Curse of the Lamanites & Adam

It always makes me cringe a little whenever I hear someone in Sunday School say that the Lamanites skin was the curse that God put upon them. I think most of the confusion has been cleared up, but on occasion I still hear this from members of the church.

A close reading of 2 Nephi 5:20-21 clarifies the difference between the curse of the Lord and the mark of that curse.

20 Wherefore, the word of the Lord was fulfilled which he spake unto me, saying that: Inasmuch as they will not hearken unto thy words they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. And behold, they were cut off from his presence. (This is the curse, being cut off from the presence of the Lord)
21 And he had caused the cursing (mentioned in the previous verse) 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 (that’s the reason they are cut off from his presence, because of their iniquity); wherefore (which means for what reason or purpose, so because of their iniquity the following happened to distinguish them), 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.

Being separated from the presence of the Lord is the curse brought upon the Lamanites. The skin of blackness was not the curse that came upon them, but a mark of that curse so that they would not be enticing to the Nephites and intermarry. This is not an uncommon practice by the Lord in trying to preserve a righteous people. A similar situation happened with the Israelites when they defeated the Canaanites, they were commanded to not “make marriages” with the Canaanites because “they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.” (Deuteronomy 7:3-4). I think the Lord had the same thing in mind with the Nephites. If the Nephites mixed with the Lamanites, it would bring about their destruction, much like the what was said about the Canaanites.

To further establish the point about "curse" being the separation from God’s presence, the prophet Mormon wrote a letter to his son Moroni detailing why infants did not need to be baptized. He writes “Listen to the words of Christ, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God. Behold, I came into the world not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance; the whole need no physician, but they that are sick; wherefore, little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me, that it hath no power over them; and the law of circumcision is done away in me...But little children are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world.” (Moroni 8:8,12)

Unless I’m mistaken, the “curse of Adam” referred to in this verse is similar to the curse on the Lamanites; Adam being separated from God’s presence in the Garden of Eden, and introduced into mortality where he would be given “a probationary time" (Alma 42:4) to repent so he would be able to come back to the Lord's presence. Little children aren’t subjected to this “curse” as noted by Mormon, so if they die, they are not separated from His presence, but are “alive in Christ”.