In my blog series on the Pro-European Americanism in Mormonism, I want to begin with a disclaimer: my intention in referencing and quoting from books and documents from The Utah Genealogical Society is to point out the former pride and respect given to those of British, German, and Scandinavian ancestry in Mormonism. However, I want to be clear that being proud of your ancestry is different from being racist or ethnocentric. Unfortunately, these books by The Utah Genealogical Society in the 1920s to 1940s, often endorse the extremely racist teachings of Joseph Fielding Smith in his book The Way of Perfection. I reject these racist ideas and so recommend caution when reading these books, for even the Brighamite LDS Church has rejected these teachings by Joseph Fielding Smith.
I recommend one watch Stirling Adams' 2019 video presentation: "Mormon Israelism and the Utah Genealogical Society" on YouTube. After watching this video presentation by Stirling Adams, I could definitely see the problems with Mormon Israelism when it is combined with early LDS doctrine of racial superiority and false ideas concerning darker skin as a curse from God. However, if we remove these racist teachings on skin color and elite spirits from the pre-existence and in particular the teachings of Joseph Fielding Smith which went on to influence others like Bruce R. McConkie's Mormon Doctrine, and stick only with the ideas in Mormon Scripture about LDS members as Ephraimites, I find that the books by the Utah Genealogical Society are not problematic at all. At least not any more than anyone of Jewish ethnicity seeking to prop their tribal identity as the Chosen People. In other words, remove the racist teachings on dark skin pigmentation by Joseph Fielding Smith (which the LDS Church now rejects), and I don't see why the emphasis on respecting one's Scandinavian ancestry is problematic if one is a Scandinavian Mormon. The problem only arises when that feeling of respect and reverence for one's ancestry is elevated to the degree of actual "white supremacy," which of course I do not support. I personally believe in Martin Luther King Jr's vision of a color blind society where someone is judged based on the content of their character and not the color of their skin. So if we remove this stupid idea of white skin is better than black skin which is silly and ridiculous, and just stick to the idea of the growth and accomplishments of an ethnic culture like the Scandinavians, then I don't see any reason why these books by Utah Genealogical Society can't be seen as an appreciation of Scandinavian culture by the early Mormon Church.
I also agree with Stirling Adams' video presentation when he condemns eugenics and I agree with his criticism of bad arguments for Mormon Israelism or Israelite LDS Europeans. I personally see the idea of Mormons as Ephraimites as midrashic religion-making and not historical or genetic fact, just like the Apostle Paul used midrashic religion-making, I see Joseph Smith using his creativity in scripture-making to bolster the identity of his American converts by declaring them a mixed race as Europeans and Israelites, or Native Americans and Israelites. As I discussed in my blog post here, I see it as a theological reaction to the "gene swapping" idea in the apostle Paul's writings: with Joseph Smith seeking to bolster the self-esteem of those on the American continent by utilizing the legend of the Lost Tribes of Israel, in order to give those on the American continent a scriptural Israelite identity. In this way, Smith was elevating the Europeans sense of worth and self-esteem by giving them a larger role and purpose in the Bible. I think you can appreciate Joseph Smith's creative midrashic religion-making on its own terms as more mythos than factual when it comes to "European Israelites," while rejecting the racist ideas taught by Joseph Fielding Smith.
I want to also note that the narrator of this video Stirling Adams, is at times less than gracious in his treatment of these early Mormons. I can't help but be of the opinion that he is it seems to me an extremely far-Leftist politically. I tried to look him up but didn't find much. If he is, as I suspect, more politically Leftist in his ideology, this will affect his assessments in a biased way. I am politically moderate or in the middle myself, and I can tell when someone is politically far-Left or far-Right, and how that bias often influences their rhetoric. A good sign Stirling Adams may be ideologically possessed by the far-Leftism is at the 17 minute mark in the video presentation when he speaks with a condemning tone when referring to "pasty white Europeans." Such a derogatory description of Europeans like me and my ancestors is unnecessary and some might find such rhetoric offensive. This, to me reveals at least a tinge of prejudicial sentiment against those labeled "white," or at least a disdain for those of European descent.
I agree with Stirling Adams on many things he brings up in the video, but why is he so disdainful of "White" Europeans, and why classify them as "White" in the first place? Why the racial profiling? Why not just say Scandinavians, or German, why lump everyone together as "White" with his tone condemning those he calls "White." This seems problematic to me. Why is it OK to speak in derogatory tone of "pasty white Europeans" and in the video and why is it OK for him to mock the god Thor and Odin of the Scandinavians the way he does. That to me is his own bias and prejudice against European history and culture. It is as if he wants Europeans to have no pride in their culture or ancestry or ancient Norse religion, and he is biased to the point of only speaking condemningly of "White" people, probably because far-Leftist ideology has indoctrinated him into only thinking of so-called "Whiteness" as "bad."
So to be clear, I agree with Stirling Adams in his criticism of any racism in these early Mormon booklets but I disagree with his negative attitude toward Europeans seeking to find a sense of pride in their ancestry. If I read a book by Africans that take pride in their African ancestry without saying anything racist, I have no problem with that African booklet. So I see no problems with these booklets if you simply separate the racist ideas from there reverence for European ancestry. A sophisticated thinking person will be able to "sift the wheat from the tares." So to clarify even further, if I could take a pair of scissors to these booklets I would in fact cut out all the stupid racist ideas, but the respect and reverence these book pay to my Scandinavian ancestors I would keep and maintain.
In conclusion, I actually agree with Stirling Adams that he is correct that there was no reason for LDS Leaders to diminish another race and particularly those of Black African ethnicity (by LDS Leaders like Joseph Fielding Smith) in order for European Mormons to bolster their own ethnic identity. I agree with Nietzsche on this issue as Nietzsche rejected for example the form of racism of anti-Semitism because he saw it as a form of weakness. As in, it is weak people who blame their own status in the world on another race. He thought it basically reeked of resentment and insecurity, which he saw as displays of weakness and ignoble traits, which he considered sad and despicable. Nietzsche taught instead that your excellence is merited and is not based on your "skin color" but how you sublimate the instincts toward a will to power.
