Mormon church explains past ban on black priests (AP news story)

jazzskeeter Dec. 2013

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=249846638

Here's a part of the article:

"The ban ended in 1978, but in the 35 years since then, the church had never given an official explanation for the reasons behind the ban or addressed the once widely held notion that blacks were spiritually inferior

, said Matthew Bowman, an author and assistant professor of religion at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia.

In the article, posted Friday, the church addressed what has become a sensitive topic for current leaders and the 15 million members around the world.

"The Church disavows the theories advanced in the past that black skin is a sign of divine disfavor or curse, or that it reflects actions in a premortal life; that mixed-race marriages are a sin; or that blacks or people of any other race or ethnicity are inferior in any way to anyone else," the statement read. "Church leaders today unequivocally condemn all racism, past and present, in any form."

Mormon church officials declined comment on the article but said it is part of a series of new online postings to explain or expand on certain gospel topics for its members. Other topics include, "Are Mormons Christian?" and one about founder Joseph Smith's first visions."

jazzskeeter
Re: Mormon church explains past ban on black priests
http://www.lds.org/topics/race-and-the-priesthood?lang=eng

Link to the church's article.

Checker of minor facts
Re: Mormon church explains past ban on black priests
In light of that statement, can we expect TSCC to erase all mention of a certain individual, starting with the renaming of BYU?

Well?

Yeah, that's what I thought.

chainsofmind
Re: Mormon church explains past ban on black priests
Follow the Prophet, follow the Prophet, he won't lead us astray...except when he does.
Xanax
Bunch of hypocrites.

It's not racism that bothers me, but that they are dishonest and change their rules and official beliefs when they are threatened.

Cowards. That's what they are.

If they were honest, their beliefs would remain the same, but that's bad for their business.

For example, how long would the mormon church last if they still held this belief? Maybe the church would survive, but it wouldn't have the same kind of success that they have now.

Like I said, it's bad for their business.

jazzskeeter
Re: Mormon church explains past ban on black priests
I like how they disavow all "theories advanced in the past."
Theories???? I was taught about the curse. I was taught about less-valiant spirits in the premortal existence. Pretty sure it was DOCTRINE.

erictheex
Re: Mormon church explains past ban on black priests
+1

So other churches were racist too, so there....but they don't claim to speak to jesus everyday and they did not hold on for over 100 years to that "evil" teaching...so having no prophet lets you get closer to god than having one...

closet questioner
Flies in the face of 1949 1st pres statement
The new statement contradicts the 1949 First Presidency statement
Specifying that the racist practice was a commandment, not a mere policy

http://en.fairmormon.org/Mormonism_and_racial_issues/Blacks_and_the_prie...

presleynfactsrock
Re: Mormon church explains past ban on black priests
Sure does make you wonder how many apologists and how many dictionaries and how much midnight oil the morg goes through to spin these new enlightened texts they are gifting to the world.

What a joke.

Guess we shouldn't expect any different though. The cult is just following in ole joey's footsteps and they are not missing a beat.

armtothetriangle
Re: Mormon church explains past ban on black priests
"a premortal existence" rather than "the premortal existence" Not splitting hairs; had "the" been used, tscc would be owning the premortal existence whereas "a" intimates that like racism, "I don't know that we teach it." It may have abandoned racism, but the premortal existence and valor are still very much doctrine.

transylvania
Re: Mormon church explains past ban on black priests
On one condition will I accept LDS inc statement that "Church leaders today unequivocally condemn all racism, past and present:

That they admit that LDS Inc was racist from 1852 - 1978.

Simple logic here. Otherwise there's no need for the statement today.

erictheex
Re: Mormon church explains past ban on black priests
I would extend that they were racist until December 2013...actually I would not consider it a complete statement until it is doctrine and they add "We apologize for the countless marriages that never materialized, the awful feelings of inferiority, the segregation among free men, the untold friendships that were denied , the tears shed outside the temple, the feelings of disappointment that boys felt as they realized that their fathers were unable to bless them, the teachings of white people being superior, the falsehood that non-whites are cowards who favored satan and the endless suffering that our racist teachings have caused"

Fetal Deity
Black Skin not a Curse?
"Today, the Church disavows the theories advanced in the past that black skin is a curse ...."

http://www.lds.org/topics/race-and-the-priesthood?lang=eng

Really? Like this "theory" taught by Book of Mormon prophets:

" ... [T]he Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon [the Lamanites]."
...
"And the skins of the Lamanites were dark ... which was a curse upon them ...."

(2 Nephi 5:21; Alma 3:6)

chris
Re: Mormon church explains past ban on black priests
Maybe they are using the word "theories" in the scientific way: "a well-confirmed type of explanation of nature". Certainly, that's what those who propogated the theories believed anyway.

emanon
Next on their list, they will change words in the BOM, again.
After that's done they will still claim the BOM to be the most "true" book on the earth.

Transparency, my a**. TSCC plays games with people. That's what people who want control of others do, play games with them. They change words here and there and cause confusion. People who want control over others are not straightforward in their responses or answers.

Probitas
Re: Black Skin not a Curse?
I can't fathom how they reconcile this now...they ARE contradicting the most correct book on earth.

outsider
Re: Mormon church explains past ban on black priests
I was confused, so I got out my old copy of 1984.

OK, it all makes sense. I'm sending in a check for tithing.

utahstateagnostics
Brother Jake already explained this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJS39vUlwbk

Just Browsing
Mormon church explains past ban on black priests ---OOOPS
I think they missed this one scripture out of their Press Release

Moses 7 :22

22 And Enoch also beheld the residue of the people which were the sons of Adam; and they were a mixture of all the seed of Adam save it was the seed of Cain, ****for the seed of Cain were black,*** and had not place among them.

That is the trouble when you the read scriptures!!

JB

Cathy
Re: Mormon church explains past ban on black priests
Divine instructions and revelations now = "theories". It's embarrassing to even hear them try this kind of crap. Wish it would turn more people away from the church.

madalice
Re: Mormon church explains past ban on black priests
I'm wondering when they're going to come clean and talk about the child molesters and wife beaters that they've swept under the rug.

Elder Strangelove
Re: Mormon church explains past ban on black priests
The headline to the NPR link says, "Mormon Church Explains Past Ban on Black Priests"

This is what I read:

It began with Brigham Young. He didn't start the ban because of racism. No one else kept on banning blacks because of racism. Those were just theories! BUT, if there was maybe a teency weency bit of racism involved, so what! Everyone else was racist, right? But that's not why they banned the blacks.

Soooo, did I miss the part where the Mormon Church explains?

steve benson
"Theories," my eye. They were doctrines. Even when caught, the Morg lies.

thingsithink
Re: Mormon church explains past ban on black priests
"Soooo, did I miss the part where the Mormon Church explains?"

That's exactly what I'm feeling. What was the reason again?

I'm thinking if you ask a mormon in a week why the church excluded blacks from the priesthood, they won't be able to answer. They'll say, well, the church addressed it in the recent essay. You'll ask, "and what was the reason?" I don't think they'll have an answer.

They have an essay. They're talking about the essay. But I seriously doubt they even know what it's saying was the reason for the ban on blacks. I'm going to ask around. :)

Kendal Mint Cake
Re: "Theories," my eye. They were doctrines. Even when caught, the Morg lies.
Good news for the Church. My Dad has lapped up this latest statement and simply erased all earlier contradicting doctrines from his brain.

If the rest of the sheep are as easy to control, the Church has nothing to worry about. My Dad is proud of his faith. I think he's being incredibly silly.

Fluffinator
Re: Mormon church explains past ban on black priests
TSCC has spent an enourmous amount of energy to soothsay the members.

I saw this first this morning on an old TBM's facebook page under his posting: "Realeased without fanfare".

The article works painstakingly at assigning causes and "human" origins to this DOCTRINE. I kept wondering where the hell was GOD (and his direct pipeline to the one and only true prophet) over that 100 year span.

Why did GOD inspire other priests & pastors (Who draw near me with their lips, yet their hearts are far from me) to take up the cause of civil rights, while ignoring the all white SLC leadership until the building of a Brazilian temple is cause for change?

Such a man-oriented explanation coming out of a church that claims its the only one GOD speaks with.

I feel a little angry and even more sad for all my family that are TBM's.

icedtea
Re: Mormon church explains past ban on black priests
Older TBMs well remember the days when black inferiority was proclaimed from the pulpit as doctrine. How can they read this statement and NOT realize what's going on?

"Theories," my a$$! It's right there in the BofM, not to mention 150 years worth of "prophets" saying it's God's plan.

Either massive cog dis (leading to member exodus from TSCC) will happen or people will have to deny their own memories, scripture study, and experiences.

The real question is: How does the leadership think they can possibly get away with this?

azsteve
Re: Mormon church explains past ban on black priests
For those of us who spent a few years of our lives teaching and baptising people fulltime, something is conspicuously missing here. Remember the six steps of repentance? That's not the three or four steps, but six. Has the church confessed its sin or have they merely covered their tracks to try to get off the hook without taking full responsibility? Have they asked for forgiveness from the black community for racially prejucdiced teachings of their prophets? Heaven forbid they even think about restitution because that might cost them money. The cult is incapable of following their own teachings or of even recognizing that they should.

chainsofmind
TSCC is stuck between a sword and a wall
I think essays like these are both necessary for the church to survive, but will also help cause it's demise, or at least mass shrinkage.

TSCC must moderate, and must do so quickly if it has any chance of remaining (or becoming) a world religion. The leaders know this. They also realize that by moderating, they are downplaying and denying the very doctrines that define them as Mormon. This may help with long term retention as then they can just become another amongst the generic Christian churches, but it sure doesn't help them in the short term as people leave due to extreme cog dis.

TSCC needs a product to sell, and in this day and age, it's getting increasingly hard to sell the One True Church product.

flo, the nevermo
Re: How does the leadership think they can possibly get away with this?
Etch-a-sketch-type whitewashing only works when the brainwashing has been good and thorough. They've decided they can count on it, apparently.

They're betting that Kendall Mint Cake's dad (see above) will be the norm. We'll see if that bet pays off.

azsteve
Re: Mormon church explains past ban on black priests
The 'only true church product' is getting harder to sell because the obviousness that the church is a fraud is becomming increasingly easier and easier to see over time. This half-apology that they just came out with only makes people angry with the church. When you renoucne something that you've been guilty of for decades, you're supposed to apologize too.
Senoritalamanita
Re: Black Skin not a Curse?
"Today, the Church disavows the theories advanced in the past that black skin is a curse ...."

To "Disavow" means to "deny any responsibility."

What a joke, huh?

glibberish
Re: Mormon church explains past ban on black priests
You explained it perfectly!

baura
Is this "weasel language"?
To me "weasel language" is language that is meant to LOOK LIKE
it means one thing, but means something different. So when you
are "caught" later you can point to the "hidden" meaning and say
that you didn't really lie.

The line that I wonder about is this:

"Church leaders today unequivocally condemn all racism, past and present, in any form."

One would think "all racism, past, and present, in any form."
would include the 130 year practice of not allowing those of
Black African ancestry full participation in the Church. So
the question is, are they now admitting that this practice was
wrong? Or are they just saying that the theological
"speculations" for the practice were wrong--the "less valient"
or the "curse of Cain?"

Unless they are "unequivocally" saying that the Church's
official teaching and practice for over 130 years was wrong
then they are guilty of weasel language.

"Recovery from Mormonism - www.exmormon.org"