Color Blind vs Color Brave: A Latter-day Saint Perspective

Recently at church, we had a very interesting discussion during our lesson about being color blind vs color brave. See, in my ward, there are three neighborhoods, and their socioeconomic demographics are, generally speaking, extremely different. I live in the townhome neighborhood where the majority of members are young families, who do not plan on staying in the ward very long. Many of them rent or simply grow out of their two/three-bedroom townhouse very quickly. Therefore, when we moved in, as soon as people from the other neighborhoods found out that we lived ‘in the townhomes’ they treated us almost like we were not worth the effort to befriend. It was only after we told them that we bought our townhome and planned on living there for the next five or so years that the attitudes towards us started to shift. The second neighborhood is older GI style homes (very small, and some people refer to them as the projects), and the final neighborhood is good-sized homes valued at almost 200k more than either the townhomes or GI homes (these people are less likely to move, and most of the active members live in this neighborhood).

With that understanding, in church, we were talking about the efforts to stop the segregation of our ward into three different neighborhoods. This is when one member suggested that we are all in the same ward, so we should stop stereotyping the people by where they live. He said that one way to do that is to stop referring to the members as living in the different stereotyped neighborhoods which automatically infers certain characteristics and simply refer to all members as ward members, and treat them the same. After all, we are members of the same ward.

This suggestion that we do not judge, but treat everyone the same, was met with pushback by multiple members. They claimed that those in the different neighborhoods need to have their neighborhoods included in our conversations because it is part of who they are, and it helps us understand the context of where they are coming from. They then pointed out that simply ignoring where they live disregards the different struggles they face. One of them mentioned that in Academia they learned that we should not minimize our differences but celebrate the diversity they bring. And that simply ignoring them by calling them ward members is the same problem with those who advocate being color blind, in that we lose our diversity.

I was honestly extremely shocked that the lesson had gone this direction. So, I posted in our zoom chat that I think that we should use the scriptures as a guide as we try to build Zion. I shared 4 Nephi 1:17 which states that “There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God.” After the lesson was over, I shared the story with my wife, and we talked about the parallels between the neighborhoods in our ward and race. Here are some of our thoughts:

And ALL things shall offend them.

Back in 2006 Elder David A. Bednar gave a talk, “And Nothing Shall Offend Them.” Since then, the world has taken the exact opposite to heart. We live in a society that seeks to find offense in all things. Academia preaches the gospel of microaggressions and identity politics. We are taught to look for hidden evils and wrongdoings of others, even if they are merely accidents. We are taught that everything that happens is due to someone being a bigot/racist/homophobe/sexist/xenophobe; we are taught that we have been wronged by others and are oppressed. 

Thankfully, the Lord through the scriptures and modern apostles and prophets has made it clear that whereas all hate (bigotry/homophobia/sexism/racism, etc) is wrong and not becoming of disciples of Christ, this attempt take offense at everyone and to make everything about the temporal circumstances of the fall, does not stem from God. Satan is the one who is obsessed with race, gender, sexual orientation, not God! Satan is the one who is seeking to help us find offense at everything. It is wise to remember Brigham Young’s famous quote, “He who takes offense when no offense is intended is a fool, and he who takes offense when offense is intended is a greater fool.”

Labels of the Fall

Satan seeks to have us focus on the temporal conditions of the fall: where we live, the color of our skin, where we were born, our socioeconomic status, our gender identity, our sexual orientation, etc., etc., etc. He then uses these labels to divide and categorize people. By doing this he helps us fall into the unrighteous habit of passing judgments on people based on these temporal conditions of the fall. “Oh, so and so lives in the townhomes, that is a transient part of the ward, it’s not worth reaching out to them.” Or “So and has a given skin color, therefore (insert any judgment)” These judgments are generalizations based on assumptions that are highly inaccurate.

With God, He never identifies us by the conditions of the fall! But rather, He identifies us by the divinity of our creation. Satan is the one who seeks to cause us to choose any label as our identity instead of our divine birthright as Children of God! In the First Vision, God did not speak to Joseph Smith saying, “Joseph, my Anglo-American, white, Christian, cis-male, straight, poor, farm boy son.” That is because those labels are ALL temporal. Instead, in the First Vision, Joseph recorded that the first words he heard were “Joseph, my son” That is because God does not care about or use temporal labels of the fall. Because God is an eternal being.  When Heavenly Father addresses us, He addresses us by our name, to show He knows us, and by our relationship as His son or His daughter. God does not label us, but rather He seeks to enable us to become like Him. He sees that potential in us. Joseph B. Wirthlin taught this: “We see ourselves in terms of yesterday and today. Our Heavenly Father sees us in terms of forever. Although we might settle for less, Heavenly Father won’t, for He sees us as the glorious beings we are capable of becoming.”

It is not just Joseph B. Wirthlin that touched on this topic, President Dallin H. Oaks taught us the danger of using temporal labels in a recent general conference, he taught: “Most important, each of us is a child of God with a potential destiny of eternal life. Every other label, even including occupation, race, physical characteristics, or honors, is temporary or trivial in eternal terms. Don’t choose to label yourselves or think of yourselves in terms that put a limit on a goal for which you might strive.”
“Where Will This Lead?”  April 2019

The Gospel is the Answer.

Fourth Nephi, reinforced with the teachings of the modern prophets and apostles, forms a clear understanding: God is no respecter of persons and He is color blind in the fact that NOTHING else defines us other than that we are HIS CHILDREN. And in communities that are patterned after Heaven, aka Zion, they are the same way. That is why Fourth Nephi reads: “nor any manner of -ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God.”

The notion that we must focus on what makes us different, is the doctrine of men mingled with scriptures, ie a satanic counterfeit to truth designed to deceive the elect. According to Dallin H. Oaks, “the restored Church opposes the popular definition of diversity in its organization and composition. We are all children of God, and that is our most important characteristic.” Could you imagine if Fourth Nephi was written in accordance with the woke color brave/diversity doctrine, “And there were all manner of -ites among the people, they were extremely diverse, every group being divided by race, gender, and sexual orientation, each being held as different in their celebrating diversity. So too where actions upheld, all actions being equal in their celebration of diversity, both sin, and righteousness, both following Christ and following Satan, for all things were acceptable until the people. And from their tolerance and diversity, they found salvation and exaltation.”

Such a verse sounds wrong because it is. This new doctrine Satan is pushing in Academia is not in accordance with the Gospel plan which teaches that we should be one and have no -ites among us. Some might complain, that they have been wronged! and that this is tone-deaf, am I suggesting that we ignore these injustices? Certainly not! But it would be wise to remember the parable of the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18:23-35 and that the greatest injustice in the world is the fact that Christ suffered death for my sins and your sins. Whatever wrongs we have endured, Christ has endured more, for us, and because of us. And He has commanded us to forgive all those who have wronged us. Is it easy? No, but it is our duty! Only if we live the gospel can we find the peace and a balm to soothe our souls! Truly prophetic are the words of Ezra Taft Benson regarding the calamity of our society’s self-destruction: “Only the gospel will save the world from the calamity of its own self-destruction. Only the gospel will unite men of all races and nationalities in peace. Only the gospel will bring joy, happiness, and salvation to the human family. The world is hungry for true religion, and we have it.”