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Difference between revisions of "Countercult ministries/The Interactive Bible/Difficult Questions for Mormons/Book of Mormon Races"
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|claim=Response to claim: "If the Book of Mormon is true, why do Indians fail to turn white when they become Mormons? (2 Nephi 30:6, prior to the 1981 revision)." | |claim=Response to claim: "If the Book of Mormon is true, why do Indians fail to turn white when they become Mormons? (2 Nephi 30:6, prior to the 1981 revision)." | ||
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| + | {{misinformation|The verse in question says that the Lamanites will become a "pure and delightsome" people. In the 1830 edition, this read "white and delightsome." When Joseph Smith prepared the 1837 edition for publication, he exchanged "white" for "pure"—probably because he realized that readers were seeing this as a literal issue, rather than symbolic. The change removed the ambiguity. | ||
| + | *Unfortunately, this change went unnoticed in subsequent editions, until the preparation of the 1981 edition. So, the 1981 edition restored a reading that went back to 1837; the change is not (as the critics want to portray it) a "recent" change. The history of the change makes it clear why "Indians do not become white"—the verse is not about skin color, but about purity before God. | ||
| + | }} | ||
| + | {{:Question: Why was the phrase "white and delightsome" changed to "pure and delightsome" in the 1840 edition of the Book of Mormon?}} | ||
==Response to claim: "Why aren't any of the Indian tribes racially or genetically the same as Hebrews?"== | ==Response to claim: "Why aren't any of the Indian tribes racially or genetically the same as Hebrews?"== | ||
Revision as of 16:04, 19 October 2016
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Contents
- 1 Response to "Difficult Questions for Mormons: Book of Mormon Races"
- 1.1 Quick Navigation
- 1.2 Response to claim: "If the Book of Mormon is true, why do Indians fail to turn white when they become Mormons?"
- 1.3 Question: Why was the phrase "white and delightsome" changed to "pure and delightsome" in the 1840 edition of the Book of Mormon?
- 1.3.1 Book of Mormon Central, KnoWhy #57: What Does it Mean to be a White and Delightsome People? (Video)
- 1.3.2 This change was originally made in the 1840 edition, lost, and then restored again in the 1981 edition
- 1.3.3 The change in the 1840 edition was probably made by Joseph Smith
- 1.3.4 The 1837 edition was used for the European editions, which were in turn used as the basis for the 1879 and 1920 editions, so the change was lost until the 1981 edition
- 1.3.5 The "pure" meaning likely reflected the original intent of the passage and translator
- 1.4 Response to claim: "Why aren't any of the Indian tribes racially or genetically the same as Hebrews?"
- 1.5 Response to claim: "Why did Joseph Smith send missionaries to the 'Lamanites' if the American Indians at the time weren't really 'Lamanites'?"
Response to "Difficult Questions for Mormons: Book of Mormon Races"
| Book of Mormon Script | A FAIR Analysis of: Difficult Questions for Mormons A work by author: The Interactive Bible
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Book of Mormon Witnesses |
- Response to claim: "If the Book of Mormon is true, why do Indians fail to turn white when they become Mormons?"
- Response to claim: "Why aren't any of the Indian tribes racially or genetically the same as Hebrews?"
- Response to claim: "Why did Joseph Smith send missionaries to the 'Lamanites' if the American Indians at the time weren't really 'Lamanites'?"
Response to claim: "If the Book of Mormon is true, why do Indians fail to turn white when they become Mormons?"
The author(s) of Difficult Questions for Mormons make(s) the following claim:
Response to claim: "If the Book of Mormon is true, why do Indians fail to turn white when they become Mormons? (2 Nephi 30:6, prior to the 1981 revision)."
FAIR's Response
Fact checking results: The author has stated erroneous information or misinterpreted their sources
The verse in question says that the Lamanites will become a "pure and delightsome" people. In the 1830 edition, this read "white and delightsome." When Joseph Smith prepared the 1837 edition for publication, he exchanged "white" for "pure"—probably because he realized that readers were seeing this as a literal issue, rather than symbolic. The change removed the ambiguity.- Unfortunately, this change went unnoticed in subsequent editions, until the preparation of the 1981 edition. So, the 1981 edition restored a reading that went back to 1837; the change is not (as the critics want to portray it) a "recent" change. The history of the change makes it clear why "Indians do not become white"—the verse is not about skin color, but about purity before God.
Question: Why was the phrase "white and delightsome" changed to "pure and delightsome" in the 1840 edition of the Book of Mormon?
Book of Mormon Central, KnoWhy #57: What Does it Mean to be a White and Delightsome People? (Video)
This change was originally made in the 1840 edition, lost, and then restored again in the 1981 edition
This change was originally made in the 1840 edition but because subsequent editions were based off the European editions (which followed the 1837 edition), the change did not get perpetuated until the preparation of the 1981 edition. The change is not (as the critics want to portray it) a "recent" change designed to remove a "racist" original.
The idea that the Church has somehow "hidden" the original text or manuscripts of the Book of Mormon in order to hide this is simply unbelievable. Replicas of the 1830 Book of Mormon are easily obtained on Amazon.com, and the text is freely available online. In addition, Royal Skousen has extensively studied the original Book of Mormon manuscripts and published a critical text edition of the Book of Mormon. The claim by the critics that the Church has somehow hidden these items is seriously outdated.
The change in the 1840 edition was probably made by Joseph Smith
This change actually first appeared in the 1840 edition, and was probably made by Joseph Smith:
- 2 Nephi 30꞉6 (1830 edition, italics added): "...they shall be a white and a delightsome people."
- 2 Nephi 30꞉6 (1840 edition, italics added): "...they shall be a pure and a delightsome people."
The 1837 edition was used for the European editions, which were in turn used as the basis for the 1879 and 1920 editions, so the change was lost until the 1981 edition
This particular correction is part of the changes referred to in the note "About this Edition" printed in the introductory pages:
"Some minor errors in the text have been perpetuated in past editions of the Book of Mormon. This edition contains corrections that seem appropriate to bring the material into conformity with prepublication manuscripts and early editions edited by the Prophet Joseph Smith."
It’s doubtful that Joseph Smith had racism in mind when the change was done in 1840 or other similar verses would have been changed as well.
The "pure" meaning likely reflected the original intent of the passage and translator
Furthermore, "white" was a synonym for "pure" at the time Joseph translated the Book of Mormon:
3. Having the color of purity; pure; clean; free from spot; as white robed innocence....5. Pure; unblemished....6. In a scriptural sense, purified from sin; sanctified. Psalm 51.[1]
Thus, the "pure" meaning likely reflected the original intent of the passage and translator.
Response to claim: "Why aren't any of the Indian tribes racially or genetically the same as Hebrews?"
The author(s) of Difficult Questions for Mormons make(s) the following claim:
Response to claim: "Why aren't any of the Indian tribes racially or genetically the same as Hebrews? American Indians are all of Mongoloid origin."
FAIR's Response
Response to claim: "Why did Joseph Smith send missionaries to the 'Lamanites' if the American Indians at the time weren't really 'Lamanites'?"
The author(s) of Difficult Questions for Mormons make(s) the following claim:
Response to claim: "Why did Joseph Smith send missionaries to the 'Lamanites' if the American Indians at the time weren't really 'Lamanites'? (D&C 10:48, 28:8, 54:8, etc.) He certainly considered the Indians to be Lamanites (even if the current leaders of the church no longer believe them to be so). ' The Book of Mormon is a record of the forefathers of our western tribes of Indians. By it we learn that our western tribes of Indians are descendants from that Joseph who was sold into Egypt, and that the land of America is a promised land unto them.' (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 17). 'He told me of a sacred record which was written on plates of gold, I saw in the vision the place where they were deposited, he said the Indians were the literal descendants of Abraham.' (Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, Diary 1835-1836, pg. 76). (Note - this was one of Smith's 'founding visions'. Apparently, Moroni was not aware that there were other, non-Semitic natives in America either)."
FAIR's Response
Notes