that they would certainly not depict their own curse. But, that is not consistent with truly converted people as stated. So, where do I go from here? Back to III Nephi. 57 Steede, Neil; Book of Mormon Archaeology; Artifact-by-Artifact, opinion cited. 47

52 If the skin color portrayed in the murals and other sources do not depict a curse, but rather depict a state of spiritual being then it must be accepted that such usage is Mayaspeak. That is to say, that it is Mayan jargon. It is the Mayan way of openly hiding what they see. If this is so, then it seems that their written word should reflect the same symbolism. Of all of the examples given here, there is not an iota of evidence of a skin color curse. Some may say that I only interpret the scriptures to my liking since I have had a Lamanite wife and a black wife. My response if that rather than assume that these women blinded me, I believe that they opened my eyes. The probability is very high that Adam was black. How is it that there is nowhere else in the world that a skin color curse is even mentioned? It is not even implied. The only logical conclusion to me is that the curse reference in the Book of Mormon is not literal skin color. Where do I go from here? I believe that it must be accepted that the Maya-speak depicted in the murals show no evidence of a skin color curse, and that same Maya-speak must be reflected in the Book of Mormon text. If so, then there should be evidence of such. I cannot believe in a God who curses my children when they are attempting to obey His rules. I cannot believe in a God who curses anyone who gives their all to His cause and to His work. So, I must dig deeper. Outside of the errors I have mentioned, I believe that there is another error I cannot substantiate. I ask the reader who is interested to please look for this substantiation. You see, I am legally blind. My vision is extremely impaired. I cannot see my face in order to shave. Therefore, I must request that someone conduct a study to verify what I'm about to say. I believe it to be true, but I am aware of the possibility of being in error myself. If I am in error I apologize. However, I will make the following case; when we compare the original manuscript of the Book of Mormon to the original printing we find errors. Some of these errors are simplistic such as periods and commas. Some are much more profound. Among these errors is rumored to be one that directly affects all of the arguments made here. It is a place where the word white was used to replace pure. I fully realize that even if such an error did occur, that it would not drastically changed the views of either side of the argument, but it would soften the argument a great deal. Whether this case actually exists or not it does bring up an area of discussion that I believe is worth mentioning the translation of the Book of Mormon. We must assume that if we believe in the Book of Mormon that we believe that is a manuscript from God. And, if we believe that it is a manuscript from God then it was translated by the power of God. And, if we believe that it was translated by the power of God then more than likely we believe that it was translated via the Urim and Thummim as described by Joseph Smith Jr. If the Urim and Thummim were used to translate the Book of Mormon, then it can be assumed that there were no errors. So if there are errors where did it originate? In theory errors could have occurred at several junctures. They could be an error of origin when the information given to the author was incorrect. 58 It could be an error in judgment of the author as to what words to use or even a miswriting by the author. It could be a Urim and Thummim translation, not an error. It is possible that the person using the Urim and Thummim (Joseph Smith Jr. in this case) might have misunderstood or mistranslated by word slippage. The scribe to Joseph Smith Jr. might have misunderstood or missed a word or even miswrote. And, finally the editor could have misread, misprinted (i.e. accidentally inserted the wrong typeset) or even attempted an editorial correction. Of the 58 One of those errors is the reported death of Amalickiah. See Steede, Neil; New Book of Mormon Archaeological Evidences, opinion cited. 48

53 12 possibilities there are several that are more probable than others. Certainly if we find the word pure replaced with white then it appears that the fault would at least partially fall into the editor's hands. But, all of these are presently ambiguous at best. For even if we do find the word white replaced for pure, it had to have happened more than once. I strongly suspect that the Urim and Thummim played a role here. I will now attempt to explain why. I firmly believe that the Urim and Thummim were stones set in a bow as described and that they worked as described. That is to say, if a person was of the correct spirit the Urim and Thummim would transmit images of an unknown script into the script known by the user. However, it appears that the Urim and Thummim sometimes went beyond this mechanical exercise. A prime example is when using the name Jesus Christ. The first time that the name Jesus Christ appears in the Book of Mormon is in II Nephi Chapter 11. Moreover in the chapter it says that by no other name can a man be saved. Does this mean that one cannot say Jesus Christo (Spanish)? Obviously it does not. And just as obvious is the fact that the author did not write Jesus Christ in English. Instead he wrote Jesus Christ's name in his own language. What was that language? Was it Hebrew? Possibly. However, as an archaeologist in the field for 45 years I can say that the name Jesus Christ has never been found in this format in Mesoamerica inscriptions. Why? It seems that other names were used such as Quetzalcoatl or Kukulkan and these names translate as plumed serpent. But, if the intent of the author was to mean Jesus Christ then when the word Quetzalcoatl was found by the Urim and Thummim it would translate it to Jesus Christ. This seems logical to me. This means that the Urim and Thummim is an interactive device that has to make decisions while it is working. That is to say, it translates feathered serpent into Jesus Christ not because it is a correct literal translation, but because it is the authors intended meaning. 59 It is possible that something similar is happening with the translations that are in the Book of Mormon concerning the curse. We can readily see in Mayan murals that the skin of those portrayed is being used to indicate their spiritual nature. This also seems to be true of the Mayan hieroglyphic writing system. If so, it could be that this intended meaning is what is being conveyed through the Urim and Thummim when interpreting the term pure as the word white. In fact, an example of this does occur in Maya-speak concerning the Gadianton Robbers. We have found that the Gadianton Robbers in the Book of Mormon are referred to as the white dogs in Maya hieroglyphics. But possibly the word white should be changed to pure for it seems far more logical that the Nephites would refer to them as pure dogs rather than white dogs. Maya-speak indicate the white dogs as those of pure animalistic character that have no honor for social order. Therefore, in this sense, white is what we understand to mean pure in that they are now 100% animalistic in nature; pure dogs. At the very least this scenario seems reasonable to me. It also seems reasonable that a similar type scenario exists concerning the words skin and spirit or skin and soul. Most certainly the Maya-speak used in their murals reflect this. Therefore, the Urim and Thummim is being just as honest in either translation. The Books of Law and Life There is another illustration within the San Bartolo Murals that should be addressed 59 I really agree with all who could say that such events are not mechanical but are spiritual. But I'm trying to make a point. Please be patient. 49

54 concerning the last two humanoid figures found in the Queen s Mural. After the sins have been lifted from the Queen she then stands and predicates, or speaks the word of God, for she has become a priestess. In this instance she is once again depicted as beige. Of interest here are the two figures that follow her carrying two large books. At this time I believe these books to be the Book of Law and the Book of Life. While that may or may not be the correct identification what captures my attention is the skin color of the two figures. The colors are black and red and they run lengthways up and down the body and legs. Why? If we look carefully we see that the outer edges of the images are black while the inner edge of the images is red. What is the significance of the color arrangement of on these two? Certainly these images were not haphazardly or accidentally painted this way. There is symbolism involved. If we look at their feet, we see that the feet are red. Moreover, we see that the first man has splotches on the back of his leg, his buttock and his back. The lower two splotches are red whereas the upper one is beige. What is the meaning of these mystically arranged colors? At this time, this will remain an enigma. Hopefully in the future we will be able to address this question more clearly. But one thing is for certain: these two figures are not being used to portray any type of skin color curse. Pre-conclusions It seems that through careful observation and reasoning it is more than provable that the curse placed upon the Lamanites was not a manifested skin color curse. Rather, it was a curse that affected the immediate generations of those cursed so that their children and their children's children would not hear of the gospel message. There is no evidence from Mayanspeak that the curse ever existed based on skin color. However, there is an abundance of evidence that the concepts of skin and soul were often used interchangeably. If these things are true, then we can find peace with the evidence that our forefathers such as Adam to Noah were what we presently call black. They were the first race, as the evidence now seems irrefutable. For those who hail from the darker races, you may begin to now feel the chains of bondage breaking. There was never a skin color curse, but with just as much clarity it must be said that the curse of spiritual darkness did, and still does, exist. It is all around us. It is among us. I now consider myself to be one of the luckiest men alive because I have enjoyed the life experiences I have. My Lord loves me enough to create the circumstances for me to have had three wives of three races and children of all those races. This coupled with my first professor and my first work (i.e. Cacaxtla, Cholula and Valsequillo along with others) 50

55 have allowed me to develop a unique view of the world which has allowed me to see clearer. I have one last experience to share with you. One morning I awoke and went to the bathroom. I began to brush my teeth and as I looked into the mirror I saw that I was black! I don t mean an average Black like me black; 60 I mean a real cotton-picking black. I remember that I actually rubbed my skin to get it off! I remember that I cut myself to see if not only the pain was real, but if the inside was different. Then after my several moments of extreme panic I faced the mirror and thought deeply about my soul. It was no different. It was the same. And, then, I woke up! However, this very unique dream taught me so much. I was a black American; I actually could say that I had some insight into knowing what it was like to be black. Blacks would say, oh yeah? You've never felt the prejudice. You never lived through the hate. Oh, yes I did, it was my own hate. Until this moment in time I've never shared that dream publicly. I did tell my wives, and they all understood and claimed that the dream was one of the very reasons that they loved me. So, you see, it is just as I had said at the beginning of this paper. From the year that I started on this quest, I have been given all of the pieces of the puzzle to understand the curse. In my opinion, after all of this time I have realized the reason that I am ahead of my colleagues in understanding the ancient Mayan mindset is because I understand the curse. I can see what others cannot because the blinders that come with the misunderstanding of the curse also blinds one to the myriad of other Book of Mormon evidences that are abundantly available for anyone to observe. Every day I thank the Lord for these gifts even as painful some of them were. Conclusions If I was to put all of the evidence of the curse on a set of scales I believe that the evidence for the curse being skin color would weigh about an ounce while the evidence of the curse only being spiritual in its nature weighs tons. I do not believe this analogy is an exaggeration. I believe that even more clarity will arrive as time goes along. 60 Black Like Me is a true story where a white deliberately colored himself to be Negro and went to live in the deep South of the United States; a most interesting book. 51

56 Part 3: The Linguistic Evidence Chapter 4: The Egyptian Concept of Skin By David B. Brown In the previous chapter Neil Steede discussed the possibility of the interchangeable usage for the word skin and soul. The perspective he introduced caused me to revisit some of the research I had conducted concerning the numerology of Egyptian belief systems and their correlation to the Mayan numbering system. In John Anthony West s book on the mystical aspects of Egypt, 61 he indicates that there is a hidden symbolism in the numbering system in Egypt. One is unity; two is duality; three is relationship; four is balance; five is establishment of life with the blending of the female value of 2 and the male value of 3; six is creation in time and space; seven is growth; eight is renewal and replication; nine is rebirth. This system metaphorically equates to how they perceived the structure of the physical world. The Egyptians felt that the physical world had four basic elements; earth, fire, water and air. These four elemental characteristics interacted to either bind or cancel one another in a manner that provides dynamic motion for always the combination of elements create either opposition or attraction and the constant movement between these polar opposites keeps all particles in motion. To the Egyptians, stasis is death. But, the Egyptians felt that there was a fifth element or force that completed the physical elements; it is a force of attraction that acts as the unseen glue which binds all things together. It is love. And, yes, it is very similar to the theme of the Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich sci-fi movie called The Fifth Element. This concept is simply and visually demonstrated by the Maya in their numbering system. The series of dots and bars form a philosophical concept that links Central America to Egypt. Each of the dots represents a single number count. One dot has a value of 1; two dots is 2; three dots is 3; four dots is 4; but, five dots is unorthodox. If each dot is symbolic of each of the four elements, then the fifth element is the glue that binds the four dots together. Therefore, once the fifth element is applied, it is no longer a series of dots, but the four individual dots (elements) are bound into a unit that provides the foundation for the next series of dots. Five is the completion of a series or cycle to the extent that the physical elements are bound together to form a solid upon which to build. In the Mayan belief system this series of five is foundational. There are five fingers on each hand, five toes on each foot, and the combination of five digits from four appendages creates a total value of twenty which is the base for their counting system. Each 61 West, John Anthony; Serpent in the Sky; The High Wisdom of Ancient Egypt. Wheaton, Illinois: Quest Books,

57 person, male or female, has five large appendages emanating from the torso; two legs, two arms, and a head. Additionally, there are five senses from which the physical body can determine the reality of its surroundings. Four of those senses are located within the reasoning appendage called the head. Here we have sight, sound, taste and smell. The last sense is touch, but the organ for sensing touch covers the entire body, including the organs for the other four senses. Therefore, it is the sense of touch that encapsulates all the other senses and it engages the entire body, including the other four appendages. Touch is the sense that belongs to the skin. It has been stated that the skin is the largest organ of the body. 62 Not only does it include the torso, but it also includes the arms, the legs and the head. All of the appendages and systems of the body are covered or encapsulated within the skin which becomes the physical foundation upon which the mental/spiritual construction can take place. Beneath the skin lies all that is working in unison to become the expression of the character within. The heart provides the health for movement within the body; the mind provides the logical sequence of motion to attain the goal which the will of the person has set; the feet take the body along the path; the hands engage in labor to provide for the need; all of this coordination and motion takes place beneath the skin. The skin therefore, becomes the outward expression of the inward motivation; it is a reflection of the totality of motion within. Therefore, when the authors in the Book of Mormon are stating that skins have become dark, they are not stating something as mundane and simplistic as skin color. It is a symbolic expression that is commenting on the totality of the condition of the person. If persons within the Book of Mormon text have problems with just a couple of spiritual senses not working then we receive reports such as, they have eyes but cannot see and ears but cannot hear. If his/her skin has become dark, it has gone beyond the blockage of just a couple of spiritual senses, but the lack of spiritual sense has engaged the entire body. Every action is devoid of understanding beyond the literal sensuality of life. Metaphor and symbolism is lost to the brute individual because there is no reality beyond what the physical senses provide. He/she is purely a physical creature. Like their Egyptian counterparts, the Maya were very symbolic and metaphoric in their expression. Their art and glyph writing are filled with symbolism. Their numbering system was symbolic, their physical senses were symbolic of a higher awareness, and their perception of what is reality goes far beyond the color of skin. They understood a person s skin to be the metaphoric expression of the totality of their character and to be dark skinned was to be someone whose totality of action was without any spiritual awareness. The Book of Mormon indicates that God s spirit had withdrawn from them, therefore leaving them dark and without spiritual light; they have lost the ability to feel. 63 Therefore, 62 & 63 II Nephi 4:31 Wherefore, the word of the Lord was fulfilled which he spake unto me, saying: That inasmuch as they will not hearken unto thy words, they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. [32] And behold they were cut off from his presence. [33] And he had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. [34] For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they 53

58 without the light of God s spirit, the totality of all that they do is in ignorance and without awareness; their skin (action) is dark and their spirit is without a depth of feeling. By contrast, when they had invited the Holy Ghost into their lives and began living in accordance with the laws being taught by the Spirit, the darkness was lifted from them. 64 They began to feel compassion and sympathy for others. Their skin began to be engaged beyond the literal sense of touch. The entirety of their being was working in harmony with the Spirit of God, therefore the inner light radiated and their skin (action) became a reflection of that light, regardless of their skin color. In the Egyptian, Mayan, and by extension the Book of Mormon perspective, the skin is a symbol for the character of the spirit and the condition of the soul. In their vernacular to be dark-skinned is an expression of the lack of spiritual awareness and selfless motivation. The lack of compassion for their fellow man was a direct result of the absence of God s spirit; not by God s choice, but because humanity had turned away from God s enlightenment and chose to walk a pathway without it. However, when the succeeding generations began to turn back to their God and invite the Holy Spirit to be part of their being, the curse of spiritual dimness was lifted and their entire being, their actions, their speech, their ability to be compassionate changed and their skin (action) reflected that change. They were glowing with the presence of God s grace and love. Such is the nature of enlightened people, and such is the perception of our ancient brothers and sisters who provided the record we call the Book of Mormon. had become like unto a flint; [35] Wherefore, as they were white, and exceeding 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. [36] And thus saith the Lord God, I will cause that they shall be loathsome unto thy people, save they shall repent of their iniquities. [37] And cursed shall be the seed of him that mixeth with their seed: for they shall be cursed even with the same cursing. [38] And the Lord spake it, and it was done. [39] 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. 64 III Nephi 1:49 Therefore all the Lamanites, who had become converted unto the Lord, did unite with their brethren, the Nephites, and were compelled, for the safety of their lives, and their women and their children, to take up arms against those Gadianton robbers; [50] Yea, and also to maintain their rites, and their privileges of their church, and of their worship, and their freedom, and their liberty. [51] And it came to pass that before this thirteenth year had passed away, the Nephites were threatened with utter destruction, because of this war, which had become exceeding sore. [52] 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; [53] And their young men and their daughters became exceeding fair, and they were numbered among the Nephites, and were called Nephites. And thus ended the thirteenth year. 54

59 Part 3: The Linguistic Evidence Chapter 5: An Egyptian Reference to the Skin/Soul Enigma By Neil Steede Introduction As stated in the last line of the conclusions in Chapter 3, I believe that even more clarity will arrive as time goes along. And, within several weeks of writing the previous chapter a modest clarification did come to my attention. This chapter is the report on that clarification. On May 25, 2013, from 9 PM to 10 PM CDT, the History Channel 2 (H2) aired an episode in its series, Sex in the Ancient World. This particular episode was subtitled Egypt. A large part of this program was filled with a report on the Turin Erotic Papyrus. This particular papyrus is the only known record dealing exclusively with sex. Therefore, this is extremely rare in the Egyptian world. 65 However, this papyrus is not the focus of attention here. Rather, my focus is a piece of Egyptian graffiti found and reported on during the episode. 66 This small piece of graffiti directly addresses the point made in the previous paper. Egyptology and Mesoamerica There are many that believe there is little or even no connection between Egypt and Mesoamerica. I believe that this view is a mistake. There is an abundance of material clearly depicting that Egyptian influence existed in Mesoamerican art. A classic example is the oarsmen found in San Lorenzo, Veracruz. The headdresses on these two sculptures clearly demonstrate Egyptian style. While many more examples exist, the focus of this addendum is not to prove Egyptian influence in Mesoamerica, but to state that this Egyptian influence does not only lend itself to art. It is also found in calendrical expressions and linguistic expressions. An example of the former is found in the San Bartolo Murals, 67 while the latter is the point upon which this addendum will focus. The Linguistic Knot Concerning "The Curse" As surmised in the main text, it appears that possibly the word for skin and soul 65 For those interested in this papyrus, search under: Turin erotic papyrus, Internet. 66 I could not write fast enough to obtain all of the information concerning the original location of this graffiti. However, I do know that the information was given in the episode mentioned. 67 Kelley, David, The San Bartolo Murals. 55

60 is the same. This could be akin to homonyms that occur in English but have very different meanings. To give a few examples consider the following: English Homonyms 1) deer; dear 2) red; read 3) watch; watch (time device) 4) there; their; they re etc. However, at this time it is not clear to epigraphers the exact terms that were used by the Maya for soul or skin. These terms will come into focus as time goes on. 68 For the moment, however, I believe it is obvious that the Egyptian influence in Mesoamerica is strong. This view should not upset Book of Mormon believers since even the Book of Mormon states that the authors wrote in reformed Egyptian. 69 Though this reference is somewhat enigmatic it suffices to illustrate that we should not be surprised to find some Egyptian terminology within the Book of Mormon text. It is my contention that this is just what happened concerning references made about the curse. Therefore, to help to make such a case I will now turn to the piece of Egyptian graffiti previously referenced. This particular piece of graffiti depicts a man and a woman preparing to have sex. The woman is on all fours (hands and knees) while the man is depicted behind the woman with an erection. During this moment prior to entry, the woman has a text written in front of her which gives the observer her comment before the act begins. She says, Come on, it is 68 Yes, I am aware that epigraphers of the Maya language do believe that they know the terms for skin and soul. Yet, I have grave doubts concerning their conclusions. 69 Mormon 4:98 And now behold, we have written this record according to our knowledge in the characters, which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech. [99] And if our plates had been sufficiently large, we should have written in the Hebrew; but the Hebrew hath been altered by us also; and if we could have written in the Hebrew, behold, ye would have had no imperfection in our record. 56

61 the desire of my skin! This statement merits discussion. Why does the woman use this statement? Why use the word skin as opposed to body or even vagina? Egyptologists believe that the expression skin is used because of the existence of a homonym. That is to say that apparently there is another word in ancient Egyptian which sounded like skin. The assumption seems likely. It does appear that for the woman to say my skin, desires it is unlikely. Far more probable is that the statement is using homonym for skin that means something akin to soul, ego, id, inner-self or something of the like. Whatever this Egyptian terminology might be it appears that it is also being used within the Book of Mormon text. To me it appears that this piece of erotic graffiti might be a key to a better understanding of the Book of Mormon curse. Applying What We Have Learned The above-mentioned graffiti clearly shows that some type of homonym existed in ancient Egyptian that was used with one word for skin and another similar-sounding word that meant something like soul. It is also clear that the Egyptian language affected the way in which the Book of Mormon authors expressed themselves. These two points can be brought together in the Book of Mormon s explanation of the curse. Once again, however, this whole scenario requires that we are reasonable; after all, the same is required for us to even believe in the Book of Mormon text. While being somewhat perplexing at this time, it appears as though the curse refers to one's inner-self rather than one's skin. Finally, I will repeat the final line of the original paper again: I believe that even more clarity will arrive as time goes along. 57

62 Part 3: The Linguistic Evidence Chapter 6: The Request to an Egyptologist and His Answer By Neil Steede Introduction ANCIENT EGYPTIAN WORDS FOR SKIN AND COLOR, NATURE/CHARACTER APROPOS OSTRACON FROM DEIR EL-MEDINA IN HISTORY CHANNEL DOCUMENTARY Prepared for Neil Steede By an Eminent Egyptologist Thank you for your question and notes, the DVD and the printed-out photos. In the documentary the text on the ostracon is discussed by Dr. Richard Parkinson, who is an excellent Egyptologist and one of the most prominent contemporary scholars of ancient Egyptian literature. What Dr. Parkinson actually says as a translation is Calm now is the desire of my skin. [NB: He says Calm now, not Come now. ] I don t totally agree with the shade of meaning he seems to adopt. The hieroglyphs appear to read as follows as far as I can see, identifying the large vertical sign in the bottom row as the biliteral sign nm (and transliterating with the computerfriendly Manuel de Codage system): hr ib inm.i This could be translated as The heart/desire of my skin is satisfied, or possibly Satisfaction of heart/desire (is) my skin (= my nature) though the first translation is probably more natural in Egyptian (and is also the basic grammatical structure used by Parkinson). I prefer a basic meaning of hr as satisfied rather than calm in this case, although its semantic range encompasses both (Faulkner, Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian p. 159). The statement could also be understood as My skin is satisfied, and I could see this as referring to the physical sensation of satisfaction actually involving the skin on a physical level. This is interesting because many years ago I was studying possible Egyptian references to female orgasm and I did not know this passage. There are two Egyptian words that are sometimes confounded with each other, iwn (which can be written in or inw) and inm. The massive Egyptian dictionary, the Wörterbuch, contains the following entries: 58

63 iwn (vol. I p. 52) literal and metaphorical color, character, nature. The entry specifies that erotically it refers to the color of the Schoss, a German word that can be translated both lap and bosom. This Egyptian word is cognate with the Arabic word for color, Classical Arabic laun or lawn and modern colloquial Arabic lon (cf. my article in Journal of Near Eastern Studies 36 [1977] ; the point at issue is the correspondence between the Egyptian initial i or reedleaf and Semitic l). inm (vol. I p. 96) skin, color literally and also figuratively, sometimes showing confusion with iwn color. In his Dictionary of Late Egyptian (the phase of Egyptian represented by many of the Deir el-medina ostraca), Leonard Lesko also provides two entries: inw (vol. I p. 37), originally iwn, complexion, hue, color, nature, aspect, appearance. inm (vol. I p. 38) skin (with no elaboration, but the Wörterbuch notes its use with figurative meaning). Faulkner s Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian doesn t add substantively to the information in the other dictionaries. Clarifying the use of these words and others that you mention in your notes, I would mention the following points: These Egyptian words are not used for soul or any such meaning in what a theologian would call Egyptian theological anthropology. Also, the common Egyptian word Ka (ka in Manuel de Codage) does NOT mean skin. The definitions that you found on the glossary site the three most common terms applied to the spiritual/posthumous concepts or manifestations of the human persona are quite good, though one can quibble about points of emphasis. I would sum it up by saying that they seem to have the following fundamental meanings: ka: The root meaning or common denominator of words with this root (including Ka itself, ka food, sustenance, kat work, kat vagina ) seems to be vital force or energy. ba: Fundamentally refers to a visible or palpable manifestation. The plural word baw is translated might, especially of a king or a deity, and can be understood as a visible or concrete manifestation of that power or might. Ax (Akh): Effective spirit, transfigured being; acquires the meaning luminous, also beneficial (though Akh-spirits are not always beneficial!). One idea proposed by some scholars is that the Akh is created by the union of the Ka and the Ba. None of these words means skin, and the text on the ostracon does not involve any of them. 59

64 The words used in all phases of Egyptian for self as in myself, yourself etc. are originally words for body, as noted in my article in Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt 12 (1975) I hope that these comments are helpful. Please let me know if you have any questions, and thank you for inviting my input in this intriguing puzzle. Best Regards, An Eminent Egyptologist (name withheld upon request) 60

65 Part 3: The Linguistic Evidence Chapter 7: The Word Exchange By Eric Scott Introduction The following are comments from an internet article by The FAIR Wiki entitled Book of Mormon/Textual changes/ white changed to pure. (Look in browser under topic of Joseph Smith s edits to the 1840 Book of Mormon). The Printer s version, the 1830, 1837, and the 1908 Community of Christ versions of the Book of Mormon use the term white and delightsome (II Nephi 12:84) while the 1840 version and the 1981 Mormon edition use the term pure and delightsome (II Nephi 30:6 LDS). The phrase white and delightsome was originally changed to pure and delightsome in the Book of Mormon 1840 edition, but because subsequent editions were based on the European editions (which followed the 1837 edition.) the change did not get perpetuated until the 1981 edition in the Mormon version. The change first appeared in the 1840 edition and was probably made by Joseph Smith Jr. The 1981 Mormon edition includes comments regarding the correction to pure from white stating that it seems appropriate to bring the material into conformity with the pre-publication manuscripts and early editions edited by Joseph Smith Jr. The change is not as critics want to portray it as a change designed to remove a racist origin. It is doubtful that Joseph Smith Jr. had racism in mind when the change was done in 1840 or other similar verses would have been changed as well. (See Alma 3:44, Alma 10:4, Alma 16: 171 and Mormon 4:65). Furthermore white was considered a synonym for pure at the time Joseph Smith Jr. translated the Book of Mormon. Thus, the pure meaning likely reflected the original intent of the passage and translation. 61

66 Part 4: The Urim and Thummim Problem Chapter 8: A Bibliography for By The Power of God? By Linda Wilson and Robyn Mun The following is a Bibliography of the references that Linda Wilson and Robyn Mun used in their research presentation on the interpretation process used by Joseph Smith Jr. while he translated the plates to what later became a publication known as the Book of Mormon. They provided no conclusion regarding the use of the Urim and Thummim, only a bibliography of the materials that mention these devices. We are convinced that these ladies did a very thorough job with their research. References An American Prophet s Record The Diaries And Journals of Joseph Smith Edited by Scott Faulring Signature Books, SL,UT c p. 5-6, p. 6-8 Personal Writings of Joseph Smith Compiled & Edited by Dean C. Jesse Deseret Book, SL, UT c.1984 p. 6-8, p. 243 Section 19 / 17th Commandment Joseph Smith Jr., Revelations And Translations Manuscript Revelations by Joseph Smith Papers Church Historian s Press SLT, Vol. I p LDS/BYU Archives RLDS Church History Herald House Publishing Vol.1 p , 23-24, One of the Three Witnesses, by Edward Stevenson Deseret News Nov. 30, 1881 Millennial Star 44 Feb. 6, 1882: Interview with David Whitmer, by Edmund C. Briggs RLDS Community of Christ Archives Saints Herald 31-June 21, 1884:3967 RLDS Community of Christ Archives Joseph Smith III Last Testimony of Sister Emma, Saints Advocate 2 Oct. 1879:51 RLDS Community of Christ Archives Doctrine & Covenants 38:6a RLDS; 38:27 LDS; Book of Commandments Sec. XII (12):6 The Translation of Book of Mormon: Basic Historical Information FARMS, 1986, p by J. Welch & T. Rathbone. Saints Herald 26 Oct. 1, 1879:290 RLDS Community of Christ Archives An Address To All Believers in Christ by David Whitmer p

67 Joseph Knight, Sr., account, LDS Church Archives Saint s Herald 26 June 15, 1879: RLDS Community of Christ Archives Joseph Smith Jr., in letter to James Arlington Bennett, Nov. 13, 1843 Section 47 / 50th Commandment Joseph Smith Jr., Revelations And Translations Manuscript Revelations by Joseph Smith Papers Church Historian s Press SLT, Vol. I p LDS/BYU Archives Section 69/ 75th Commandment Joseph Smith Jr., Revelations And Translations Manuscript Revelations by Joseph Smith Papers Church Historian s Press SLT, Vol. I p LDS/BYU Archives Smith to Phelps letter July 31, 1832, The Joseph Smith Papers Journals website: Rough Stone Rolling: A Cultural Biography of Mormonism s Leader by Richard L. Bushman Vintage Books p Thomas Taylor Interview (1881) Early Mormon Documents 5 Volumes Lucy Mack Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith the Prophet and His Progenitors for Many Generations p. 73 Joseph Smith and The Beginnings of Mormonism by Richard L. Bushman p. 65 Wayne Sentinel Newspaper 1824 Study of Origins by Porter p A Historical Examination of Joseph s Vision in the Grove by Troy Burt Early Mormonism and the Magic World View, D. Michael Quinn p. 509n 186 History of Joseph Smith under year 1838 Far West Record Minutes of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, p. 23 Doctrine & Covenants 2:1a-c, 2a RLDS; 3:2-3 LDS; Book of Commandments Section XXX (30):1-2 Letter written by Oliver Cowdery to the Latter Day Saints Messenger and Advocate Vol. II No. 1. Kirtland, Ohio October 1835 Letter No. II p

68 Book of Ether 2:2-3 Book of Mormon: Restored Covenant Edition Zarahemla/Book of Mormon Foundation c.2000, (2:2-3 RLDS), (5:2-4 LDS) Revelation pg. 1 of 3 March 1829 [D&C 5] The Joseph Smith Papers Journals & Revelations / Translations website: BYU/ LDS Archives The Old Soldier s Testimony, by William Smith - The Saints Herald 31: (1884) RLDS Community of Christ Archives Last Testimony of Sister Emma, the Saints Herald 26: October 1879 RLDS Community of Christ Archives The Thirteenth Witness to the Plates of the Book of Mormon by Edward Stevenson MS 44:215 (1893) Report of Elders Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith MS 40: (Dec ) John Whitmer 1888 Andrew Jenson, Edward Stevenson, and Joseph S. Black Historical Landmakers, Deseret News Sept 17, 1888 p. 2 The Nephi Moroni Problem by Elden Watson with comments by D. Charles Pyle Lucy s Book: A Critical Edition of Lucy Mack Smith s Family Memoir edited by Lavina Fielding Anderson Signature Books p. 336, 342, , 398, 453 Lucy s Book: A Critical Edition of Lucy Mack Smith s Family Memoir edited by Lavina Fielding Anderson Signature Books p. 329 Ch.XVIII : attempt to shoot Joseph at 14 yrs. Lucy s Book: A Critical Edition of Lucy Mack Smith s Family Memoir edited by Lavina Fielding Anderson Signature Books p. 264 & : Alvin s death Lucy s Book: A Critical Edition of Lucy Mack Smith s Family Memoir edited by Lavina Fielding Anderson Signature Books p. 356 : Alvin s excitement over Joseph s experiences Pratt 1853 note: Moroni see Doc. & Cov., sec. 1 par 2. Deseret News, no 10. vol. iii-o.p. The RLDS editions reproduce the same note, including Orson Pratt s initials, IE and Nibley change the text Nephi to Moroni without a note. Elders Journal Far West Missouri 1838, vol. i p. 28 and 129 Evening and the Morning Star Vol. 1 Independence, MO January 1833 No. 8 p. 57 RLDS Community of Christ Archives Autumn Leaves, February 1900 RLDS Community of Christ Archives 64

69 Beginnings of Mormonism by Richard l. Bushman p. 85 Mormonism Unveiled by Howe p. 264 Joseph Knight s Recollection by Dean Jesse p. 34 Oliver Cowdery s Testimony of Book of Mormon, Special Conference held in Council Bluffs, Iowa on October 21, 1848 Pictures of the 1833 Book of Commandments & the 1835 Doctrine & Covenants, wwwjosephsmithpapers.org BYU / LDS Archives Chapter IX (9) of the 1833 Book of Commandments, the revelation makes no mention of the Urim and Thummim D&C 3:1 Urim and Thummim first appears in the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants where it is found as Section XXXVIII 1885 interview by Zenas H. Gurley, Jr., then editor of The Saints Herald published in Lamoni, Iowa with David Whitmer regarding the interpreters. The Evening and The Morning Star January 8, 1833 Vol. 1 No. 8 pgs. 116 & 117, W.W. Phelps statement regarding Urim and Thummim. Urim and Thummim is mentioned seven times in the Old Testament (Exodus 28:30, Leviticus 8:8; Ezra 2:63; Nehemiah 7:65; Deuteronomy 33:8; Numbers 27:21; 1 Samuel 28:6) RLDS Church History Herald Publishing House Vol. 4 p. 587 Matthew 5:3 Inspired Version RLDS Community of Christ Scriptures Music God of Our Fathers, from Favorite Hymns Of The Restoration Sung by Radio Choir of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints directed by Frank Hunter with Bethel Knoche at the Organ 1960 s. God Be With You, from Celebrating A Century of Recording Excellence Disc 2 Sung by The Mormon Tabernacle Choir of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints 2010 If you should have any questions, please contact: Linda Wilson llwilson1@msn.com Robyn Mun restorationsparkplug@gmail.com 65

70 Part 4: The Urim and Thummim Problem Chapter 9: How Does the Urim and Thummim Work? By Neil Steede Introduction The question addressed in this chapter is How did the Urim and Thummim work? This question is essential to understanding the curse question. Historical According to the historical records as Joseph Smith Jr. read from the plates through the Urim and Thummim the English equivalent of the text appeared until it was written down. If this is true, then we can suppose that the Urim and Thummim made the correct translation and left no room for doubt. That is to say, it seems impossible for any mistranslations to have taken place. If true, then we must assume that all translations are impeccable. This perspective must be considered. If the translation method was impeccable, then, we must also assume that there are no errors; at least in the translation. Chapter 8 illustrates that there is at least one change that occurred between the handwritten manuscript and the printed document. It is interesting that this particular word exchange took place in a text dealing with the curse. There is the possibility that this clue was purposeful, though other possibilities do exist. After all, it must be considered that Alma as the original author or Mormon as the original abridger might have written the word pure rather than white. If we suppose this to be the case, then we must conclude that the original text on the plates was done in this manner because of the interchangeable symbolism related between the two words of pure and white. That is to say, that the original text might have deliberately exchanged a word of white for pure to leave a clue for the reader. And, similar usages of pure and white can be found when these words are also examined in context with ancient Egyptian language or with Mesoamerican archaeology. I will deal with the latter first. References are frequently made in the Book of Mormon to a group known as the Gadianton robbers. From the description provided we find that this group can be equated to a similar group referenced in monumental Mayan inscriptions as the white dogs. 70 What is of interest here is the Mayan terminology used to describe the group. It has been determined 71 that the use of the word white in Mayan-speak does equate to pure. That is to say, the white dog Gadianton robbers might translate as pure curs (only dogs). From this perspective we asked if an ancient Egyptian homonym also existed for both pure and white similar to the one we found for skin and heart? For an answer to this question I turned to Dr. Ed. 72 The result is that Dr. Ed finds no ancient Egyptian homonym for the words pure and white. Therefore, the usages of these words as seen in Maya do not conform to a similar case as with the ancient Egyptian homonyms for skin and heart. Whatever the case may be, we can assume that the misprint in the Book of Mormon can be ascribed to human error rather than an error of the Urim and Thummim. 70 Steede, Neil; Book of Mormon Archaeology; Artifact-by-Artifact, 8 volumes, 2008, ESRS, PO Box 4175, Independence, MO Ibid. 72 See Chapter 6. 66

71 After all, the mistake of changing pure for white occurred after it was written. At this time we must assume that the correct translation of the aforementioned misprint was indeed pure. If so, then more questions arise. Since all indications imply that the words skin and heart are homonyms and that the curse of darkness is truly of the heart rather than the skin, then why did the Urim and Thummim insist upon using the word skin instead of heart? At this point a digression should be made. It should be clear to all that I am not attempting to infer that the Urim and Thummim makes decisions. No matter how ludicrous it may sound I want to clarify that I sincerely believe that the Holy Spirit is guiding the Urim and Thummim; not that an inanimate object (the Urim and Thummim) is making conscious decisions. It seems clear that the translation of the word skin for heart was deliberate. As to why this was done is to be addressed in the following paper. Here I make the point that skin is being used in the place of heart for a particular reason. Whatever that reason may be it does not appear to have anything to do with the literal color of skin. Rather, it appears as though the reason was to force the reader to think, and that is sometimes dangerous. 67

72 Part 4: The Urim and Thummim Problem Chapter 10: Why Would the Urim and Thummim Work in a Supposed Manner? By Neil Steede Introduction This chapter will explore the reasons as to why the Urim and Thummim translated in the way that it did. That is to say, why did the Urim and Thummim consistently translate the curse scriptures utilizing the term skin as opposed to the term heart? The Homonyms If the previously mentioned homonym exchange took place, then we must ask the question, Why did the Urim and Thummim insist on using skin rather than heart in the curse passages? Since we have concluded that curse was in the heart of a man and not on his skin, why translate skin instead of heart? If the Urim and Thummim had translated heart in place of skin then we would have never associated a race-based belief with the curse question. That is to say, everyone would have logically accepted the fact that the color related to the curse was symbolic. No one would have imagined a literal black heart or white heart as that seems even more silly than skin. If the usage of the word skin was purposeful, then we must believe that there was a reason why. It is my belief that there are two important reasons. Before tackling either of these reasons, I first need to consider what the Book of Mormon would be like without this homonym problem. A Book of Mormon with No Skin Curse Imagine, if you will, a Book of Mormon where all of the curse statements substituted the word heart for the word skin. If that had actually occurred, then far larger problems would have occurred later on. In this scenario, no one would have ever related the curse to skin color. That being the case, no Book of Mormon believer would ever be able to equate the Mayan murals that deal with this aspect to any Book of Mormon story. The best examples for this are the Cacaxtla Murals. After all, the Cacaxtla Murals depict everyone as being either apple red or ink black. There is simply no apparent relationship between the skin colors depicted in the murals and the alleged skin curse in the Book of Mormon. This certainly might serve as an explanation as to why the Urim and Thummim utilized the term skin instead of utilizing the term heart. However, other possibilities exist. What if the Urim and Thummim translated the recipient of the darkness to be skin at times and heart at others. Such a scenario would only cause confusion. Suppose that the term skin randomly translated as skin or heart. This too would only cause confusion because the scriptures concerning the curse are scattered throughout the Book of Mormon. It is very probable that no one would have ever connected the relationship between skin and heart. It appears as though the Urim and Thummim had some form of methodology, and this method seems to include aspects of Sethianism. 73 Sethianism has already been mentioned several times in this tome. It refers to the duality that exists between the physical and spiritual worlds. It appears that this duality is 73 Sethianism, Wikipedia, Internet. 68

73 expressed through the words of skin and heart. That is to say that skin would be the temporal expression while heart would be the spiritual expression. If this is the aim of the Urim and Thummim, then it consistently expresses the temporal aspect of the curse in the Book of Mormon text. It then follows that only those who want to understand the spiritual text are able to see beyond the word skin and to comprehend the spiritual meaning of the curse. In a very real sense the curse is openly hidden. But, if the Book of Mormon is part of the fullness of the gospel as it claims to be, then why express the curse in only a temporal fashion? It appears that the goal of the Urim and Thummim translations are counting on the reader to execute the thinking abilities needed to see beyond the temporal and to perceive the spiritual. It seems reasonable to assume that this is God s desire. That is to say, God wants thinking believers not thoughtless ones. By producing the translations as we have them, it permits those who have racist perceptions to not be judged by those beliefs. 74 We should remember that at the time period when the Book of Mormon was brought forth the racial view in the general population was very misaligned. All of this suggests that the Urim and Thummim wanted walk the thin line of interpretation. 75 Even today we have many people who have great spiritual integrity, but at the same time they are racist. I know this seems to be contradictory to most readers, but believe me it is true. This state of affairs has created the situation we now address where particular distinctions must which behooves the Restoration Movement. The Curse Effect on the Restoration Movement One of the greatest criticisms of the Book of Mormon is what appears to be the expression of racism. This accusation is founded on the curse scriptures predicated in the Book of Mormon. Since the predominate view in the early church was that the Book of Mormon taught that skin color was a curse, it allowed certain concepts to develop among the Book of Mormon believers. One of those concepts was that individuals belonging to any of the darker races were lesser. This self-righteousness grew and matured. By the time Joseph Smith Jr. died the race concept was fully developed. After his death, two streams of thought eventually developed into church entities. These two organizations are the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS), and the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS) who is now the Community of Christ (COC). When arriving in Utah the LDS begin teaching a strict dogma on the racial view they adopted. Shortly after they arrived, they claim to have received new scriptures from God that was apparently translated by Joseph Smith Jr. before he died. These new scriptures were published in a document called The Pearl of Great Price. In this document, the racial views adopted by the Book of Mormon curse scriptures became the foundation for the dogma 74 Matthew 7:2 Judge not unrighteously, that ye be not judged; but judge righteous judgment. [3] For with what judgment ye shall judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. [4] And again, ye shall say unto them, Why is it that thou beholdest the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? [5] Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and canst not behold a beam in thine own eye? 75 Of course, there are those who will criticize the manner of expression that I use in this chapter. That criticism will be aimed at my allusion to the Urim and Thummim making any decision. I believe that it is God operating the Urim and Thummim through the Holy Spirit. I am not suggesting that an inanimate object can think. However, the material being presented was complex enough so that the manner of expression that I use seems to help with the clarification of the statements made. 69

74 found within The Pearl of Great Price. This document states that since all of the brown races are evidence of the skin color curse, they will not enter the highest heaven. However it is firmly believed that these lesser races will be able to obtain entrance into the second highest heaven. I have addressed this issue at a more personal level elsewhere. Meanwhile, the RLDS organization never made a public statement concerning the curse question. No new dogma was entered into their books. Today these two groups are diametrically opposed in their view of race. While many splinter groups have broken off from both of these organizations, it remains obvious that these two organizations serve as foundations for many of the splintered groups. This scenario will prove to be very important for those who consider this new view of the curse presented in this tome. Imagine that the Urim and Thummim allowed the curse to become a sifting device between these two organizations. Now that more than 150 years have gone by and this new understanding of the curse is finally available, we can see that of the two foundational organizations there is a clear separation. One of the organizations cannot accept this new view of the curse without creating a contradiction in their scriptural belief. The other organization can fully accept this new view of the curse without conflict. It appears to me that this is a secondary intended result to help seekers who want to follow find a clearer path. 70

75 Part 5: Race Chapter 11: Race Terminology By Neil Steede Introduction Semantics create problems in communication. Some people understand the one thing from any given word while others understand something completely different. Many words are chosen by particular people to be offensive while others are not. All of this turmoil causes confusion and, often, in sizes strong emotional feelings. And one of the most charge areas of this type of conflict occurs with verbiage surrounding the subject of race. And, this is exactly why this chapter was written. Negro This term evokes a large range of negative emotions. It cannot be easily used to express its original concept without stirring the negative emotions. However, it simply means black which is a misnomer. While the term Negroid was originally used to describe the darker African races, it was consistently misused as a slanderous term during the early American colonial period. During this time period the term Indian (Injun) was also used. In both cases it was often thought that both of the darker races were part of the ever elusive white man s burden. That is to say, the Caucasians (whites) believed that their culture was greatly advanced over that of the Negroes and the Indians. It was commonly believed that it was up to the white man to help those ignorant savages upward to the white standard. That concept was ludicrous and flawed, yet the very whites that proclaimed that All men are created equal continued to delude themselves and that very lack of integrity is what we see today. Today's Racism Today the pendulum of racism has swung to the opposite position to where it was located a century ago, and while the monster of racism now hides behind new masks, it remains one of the darkest evils of society today. It rips at the very fabric of society. This has caused a total avoidance on the discussion of race. There are no groups today who are innocent of the practice of racism all parties (and this includes all races) have guilty members. Yet by far and large all races have far more people who desperately want to fight racism yet do not know how. Racism is even practiced within the internal structures of groups where it is committed against their own racial distinctiveness. Internal Racism I have a unique view of internal racism. My first marriage was to a Native American (Mexican). For more than a decade I was totally immersed in that society and culture. In fact, for years I was the only white man for miles around. During that time I observed a variety of things that occurred within that same society or culture. There was a distinctive type of racism occurring. When babies were born immediate assessments of the infant was manifested in statements like, Oh, what a pretty light baby! or Oh, poor little thing, he/she is so dark! What is this? It is a form of racism and this racism is so prevalent that it is invisible to the society as a whole. My own personal experience with this occurred 71

76 in my immediate family where it too was almost invisible. When my first wife Coty became pregnant during our tenth year of marriage, we were obviously excited. We had tried to have a child by many methods and had been unsuccessful. Finally after having given up hope, Coty became pregnant when she was 42. As we awaited our new child Coty and I wondered and discussed how he would look. Coty would say, I want him or her to have blue eyes with light skin and black hair. I would say, I want him or her to have dark skin, your brown eyes and blonde hair. Of course, we both truly believe that we didn't care how he or she would look as long as he or she was healthy. When our son was born he had blue eyes, black hair and white skin, but he also had a Mongolian spot. The Mongolian Spot The Mongolian spot is the term given to an area of darker skin pigmentation that is found at the base of the spine among many Asian races. The spot can be the size of a large mole or a darker pigmentation that covers the entire buttocks. Our son Nephi had the latter. This troubled some of our Latin American family and friends who were aware of it. They all assured Coty to not worry because it would always be hidden by his diapers. Many explained that many of the inditos (diminutive term for Native Americans) had such a spot, but that it would disappear by the time Nephi was 8 to 10 years old. None of this mattered to Coty and I, but Nephi did surprise us and changed quickly. By the time he was a month old his eyes began to turn brown, his hair became more blonder and his skin color darkened. So what was this? Was that a delayed manifestation of the dreaded curse? Obviously, not. People are not yo-yos. My son was not cursed; he was simply a manifestation of the colliding genes of Coty and mine. The point of this story is to illustrate that there is no clear-cut terminology for race. While my son had the more unique experience of having been a product of several races, it was in no way an implication of any curse. It was a manifestation of the beauty of the two totally separate gene pools coming together. If we are to suppose that his skin color was a manifestation of a curse, then how do we interpret it? Was my son first white to show me and his mother what he could have been, but then turned to dark so to show us that he was cursed? I find that reasoning to be silly. Yet, again, this story serves to illustrate as to how racism terminology is not only confusing, but even rationally nonexistent in this case. This is exactly why it is so invisible. Yet, this invisibility can still cause sorrow. While my first wife was supposedly under the Lamanite skin color curse, my third wife Dorene was under the far worse black skin color curse which supposedly started with Noah's son, Ham. Both my first and third wives fully accepted the validity of the Book of Mormon, and both wives believed in the skin color curse. I vividly remember talking with them concerning their beliefs about the curse. I remember both had a moment where they were bitterly weeping as they expressed their concern of being under the curse of skin color that they believed God had established. I remember my pain as I held their faces in my hand and told them that though I do not know how the curse worked exactly, I did know through faith that no just God would implement such an unfair curse. I promised both of them I would find resolution. I feel as though I am doing that right here. More recently I met a man who I was surprised to find on my doorstep about a year ago. That man was African-American. He had traveled halfway across the country to present 72

77 himself in an attempt to learn more about my beliefs in the Book of Mormon. During the course of his stay, the question of the Book of Mormon curse arose. During that conversation, he too, admitted that he believed he was born under the curse. Again, as I had done with my wives, I told him that the skin color curse that most Book of Mormon believers accepted did not exist. I further told him that the curse is about being denied the word of God, nothing more. That young man's name is TJ, and I am dedicating this publication to that young man. The point of my stories is that it does not matter the terminology used or the lack thereof; the Book of Mormon curse lies in the heart. The curse expectations are totally elusive because everyone wants it to be something that they can see and it is not. Skin color is something that they can see, but they do not realize that the curse is spiritual not physical. Therefore we cannot see it with physical eyes, but with spiritual eyes. Now there are those who claim that the curse was physical in its nature and that it was created to keep the Lamanites and Nephites separated, but in actuality it appears as though it was spiritual in nature and that the two philosophical points were the reason for their separations. The final analysis is that since the racial curse is a wispy and elusive poison, it is difficult to develop an exact definition, and since it avoids clear definition, it can continue to drift among us and unknowingly poison us. Conclusion It matters not what terminology is used to describe the curse or what terminology is used to defend those who believe they are cursed. There is no real way to describe race. There are no defined markers from one race to another. The concept of a skin color curse is bogus. 73

78 Part 5: Race Chapter 12: Race Origins By Neil Steede Introduction Race origins can be traced back to man's origins in one of two ways. One is to use faith which is full of pitfalls or the other is to follow clues afforded through science which also has its pitfalls. This chapter is designed to deal with aspects of both points of view. It is important to state that it matters not which view is held by the reader as all perspectives will be taken into account. Though both views deal with the origins of man, when viewed at the most basic concepts they parallel one another. I will begin with the scientific version of man s origin. This view takes us some 200,000 years into the past to deepest, darkest Africa. Evolution The basic concepts of evolution teach that man's evolutionary roots are found in central to northeastern Africa. According to this paradigm the oldest race of man found today is among the African pygmies because of the genetic makeup. The African pygmy has the simplest DNA strings found among all of the races of man. That is to say, that their DNA is the simplest of any DNA chain found to date. All other races have more complex DNA codes, therefore, it is commonly accepted that the African pygmy is the earliest and original race of man. Adam-Creation The story of the Adam-creation is much more complex since most theories involve a particular Adam and rely upon a menagerie of legends, suppositions and mystical religious accounts for their explanation. However, there is a clue given tor Book of Mormon believers which allows for most Adam-creation theories to be put aside. That piece of information comes from Gallatin, Missouri where Joseph Smith Jr. told people that this geographical location was anciently known by the name of Adam-ondi-Ahman which means where Adam blessed his children. This implies that the location is near the Garden of Eden where God had created Adam. There is a series of studies 76 demonstrating that the location of the Garden of Eden was south of Gallatin and most probably in the Independence, Missouri area. But, aside from the validity of this theory what is of interest is where the oldest human remains are found to substantiate the Adam-ondi-Ahman theory. The oldest known human remains found on the face of the earth so far is 5 to 7 miles south and west of Independence, Missouri. 77 These human remains found are African American pygmies and are theorized to date from 750,000 to 1,000,000 years ago. 78 This is the only Adam-creation theory which has plausible artifacts associated with it. It is extremely interesting that both theories concerning the origins of man are comparable in age and racial detail while being so vastly apart geographically. But, age and location are of little interest to us here. Of far more interest are the racial commonalities found: both archaeological remains are African pygmies. This aspect should be the cause of inquiry. 76 Steede, Neil; The Oldest Humans, unpublished manuscripts. 77 Ibid. 78 Ibid. 74

79 Question: Why are African pygmies considered to be the oldest race be it from evolution or creation? Answer: The archaeological evidence. Question: Does this apparent existence of pygmies being the oldest race affect anything concerning the Book of Mormon curse? Answer: Yes Consider that African pygmies are black (Negroid). If in fact God created man in his own image then it appears that God is black. If this is the case, then it appears that blacks are closer to God than whites. It also seems as though white skins were further from God and apparently were the cursed ones. The point is that our belief in a skin color curse does not fit with the evidence of man s origins scientifically or religiously. 75

80 Part 6: What Does This Do to the Book of Mormon Perceptions that Exist Today? Chapter 13: The World View By Neil Steede Introduction The theme of this chapter is how the worldview of the Book of Mormon changes with the new view of the curse. I believe that the question of the worldview of the Book of Mormon should improve in certain circles. However, I also believe that in other circles the view will degenerate. In this overview the Book of Mormon perception that now exists worldwide will remain the same. Most will ignore the question of internal positions of the majority of organizations that believe in the Book of Mormon. How those organizations will view the Book of Mormon may be dealt with in the following paper. For now allow me to consider other organizations i.e. the Baptists. The Baptists By far and large the Baptists should find the new view of racism in the Book of Mormon to be far more palatable than the previous one. As Baptist minister Dr. Lynn Ridenhour says, The Book of Mormon is the most ecumenical book that I know of. Christians in General Just as the Baptists, all Christian religions must first overcome the prejudicial fear of the Book of Mormon that they have developed. 76

81 Part 6: What Does This Do to the Book of Mormon Perceptions That Exist Today? Chapter 14: Personal View (The Emancipation Proclamation) By Neil Steede Introduction Many people will not see the need for an Emancipation Proclamation from the Book of Mormon curse. This perceived curse does not affect them in any way, so the need is not perceived. On the other hand, there are millions of our brothers and sisters who labor under the misinformation that they are manifestations of the curse. This chapter is being written for the people who struggle with this view, including Coty, Dorene and TJ. The only way for the perceived curse of skin color may be lifted is for two actions to take place. Living Under the Curse In this segment I am directly addressing all of those who believe that they live directly under a skin color curse. However, I am indirectly addressing all who do not bear this burden. For the latter group, imagine you are living your whole life with the belief that you are a lesser person in the eyes of your Creator. While most whites never truly considered this option, all of those in the category of varying shades of brown are aware of the traditional Book of Mormon belief and accept its validity. The whites never have to consider the dreadful weight of this curse that daily weighs on the shoulders of their darker brethren. For those who bear this burden the question consistently lingers, Why am I less? Most Book of Mormon believers are more than quick to state, You are not less. But, what purpose does the curse serve? It is obvious that if a skin color curse does exist that there are those who suffer under that curse generations after it was created. How does this make any sense? Moreover, why would a just God create such a thing? I obviously do not believe that He did. But, if that is not the case, then why would God deliberately sow seeds of contention? What is the purpose? There are scriptures stating that the purpose of the curse was to prevent different races from mixing. 79 It follows that God was attempting to preserve the religion and to not allow it to be lost among non-believers. However, it seems logical that the mindset of individual people would be enough to accomplish this. The Book of Mormon gives two distinct cases where intermarrying occurs between the Nephites and the Lamanites. 80 So the fact exists that such marriages did occur. But, there are other questions 79 Alma 1:104 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 trangression and their rebellion against their brethren, who consisted of Nephi, Jacob, and Joseph, and Sam, who were just and holy men. [105] And their brethren sought to destroy them; therefore they were cursed; and the Lord God set a mark upon them, yea, upon Laman and Lemuel, and also the sons of Ishmael, and the Ishmaelitish women; [106] And this was done, that their seed might be distinguished from the seed of their brethren, that thereby the Lord God might preserve his people, that they might not mix and believe in incorrect traditions which would prove their destruction. [107] And it came to pass that whosoever did mingle his seed with that of the Lamanites, did bring the same curse upon his seed. [108] Therefore whosoever suffered himself to be led away by the Lamanites, was called under that head, and there was a mark set upon him. 80 Mosiah 9:87 And it came to pass that those who tarried with their wives and their children, caused that their fair daughters should stand forth and plead with the Lamanites, that they would not slay them. [88] And it 77

82 to be addressed such as that Amulekites and the Amlicites. The Amalekites were the descendents of Nephites who had dissented from the Nephites and moved up into Lamanite territory. 81 Another such group was known as the Amlicites. 82 Nothing is stated concerning either of these groups becoming cursed with a darker skin. There are those who believe that these people were only cursed with the darker skin, but I repeat there is no scriptural evidence to this occurring nor is there any archaeological evidence. But, the two most damning scriptures are those from the books of Jacob and III Nephi. The Jacob Reference In this passage of scripture Jacob goes to see what happened to his brothers to the south. Upon seeing them he finds them to be darker. He expresses his belief that this darkness of their skin is due to a curse for having turned away from the Lord. He states that this darkness should not be held against them. 83 While this scriptural evidence does imply that a skin color curse has fallen over the Lamanites, it does not state it as fact; it is Jacob s observation and opinion. It must be understood that Jacob was probably not aware of the darker Jaredite nation to the north and west. As illustrated elsewhere, a large part of the Jaredite nation was African black. 84 It can be demonstrated that a portion of this Jaredite nation fled southward to escape the final war of the Jaredites. 85 The evidence is archaeologically irrefutable. 86 This explains the origin of the skin darkness referenced by Jacob. It was due to the natural mix among different peoples (i.e. Lamanites and Jaredites). This mixing appears to be obvious since in a relatively short period of time the Lamanites greatly outnumber the Nephites. 87 Is it plausible to believe that the greater population of the Lamanites was due to them being more virile than the Nephites and having larger families? came to pass that the Lamanites has compassion on them, for they were charmed with the beauty of their women; [89] Therefore the Lamanites did spare their lives, and took them captives, and carried them back to the land of Nephi, and granted unto them that they might possess the land, under the conditions that they would deliver up King Noah into the hands of the Lamanites, and deliver up their property. 81 Alma 20:15 And thus the Nephites were compelled, alone, to withstand against the Lamanites, who were a compound of Laman and Lemuel, and the sons of Ishmael, and all those who had dissented from the Nephites, who were Amalekites, and Zoramites, and the descendants of the priests of Noah. 82 Alma 1:54 Now this Amlici had, by his cunning, drawn away much people after him; even so much that they began to be very powerful; and they began to endeavor to establish Amlici to be a king over the people. [55] Now this was alarming to the people of the church, and also to all those who had not been drawn away after the persuasions of Amlici: [56] For they knew that according to their law that such things must be established by the voice of the people; [57] Therefore, if it were possible that Amlici should gain the voice of the people, he being a wicked man, would deprive them of their rights and privileges of the church, etc.; for it was his intent to destroy the church of God. 83 Jacob 2:60 Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you, which is the word of God, that ye revile no more against them, because of the darkness of their skins; neither shall ye revile against them because of their filthiness; [61] But ye shall remember your own filthiness, and remember that their filthiness came because of their fathers. 84 Steede, Neil; Book of Mormon Archaeology; Artifact-by-Artifact, 8 volumes, 2008, ESRS, PO Box 4175, Independence, MO Ibid. 86 Ibid. 87 Jarom 1:14 And they were scattered upon much of the face of the land; and the Lamanites also. [15] And they were exceeding more numerous than were they of the Nephites; and they loved murder, and would drink the blood of beasts. [16] And it came to pass that they came many times against us, the Nephites, to battle. 78

83 This seems nonsense to me. So while the archaeological evidence clearly shows that the remnant Jaredites (Olmec) did merge with the Lamanites, it also shows that the Jaredites were apparently a darker color than the Nephites or original Lamanites. How could this be? The Jaredite Skin Color For those who are familiar with Mesoamerican archaeology it seems obvious that the group of people identified in the Book of Mormon as the Jaredites are identified as the Olmec in Mesoamerica. Entire books have been written concerning their apparent physical attributes being related to Africans.88 Many Book of Mormon believers claim that either the Olmec are Africans89 or that they were also stricken with a skin color curse because of their practice of secret combinations.90 However, the archaeological evidence is that both Jared and his brother (Bro J) were from African descent. The illustrations of them on Stela 5 at Izapa portray this.91 And, if this portrayal is being interpreted correctly, then we must ask, Why is Bro J black? Surely the most perfect man was not cursed. So what is the deal? In my opinion, this clearly illustrates that a skin color curse does not exist. Instead, the evidence is that the skin color curse observed and commented on by Jacob was simply his mistaken opinion. After all, we must remember that Jacob had never seen a black person before that time. If my opinions are correct here, then Jacob s claims may be dismissed as being evidence of a skin color curse. Thus, we are then taken to III Nephi. III Nephi Reference The previous scripture from Jacob can be explained by archaeological evidence. The same is not true of the scripture found in III Nephi.92 Here we find the emphatic statement that the skin of the Lamanites became whiter after having lived among the Nephites. As expressed earlier in this tome, this perspective seems unreasonable to me. There are those 88 See: von Wuthenau, Alexander; Unexpected Faces, Crown Publications, New York van Sertima, Ivan; The Black Discovery of America, Steede, Neil; Book of Mormon Archaeology; Artifact-by-Artifact, opinion cited. 89 Though such claims can only be substantiated in theory, there is no archaeological evidence to support this claim. 90 If such a curse did occur there is no mention of it in the Book of Mormon. 91 Neil Steede opinion cited. 92 III Nephi 1:52 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; [53] And their young men and their daughters became exceeding fair, and they were numbered among the Nephites, and were called Nephites. And thus ended the thirteenth year. 79