Mormon Church blames racist
policy on Brigham Young
All his fault? Hardly. Until 1978, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) barred anyone of the “Negro Race” from its priesthood. Besides not being allowed to perform priesthood ordinances, this meant that blacks could not marry in a Mormon temple, a requirement for Eternal Life. In 1978, the church’s presiding body announced that God “... by revelation has confirmed that the long-promised day has come when every faithful, worthy man in the Church may receive the holy priesthood, with power to exercise its divine authority, and enjoy with his loved ones every blessing that flows therefrom, including the blessings of the temple.”
Last Friday, the Mormon Church added a page to its official website disclaiming the ban as having been doctrinal. Rather, the church argues, it was a practice started around 1850 by then-Mormon prophet Brigham Young, who acted not by revelation but as a product of the racist era in which he lived.
It is curious that God would let a harmful, heinous, discriminatory error persist for over 130 years rather than correct it immediately. It is curious that revoking a non-revelation required a revelation at all, let alone a “long-promised” one. It is curious that God would permit a mistake of this magnitude to take hold in the first place. Moreover, if God had nothing against blacks, what the hell took him so long to fix it? Why did he make the world await a “long promised day”?
Some celebrate the this new concession as the church “coming clean.” It is interesting that a church claiming to have and teach The Truth, and to be guided by divine revelation, would need to “come clean” in the first place. Meanwhile, statements that dark skin is a curse remain in Mormon scriptures such as the Book of Mormon and Pearl of Great Price (see verse 22).
For a policy that enabled and promoted discrimination against innocent people for over 130 years, and that led church leaders to make myriad racially incendiary statements during that time (which the new web page conveniently omits), human decency cries out for an official, heartfelt, groveling, sackcloth-and-ashes apology.
Last Friday, the Mormon Church added a page to its official website disclaiming the ban as having been doctrinal. Rather, the church argues, it was a practice started around 1850 by then-Mormon prophet Brigham Young, who acted not by revelation but as a product of the racist era in which he lived.
It is curious that God would let a harmful, heinous, discriminatory error persist for over 130 years rather than correct it immediately. It is curious that revoking a non-revelation required a revelation at all, let alone a “long-promised” one. It is curious that God would permit a mistake of this magnitude to take hold in the first place. Moreover, if God had nothing against blacks, what the hell took him so long to fix it? Why did he make the world await a “long promised day”?
Some celebrate the this new concession as the church “coming clean.” It is interesting that a church claiming to have and teach The Truth, and to be guided by divine revelation, would need to “come clean” in the first place. Meanwhile, statements that dark skin is a curse remain in Mormon scriptures such as the Book of Mormon and Pearl of Great Price (see verse 22).
For a policy that enabled and promoted discrimination against innocent people for over 130 years, and that led church leaders to make myriad racially incendiary statements during that time (which the new web page conveniently omits), human decency cries out for an official, heartfelt, groveling, sackcloth-and-ashes apology.
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