Mormons giving into peer pressure ? Or Divine timing ?

Question

Prior to 1978, Mormon leaders forbid Blacks from holding the Mormon Priesthood. In 1978, due to mounting pressure from pending lawsuits concerning racism, Spencer W. Kimball suddenly received a revelation that Blacks could now enter the temple and hold the Mormon Priesthood. If the Mormon Church had not changed its views on Black people, it would have lost its Tax-Exempt 503(c) status - as pending litigation in several states in America was proceeding.
All the sudden at this very appropiate time the curse of this tribe was lifted ?

Although i appreciate all your answers and some are funny, I was really wanting someones view who is LDS to respond to this too

This is to rac and what you said below
You said the LORD sacrificed and made a change to the church to put up with the governments laws.
This is very uncharacteristic of the lord since he has NEVER done this in the Bible and JESUS CHRIST NEVER changed his church although he was technically breaking the law

As to the Changes in the bible ordinance, nothing has changed. People were given laws in the old testiment which they were accountable for, When jesus came more endepth laws were givin for he was the fullfilment of the gospel and he officially began the church.
The people in the old testemant didnt have a Savior yet so to speak so they had diff laws and they are held to those laws
When jesus came he filled the gospel to the fullest, and people in those time and know are held to those laws

Answer 1

You tell me!!

"Had I anything to do with the ***** , I would confine them by strict law to their own species and put them on a national equalization.'' JOSEPH SMITH

"You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable, sad, low in their habits, wild, and seemingly without the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind.

"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." BRIGHAM YOUNG

"...after the flood we are told that the curse that had been pronounced upon Cain was continued through Ham's wife, as he had married a wife of that seed. And why did it pass through the flood? Because it was necessary that the devil should have a representation a upon a the earth as well as God;.. " JOHN TAYLOR (3rd Prophet and President)

"I would not want you to believe that we bear any animosity toward the *****. "Darkies" are wonderful people, and they have their place in our church."

"Not only was Cain called upon to suffer, but because of his wickedness he became the father of an inferior race.

"... and they have been 'despised among all people.' This doctrine did not originate with President Brigham Young but was taught by the Prophet Joseph Smith ..." JOSEPH FIELDING SMITH 10th Prophet and President

The negroes are not equal with other races when the receipt of certain spiritual blessings are concerned..."

...As a result of his rebellion, Cain was cursed with a dark skin; he became the father of the negroes"

"Cain, Ham, and the whole ***** race have been cursed with a black skin, the mark of Cain, so they can be identified as a caste apart, a people with whom the other descendants of Adam should not intermarry." BRUCE R. McCONKIE of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles

"At least in the cases of the Lamanites and the negroes we have the definite word of the Lord Himself that He placed a dark skin upon them as a curse - as a punishment and as a sign to all others.

" If there is one drop of ***** blood in my children, as I have read to you, they receive the curse, There isn't any argument, therefore, as to intermarriage with the *****, is there? "Now we are generous with the *****. We are willing that the ***** have the highest kind of education. I would be willing to let every ***** drive a Cadillac if they could afford it." MARK E. PETERSON of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles

However, with the change of the Negroes receiving the Priesthood in 1978, Mormon leaders are attempting to cover up this embarrassing teaching concerning skin color.

"... many generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a WHITE and a delightsome people." (1830 Edition, p. 117)

"... PURE and delightsome people." (1840 edition)

"...WHITE and delightsome people." (All later translations until 1981)

"... PURE and delightsome people." (1981 translations , II Nephi 30:6)

Answer 2

Jesus "never changed his church"??? You've never read the Bible, have you? Jehovah of the Old Testament (whom Jesus explicitly claimed to be) changed the church a bunch of times, the most obvious of which was when Moses brought down the original ten commandments and noticed that the people were all worshiping a gold calf, so he broke them and got a different set of commandments. Also, the entire New Testament is a change in the church's doctrine that all Christians readily accept. The changing gospel is a fundamental part of Christianity.

Whoops! LOL

As far as the "pending lawsuits"...that's the first I've heard of that. I'd be interested in learning more about that. Would you care to post a link or some other evidence?

Question for Jim: What section and verse in the D&C? I just did a search and couldn't find the scripture you're referring to.....

Answer 3

We don't give in to peer pressure. We follow the dictates of the Spirit as expressed by our prophet. There were many things going on in the world that brought the priesthood issue to the forfront. One of the most pressing matters was trying to decide who could and who could not hold the priesthood in a global community when racial lineage was uncertain. I taught the gospel in Brazil and we sometimes couldn't tell if the investigator was from the lineage of Cain or not. That being the case, we had no way of knowing if they could or could not have the priesthood. We had priesthood leaders doing their geneaology and finding out that they were of the lineage of Cain. The priesthood could not be taken away from them once it was already conferred but they were released from their callings until further notice. Thus, it was important for the continued growth of the Church throughout the world to have this issue clarified. It was therefore a great blessing when Pres. Kimball announced that the Lord had given permission for the curse of Cain to be removed and all worthy males could receive the priesthood and thus fulfill their callings as husbands and fathers in Zion, God's Kingdom on earth.
Yes, there were other civil and legal ramifications that went along with that decision but that was not the main reason.
As for the polygamy issue, we fought the illegality of the federal laws as far as we could until the wicked people in government made it impossible for the church to exist without some form of change. The Lord then accepted our sacrifice on His behalf and declared that He would hold the government itself responsible for our inability to obey the law we had previously been given. The wicked people who tampeled on the constitution and the freedom of religion clause will be held responsible for their unjust actions toward His Church.
I recommend that all of you do your research from legitimate sources instead of believing what other ignorant people post.

Answer 4

One important issue you missed is that the sons of Cain weren't to hold the priesthood until all the spirit children that would have come through Able were given the priesthood. Then and only the sons of Cain would be ordained...If you don't believe that look it up in the D&C.. Jim

Answer 5

Come on, do you really think LDS is establish under what you so call "peer pressure?"
If we are changeable under peer pressure, you folks wouldn't called us"Cults", we will be greatly accepted as one of the christian family.

As to your question, if you read in the old testament, the Isrealites were called the chosen people, how many times did God commanded them to isolate themselves from idol worshippers?
Now you complain about LDS not giving the priesthood to blacks?

As LDS we do not know the timing of God, we only follows him.

Answer 6

I was raised Mormon until I was 15 yrs old. I refused to go to church when I realized that it's a joke. It's peer pressure! How about polygamy. They only stopped that so that the government would keep their noses out of their business and help with tax situation.

Answer 7

I'm not LDS< but I've got the backstory on the "why" behind the original reasoning for not letting blacks into the priesthood. Apparently the mormon god has oodles of wives up in his heaven (that's got a funny name to it) and he and his wives are busy making spirit babies that will be the spirits to fill the humans born on earth. The "good" spirit babies get to be born into white babies and the "bad" spirit babies are born into black babies.

Answer 8

Mav is amazed at the timing of that 'revelation'
Same kind of amazing timing of the revelation against polygamy - just when they were trying to become a state!

Answer 9

Lol. Suddenly he gets a revelation?

"Go teach all nations" - should've been revelation enough for anyone.

Answer 10

False religion.