A Question about Mormons?

Question

I read this in my history book and it kind of offended me(I have some issues with Brinkley now). It said that Mormons believe that the reason that the Native Americans are dark skinned is because they strayed from the ways of God and were punished for it. Is that true? Because I find that just a bit offensive. Isn't that basically saying that the darker skinned of the human race sinned and strayed. If it doens't, please clarify. I just really want to know.

Answer 1

It was accepted doctrine in the early days. Since "clarified" and now disavowed by later revelations. Like polygamy. Blood atonement. Etc..

Answer 2

If that offends you, you would really be shocked by the rest of their story.

Example: Sometime about 100 years ago, their leader was plowing his field and up pops the book of Mormon. Dated AD 50 or so. The book was allegedlly 1900 years old, and it had been in that field just waiting for someone to find it. It hadn't rotted in all those years of rain and dirt and worms, etcetera. Of course it hadn't rotted, It was written on new paper but it was dated as if it was 1900 years old and written by Jesus. It gets worse, but I don't want to spoil your surprise of researching it yourself.

Don't forget to ask the Mormons how they obtained the Book of the Mormon. An old manuscript written in modern day English. Why English?

PS on BS: Professor Brinkley sure has a strange name for a professor, Let's contact his college and ask them if they have a professor named "titsaremything"

Professor Brinkley; aka **** are my thing (forte)

also wrote this;

firmly believe that one of the requirements to be a scientologist is an IQ of 70 or below. You guys need to get out and see the world; read some books, do something. You guys have mush for brains and, well quite frankly, are mentally ill. Not even I (professor at the School of Divinity at Harvard University) can fully comprehend your retardness. You guys are so dumb and arrogant I am going to kill you.

Notice how "titsare my thing" Professor Brinkley has gotten his story mixed up - He is now in this latest story at a different college; School of Divinity at Harvard University

Answer 3

I think you are referring to the "curse of Ham"

Noah's three sons were generally interpreted in medieval Christianity as the founders of the populations of the three known continents, Japheth/Europe, Shem/Asia, and Ham/Africa, although a rarer variation held that they represented the three classes of medieval society - the priests (Shem), the warriors (Japheth), and the peasants (Ham). At the same time, some European thinkers proposed that Ham's sons in general had been literally "blackened" by sin. In the 18th and 19th centuries, this view merged with the Protestant interpretation of the curse of Ham to provide a quasi-religious justification for slavery. As late as 1964, Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia read the text of the Noah story into the Congressional Record as part of a filibuster against the Civil Rights Act of 1964, saying, "Noah saw fit to discriminate against Ham's descendants."

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noah

In Mormonism, the racial interpretation of the curse of Ham has taken a circuitous route. There was never an "introduction" of the doctrine into Mormonism by the movement's founder Joseph Smith, Jr., because he took the doctrine for granted, like most other white Christian Americans of his era. While Joseph Smith, Jr.'s was probably taught the curse of Ham doctrine much earlier, the first recorded indication of his acceptance of the doctrine is found in a parenthetical reference as early as 1831. (Manuscript History 19 June 1831).

In Latter Day Saint scripture, there is no unambiguous endorsement of the idea that the dark skin of any modern people is related to the curse of Ham, although the Book of Abraham, like the Bible, can be read that way. Alma 3:6-12 in the Book of Mormon renames the principles of the Curse of Ham as the Curse of the Lamanites whose skins were darkened as a curse by God because of their rebellion against Nephi, Jacob, Joseph and Sam, and stating that this was done so that their seed might not be mixed, as it would bring about destruction. Today, all the major Latter Day Saint denominations officially or at least tacitly reject it, despite the explicit command in the Book of Mormon. However, the doctrine is an important element of Mormon fundamentalism, which constitutes a very small branch of the faith.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_of_Ham

Answer 4

I do not believe that the Book of Mormon says anything of the sort. Mormons believe that Native Americans (the children of Nephi) are actually the lost tribes of Israel.

If you want the truth, why don't you just pick up a book of Mormon and find out yourself. You can look up "dark skin" or "skin color" in the concordance and see if it says anything like that.

Answer 5

Does this mean Afro-Americans are extremely far from the ways of God?
GOD sees the heart not the skin.

Answer 6

Read sometime about where they got the book of Mormon.An consider the source.

Answer 7

Don't be offended...Mormonism is a cult and you wouldn't want to belong anyways. You're fine the way you are :-)

Answer 8

A friend of my wife is Mormon. They are very strange people and come up with all kinds of offensive things. They don't have much respect for anyone else.

Answer 9

My name is Alan Brinkley, professor of Hisory at Columbia University. E-mail me and I will respond to you there. Also, I am curious to know what schools are teaching my book, if you could enlighten me it would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 10

That is crazy, I have no idea maybe you should check out their website.