{"id":42843,"date":"2022-04-12T13:06:07","date_gmt":"2022-04-12T18:06:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.timesandseasons.org\/?p=42843"},"modified":"2022-04-12T13:09:58","modified_gmt":"2022-04-12T18:09:58","slug":"loving-the-book-of-mormon-prophets-without-accepting-all-their-prejudices-a-review-of-the-book-of-mormon-for-the-least-of-these-volume-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2022\/04\/loving-the-book-of-mormon-prophets-without-accepting-all-their-prejudices-a-review-of-the-book-of-mormon-for-the-least-of-these-volume-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Loving the Book of Mormon Prophets without Accepting Their Prejudices: A Review of “The Book of Mormon for the Least of These, Volume 1\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"A while back, a friend sent me an uncomfortable text. She is not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but someone had given her daughter <\/span>the old illustrated Book of Mormon Stories book<\/span><\/a>, and her daughter came across the passage in Second Nephi when Nephi narrates that Laman and Lemuel\u2019s descendants are cursed because of their wickedness and become a dark-skinned people. My friend texted, \u201cWe were wondering if there is some context missing that would make it seem less racist?\u201d It\u2019s a troubling passage for me and many other readers, but I finally had words to formulate a response, and for that, I can thank Fatimah Salleh and Margaret Olsen Hemming\u2019s wonderful commentary <\/span>The Book of Mormon for the Least of These: 1 Nephi – Words of Mormon<\/span><\/i><\/a>, which the authors dedicated to \u201cthose who seek God and work for justice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In this volume, Salleh and Hemming show a deep love and respect for the individuals in the Book of Mormon while also examining the challenges they experienced and how those may have colored some of their own perspectives, as in the passage referenced above. They invite us to not only consider the voices we hear and events we see but also those we do not: \u201cWho is present but unheard? Who is suffering and why?\u201d But they also invite us to question the perspectives of the narrators: \u201cWhat are the assumptions this person is making? Is there another way to understand this story?\u201d All of this analysis is informed by a close reading of the text together with a steady stream of powerful insights.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Three places where this approach comes out clearly are in their discussion of Nephi\u2019s killing of Laban (1 Nephi 4), the \u201cinvitation\u201d to Zoram to join their party (1 Nephi 4), and in the characterization of the Lamanites\u2019 curse and change of skin color (2 Nephi 5). After a discussion of Nephi\u2019s dilemma with Laban, they remind us: \u201cthe reader\u2019s role is not to judge Nephi\u2019s choice, but rather to empathize with his suffering [remember that Nephi was beaten by his own brothers just before this] and consider how we can use God\u2019s voice to navigate the challenging choices we make in our own lives.\u201d With Nephi and Zoram, the authors highlight that while \u201cNephi tells a narrative where the conflict is resolved peacefully and Zoram willingly goes with the family into the wilderness,\u201d it\u2019s also true that, again returning to the words of Salleh and Hemming, \u201cwhen the choice is between death and something else, it\u2019s not a real choice.\u201d Later, in Alma 54:23, a descendant of Zoram recites a different, less sympathetic narrative. It\u2019s striking that we never hear Zoram\u2019s own narrative, which invites the reflection: \u201cWhy do the perspectives of those who are present but silent matter?\u201d (This goes for many characters in the Book of Mormon, especially women.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the case of the curse on on the descendants of Laban, the authors first take apart some of Nephi\u2019s claims, such as that the Lamanites are idle (\u201cwe will read in the following pages of the Book of Mormon that the Lamanites build a society that rivals that of the Nephites\u201d) or that their hunting for food is an indication of their curse (\u201cWe know that Nephi used his bow to hunt for food and that God guided him in those efforts. Why is hunting for food suddenly a sign of immorality?\u201d). They talk about the dangers of reading the judgments of God into the lives of others. So what do we do with this passage? \u201cNephi\u2019s words present readers with two simultaneous challenges: offer empathy for his humanness and refuse to elevate his words to the divine status. Nephi made a mistake. We should not compound the problem by turning it into a foundation for our own theology.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Lest you walk away thinking that this book is a catalog of trauma or of Nephi\u2019s faults (or those of others, like Lehi or Jacob), nothing could be further from the truth. The love that Salleh and Hemming feel for the prophets of the Book of Mormon is palpable: \u201cNephi is an extraordinary example of faith in the face of terror, suffering, and sadness.\u201d Regarding Nephi\u2019s vision in 1 Nephi 10, Nephi \u201cactively searches out his own experience and has truth erupt all about him.\u201d When Jacob maligns the entire Lamanite people (2 Nephi 10), the authors reflect on his refugee status and comment that \u201cgiven the history of his life, it seems like a response that readers can understand and forgive.\u201d As <\/span>Daniel Becerra writes<\/span><\/a>, \u201cthe authors never adopt critical rhetoric without also allowing space for empathy and understanding of such persons\u2019 individual circumstances.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I adored this book (without needing to agree with every single interpretation). I\u2019ve read it from start to finish twice, and I\u2019m sure I will again. In my copy, almost every page has highlights or annotations. The authors write that \u201cthe wisdom and strength of the Book of Mormon is an abundant feast, ready and waiting for us to partake.\u201d The loving, widely embracing analysis of Salleh and Hemming has made this feast even more delicious. (Apparently volume 2 is coming out<\/a> soon, so now’s your perfect chance to read volume 1!)<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are a few thoughts from other reviewers:<\/span><\/p>\n