{"id":1343,"date":"2008-05-16T21:36:58","date_gmt":"2008-05-17T04:36:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ourthoughts.ca\/?p=1343"},"modified":"2008-05-16T21:40:29","modified_gmt":"2008-05-17T04:40:29","slug":"lamanitic-curse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ourthoughts.ca\/2008\/05\/16\/lamanitic-curse\/","title":{"rendered":"Lamanitic Curse"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ask any Mormon what the Lamanite curse was, and s\/he will likely say something like “dark skin”. And a superficial reading of the Book of Mormon seems to support that idea.<\/p>\n

I wonder, however, if it was something a bit deeper and significant than that. After all, what kind of curse is a skin colour change?<\/p>\n

Yesterday, i outlined how the Nephites were blessed because they worked<\/a>. Consider verse 2 Ne 5:11:<\/p>\n

the Lord was with us; and we did prosper exceedingly . . .<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is the blessing: having the Lord with them and prosperity.<\/p>\n

. . . for<\/em> we did sow seed . . . and we began to raise flocks, and herds, and animals of every kind<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This the cause of the blessing: sowing seed and raising livestock. Or work. Notice the word for<\/em>. When used as a conjunction, as it is in this case, it means because<\/em>, since<\/em> or seeing that<\/em>. This shows a direct relationship between their work and their blessings.<\/p>\n

Now consider 2 Ne 5:24:<\/p>\n

because<\/em> of their cursing . . . they did become an idle people<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Here we see another direct relationship; however, this relationship is opposite that of the Nephites. Whereas the Nephites’ blessing is a result of their work, the Lamanites’ idleness is a result of their curse.<\/p>\n

So then how does this establish that the curse is something other (or deeper) than a dark skin?<\/p>\n

Look at 2 Nephi 5:20:<\/p>\n

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.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So where the Nephites kept the commandments and had the Lord with them, the Lamanites did not and the Lord was not with them.<\/p>\n

Let’s summarize the parallels here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Nephites<\/th>\nLamanites<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Kept commandments, statutes & judgements (v. 10)<\/td>\nDid not hearken to Nephi’s words (v. 20)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Blessed with the Lord’s presence (v. 11)<\/td>\nCut off from the Lord (v. 20)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Work caused blessing (v. 11)<\/td>\nIdleness result of curse (v. 24)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Given the parallels, I wonder then if the curse was actually being cut off from God’s presence.<\/p>\n

So how does the dark skin fit into this? Perhaps it was a sign of the curse, a physical reminder of the curse.<\/p>\n

Thoughts?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ask any Mormon what the Lamanite curse was, and s\/he will likely say something like “dark skin”. 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