Kymber Brockbank I think that there is likely a Hebraic literary play on words between the words light אור and עור skin. In Hebrew, both words are pronounced [or]. We see similar literary uses of these words in the Bible, “Though your skins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow...” (Isaiah 1:18). When Adam and Eve left the garden of Eden, the Lord made coats of “skins” for them. They were protected and covered by the Lord (through the Atonement, and the covenant). The symbolism of white garments plays into this symbolic connection. The color white inherently contains all of the spectrums of light. I believe this has deep symbolic significance, as Jesus Christ is the light of the world and all light and enlightenment is a blessing from him.
Like many words (עבד servant/slave, תמימ complete/ perfect) our modern understated of those words changed over time due to our experiences with various societal standards. I believe that the curse had very little to do with the color of ones skin, it had to do with the countenance of one’s character. The curse was and has always been connected with whether or not the Lord’s Spirit dwells with us. The consequence of sin is revocation of Spirit, when that happens we become a dark and fallen people.
When we have the light of Christ in our lives we have his Spirit to dwell with us, to guide us. The curse is connected with the blessing that was explained by Abraham and Moses, and restated over and over again in the Book of Mormon, “Inasmuch as he shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper in the land.” The Lord is bound when we keep his commandments and our covenants. However, when we stray from that path we have no such promise. Read the last part of Deuteronomy for a very detailed list of the many forms the curse might take when we disobey his law and turn to worship the various idols of the world: the people of the covenant who forsake the Lord suffer the consequences of their own sins, frequently to greater degree than those who had never received the covenant in the first place. They no longer have the protection of the Lord to help them. They often become hated and despised. They are cast into bondage (both physical and spiritual). They are persecuted, killed, driven and scattered from the promised land. There are wars, natural disasters, a dissemination of ignorance (Confounding of language, Babylon), etc...
