LDS Is Jesus White?

[Sam91]

It should be viewable in post #10, sorry for the confusion

Oh, I find that image unsettling (red eyes and how films portray them). I saw it after I posted. I've always assumed like this colour... see below. With whiter than white, radiant, flowing hair. Eyes not red but full of light. The bronze colour radiating power, the hair holiness. The energy being awe inspiring but the form full of love and compassion. His words in Revelation are tender but strong. Speaking pure truth. I don't picture a sword for truth but rather imagine the truthful, sharp, powerful impact that they have feels like it.

It gives me great hope to meet Him but also a reverent awe.

 

[devin553344]

Oh, I find that image unsettling (red eyes and how films portray them). I saw it after I posted. I've always assumed like this colour... see below. With whiter than white flowing hair. Eyes not red but full of light. The bronze colour radiating power, the hair holiness. The energy being awe inspiring but the form full of love and compassion. His words in Revelation are tender but strong. Speaking pure truth. I don't picture a sword for truth but rather imagine the truthful, sharp, powerful impact that they have feels like it.

It gives me great hope to meet Him but also a reverent awe.

Yeah, I have to admit, I like your version better. I think I was just wondering what white hair meant. Age or some kinda something that happens to Gods hair.

 

[Sam91]

Yeah, I have to admit, I like your version better. I think I was just wondering what white hair meant. Age or some kinda something that happens to Gods hair.

Wisdom, holiness, purity, power?

I like revelation's version, or rather what it looks like in my head. The other schema I have is quite like how the media has portrayed Jesus on Earth. I imagine Him with tanned/Olive skin.

 

[devin553344]

Wisdom, holiness, purity, power?

I like revelation's version, or rather what it looks like in my head. The other schema I have is quite like how the media has portrayed Jesus on Earth. I imagine Him with tanned/Olive skin.

I liked your description. I think he will still be of middle eastern appearance, even in the Revelation version. It just says his face shown like the sun.

 

[Monk Brendan]

I was wondering what LDS followers believe about this. Is Jesus middle eastern and therefore dark skinned or white in LDS belief?

I know that the pictures of Jesus in LDS church houses are white. So I wondered about this belief.

Thoughts and debate regarding the OP only please. I would like to keep this a scriptural debate:

Not all middle easterners have dark skin.

I know. I go to a church filled with them.

 

[devin553344]

Also I'm wondering how this plays into whether LDS followers believe Jesus is white or darker colored. I remember being taught that dark skin curse is removed after the resurrection. The only reference I found to this teaching is from a book published way back in 1931 by Joseph Fielding Smith:

"When all the other children of Adam have had the privilege of receiving the Priesthood, and of coming into the Kingdom of God, and of being redeemed from the four quarters of the earth, and have received their resurrection from the dead, then it will be time enough to remove the curse from Cain and his posterity" (p. 106).

But apparently the book is not published today for some reason. Yet I remember being taught this in church. I found the reference on this website: The Curse of Dark Skin

I was raised LDS and I'm ~50 years old so maybe this is not being taught anymore?

For those that don't know Joseph Fielding Smith was a Mormon President and therefore the Prophet of the LDS Church. Although the book was written before he was acting president of the LDS Church.

Apprently it's referenced here also:

"Cain conversed with his God every day, and knew all about the plan of creating this earth, for his father told him. But, for the want of humility, and through jealousy, and an anxiety to possess the kingdom, and to have the whole of it under his own control, and not allow anybody else the right to say one word, what did he do? He killed his brother. The Lord put a mark on him; and there are some of his children in this room. When all the other children of Adam have had the privilege of receiving the Priesthood, and of coming into the kingdom of God, and of being redeemed from the four quarters of the earth, and have received their resurrection from the dead, then it will be time enough to remove the curse from Cain and his posterity. He deprived his brother of the privilege of pursuing his journey through life, and of extending his kingdom by multiplying upon the earth; and because he did this, he is the last to share the joys of the kingdom of God" (Brigham Young, Dec., 3, 1854, Journal of Discourses, vol. 2, p. 142-43).

Which I found on this website: The Long Promised Day Has Come | Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

 

[GodLovesCats]

Given he was born on the Middle East, I'd assume middle eastern. Never understood why he's always showed as a "white guy".

Let's see if pictures of Jesus that were made in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Central/South America - where most native people are not white - also depict Jesus as a white guy. It may be cultural.

 

[devin553344]

It may be cultural.

Probably is.

 

[Semper-Fi]

What Did Jesus Really Look Like

British forensic scientists say the real Jesus Christ would have looked nothing at all like those popular images we see today.
Jesus Christ's 'face' recreated using Semite skulls by Richard Neave | Daily Mail Online

The Roman soldiers couldn’t distinguish Him from the crowd of Jews (Matthew 26) His appearance was typical of Galilean Semites in that time period.

Paul says if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him (1 Corinthians 11:14) Jesus would have had short hair, typical of the men of the era.

Carpenters of the time worked outside in various weather conditions. This means Christ would have been both tanned and muscular.
-

Dr. Neave set out to determine what a “typical Galilean Semite” of that era would have looked like.

The team’s conclusion was that Christ would have had a fairly tanned complexion and dark, possibly curly hair with a matching beard. He would have been the typical height and weight for men of the time, which, according to Neave’s research, was about 5 feet one inch and 110 pounds.

But we should think of Him not as He was during His earthly ministry but as He is today. Revelation 1:14-16

 

[devin553344]

What Did Jesus Really Look Like

British forensic scientists say the real Jesus Christ would have looked nothing at all like those popular images we see today.
Jesus Christ's 'face' recreated using Semite skulls by Richard Neave | Daily Mail Online

The Roman soldiers couldn’t distinguish Him from the crowd of Jews (Matthew 26) His appearance was typical of Galilean Semites in that time period.

Paul says if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him (1 Corinthians 11:14) Jesus would have had short hair, typical of the men of the era.

Carpenters of the time worked outside in various weather conditions. This means Christ would have been both tanned and muscular.
-

Dr. Neave set out to determine what a “typical Galilean Semite” of that era would have looked like.

The team’s conclusion was that Christ would have had a fairly tanned complexion and dark, possibly curly hair with a matching beard. He would have been the typical height and weight for men of the time, which, according to Neave’s research, was about 5 feet one inch and 110 pounds.

But we should think of Him not as He was during His earthly ministry but as He is today. Revelation 1:14-16

Thanks, I agree with you. And I find it interesting that they chose a rather bewildered expression for the Jesus replica

 

[Dkh587]

Revelation 1 14The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

This is not literal.

 

[Sam91]

This is not literal.

Yes, I know. See my later post in thread. (Post 21)

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

So Mormons would probably discount Christ from being black, by virtue of the fact that their Church accepted until fairly recently that blacks were under the curse of Cain and therefore could not hold priestly power. Brigham Young even suggests that they cannot hold earthly power either. I don't think Mormons can suggest Brigham Young was wrong, only that the curse now has been lifted, but it cannot retroactively be lifted in the past.

I'm not sure what the position of Mormonism is towards Middle Easterners or Asians is. Perhaps they are only affected by the curse of Cain more so than central Europeans. I suppose if we were to infer from the book of Mormon Jesus must have looked like a white skinned Northern Native American, considering that according to Mormons Jews sailed to America and the portion that survived were punished with "a skin of blackness."

As to historically what Christ actually looked like. i have no idea. I don't know if modern Middle Easterners could serve as a good example of what Jesus looked like given the constant demographic changes and introduction of different peoples into the Middle east over the last two thousand years. The Turkic peoples and Arab dominance have shaped that area of the world.

 

[devin553344]

So Mormons would probably discount Christ from being black, by virtue of the fact that their Church accepted until fairly recently that blacks were under the curse of Cain and therefore could not hold priestly power. Brigham Young even suggests that they cannot hold earthly power either. I don't think Mormons can suggest Brigham Young was wrong, only that the curse now has been lifted, but it cannot retroactively be lifted in the past.

I'm not sure what the position of Mormonism is towards Middle Easterners or Asians is. Perhaps they are only affected by the curse of Cain more so than central Europeans. I suppose if we were to infer from the book of Mormon Jesus must have looked like a white skinned Northern Native American, considering that according to Mormons Jews sailed to America and the portion that survived were punished with "a skin of blackness."

As to historically what Christ actually looked like. i have no idea. I don't know if modern Middle Easterners could serve as a good example of what Jesus looked like given the constant demographic changes and introduction of different peoples into the Middle east over the last two thousand years. The Turkic peoples and Arab dominance have shaped that area of the world.

Yes that was part of what I was wondering about.

 

[Ironhold]

So Mormons would probably discount Christ from being black, by virtue of the fact that their Church accepted until fairly recently that blacks were under the curse of Cain and therefore could not hold priestly power.

Not true.

Joseph Smith is known to have ordained a handful of blacks to the priesthood as part of an effort at a racially-integrated clergy. Problem was, he started doing this during the Missouri period, and so there are those who argue that "the prospect of a racially-integrated clergy in the middle of a so-called 'slave' state" is a key part of what kicked off the Missouri Conflict.

Individual blacks may or may not have been ordained after his death, and blacks of Melenasean (spelling?) descent were allowed the priesthood in the 1950s.

There weren't any restrictions on black membership in the church, just on the priesthood... and you'll readily find people who question whether or not the ban on priesthood was ultimately the result of the on-the-ground situation in Africa and what might have happened to the church if the priesthood had been integrated.

I'm not sure what the position of Mormonism is towards Middle Easterners or Asians is. Perhaps they are only affected by the curse of Cain more so than central Europeans. I suppose if we were to infer from the book of Mormon Jesus must have looked like a white skinned Northern Native American, considering that according to Mormons Jews sailed to America and the portion that survived were punished with "a skin of blackness."

Have... you even read the Book of Mormon?

A specific dissident group was marked with darker skin as a last-ditch effort to avert what could have been a catastrophic civil war. Things went from there.

And I highly doubt you'll find anything about Asians or Middle Easterners.

 

[DamianWarS]

I should point out one of the reasons I brought this up for debate in the LDS thread was because I wondered about 2 Nephi 5:21-23 and what implications that would have on a darker skinned Jesus, if any of course:

21 And he had caused the acursing 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 bdelightsome, that they might not be centicing unto my people the Lord God did cause a dskin of eblackness to come upon them.

22 And thus saith the Lord God: I will cause that they shall be aloathsome unto thy people, save they shall repent of their iniquities.

23 And cursed shall be the seed of him that amixeth with their seed; for they shall be cursed even with the same cursing. And the Lord spake it, and it was done.

I'm confused about this LDS scripture and its scope regarding darker skinned people?

When I was an LDS member we were taught that Cain also received that curse. But the scripture in the bible appears contrary to that teaching:

Genesis 4:15 But the LORD said to him, "Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.

Which teaching comes from the LDS book of Moses 7:22

22 And Enoch also beheld the residue of the people which were the sons of Adam; and they were a mixture of all the seed of Adam save it was the seed of Cain, for the seed of Cain were ablack, and had not place among them.

the curse upon Canaan (Ham's son) has been said to be a racial curse. this is because the curse is calling Canaan "the lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers". It is a desperate interpretation to inject race in there and used to justify slavery but perhaps LDS are influenced and/or motivated by the same folklore attached to this verse.

 

[devin553344]

the curse upon Canaan (Ham's son) has been said to be a racial curse. this is because the curse is calling Canaan "the lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers". It is a desperate interpretation to inject race in there and used to justify slavery but perhaps LDS are influenced and/or motivated by the same folklore attached to this verse.

See if I got this right... So in the 1800's they believed that Canaan was a racial curse? Which may have influenced Joseph Smith's books? I think that is what I got out of the Canaan study guide.

 

[Rescued One]

Mary the mother of Jesus depicted as the Tree of Life
What Does the Virgin Mary Have to Do with the Tree of Life?

1 Nephi 11:13
13 And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the great city of Jerusalem, and also other cities. And I beheld the city of Nazareth; and in the city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and she was exceedingly fair and white.
1 Nephi 11

 

[timothyu]

Description of Jesus

Isaiah 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

 

[Rescued One]

Soon after I wrote an article for the Messenger and Advocate, which was published in the April number as follows: ---

The Prophet's Views on Abolition

Brother Oliver Cowdery,

DEAR SIR:—This place [Kirtland] having recently been visited by a gentleman who advocated the principles or doctrines of those who are called Abolitionists,... I fear that the sound might go out, that "an Abolitionist" had held forth several times to this community,... all, except a very few attended to their own vocations, and left the gentleman to hold forth his own arguments to nearly naked walls. I am aware that many, who profess to preach the Gospel, complain against their brethren of the same faith, who reside in the South, and are ready to withdraw the hand of fellowship, because they will not renounce the principle of slavery, and raise their voice against everything of the kind. This must be a tender point, and one which should call forth the candid reflections of all men. and more especially before they advance in an opposition calculated to lay waste the fair states of the South, and let loose upon the world a community of people, who might, peradventure, overrun our country, and violate the most sacred principles of human society, chastity and virtue... I do not believe that the people of the North have any more right to say that the South shall not hold slaves, than the South have to say the North shall.

How any community can ever be excited with the chatter of such persons, boys and others, who are too indolent to obtain their living by honest industry, and are incapable of pursuing any occupation of a professional nature, is unaccountable to me; and when I see persons in the free states, signing documents against slavery, it is no less, in my mind, than an army of influence, and a declaration of hostilities, against the people of the South. What course can sooner divide our union?... I do not doubt, but those who have been forward in raising their voices against the South, will cry out against me as being uncharitable, unfeeling, unkind, and wholly unacquainted with the Gospel of Christ ...the first mention we have of slavery is found in the Holy Bible....

And so far from that prediction being averse to the mind of God, it remains as a lasting monument of the decree of Jehovah, to the shame and confusion of all who have cried out against the South, in consequence of their holding the sons of Ham in servitude.... I can say, the curse is not yet taken off from the sons of Canaan, neither will be until it is affected by as great a power as caused it to come; and the people who interfere the least with the purpose of God in this matter, will come under the least condemnation before him; and those who are determined to pursue a course, which shows an opposition, and a feverish restlessness against the decrees of the Lord, will learn, when perhaps it is too late for their own good, that God can do his own work, without the aid of those who are not dictated by His counsel.
History of the Church, by Joseph Smith, vol. 2, pp. 436-38

I apologize for the ellipses. It's a lot work to type all that. If some of you non-LDS want me to, I can try to fill it in.