WHAT wasit tat te US government did to te church to get them to change our policy on blacks holding teh priesthood. NO ONE as yet given me an answer on this.
2007-07-26 10:22:59 · 21 answers · asked by mormon_4_jesus 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
The details in the Bob Jones, thing, it was the SCHOOL that they sued. Not any church. Our CHURCH did not discriminate against blacks.
2007-07-27 03:04:27 · update #1
I'm sorry for the "misspellings" it wans't me, it was my keyboard.
2007-07-27 03:09:25 · update #2
About ten years ago I was having dinner with a mixed group of lawyer friends and the conversation turned to the question of why the LDS Church was still permitted to descriminate against blacks. The consensus was that the US Justice department had the legal authority to repeal the LDS church's tax-exempt status, if the church failed to comply with all federal civil rights laws.
Please understand that I do not know if the Fed's actually threatened to tax the Mormons, to force the policy change. We'll probably never know what really happened because the Church actually did change its racist policies. The official reason was that an important church leader had a spiritual revelation. ...yeah, right after he calculated the church's future tax bill. The information above is a best guess opinion, NOT a factual account of known truth. Best I could do, OK?
2007-07-26 10:55:24 · answer #1 · answered by Diogenes 7 · 1⤊ 4⤋
Basically, events cause us to pray to get answers. So it is with the church. God is there to answer our questions. In this case if there was pressure on the Church about blacks and the priestood, the prophet asked the Lord about what should be done. The Lord commanded that it was time to change. The Lord has the right. I hope that helps! Another example is when Joseph Smith was concerned about tobacco in the Church. So he prayed and the Lord gave us the Word of Wisdom.
2007-07-26 15:47:19 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
The government didn't do a thing.
In 1978, President Spence W Kimball received many letters from LDS fathers in South America who wanted the blessings of the priesthood- specifically the opportunity to be sealed to their families, but because they weren't sure of their racial herritage, they were not able to receive the blessings of the temple.
They were worthy- these men paid their tithing, lived the Word of Wisdom and Law of Chastity, kept all the other commandments, loved their famlies, and wanted to be with their families forever.
These men wrote to President Kimball, and he began to pray about it. He felt they deserved the blessings of the temple, but he wanted to make sure God approved. After many prayers, Heavenly Father directed President Kimball to extend the blessings of the priesthood (and the temple) to all worthy men.
If you have a triple combination (has the Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price), you can find some important documents at the end of the Doctrine & Covenants--
Declaration 1 is known as the Manifesto, ending the practice of polygamy.
Declaration 2 extends "the priesthood and temple blessings to all worthy males members of the church."
Again, government pressure over tax-exempt status had absolutely NOTHING to do with this change.
2007-07-26 12:23:40 · answer #3 · answered by Yoda's Duck 6 · 5⤊ 1⤋
I heard that US government was going to fine B.Y.U if they did have blacks on their sports teams that what I heard I don't know if it true or not. That's why the church let blacks have the priesthood to get the government of their back. The did the same thing with polygamy stop it to get the government off their back
2007-07-26 12:44:38 · answer #4 · answered by Tinkerbelle2007 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I'm not Mormon, but I am American, and I would be surprised if the government did anything to the LDS church in this matter. You have the right to admit or not admit anyone to the priesthood you choose. I'm Catholic, and the government doesn't interfere with our restriction of the priesthood to males only.
2007-07-26 10:34:08 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
Hey little miss Ding Dong. You are a typical Mormon. You cant even proof read your own questions and then when someone points out your negligence (in this case poor spelling) you make up some lame excuse why its not your fault. "Oh the keyboard made me do it."
Heres a few more that I have noticed:
"Oh , I dont know that we teach that."
"The real Book of Abraham scrolls are still lost out there and Joseph Smith used the "Book of Breathings" in the Pearl of Great Price facsimilies instead."
"Emma, a big angel told me if I didnt secretly marry Helen Kimble I would be cut to peices with his flaming swords."
Hey everyone , I translated the Book of Mormon from the golden plates but you cant look at them because the angel took them back to Heaven with him"
2007-07-28 09:33:12 · answer #6 · answered by John 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The government had nothing to do with the Blacks and the Priesthood. Spencer W. Kimball had a Revelation about it.
There had been a lot of controversy in prior years but things had died down at that point. The policy was not changed due to public or government pressure!
2007-07-26 10:31:06 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 9⤊ 2⤋
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.
Today the Mormon Church flatly denies that it's revelation was based on loosing its Tax-Exempt 503(c) status - however a great deal of evidence exists showing that it did.
2007-07-26 14:31:57 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 3⤋
The government didn't do anything. American culture changed, however, and when cultural values change, people's feelings and thoughts change.
Mormons believe that feelings (i.e., promptings of the spirit) can be revelation. Mormons call Spencer Kimball's feelings revelation; non-Mormons call those feelings a change of heart.
There's nothing magic, miraculous, or divine about a change of heart.
2007-07-27 07:07:10 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The U.S. government didnt have anything to do with that. Technically, we can do whatever we want to do within our church i.e. don't give those of Cain descent the priesthood.It was given by modern reevaltion through the prophet Spencer W. Kimball, that those of Cain descent could obtain the priesthood also.
2007-07-26 11:35:42 · answer #10 · answered by hilfigersurf 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋