Race relations in the Mormon Church?

Question

The doctrine which the Mormon leaders teach concerning blacks was clearly set forth in a letter written by the First Presidency in 1947: "From the days of the Prophet Joseph even until now, it has been the doctrine of the Church, never questioned by any of the Church leaders, that the Negroes are not entitled to the full blessings of the Gospel." (Letter from the First Presidency of the Mormon Church, July 17, 1947, as cited in Mormonism and the *****, by John J. Stewart, 1960, pages 46-47)

Bruce R. McConkie, who later served as an Apostle in the church, made this statement in 1958:

"Negroes in this life are denied the priesthood; under no circumstances can they hold this delegation of authority from the Almighty.... The gospel message of salvation is not carried affirmatively to them...

"The negroes are not equal with other races where the receipt of certain spiritual blessings are concerned, particularly the priesthood and the temple blessings that flow therefrom, but this inequality is not of man's origin. It is the Lord's doing,.." (Mormon Doctrine, 1958, page 477)

Just a question...Where do Native Americans fit into the LDS scheme?

Answer 1

I know for a fact that that quote by Bruce R. McConkie was later rescinded by himself. He admitted that it was his own opinion and he was wrong. I'm guessing that your other quotes are similarly invalid.
As far as Native Americans, there has never been any question. They are recognized as full members of the church with all rights and privileges and responsibilities that entails. The same is true for blacks. Get your facts straight.

Answer 2

Blacks were allowed to have the prieshood and "full blessings" in 1978. Before that time, they were not. The reasons for this are not known exactly. There have been theories, but nothing concrete. I have my own theories, (no, I'm not racist, I am facinated with other cultures and races) but will say only this. In the 20th century, were there very many blacks and whites attending the same congregation? For those of you in the south, are the majority of your churches now intergated, or are they segragated. I know most of them were in the 1960's and even early 70's. Why were most of the churches segregated? The LDS church did not segregate at all, but for some reason (which we don't really know) they were not allowed the priesthood. The point being 2 fold. Until around the same time (give or take a few years) many churches were segregated altogether, not allowing blacks into white congregations. What do you think would have happened to the blacks (or the whites for that matter) in the LDS Church had they decided to give authority to the black members, few as they were? That could have been devastating on both sides. given that lynchings etc. were common, even in the 1960's. This is NOT an official statement, but I'm speaking opinion (same as the men did in your references above). I see it as a protection for both parties. It could have been riotous in certin parts of the country. Think of the dificulties with integrating schools, or even sharing rest rooms or busses, imagine what would have happened if Blacks were given "authority" in a largely white church, not good. This is unfortunate, but true.

Answer 3

Why don't you go on to tell these people that Bruce R. McConkie admitted that comment was his personal opinion, and not that of the entire Mormon Church? Furthermore, America had a lot of white idiots back in the 50's and 60's.Mormons,Baptist,Catholics, I don't care what religion they were, anyone who ever thought they were better then someone because of the color of their skin, is a jackass! And on top of that, the members of the Mormon church today, especially those of us who weren't even born in the 50's and 60's, are not held responsible for what was said all those years ago!
From my own personal experience, I can say that I grew up in the Mormon Church and I had plenty of black friends there! Many of them grew up to go missions for the church, and they had the same responsibilities and callings in the church as white people! I also have a brother and sister-in-law that live in Utah and are very, very active in the church. My brother is a bishop, and has had other callings in the church, and you know what? They adopted two children that are black! Now, if it was so taboo in the Mormon religion to not allow black people in, certainly they wouldn't have adopted these kids!
Instead of picking out what some Mormon (Or Mormons) said nearly fifty years ago, why don't you take a trip down to Mississippi and Alabama and check out some of the "White" Baptist churches there that make it very clear that black people aren't welcome. I lived in both States after I married my ex-husband, and I seen churches like that. Yet, both Mormon churches I attended there had a very large number of black people. And in Pensacola Florida, where my new husband was stationed at in the Navy and we lived before moving here to Italy,our bishop of the Mormon Church was black. So please stop making it sound like we are against blacks or anyone else!
You're a Mormon hater and it's clear with this posting and others that you have put on here. Do you not have anything else to do with your time then to Mormon bash? Seriously, there is a lot of crazy stuff going on in the world, maybe you should focus on that and not worry so much about a religion you know nothing about.
And getting your information from other Mormon haters, doesn't count!

Answer 4

From the time people first started interpreting the Bible there have been errors in doctrine and injustices committed by men in the name of Christianity. Does this make the Bible false or God unjust? No, it means those men are not perfect and shows that all sin and are capable of sin. Those who mislead others with false doctrine and misinterpretation will answer for this. All we can hope to do is live our lives according to the word of God as God gives us the ability to understand it. When you realize an error you repent and change your thinking and your actions. All you can say about this Bruce R. McConkie that you quote is that he was wrong. In day to day life we use a persons credibility to judge whether a statement he has made is true or not. If one is found to lie or be in error in one statement, then we assume that he has lied or is in error in everything. This practice is even applied in a court of law. In the study and practice of logic a higher standard must be used. The truth or falseness of any one belief a person has is totally independent of any other. To believe otherwise is a logical fallacy. I might tell you that it is nighttime and it is raining. Because you know that it is not nighttime does not prove that it is not raining. This applies to areas of philosophy such as religion. One can only judge the validity of each principle separately. You must also look at the validity of religous beliefs as they are today, not what they were at sometime in the past. Would anyone want to defend the principles of the Christian faith based on the Spanish Inquisition? The Word of God is unchanging, mans understanding is not. And so, if you were going to debate the scriptural correctness of mormonism, you can only debate them point by point as they exist at the present time. I am not mormon, nor am I defending their beliefs. All I'm saying is if you disagree with any one principle, debate that principle, with the person who holds it. If my great grandfather was a bank robber, that doesn't make me a bank robber because I bear the same name.

Answer 5

About the Indians...

Mormon doctrine says a group of Jews came across the ocean about...400 b.c.e? They promptly split into two groups; the baddies were called Lamanites and were Marked with the curse of dark skin. These are the Native Americans. The goodies were called Nephites. They were Christians and stayed white and delightsome. And they wrote the Book of Mormon. Any time somebody hopped sides their skin changed to match. Then the Nephites were killed off.

Answer 6

Actually back in the time of Joseph Smith blacks were allowed to have the priesthood. Then Brigham Young came along and put an end to that. Here is a collection of quotes from Brigham Young on the topic of race. A bit of background: the JoD is the Journal of Discourses, a collection of LDS sermons from the late 1800s. Sorry for the length...

"It is a great blessing to the seed of Adam to have the seed of Cain [the ***** race] for servants." - Brigham Young Addresses, MS d 1234, Box 48, folder 3, LDS Church Historical Dept.

"The rank, rabid abolitionists, whom I call black-hearted Republicans, have set the whole national fabric on fire. Do you know this, Democrats? They have kindled the fire that is raging now from the north to the south, and from the south to the north. I am no abolitionist, neither am I a proslavery man; I hate some of their principles and especially some of their conduct, as I do the gates of hell. The Southerners make the negroes, and the Northerners worship them; this is all the difference between slaveholders. and abolitionists. I would like the President of the United States and all the world to hear this. Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so." - JoD: vol.10 p. 110: (March 8, 1863)

"What is the cause of all this waste of life and treasure? To tell it in a plain, truthful way, one portion of the country wish to raise their negroes or black slaves and the other portion wish to free them, and, apparently, to almost worship them. Well, raise and worship them, who cares? I should never fight one moment about it, for the cause of human improvement is not in the least advanced by the dreadful war which now convulses our unhappy country. Ham will continue to be the servant of servants, as the Lord has decreed, until the curse is removed. Will the present struggle free the slave? No; but they are now wasting away the black race by thousands. Many of the blacks are treated worse than we treat our dumb brutes; and men will be called to judgment for the way they have treated the *****, and they will receive the condemnation of a guilty conscience, by the just Judge whose attributes are justice and truth. Treat the slaves kindly and let them live, for Ham must be the servant of servants until the curse is removed. Can you destroy the decrees of the Almighty? You cannot. Yet our Christian brethren think that they are going to overthrow the sentence of the Almighty upon the seed of Ham. They cannot do that, though they may kill them by thousands and tens of thousands." - JoD 10:250 (Oct 6, 1863)

"It is not the prerogative of the President of the United States to meddle with this matter, and Congress is not allowed, according to the [p.40] Constitution, to legislate upon it. If Utah was admitted into the Union as a sovereign State, and we chose to introduce slavery here, it is not their business to meddle with it; and even if we treated our slaves in an oppressive manner, it is still none of their business and they ought not to meddle with it." - JoD 4:39-40 (Aug 31, 1856)

"You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, un- comely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild, and seemingly deprived of nearly all the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind. The first man that committed the odious crime of killing one of his brethren will be cursed the longest of any one of the children of Adam. Cain slew his brother. Cain might have been killed, and that would have put a termination to that line of human beings. This was not to be, and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat nose and black skin. Trace mankind down to after the flood, and then another curse is pronounced upon the same race - that they should be the "servant of servants;" and they will be, until that curse is removed; and the Abolitionists cannot help it, nor in the least alter that decree. How long is that race to endure the dreadful curse that is upon them? That curse will remain upon them, [p.291] and they never can hold the Priesthood or share in it until all the other descendants of Adam have received the promises and enjoyed the blessings of the Priesthood and the keys thereof. Until the last ones of the residue of Adam's children are brought up to that favourable position, the children of Cain cannot receive the first ordinances of the Priesthood. They were the first that were cursed, and they will be the last from whom the curse will be removed. When the residue of the family of Adam come up and receive their blessings, then the curse will be removed from the seed of Cain, and they will receive blessings in like proportion." - JoD 7:290-291 (October 9, 1859)

"Why are so many of the inhabitants of the earth cursed with a sin of blackness? It comes in consequence of their fathers rejecting the power of the Holy Priesthood, and the law of God. They will go down to death. And when all the rest of the children have received their blessings in the Holy Priesthood, then that curse will be removed from the seed of Cain, and they will then come up and possess the priesthood, and receive all the blessings which we now are entitled to." - JoD 11:272 (Dec 23, 1866)

Answer 7

this is the first time I've heard of this and I'm black and a member of the mormon church. I will start looking up more history on this church.

Answer 8

Where did you get that? I went to a Mormon church, and there are blacks there! Did you go to an anti-Mormon site to get that? At Mormon churches, blacks get as much 'Mormonism' as the whites!

Answer 9

This policy was changed after the Chuch was sued, in the late 80's I believe...the Book of Mormon was also changed to read "pure and delightsome" rather than "white and delightsome"

Answer 10

Ridiculous. I go to church with a lot of black people, and they all have the same priveldges as everyone else. Nice try.