The ideas I’ll cover in this post have been simmering in my head for quite some time. I occasionally have thoughts while studying the scriptures that I instantly recognize as significant, but which take weeks or months to develop into ideas I can actually write down. This is an example of that.
“Blindness of Mind”
This curious phrase is relatively unique in restoration scripture and appears multiple times in the Book of Mormon, perhaps most notably in Ether 4:
15 Behold, when ye shall rend that veil of unbelief which doth cause you to remain in your awful state of wickedness, and hardness of heart, and blindness of mind, then shall the great and marvelous things which have been hid up from the foundation of the world from you—yea, when ye shall call upon the Father in my name, with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, then shall ye know that the Father hath remembered the covenant which he made unto your fathers, O house of Israel.
Ether 4
Notice how this verse connects “blindness of mind” to two other phrases: “awful state of wickedness” and “hardness of heart” and contrasts them with “the great and marvelous things which have been hid up from the foundation of the world from you.”
In pondering this verse and related verses, I’ve concluded that the material world is ambiguous and what we find when we look at it depends on the lens through which we choose to view it. When viewed through the lens of truth, we find all things testifying of Christ.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
John 1
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Colossians 1
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
44 …all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it …
Alma 30
The same material creation, when viewed through the lens of Satan’s deceptions, becomes a veil which separates us from God and obscures Him from our view.
I find it particularly interesting how this is portrayed in Genesis:
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
Genesis 3
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked;
Note that just as Adam and Eve are deceived by the cunning serpent into believing that by transgressing God’s commandment their eyes would be opened, their eyes were opened to their own nakedness. That’s perhaps the symbolic kernel of everything that happens next. From that point on, the problems presented by material existence loom large and seem to require material solutions. The need to work arises, in order to satisfy physical appetites.
A concept found in other religious traditions
I’ve looked at other world religions and have found a lot of resonance between the concept of “blindness of mind” and the Hindu/Jain concept of ‘maya’, or the cosmic illusion which causes us to adopt a limited and misleading perception of reality. We are tricked into thinking the creation is more important and central than the Creator.
7 Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots:
Isaiah 2
8 Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made:
In Buddhism, a cycle of birth/death/suffering (samsara) is the result of believing a falsehood about the world — namely that it is inherently meaningful. The path to enlightenment, according to some schools of Buddhist thought, involves seeing through this illusion and recognizing the deeper truth and the interconnectedness of all things. This frees the individual from suffering and allows them to achieve an enlightened state.
9 And again, ye shall not have pain while ye shall dwell in the flesh, neither sorrow save it be for the sins of the world; and all this will I do because of the thing which ye have desired of me, for ye have desired that ye might bring the souls of men unto me, while the world shall stand.
3 Nephi 28
10 And for this cause ye shall have fulness of joy; and ye shall sit down in the kingdom of my Father; yea, your joy shall be full, even as the Father hath given me fulness of joy; and ye shall be even as I am, and I am even as the Father; and the Father and I are one;
In Gnostic tradition, the material world came about through the actions of a malevolent ‘demiurge’ who falsely claims to be the supreme divine power, and who temporarily traps our divine essence (often described as a ‘spark’) within a material form. The path to unity with God involves seeing through the deception of the demi-urge and coming to an understanding of the higher unity and perfect harmony of the realm in which God exists.
26 And he beheld Satan; and he had a great chain in his hand, and it veiled the whole face of the earth with darkness; and he looked up and laughed, and his angels rejoiced.
Moses 7
The common thread among these traditions intrigues me deeply.
Satan’s key ploy is to use the material creation to drive a wedge between us and the Creator. In that sense, the mist of darkness itself is like a chain. This is why Nephi readily connects pride, “fine clothing” and the chains of hell (see 2 Nephi 28:12-22).
Lehi’s Dream
Consider the mist of darkness and the iron rod from Lehi’s dream. Those who maintained a firm grasp on the rod had an additional sense to guide them to the tree of life compared to those who were blinded by the mist of darkness.
Compare the mist of darkness with our physical eyesight and the rod of iron to spiritual vision.
Findings deeper meaning in familiar symbols
If we look at the archetypal symbol of the children of Israel escaping captivity in Egypt by passing through the midst of the Red Sea on dry ground, we can see all of the same symbols in a new light. Moses’ rod was instrumental in parting the waters, which until that moment seemed an impenetrable barrier to salvation.
So what does it really mean to “rend the veil of unbelief”? How is this achieved? It seems we must counter Satan’s great lie by gaining “new eyes” to see the Creator more clearly in His creation.
13 And it came to pass that Moses looked upon Satan and said: Who art thou? For behold, I am a son of God, in the similitude of his Only Begotten; and where is thy glory, that I should worship thee?
Moses 1
14 For behold, I could not look upon God, except his glory should come upon me, and I were transfigured before him. But I can look upon thee in the natural man. Is it not so, surely?
15 Blessed be the name of my God, for his Spirit hath not altogether withdrawn from me, or else where is thy glory, for it is darkness unto me? And I can judge between thee and God; for God said unto me: Worship God, for him only shalt thou serve.
16 Get thee hence, Satan; deceive me not; for God said unto me: Thou art after the similitude of mine Only Begotten.
Moses must have gained tremendous spiritual vision through his experiences on that mount. I’m sure those experiences allowed him to step forward right on the edge of the sea with confidence in God’s ability to deliver His people.
3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
2 Corinthians 4
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.
6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Book of Mormon Notes 
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