Can mormons explain the Mark when there is this scripture?

Question

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Colossians 3:11
Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
Colossians 3:10-12 (in Context) Colossians 3 (Whole Chapter)
"Christ is all, and is in all, Christ." transcends all barriers and unifies people from all cultures, races and nations. Such distinctions are no longer significant, Christ alone matters (Gal. 3:28 as well) so why the Mark, when this scripture clearly says that Cjrist loves every nation, every people?
what about the war in heaven?

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war in heaven:
There was meeting Jesus and Lucifer were elder sons of Heavenly Father.
Mormons believe that Satan and Jesus were brothers.
Satan wanted to force anyone to become gods. Jesus wanted to give anyone choice to choose to become gods.
Jesus was voted to be savior of world.
People who fought valiant for Jesus. Would be born Mormon. Those who neutral would be born black.. Those that follow Satan became demons.

Answer 1

The scripture and the curse (mark) are both vague enough so that they're not mutually exclusive. This is a common trend in LDS revealed doctrine.


EDIT1: Several members had "Gospel Questions" regarding the doctrine of the pre-earth neutrality of the blacks. Joseph Fielding Smith chose to answer these Gospel Questions in his book, conveniently titled "Answers to Gospel Questions" (published by Church-owned parent publishing company of Deseret Book), during his tenure as Church President:

"Let us reason together. In the Book of Moses, Chapter 4, and in the Book of Abraham, Chapter 8, we are taught that there was a council held in heaven and our Eternal Father presented a plan by which we could come down on the earth and receive tabernacles (bodies) of flesh and bones for our spirits which are begotten sons and daughters unto God. We learn also that one third of those spirits rebelled against the plan and followed Satan. For this they were denied bodies of flesh and bones and have to remain spirits. Why do not those who complain about the ***** and the priesthood also complain about the punishment which was given to this third of the spirits? They were denied even the blessings of bodies! Was this an injustice on the part of our Eternal Father? Well, there were other spirits there who were not faithful in the keeping of this first estate. Yet they have not sinned away their right to receive bodies and come to earth and receive the resurrection. They were restricted in the privileges that were given to those who keep their first estate and who were promised to have "glory added upon their heads for ever and ever." Therefore the Lord prepared a way through the lineage of Cain for these spirits to come to the earth, but under the restriction of priesthood."
-President Joseph F Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, vol 2

"There is a reason why one man is born black and with other disadvantages, while another is born white with great advantages. The reason is that we once had an estate before we came here, and were obedient, more or less, to the laws that were given us there. Those who were faithful in all things there received greater blessings here, and those who were not faithful received less."
-Smith, vol 1, p. 61


EDIT2: No one was "neutral" per se, according to the theology, but there were some who "sat the fence" and eventually sided with Jesus, although they didn't "fight valiantly in the war" with their counterparts.

"Why is it in this Church we do not grant the priesthood to the Negroes? It is alleged that the Prophet Joseph said—and I have no reason to dispute it—that it is because of some act committed by them before they came into this life. It is alleged that they were neutral, standing neither for Christ nor the devil. But, I am convinced it is because of some things they did before they came into this life that they have been denied the privilege. The races of today are very largely reaping the consequence of a previous life."
-President Melvin J Ballard, "Sermons and Missionary Services", p. 248

"Now, my brothers and sisters, I would like you to understand that long before we were born into this earth we were tested and tried in our pre-existence, and the fact that of the thousands of children born today, a certain proportion of them went to the Hottentots of South Africa; thousands went to the Chinese mothers; thousands went to ***** mothers; thousands to beautiful white Latter-day Saint mothers: You cannot tell me that the entire group was just designated, marked, to go where they did, that they were men and women of equal opportunities. There are no infant spirits born. They had a being ages before they came into this life."
-Ballard, p. 247


EDIT3: John Taylor and Brigham Young also taught that black people were the representation on Earth of Satan:

"And 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 upon the earth as well as God"
-John Taylor, Journal Of Discourses Vol 22, p.304

"I feel to bless this people, and they are a God-blessed people. Look at them, and see the difference from their condition a few years ago! Brethren who have been on missions, can you see any difference in this people from the time you went away until your return? [Voices: "Yes."] You can see men and women who are sixty or seventy years of age looking young and handsome; but let them apostatize, and they will become gray-haired, wrinkled, and black, just like the Devil."
-Brigham Young, JoD Vol 5, p. 332

Although these may be "personal opinions" of "individual leaders", when they are published in official publications of the Church and given as General Conference addresses, how do you differentiate? This is especially the case given that 3 of the above 4 were Church Presidents, all were Apostles, and 2 of them served 43 out of the church's first 57 years as President, with an additional 9 and 6 years each as President of the Quorum of the Twelve. This theory was about as institutional as they come until the "revelation" of 1978, when the long history of institutional justification for the doctrine (even presidential justification, such as above) began to be repressed by virtue of the terms "opinion", "speculation", and "unofficial", even though they had never previously been regarded as such.

Answer 2

I'm not a Mormon but know how the teaching developed after your explanation about Satan and Jesus being brothers, and God choosing Jesus' plan of salvation.

The LDS doctrine of Eternal Progression you mention has a third stage which is supposedly our present mortal probation. None of the wicked spirits who supported Satan were privileged to be born with bodies as we have. But the valiant spirits who fought alongside Jesus in heaven were given the best bodies of all - with white skin. However, some spirits didn't know whether Jesus or Satan was right so they kind of stood by while this heavenly war was being fought. These spirits were permitted to be born with bodies marked with black skin. They had to come to this world as negroes, the sons of Cain and Ham.

Because they weren't valiant in pre-existence they couldn't hold the LDS priesthood - well, not until June 9th, 1978 when President Spencer W. Kimball announced that God had revealed to him that all worthy male members of all races could now hold the priesthood. So ended the curse, but it didn't change the LDS doctrine of pre-existence nor remove the mark of the curse which Brigham Young said was 'the flat nose and the black skin.' Brigham had said, 'That curse will remain upon them and they can NEVER 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.'

Well, since that hasn't happened yet, Brigham Young must have been a false prophet, and President Kimball was doing what he could to diminish this appalling doctrine. Neither had revelation from God, that's for sure!

Answer 3

actually, we believe that all mankind sided with Christ in the pre-existence. Those who sided with Lucifer had their progression stopped and could not receive a body. There were none who were neutral -- everyone picked a side. And although it's not doctrine, there are some who believe that even during the war, some switched sides. The only result [we know of] which side one chose in the pre-existence was whether or not you came to earth and received a physical body. Location, race, time etc had no bearing upon the choice between Christ and Satan.

Answer 4

Imagine being a parent and catching one of your children doing something terribly wrong. You still love that child as much as your others, but he needs to be consequences of his actions. Regarding the mark (at first I thought you were referencing the Gospel of Mark, it took me a while to realize what you were talking about), God knew that the descendants of Cain would be raised without the gospel and be bad people due to their environment. He wanted to keep the righteous people pure. It didn't work, but that was the people's fault, not God's. God still loved those people and has sent missionaries to the in the spirit world.

And as far as I know there is no LDS doctrine that says people who are born black were neutral in the war in heaven or people that were born LDS were more righteous. Lots of people might believe that or speculated on it, but that doesn't make it doctrine.

Answer 5

I was never taught that there was anyone neutral in the war in heaven, let alone taht those who were were born black. I read that one or two past general Authorities thought this was true, but one or two who say so, does n't mean it's church doctrine and believe.

Christ does love everyone. That does not mean that everyone will get the same "inheritance" in heaven.