Are Racist LDS Scriptures Still Deemed “Utterly Reliable” and “Pure Truth”? Part 2

What do LDS Church leaders have to say about the reliability and accuracy of their own scriptures?

According to LDS leaders, Mormon scriptures are “utterly reliable” and “pure truth.” The current prophet, President Monson, declared on the official church website lds.org (underline added):

“The words of truth and inspiration found in our four standard works are prized possessions to me…These holy words of truth and love give guidance to my life and point the way to eternal perfection.”

Because scriptures are generated from inspired communication through the Holy Ghost, they are pure truth. We need not be concerned about the validity of concepts contained in the standard works since the Holy Ghost has been the instrument which has motivated and inspired those individuals who have recorded the scriptures.”

“The scriptures are the touchstone for measuring correctness and truth…Where scriptural truths are ignored or abandoned, the essential moral core of society disintegrates and decay is close behind.”

“So essential are these truths that Heavenly Father gave both Lehi and Nephi visions vividly representing the word of God as a rod of iron. Both father and son learned that holding to this strong, unbending, utterly reliable guide is the only way to stay on that strait and narrow path that leads to our Savior.”

These men, considered prophets, seers, and revelators, all describe Mormon scripture as words of truth and inspiration, strong, unbending, an utterly reliable guide, pure truth, and the touchstone for measuring correctness. If LDS scripture is reliable as pure truth from God yet the racist scriptures still exist, the only logical analysis is that the God of Mormonism was at the time the Book of Mormon was birthed and still is, according to the Merriam and Webster Dictionary—racist (i.e., he is biased against dark skin).

While at BYU teaching multiculturalism, I was LDS and needed to trust Mormon scriptures as “strong, unbending, utterly reliable,” but I could not wrap my head around scriptures that suggest God cursed a people in the Book of Mormon with a mark of dark skin for their transgression. Exchanging my students’ scripture-driven, dark-skin prejudices into impartial attitudes became my passion. I thought perhaps I could help fix the racism problem in the next generation of LDS students. But, how could I when the scriptures taught that black skin was a curse? Find the narrative of my experience with the issue of racism in Mormonism and at BYU in the book, Unveiling Grace: The Story of How We Found Our Way Out of the Mormon Church (Zondervan, 2013).

In opposition, the God of the Bible made His stance crystal clear. He created humans in beautiful variability and is in relationship with people from every nation, tongue, and skin color— all members of the same human race. Skin color is never, ever a determiner of value. He teaches not to judge by appearances (John 7:24). He is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34-35). The biblical God instructs individuals to show no partiality, meaning not to pay special attention to or honor someone because of skin color, wealth, social standing, position, authority, popularity, looks, or influence. If we do, it is so serious it is considered sin (James 2:9). Believers are charged to love other people as God loves them and treat them how we want to be treated.

Although the Book of Mormon states, “all are alike unto God,” as long as racist scriptures still exist, are read, taught, believed, and made part of the culture, one may question the consistency of the Race and the Priesthood statement with the racist Mormon scriptures. The LDS Church is in a difficult position that is irrational, inconsistent, and illogical since the new Race and the Priesthood statement and its own “utterly reliable” and “pure truth” scriptures collide.

Part I at this former BYU professor's series is here: Are Racist LDS Scriptures Still Deemed “Utterly Reliable” and “Pure Truth”? Part 1

For the (thus far) 228-post FREEPER discussion of Part I, go here: Are Racist LDS Scriptures Still Deemed “Utterly Reliable” and “Pure Truth”? Part 1

From the blog:

For those who pay for Mormonism's propagation (tithers & other contributors), it boils down to this: Any official Mormon church PR "clarifications" on "past" Lds "teachings" on race and the priesthood can't be ushered into the "past" when the Mormon church still teaches Book of Mormon references like the three passages that this ex-BYU prof cited in Part I: (See Alma 3:6; 3 Nephi 2:15; and 3 Nephi 19:30)

Other Book of Mormon verses worthy of "racist dishonorable mention" includes 2 Nephi 5:21-22; Mormon 5:15; and pre-1981 editions of 3 Nephi 30:6 and Jacob 3:8; for another "scripture" book not in the book of Mormon, see Moses 7:8 in the Lds Pearl of Great Price.

From the blog:
"While at BYU teaching multiculturalism, I was LDS and needed to trust Mormon scriptures as 'strong, unbending, utterly reliable,' but I could not wrap my head around scriptures that suggest God cursed a people in the Book of Mormon with a mark of dark skin for their transgression. Exchanging my students’ scripture-driven, dark-skin prejudices into impartial attitudes became my passion. I thought perhaps I could help fix the racism problem in the next generation of LDS students. But, how could I when the scriptures taught that black skin was a curse? Find the narrative of my experience with the issue of racism in Mormonism and at BYU in the book, Unveiling Grace: The Story of How We Found Our Way Out of the Mormon Church (Zondervan, 2013)."

So, when this former BYU prof taught multi-culturalism courses there, she discovered that her students' races wasn't only grounded in a sub-cultural narrative. IoW, many Lds students weren't necessarily openly practicing racists...yet they did take and absorb openly racist Book of Mormon passages at face value.

As for the broader Mormon narrative arising from this, a number of Lds leaders propagated such nasty teachings...the three worst in history being:
(a) Brigham Young
(b) 10th Lds "prophet" Joseph Fielding Smith, grand nephew of Joseph Smith
(c) And Lds "apostle" Mark E. Petersen -- who died exactly 30 years ago as of tomorrow...Mark E. Petersen

If you want to see how one of the key theological traces of why Mormons sought to ban blacks from so many aspects of their faith played out through the years, just do a Google search on the word "valiant" (and add the LDS acronym).

Even a year after the supposed doctrinal "change" (1979...the so-called "change" took place in 1978), we find this interesting paragraph in the back of the Mormon-published Bible (source LDS Bible Dictionary, p. 788 in back of Holy Bible published by Lds church, 1979)...of which I have a copy:

"Although one-third of the spirits became devils, the remaining two-thirds were not all equally valiant, there being every degree of devotion to Christ and the Father among them. The most diligent were chosen to be rulers in the kingdom (Abr. 3:22-23). The nature of the conflict, however, is such that there could be no neutrals, then or now (Matt. 12:30; 1 Ne. 14:10; Alma 5:38-40)."

You see...Mormon theologians divided this conflict in heaven into at least three sides:
* 1/3rd became demonic spirits;
* Of the remaining 2/3rds, the most faithful spirits became "good Mormons" on earth...some also then went on to become angels after being people who lived on earth;
* The other group were so-called "neutrals"...And the Mormon narrative went -- that God cursed these neutral spirits with black skin for their lack of pre-existent "valor"

So, not only was all this above used to unfairly and prejudicially categorize entire races of people, but it also actually became a base for prideful elitism among Lds general authorities. Why, they concluded, by very virtue of their leadership, they proclaimed how "valiant" their spirits must have been in the premortal life!

Pride fosters and feeds upon more pride!

Pride and Prejudice can sum up the entire foundation of the Mormon religion!

BOM completely true:

polygamy the only way to the highest celestial level

except when its abandoned

blacks are cursed

except when they aren't

meat must not be eaten in the warm months

except when you like a want good bbq

no consuming of hot liquids

except unless you want

abortion is bad

except when you pray about it and if the lds god says its ok, its ok

salvation would not have happened without Joseph Smith

except when you are trying to claim you are Christian

yea, I can see the BOM is completely true

except when its not

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