12 April 2012

Book of Mormon Action Figures: Before and After the Curse of Blackness

This is, without a doubt, one of my favorite items: Book of Mormon Action Figures. (They're even better than those from My Dinner with Andre.)

Here, for example, is Laman, before and after God darkened his skin.



But in order to really appreciate them, you need to know something about Laman and his descendants (the Native Americans), as told in the Book of Mormon.
  1. "Laman and (his evil brother) Lemuel ... were like unto the Jews."  (Being like a Jew is about as bad as it gets in the Book of Mormon.) 1 Nephi 2:11-13
  2. Laman  was "white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome" before the curse, but God caused "a skin of blackness" to come upon him for disobeying his older brother Nephi. 2 Nephi 5:21
  3. God also cursed the Lamanites  (Laman's descendants) causing their skin to turn dark and making them "loathsome" to His people (the Nephites). 2 Nephi 5:22, Alma 3:8
  4. God forbids intermarriage between the Nephites and Lamanites. Those who mix seed with the Lamanites will be cursed by God with "the same cursing". (Their skin will be blackened.) 2 Nephi 5:23, Alma 3:9
  5. God's curse on the Lamanites caused them to become a sinful, polluted, filthy, idle, ferocious, bloodthirsty, and loathsome people, who delighted in murdereing, robbing, and plundering. God cursed them because of what their fathers did.  2 Nephi 5:24Alma 17:14-1526:24Jacob 3:5Enos 1:20, Mosiah 10:12, 25:11
  6. If you don't repent, God will make your skin even darker than that of the Lamanites. Jacob 3:8
  7. The Lamanites "loved murder and would drink the blood of beasts." Jarom 1:6
  8. The Lamanites shaved their heads and ran around naked. Mosiah 10:8, Alma 3:5-643:37, 44:17
  9. God loved the Nephites, but hated the Lamanites "because of the iniquity of the tradition of their fathers." Helaman 15:3-4
  10. God removed his curse from the "good" Lamanites (the ones that "united with the Nephites"), and they "became exceedingly fair, with skins "white like unto the Nephites." 3 Nephi 2:14-16
  11. "The Lamanites ... did teach their children that they should not believe." 4 Nephi 38
  12. The Lamanites (or Native Americans) were once "a delightsome people", but God made them a dark-skinned, "filthy and loathsome people, led about by Satan" because of their unbelief and idolatry. Mormon 5:15-18
I wonder if Mitt Romney loves these action figures as much a I do.

4 comments:

nazani said...

Are these things commercially made? I'm curious why anyone would think built like a fridge would equal "delightsome." Is there another myth about how the Native Americans lost their facial hair?

Stephen said...

@ nazani: just click on the image!
The figures are only $5.95 each, so I bet Mitt has a whole "civilization" of them. Ann probably carries them around in one of her Cadillacs.
Steve Weeks

Stephen said...

How come the mormons comment on only *some* of the threads? I would they make a broader assault because it amuseth me exceedingly.
Steve Weeks

nazani said...

@Stephen Wow, these toys are a hoot. The costumes appear to be based on 19th century stage garb for 'spectacles' like Aida and Salome. They also have a brace of missionaries on bikes and a bust of Joseph Smith that looks nothing like his photos.