The "psalm" of my conversion after decades of inactivity (not chiasma, just poem) - Conversion Born between the night and day My heart was broke, alone I prayed. The Saviour came and healed my fears Enfolding wings brushed dry my tears His light fell golden on my shore. A welcome back I loved still more. For I had made to tramp a way That led inland. I did not stay Beside the ocean of my birth I left behind my sense of worth My spirit's needs no longer met My past was gone. Could I forget? I feared God angry, shunned his sight With fears that I had lost all right So many lessons sorely learned What would I find if I returned? Then when I saw what had life cost I found the shore I thought I'd lost I stand between the night and day My voice is heard each time I pray The Saviour comes and heals my fears Enfolding wings brush dry my tears His light falls gold on land and sea I weep with joy - at last I'm free. Your teaching inspires me every week. I am so grateful for your insights. Thank you, Brother Halverson.
Your poem is beautiful and very moving. I am a convert but strayed from the right and glorious path. I have now also found my way back to him. Without my Rock I would be lost. Michele your poem or "psalm" is truly inspiring. I wish I could print this off my printer but alas I can't. The poem was for me truly meaningful. It really grabbed my heart. Thanks so much for sharing it!
Thank you for sharing this beautiful song, or Nephi's Psalm, "I Love the Lord," by John S. Tanner. I especially loved the one-liners. God bless you and your family!
Wow - your discussion of the skin of blackness was excellent. I could have used that knowledge 50 times or more on my mission, if I'd had those understandings. So enlightening. We taught black people everyday, and often they would come on this passage, and that would be the end. Some would continue because they had a witness that the book was true, but this became a huge stumbling block for many. And as young missionaries we didn't have the background to even begin to talk about it in the terms you just talked about.
No matter how you look at it there are different skin colors and facial features with people and what we have to remember is the Saviors command to Love. It doesn’t matter if it was a cursing, the savior has commanded us to love one another. Ammon and his brethren proved this when they went out to do missionary work among the lamanites. They were doing Gods work. They were living the law of love.
At the end, the emphasis is in what they were doing (or not) what mattered to the Lord and therefore rejected, not because of the blackness of the skin. Haters will hate, excuses to disregard the church will always be found. As long as we understand it the right way. One of the book of Mormon's mission is to convince the Lamanites to repentance (again, what we do not what we look like). I am of dark skin, and consider myself to be a descendant of Lamanites, and love the BoM because everything is called like it is.
God *didnt* curse sinners and their children with dark skin. We need to stop defending racist teachings as “of God” Joseph smith just shared his own racist views as Gods views
I can't understand the issue here. God needed to differentiate one people from another. He, therefore, made them look different by their appearance. In this case, it was by darkening the skins of one of the people. This does not mean that everyone who is dark is good or bad anymore than everyone who is light is good or bad. The Book of Mormon is accurate and true and I cannot understand the difficulty in accepting what is written as correct. There is no suggestion of racism here other than in the minds of biased human beings who judge people by their appearance.
Your message is always appreciated, and I find your insights to be both insightful and thought-provoking. At times, we may embody characteristics reminiscent of both Nephites and Lamanites iin our personal journeys. Acknowledging imperfections is a humbling aspect of self-awareness, and there is need for continuous improvement and drawing closer to Christ. This is a poignant reminder that our individual paths are journeys of growth and refinement, where each day presents an opportunity to enhance our connection with Christ and strive towards the ideals set by His teachings. Your wisdom encourages us to embrace the process of improvement with grace and determination. Thank you for sharing such meaningful reflections.---Dr.I
"They that wait upon the promises and covenants of the Lord, HE shall renew their strength: they shall rise upon His wings of power & mercy & healing as eagles, they shall run the course HE sets before them and not be weary in well-doing, they shall walk in His straight & narrow path [Way] and not faint (nor turn to the right hand or the left); these are the heirs of salvation And exaltation through their Redeemer, the Mighty One, even Jesus THE Christ, Amen."
I appreciate you bringing up the sword of Laban being part of living after the manner of happiness. Having means to defend your family is so important.
They went with Nephi because they loved God. I tried to stress to the youth when we took them on Trek that the pioneers didn’t go west because they had a testimony of trekking, but of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, and that is what we are aiming for. Some still came away sounding like they had testimonies of trek🤦♀️. We lost a dear brother to a heart attack at the end of our trek 💔and that added so much depth and opportunity for them to truly turn to God in their extremities.
00:28:13 I think the more people try to apologize for this verse or explain it away, the worse it is. Darker skinned people would just roll their eyes at these convoluted theories. We are bringing our 21st century baggage into it. I think the skin of blackness is not symbolic. Nephi spoke plainly and I think he meant exactly that-a skin of blackness (however it happened). By saying it plainly and unabashedly he showed that he didn’t have the hang ups we do about race. Maybe in the ancient Middle East, whiteness was prized as the standard of beauty. After all, haven’t we heard of European women being captured and being sold off to the orient where their different colors of hair and different colors of eyes were prized? I think it would be better to treat it like a historical statement, it happened, this is how they viewed it then. And move on. There is no prejudice here. It was God’s idea after all. He’s not prejudiced, right?
The Book of Mormon specifically says that the gentiles (europeans) settling America were as fair, white, and delightsome as the nephites. The scriptures say what they say and mean what they say. We don’t and shouldn’t be ashamed of the things of God as they are and we shouldn’t try to word things in a way that pleases the world if it is a false way to word things.
If you partake of that fruit you will surely die as a civilization. This is what we are witnessing now with the massive increase in immigration to western countries. The garments of the population are being covered with blood.
Thank you. I’m surprised that Jared didn’t seem to be aware of it. Mormon 6:15-17 Mormon laments the death of the Nephites as the fair ones. The entire Book of Mormon the Nephites are still the fair ones.
Bro.Halverson as you were telling us that the Nephites in 2 Ne. 5:16 began to construct a temple. I was amazed that they had enough people to provide for their needs and the time and resourses to construct a temple.
From heart to heart Soul to soul My anguish groans with me starts I hear and suffer too With those who suffer all alone My weary brothers and sisters cry As does my heart and soul I wonder why Why cannot they see Who’s child they are called to be I praise my lord and feel his love Sweet whispers from above I feel his arms around me And hopelessly cry within myself Why cannot they feel this too What keeps them from feeling As I do so often His love in wondering awe I cry and sorrow and pray For when once the day comes They, too, feel of his enfolding love And can now be comforted And hear his words From heart to heart To soul to soul We all love My Psalm. I pray for each and every one of my siblings, hoping they will come back to the church. I know they know the truth and it “cutteth them to the core”. I pray that their hearts will someday be softened, so they turn back toward their Lord and Redeemer. Thank you for all you are teaching me. My perspective of the scriptures and of people in general, changes, every time I watch your videos.
Could the lamanites have intermingled with a people who were in the promised land that had a darker skin color? This would cause their posterity to have darker skin. It also may explain why the laminates always outnumbered the Nephities.
Daniel Beck did a nice arrangement of I Love the Lord on his CD Abide With Me. It was the first time I heard it. It is very moving. I love the Psalm of Nephi and have felt those same feelings. Thank you for your insights each week.
We can cross reference this verse about skin color to the book of Samuel where Samuel has been sent to the house of Jesse to annoint a new king. He judges Jesse's sons based on their outward appearance, amd is reprimanded by the Lord: man looketh on the outward appearance but the Lord looketh on the heart. This verse in Nephi is saying a similar thing. Because its human nature to judge by outward appearance, the Nephites will judge based on outward appearance and separate themselves. The Lord doesn't seem to have a problem with dark skin. The Nephites do.
Love the explaining away of skin color... I fear at times, although I agree with most of your teachings, that you fear judgment from others and explain away tough topics. It's okay if it was a literal skin of blackness... having said that, people that have prejudice reservations clearly are no better off than the so called "cursed" individuals of BOM history. This is the whole point. Prejudice gets you your Very OWN Cursing! As you say. Nice Job Bro Hal
I've been listening for a while, and one thing that I have felt as you speak about "Othering" is my experience with Parental Alienation. I see so many parallels. The adversary is working so hard to make us see others, and Heavenly Father Himself through a lens of unbelief. He rarely seems to care where that starts. It seems to me that Nephi and his brothers were victims of this pattern. I don’t know how much of a rift Nephi felt himself, but it seems clear that his descendants latched on to the alienation (just another word for othering since alien and other are both the same thing).
I can't help but wonder if this is more about cleanliness. The Israelites clothes were kept from becoming threadbare in the wilderness. Perhaps this is a kind of almost imperceptible inability to completely cleanse yourself completely when you wash your body or your clothes. I can't help but think about all the people I have seen who struggle with homelessness and how difficult it is for them to become physically clean. They spend so much time walking through dirty streets every day and we know the lamanites were more hunters while the nephites were more farmers. This sign of the curse could have simply been an inability to keep themselves and their clothes clean.
Also if all they wore were skins, they would definitely be tan 🙂. In this chapter (2 Nephi 5), Nephi mostly is highlighting the cultural distinctions between Nephites and Lamanites, so it makes sense that the "color" differences are also cultural whether the color is simply symbolic or whether it's more literal and brought on by the cultural changes.
An idea that came to me while listening to you talk about the "problematic" verse describing the "skin of blackness" is how much our modern culture has shaped how we view this verse. We see through our 2024 lens and then read this verse. If you look at most peoples around the world from those in the Middle-east, to Asia, to places in Africa, and the Native Americans, the vast majority of them don't actually have "black skin". It's a light or dark brown. When we hear skin color, we automatically think white and black, because our race-obsessed culture has ingrained in us to think that way. But I don't think Nephi or Mormon saw it that way. I don't think Joseph Smith, when translating the Book of Mormon, saw it that way. When they say or translate "skin of blackness" they may have not even thought that it would refer to the pigmentation in someone's skin, because again, they hadn't seen anyone with skin that was truly black. I think when we put ourselves in the shoes of Nephi, Mormon, or Joseph Smith it becomes very obvious that this scripture is not in reference to race, but to something else.
Would love to have access to a temple in China. I am an ex-pat and due to a decision my spouse’s father made she is unable to leave the country to go to the temple. It is not great to be deprived of the temple. This video prompted me to think on this.
Interesting discussion on the word “Loathsome” as a hatred against sin and iniquity. It is as if they were given an instinctive hatred against iniquity to protect them from evil. The Lord did the same thing with Adam and Eve before they left the Garden of Eden. It was God who said to Satan, “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, between thy seed and her seed.” Enmity is also an instinctive feeling of opposition against something. I believe in this case it was to help Adam and Eve have an instinctive opposition to evil to protect them. It was Satan who messed with the instinctive feelings to get men to turn against God and against their fellow man.
I always understood the skin color was because the Lamanites became more nomadic and wore clothing more suited to a hunting gathering lifestyle which means more time in the sun.
In movie clips even of our Church, the Lamonites are not shown as black-skinned but are marked. You mentioned that in your lesson as one of the types of curse.
The Declaration of Independence, separated the US from its "family", just as the Nephites were inspired to separate themselves from the Lamanites. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
We live in a world with a spectrum of skin colors, most of which we do not know the origin of. This one we do. The scripture is very clear on the occurrence. To suggest that it might be the result of integration with other cultures, is in my opinion mere speculation and "adding to scripture ". While it may have had a certain connotation for the Nephites, and even more modern generations, it also has a very clear one now. The church has been feverishly sending missionaries to and building temples in Latin American countries as well as the "isles of the sea". Why? Because we know they are of the House of Israel and Lehi's descendants. How are we identifying them? Specifically by the color of their skin, which is in no way a cursing, but in fact a great blessing, as we are now able to help fulfill father Lehi's promised blessings to his precious posterity.
As I have consider the skin color I feel that this is more an indictment on the Nephites. Just because they were Nephites does not mean they were perfect. The purpose of the skin color was to make the Lamanites not enticing to the Nephites. The house of Israel was an "us vs them" society. It seems to me that God used the Nephite prejudice to darker skin to keep them separated from the Lamanites, not that the darker skin has any inherent downside. The purpose of the atonement is not only to allow our weaknesses- prejudices- to be made strengths but also allow us to learn from our weakness without eternal consequences. God has never consider skin color in his determination of worthiness. He may use our weakness for his eternal purposes but those are our weaknesses and not His. It is His ability to take our ashes and make diamonds. If we have prejudices to people who are different from us, be that skin color or otherwise, that is an indictment of our non Christ-like characteristics, not theirs or His.
I would like to think and hope the curse of skin doesn't matter today. Unfortunately, it still does. Many are affected by the scriptures written in 2nd Nephi, Jacob 3 and Alma 3 ect in great detail, and it is painful to read for many. In 1979, I was given a distinct dream revelation, like Lehi, of the truthfulness of what was taught of The ChurchofJesusChristofLatter-daySaints. I hold dear to my heart.Those above scriptures have been a stumbling block in my life, I must admit. There are many from Stakes that I've known, who have refused to marry a person of colour because they state it's a curse eg from "Cain" My family is a multitude of nationalities, who I love dearly. I could never chase a person away because of their skin colour. That wouldn't be unconditional love! In 2 Nephi 30 : 6 was changed from White and delightsome to Pure and delightsome. Why? When it's clear when there is spiritual darkness and literal darkness to the skin, throughout the scriptures.
I don't understand why they and you tried different meanings when it's clear, they were curse with dark skin. Later on when they repented they were again changed. There is not other meaning is very clear.
A. There is only one "race" the HUMAN race. B. As a young "white" boy, I would wear only shorts all summer, like a Lamanite. My skin would become quite dark. Just a thought.....
I look at skins as countenance. I can look at a white person and see they are dark because the spirit of the lord us withdrawn . I can also look at a black person and see them as white because of the spirit with them. It all depends on what spirit you have and how much of that spirit you have will portray the amount if white or black or dark and light that shows.
Re "othering"...it was bilateral...both the Lamanites and Nephites sought to be identified from each other. Separation in color, beliefs, and location.
The "psalm" of my conversion after decades of inactivity (not chiasma, just poem) -
Conversion
Born between the night and day
My heart was broke, alone I prayed.
The Saviour came and healed my fears
Enfolding wings brushed dry my tears
His light fell golden on my shore.
A welcome back I loved still more.
For I had made to tramp a way
That led inland. I did not stay
Beside the ocean of my birth
I left behind my sense of worth
My spirit's needs no longer met
My past was gone. Could I forget?
I feared God angry, shunned his sight
With fears that I had lost all right
So many lessons sorely learned
What would I find if I returned?
Then when I saw what had life cost
I found the shore I thought I'd lost
I stand between the night and day
My voice is heard each time I pray
The Saviour comes and heals my fears
Enfolding wings brush dry my tears
His light falls gold on land and sea
I weep with joy - at last I'm free.
Your teaching inspires me every week. I am so grateful for your insights. Thank you, Brother Halverson.
Beautiful!
Beautifully expressed. Mahalo for sharing.
Your life experience has given you a deep understanding. Your words are inspired. Thank you for sharing.
This is so beautiful ❤️. Thank you for sharing.
Your poem is beautiful and very moving. I am a convert but strayed from the right and glorious path. I have now also found my way back to him. Without my Rock I would be lost. Michele your poem or "psalm" is truly inspiring. I wish I could print this off my printer but alas I can't. The poem was for me truly meaningful. It really grabbed my heart. Thanks so much for sharing it!
Call it my anxiety, always waiting for these lessons. Love them, love them, have a blessed day 💖
You're just in love with the Scriptures ❤ What a blessing❤
@@havenlyfamily lols yes
Thank you for sharing this beautiful song, or Nephi's Psalm, "I Love the Lord," by John S. Tanner. I especially loved the one-liners. God bless you and your family!
Wow - your discussion of the skin of blackness was excellent. I could have used that knowledge 50 times or more on my mission, if I'd had those understandings. So enlightening. We taught black people everyday, and often they would come on this passage, and that would be the end. Some would continue because they had a witness that the book was true, but this became a huge stumbling block for many. And as young missionaries we didn't have the background to even begin to talk about it in the terms you just talked about.
Love this lesson! Especially the part about the skin of blackness! Thank you for your thoughtful careful and loving teachings!
No matter how you look at it there are different skin colors and facial features with people and what we have to remember is the Saviors command to Love. It doesn’t matter if it was a cursing, the savior has commanded us to love one another. Ammon and his brethren proved this when they went out to do missionary work among the lamanites. They were doing Gods work. They were living the law of love.
What you said is true. However, the missionaries were easily recognized when they were first encountered. They were white as the lamanites were dark.
@@deannabuck8324b
At the end, the emphasis is in what they were doing (or not) what mattered to the Lord and therefore rejected, not because of the blackness of the skin.
Haters will hate, excuses to disregard the church will always be found. As long as we understand it the right way. One of the book of Mormon's mission is to convince the Lamanites to repentance (again, what we do not what we look like).
I am of dark skin, and consider myself to be a descendant of Lamanites, and love the BoM because everything is called like it is.
God *didnt* curse sinners and their children with dark skin.
We need to stop defending racist teachings as “of God”
Joseph smith just shared his own racist views as Gods views
I can't understand the issue here. God needed to differentiate one people from another. He, therefore, made them look different by their appearance. In this case, it was by darkening the skins of one of the people. This does not mean that everyone who is dark is good or bad anymore than everyone who is light is good or bad. The Book of Mormon is accurate and true and I cannot understand the difficulty in accepting what is written as correct. There is no suggestion of racism here other than in the minds of biased human beings who judge people by their appearance.
Your message is always appreciated, and I find your insights to be both insightful and thought-provoking. At times, we may embody characteristics reminiscent of both Nephites and Lamanites iin our personal journeys. Acknowledging imperfections is a humbling aspect of self-awareness, and there is need for continuous improvement and drawing closer to Christ. This is a poignant reminder that our individual paths are journeys of growth and refinement, where each day presents an opportunity to enhance our connection with Christ and strive towards the ideals set by His teachings. Your wisdom encourages us to embrace the process of improvement with grace and determination. Thank you for sharing such meaningful reflections.---Dr.I
Fantastic! This is shaping up to be the best year of Unshaken
"They that wait upon the promises and covenants of the Lord, HE shall renew their strength: they shall rise upon His wings of power & mercy & healing as eagles, they shall run the course HE sets before them and not be weary in well-doing, they shall walk in His straight & narrow path [Way] and not faint (nor turn to the right hand or the left); these are the heirs of salvation And exaltation through their Redeemer, the Mighty One, even Jesus THE Christ, Amen."
I appreciate you bringing up the sword of Laban being part of living after the manner of happiness. Having means to defend your family is so important.
Thank you so much!! Nephi's Psalm is one of the most beautiful parts of the ABOM and always brings great Joy to my soul.❤❤❤
Love that song! I attatched link to my scriptures in GLA! Thanks!❤
Follow the prophet!
There is no room for racism, prejudice today! in a follower of Jesus ❤
Thank you so much.😍👏
Sounds like preparation for a temple recommend interview!!
I am eternally grateful to have been rescued from the curse of ignorance of the mercies of God.
I enjoy the verse by verse recap at the end.
They went with Nephi because they loved God. I tried to stress to the youth when we took them on Trek that the pioneers didn’t go west because they had a testimony of trekking, but of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, and that is what we are aiming for. Some still came away sounding like they had testimonies of trek🤦♀️. We lost a dear brother to a heart attack at the end of our trek 💔and that added so much depth and opportunity for them to truly turn to God in their extremities.
I feel happiness is living and knowing so we have hope
Outstanding as usual. Thank you.
00:28:13 I think the more people try to apologize for this verse or explain it away, the worse it is. Darker skinned people would just roll their eyes at these convoluted theories. We are bringing our 21st century baggage into it. I think the skin of blackness is not symbolic. Nephi spoke plainly and I think he meant exactly that-a skin of blackness (however it happened). By saying it plainly and unabashedly he showed that he didn’t have the hang ups we do about race. Maybe in the ancient Middle East, whiteness was prized as the standard of beauty. After all, haven’t we heard of European women being captured and being sold off to the orient where their different colors of hair and different colors of eyes were prized? I think it would be better to treat it like a historical statement, it happened, this is how they viewed it then. And move on. There is no prejudice here. It was God’s idea after all. He’s not prejudiced, right?
Agreed: ua-cam.com/video/mFecnesfl_4/v-deo.html
The Book of Mormon specifically says that the gentiles (europeans) settling America were as fair, white, and delightsome as the nephites. The scriptures say what they say and mean what they say. We don’t and shouldn’t be ashamed of the things of God as they are and we shouldn’t try to word things in a way that pleases the world if it is a false way to word things.
If you partake of that fruit you will surely die as a civilization. This is what we are witnessing now with the massive increase in immigration to western countries. The garments of the population are being covered with blood.
Thank you. I’m surprised that Jared didn’t seem to be aware of it. Mormon 6:15-17 Mormon laments the death of the Nephites as the fair ones. The entire Book of Mormon the Nephites are still the fair ones.
Agreed: ua-cam.com/video/mFecnesfl_4/v-deo.html
Bro.Halverson as you were telling us that the Nephites in 2 Ne. 5:16 began to construct a temple. I was amazed that they had enough people to provide for their needs and the time and resourses to construct a temple.
From heart to heart
Soul to soul
My anguish groans with me starts
I hear and suffer too
With those who suffer all alone
My weary brothers and sisters cry
As does my heart and soul
I wonder why
Why cannot they see
Who’s child they are called to be
I praise my lord and feel his love
Sweet whispers from above
I feel his arms around me
And hopelessly cry within myself
Why cannot they feel this too
What keeps them from feeling
As I do so often
His love in wondering awe
I cry and sorrow and pray
For when once the day comes
They, too, feel of his enfolding love
And can now be comforted
And hear his words
From heart to heart
To soul to soul
We all love
My Psalm. I pray for each and every one of my siblings, hoping they will come back to the church. I know they know the truth and it “cutteth them to the core”. I pray that their hearts will someday be softened, so they turn back toward their Lord and Redeemer.
Thank you for all you are teaching me. My perspective of the scriptures and of people in general, changes, every time I watch your videos.
Could the lamanites have intermingled with a people who were in the promised land that had a darker skin color? This would cause their posterity to have darker skin. It also may explain why the laminates always outnumbered the Nephities.
Daniel Beck did a nice arrangement of I Love the Lord on his CD Abide With Me. It was the first time I heard it. It is very moving. I love the Psalm of Nephi and have felt those same feelings. Thank you for your insights each week.
We can cross reference this verse about skin color to the book of Samuel where Samuel has been sent to the house of Jesse to annoint a new king. He judges Jesse's sons based on their outward appearance, amd is reprimanded by the Lord: man looketh on the outward appearance but the Lord looketh on the heart. This verse in Nephi is saying a similar thing. Because its human nature to judge by outward appearance, the Nephites will judge based on outward appearance and separate themselves. The Lord doesn't seem to have a problem with dark skin. The Nephites do.
Love the explaining away of skin color... I fear at times, although I agree with most of your teachings, that you fear judgment from others and explain away tough topics. It's okay if it was a literal skin of blackness... having said that, people that have prejudice reservations clearly are no better off than the so called "cursed" individuals of BOM history. This is the whole point. Prejudice gets you your Very OWN Cursing! As you say. Nice Job Bro Hal
Before they were cut off, the word cut their hardened hearts
I've been listening for a while, and one thing that I have felt as you speak about "Othering" is my experience with Parental Alienation. I see so many parallels. The adversary is working so hard to make us see others, and Heavenly Father Himself through a lens of unbelief. He rarely seems to care where that starts. It seems to me that Nephi and his brothers were victims of this pattern. I don’t know how much of a rift Nephi felt himself, but it seems clear that his descendants latched on to the alienation (just another word for othering since alien and other are both the same thing).
LOVE IT🤙🏽🤙🏽🤙🏽
I can't help but wonder if this is more about cleanliness. The Israelites clothes were kept from becoming threadbare in the wilderness. Perhaps this is a kind of almost imperceptible inability to completely cleanse yourself completely when you wash your body or your clothes. I can't help but think about all the people I have seen who struggle with homelessness and how difficult it is for them to become physically clean. They spend so much time walking through dirty streets every day and we know the lamanites were more hunters while the nephites were more farmers. This sign of the curse could have simply been an inability to keep themselves and their clothes clean.
Interesting insight🤔…for sure worth pondering and farther study👍🏽
Also if all they wore were skins, they would definitely be tan 🙂. In this chapter (2 Nephi 5), Nephi mostly is highlighting the cultural distinctions between Nephites and Lamanites, so it makes sense that the "color" differences are also cultural whether the color is simply symbolic or whether it's more literal and brought on by the cultural changes.
An idea that came to me while listening to you talk about the "problematic" verse describing the "skin of blackness" is how much our modern culture has shaped how we view this verse. We see through our 2024 lens and then read this verse. If you look at most peoples around the world from those in the Middle-east, to Asia, to places in Africa, and the Native Americans, the vast majority of them don't actually have "black skin". It's a light or dark brown. When we hear skin color, we automatically think white and black, because our race-obsessed culture has ingrained in us to think that way. But I don't think Nephi or Mormon saw it that way. I don't think Joseph Smith, when translating the Book of Mormon, saw it that way. When they say or translate "skin of blackness" they may have not even thought that it would refer to the pigmentation in someone's skin, because again, they hadn't seen anyone with skin that was truly black. I think when we put ourselves in the shoes of Nephi, Mormon, or Joseph Smith it becomes very obvious that this scripture is not in reference to race, but to something else.
Would love to have access to a temple in China. I am an ex-pat and due to a decision my spouse’s father made she is unable to leave the country to go to the temple. It is not great to be deprived of the temple. This video prompted me to think on this.
Interesting discussion on the word “Loathsome” as a hatred against sin and iniquity. It is as if they were given an instinctive hatred against iniquity to protect them from evil. The Lord did the same thing with Adam and Eve before they left the Garden of Eden. It was God who said to Satan, “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, between thy seed and her seed.” Enmity is also an instinctive feeling of opposition against something. I believe in this case it was to help Adam and Eve have an instinctive opposition to evil to protect them. It was Satan who messed with the instinctive feelings to get men to turn against God and against their fellow man.
I always understood the skin color was because the Lamanites became more nomadic and wore clothing more suited to a hunting gathering lifestyle which means more time in the sun.
Yes: ua-cam.com/video/mFecnesfl_4/v-deo.html
30:59 I wonder if it is a darkness of countenance…feeling you get in their presence…light or darkness sensed in their eyes & facial countenance
In movie clips even of our Church, the Lamonites are not shown as black-skinned but are marked. You mentioned that in your lesson as one of the types of curse.
Do you have a map of where you think the people of Lehi landed off the sea and how they travels to the hill cumora
The Declaration of Independence, separated the US from its "family", just as the Nephites were inspired to separate themselves from the Lamanites.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
We live in a world with a spectrum of skin colors, most of which we do not know the origin of. This one we do. The scripture is very clear on the occurrence. To suggest that it might be the result of integration with other cultures, is in my opinion mere speculation and "adding to scripture ". While it may have had a certain connotation for the Nephites, and even more modern generations, it also has a very clear one now. The church has been feverishly sending missionaries to and building temples in Latin American countries as well as the "isles of the sea". Why? Because we know they are of the House of Israel and Lehi's descendants. How are we identifying them? Specifically by the color of their skin, which is in no way a cursing, but in fact a great blessing, as we are now able to help fulfill father Lehi's promised blessings to his precious posterity.
29:00 AURAS!!!
It was both. Literal and spiritual.
As I have consider the skin color I feel that this is more an indictment on the Nephites. Just because they were Nephites does not mean they were perfect. The purpose of the skin color was to make the Lamanites not enticing to the Nephites. The house of Israel was an "us vs them" society. It seems to me that God used the Nephite prejudice to darker skin to keep them separated from the Lamanites, not that the darker skin has any inherent downside. The purpose of the atonement is not only to allow our weaknesses- prejudices- to be made strengths but also allow us to learn from our weakness without eternal consequences. God has never consider skin color in his determination of worthiness. He may use our weakness for his eternal purposes but those are our weaknesses and not His. It is His ability to take our ashes and make diamonds. If we have prejudices to people who are different from us, be that skin color or otherwise, that is an indictment of our non Christ-like characteristics, not theirs or His.
What if the skins of blackness is both metaphorical and literal
from the Philippines paraiso ward sagay saints negros occidental
I would like to think and hope the curse of skin doesn't matter today. Unfortunately, it still does.
Many are affected by the scriptures written in 2nd Nephi, Jacob 3 and Alma 3 ect in great detail, and it is painful to read for many.
In 1979, I was given a distinct dream revelation, like Lehi, of the truthfulness of what was taught of The ChurchofJesusChristofLatter-daySaints. I hold dear to my heart.Those above scriptures have been a stumbling block in my life, I must admit.
There are many from Stakes that I've known, who have refused to marry a person of colour because they state it's a curse eg from "Cain"
My family is a multitude of nationalities, who I love dearly. I could never chase a person away because of their skin colour. That wouldn't be unconditional love!
In 2 Nephi 30 : 6 was changed from White and delightsome to Pure and delightsome. Why? When it's clear when there is spiritual darkness and literal darkness to the skin, throughout the scriptures.
I don't understand why they and you tried different meanings when it's clear, they were curse with dark skin. Later on when they repented they were again changed. There is not other meaning is very clear.
Agreed: ua-cam.com/video/mFecnesfl_4/v-deo.html
A. There is only one "race" the HUMAN race. B. As a young "white" boy, I would wear only shorts all summer, like a Lamanite. My skin would become quite dark. Just a thought.....
In ancient Greek didn't "white" mean victorious?
I look at skins as countenance. I can look at a white person and see they are dark because the spirit of the lord us withdrawn . I can also look at a black person and see them as white because of the spirit with them. It all depends on what spirit you have and how much of that spirit you have will portray the amount if white or black or dark and light that shows.
Re "othering"...it was bilateral...both the Lamanites and Nephites sought to be identified from each other. Separation in color, beliefs, and location.
nephi called by God to flea