Why do people think Mormons are racist?

Question

I have a Mormon friend that's black (and fairly high ranking in the Wahoo branch) we also have churches in a lot of countries (sure ORIGINALLY we were but like the US we decided discrimination is rong

Answer 1

Here's some information about Mormonism's past racist doctrines. The thing that bothers me about it is not that they had a racist past (that's bad, but that can be said for a lot of older groups in America) BUT the problem is that they CHANGED their beliefs. They changed their doctrines, holy books....and had new "revelation" in order for things to change. That really bothers me.
Why I love the Bible - The BIBLE has NEVER been changed.

Here's the history of racism in Mormonism :

1851
The first edition of the Pearl of Great Price, including the "Book of Moses" and the "Book of Abraham," is printed (see 1835d cross-dates). Moses 7:8 and Abraham 1:21-27 become "scriptural basis" for denying priesthood to Blacks of African descent (see 1854b cross-dates).

1866
Brigham Young reiterates his stance on the Blacks gaining the Priesthood. "And when all the rest of the children have received their blessing in the Holy Priesthood, then that curse shall 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" (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 11, p. 272). (See 1854b cross-dates.)

1945
Joseph Fielding Smith, who would become the tenth prophet, explains further about Blacks and the Mormon Priesthood. "Not only was Cain called upon to suffer, but because of his wickedness he became the father of an inferior race. A curse was placed upon him and that curse has been continued through his lineage and must do so while time endures. Millions of souls have come into this world cursed with a black skin and have been denied the privilege of Priesthood and the fullness of the blessings of the Gospel" (The Way to Perfection, p. 101; emphasis added). (See 1854b cross-dates.)

1978
Spencer W. Kimball claims to receive revelation giving all "worthy males" the priesthood (Deseret News, June 9). This likewise grants permission to the Black race to be married in the Mormon temple and removes any built-in immunity Blacks had against becoming Mormons. (See 1854b cross-dates.)

Answer 2

Well, If you look at some of the things the early prophets said, especially Brigham Young you might think that they were. They didn't let the Blacks hold the priesthood until the late 1970's.
The recurring message in the Book of Mormon is that the people who followed God were "white and delight-some" and the ones who didn't were dark and loathsome. When those with the dark skin began following God their skin turned white and when those with white skin turned evil their skin turned dark.
I've talked with some LDS who were taught there were people who didn't know who to follow in the preexistence, Jesus or Satan. So, in this life they were cursed with the black skin.
These are just my thoughts as to way some people may think the LDS are racist.

Answer 3

Because they are? Have you not read the Book of Mormon? If God wrote the Book of Mormon, then why don't you believe what HE wrote? If you want to read some good exposition on what the Book of Mormon believes, then read what the prophet Brigham Young said in the Journal of Discourses about 3 Nephi. Most illuminating stuff!

Answer 4

in actual actuality, everybody used to racist in the previous the 60's. For some reason, the undeniable fact that Mormons have been too made them terrible human beings and nonetheless racist on the instant. It does not make experience, inspite of the undeniable fact that this is actual.

Answer 5

Back in the early 60s, I remember that the Prophet made a statement that if black people prayed hard enough that they would turn white, and that he had actually witnessed this happening. The next week when BYU went to play the Univ of Wyoming there was a small riot which included some black players from Wyoming.

Answer 6

Anyone who thinks that we are racist is just misinformed and has probably been given false information.

The Second councilor in the bishopric in my ward in Virginia is from Ghana and yes, he is black and yes I love him just like the rest of my ward and the whole church for that matter!

I don't really even register different skin tone anymore, that's something I left behind when I was a young teen.


Have a great day!

Pilgrim: Read Deut. 4:2. According to your logic there shouldn't be any book after Deut.

shaker: I don't know where you heard that, but it's false.

Atticus: If you really think that's true you, you are very mistaken. I've never even heard that from hardcore antimormons and they lie about almost everything they talk about.

Answer 7

Using most peoples' logic, God is racist

In the Old testament, only the Levis could hold the priesthood. (and definitely not blacks). Later only the Jews Could hold the priesthood, and still later white-gentiles.

Fast forward and God allowed eventually allowed all men to hold the priesthood.

God has always restricted who could and could not hold the priesthood. Just because we don't understand exactly what God's will is, doesn't mean that he's a racist...or Mormons for that matter.

Mormons have always taught that God loves all his children.

Answer 8

Mormons as well as most USA citizens thought that Afro-Americans were not humans, rather, they though of them as some sort of animal, like the gorilla. So they denounce them and did not permit them to be members of that Church for a time. Not many people know the true (real) beliefs of the original Mormon Church.

Answer 9

They could ask the bishop of the San Francisco ward my husband and I went to, but that was many years ago, I don't know where he would be today. Very nice man, very nice! Musta been a good bishop, cause his ward was so excited to see him show up that Sunday (it was the first Sunday after the Loma Prieta quake and he lived on Yerba Buena Island, had to take the Bay Bridge, and they weren't letting a lot of cars on that bridge then, for obvious reasons).

Oh, did I mention, he was African/American?

Or all the African/American/blacks in our ward. Oh, Lola! I love Lola! She used to be Baptist and she still does a little of the Baptist thing when she says public prayers! Puts a little zip in the service!

Answer 10

Because non-mormons read the treatises and discourses of the mormon prophets and apostles more than mormons do.

They've read diatribes from Brigham Young, Joseph F Smith, Heber C Kimball, Bruce R McConkie, ad nausem that explains in painfully explicit detail of the position of the '*****' to good white mormons. You can google "mormon racism" and get thousands of references.

The Book of Mormon is also replete with references about the skin of the Lamanites turning white when they accept the gospel, then darkening when they reject it. It's an imaginary story, but that's obviously Joseph Smith's opinion about skin pigmentation.

The church has not apologized or repented yet of these travesties of "doctrinal teachings".

So, that's why - it's in nearly all their 'sacred books', but they'll whine that they aren't really 'racist', and they never heard of these teachings. So, they're either ignorant or ignoble.