Church supports removing racism from the Constitution...

[_I have a question]

At issue is language nearly identical to the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, passed in 1865, that was copied into the Utah Constitution at statehood in 1896.
The Utah version says, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within this State.”
Hollins says that seems to make slavery still possible as a punishment for crime — and she wants any possibility of slavery removed.

https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/20 ... ds-church/

“This is about righting a wrong,” said Rep. Sandra Hollins, D-Salt Lake City, the only Black woman in the Legislature, who persuaded lawmakers to unanimously approve putting Amendment C on the ballot.
Even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints made a fairly rare move to directly support a ballot measure during the news conference at the state Capitol by the Utah Coalition to Abolish Slavery.

How noble. But how about setting the example, leading from the front, practicing what you preach? How about removing racism from the Church canon?

21 And he had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like unto a flint; wherefore, as they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/stu ... 5?lang=eng

How can the Church honestly support an amendment to the Constitution without showing that intention by removing racism from the Book of Mormon?

[_Dr Exiled]

I thought skin of blackness meant animal skins?



Or it was a spiritual curse, right? They were like flint not really flint and don't pay attention to the next sentence that the anti-Mormons bring up.

[_huckelberry]

future voices:_"You know the real Book of Mormon, the one Joseph Smith presented, said this and this about dark skin. The church wanted to hide this embarrassment so removed the real statements and substituted fake coverups."

[_Res Ipsa]

I think the phrase after the comma modifies only "involuntary servitude" and is intended to preserve the ability to use prison labor. Given the racist use of prison labor to preserve de facto slavery in the south up until World War II, involuntary servitude is not a racially neutral issue. But I don't think the entire sentence means that slavery can be used a criminal punishment.

Whether forced prison labor is a good thing is a different question.