|
 About The LDS Views of Blacks The letter from Greg is quite timely, considering what has recently happened regarding the LDS position on the Black race. Before I go into that, however, I need to address the issue of the blatant racist history and often continuing racsim of the Christian Church. It is a sin and true to the core. It is something we personally and corporately must repent of and ask our black (and every other non-white, Anglo-Saxon Protestant ) brother and sister for forgiveness for. My Bible says very clearly God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands.........;And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; Acts 17:24-26(KJV) That’s right! We are all of One Blood. We are one people! We need to start living like it, especially those who "are called by His name." ******************* Why all the concern then? How dare we point out the splinter in the LDS eye when we have a beam of our own. Well, we admit it is sin and that we have sinned, I think, and it’s not a splinter in that LDS eye. It’s a beam of all beams. While the honest Christian admits racism is a foul sin and the church has to repent of it, , the LDS Church justifies it’s sin by telling its people that their racist behavior was by the direct order of God Himself and given to its people by holy prophets of that god. The LDS church has taught and now struggles with somehow erasing the "holy" doctrine that blacks are cursed by God for being unworthy in our preexistent life with the LDS god on his planet near the great star, Kolob. They were "unvaliant" in a battle between Satan and Jesus. Pretty bad! About Blacks and this war in heaven, (Prophet) Joseph Fielding Smith wrote in DOCTRINES OF SALVATION, vol.1, p.66-67. "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...There were no neutrals in the war in heaven. All took sides either with Christ or with Satan. Every man had his agency there, and men receive rewards here based upon their actions there, just as they will receive rewards hereafter for deeds done in the body. The Negro, evidently, is receiving the reward he merits." That seems pretty clear. Mormons believe the blacks are being punished for something they did in the preexistence. Now, if they weren’t neutral; then the only answer left is that they opposed Christ and His angels along with Satan—otherwise, why would they be cursed? They certainly wouldn’t be cursed for fighting FOR Christ. This is just common sense. This teaching is racist doctrine to the core! And...if that is no longer true, then it could not have ever been true, for "Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth. Ps. 119:142(KJV). John Taylor, Third Prophet and President of the Mormon Church, stated: " .. 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 a upon a the earth as well as God;.... "Journal of Discourses, Volume 22, page 304. ******************* In a related article in the Salt Lake Tribune, (05/19/1998,Page: A1) Religion writer, Peggy Fletcher Stack headlined this: Church Leaders Haven’t Discussed Racial Issue, LDS President Says... "Many Mormons and others in Utah were tantalized by a [report] that LDS leaders are considering repudiating some early church statements that black skin is the biblical ``mark of Cain.’’ Arcane Mormon theology and the possibility of rejecting it was the talk of morning radio shows and the topic of Internet messages flying between Los Angeles, the East Coast and Salt Lake City, all fueled by the Los Angeles Times story. But the LDS Church’s governing First Presidency, led by President Gordon B. Hinckley, quashed the suggestion later Monday, saying "the matter . . . has not been discussed by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve."… The Times report, however, said only that the proposal to disavow these teachings, which link black skin color to curses from God recounted in Hebrew and Mormon Scriptures and to behavior in a premortal existence, was "under review by the church’s Committee on Public Affairs,’’ made up of LDS general authorities. Such a repudiation is necessary, the Times quoted Mormon sociologist Armand Mauss as saying, because in the absence of "any official corrections, these speculative and pejorative ideas will continue to be perpetuated in the church indefinitely."……. Brigham Young University English Professor Eugene England seconds Mauss’ concerns about continuing racist beliefs among LDS folk. In a March speech in Los Angeles, England said he periodically surveys his BYU classes and finds that "a majority of bright, well-educated Mormon students’’ continue to believe the blacks-are-cursed theories…..Under Brigham Young, the church’s second president, blacks were denied the Mormon priesthood and could not participate in sacred temple ceremonies. Although there is no specific reference in Mormon scripture as to why, Young and other Mormon officials — along with many other church leaders at the time — publicly theorized [Ed: They didn’t theorize anything, they preached it as God’s holy prophets from the pulpits] it had to do with the biblical curse of Cain, Adam and Eve’s son, who murdered his brother Abel. Mormon theology includes another reason: Blacks on Earth were cursed with a dark skin for having failed in a heavenly preexistence to fight with God in a battle with the devil….."[ Ed: yet, they teach that the white race won that battle for God...so who did the Blacks fight for?? Satan?]
Remember The generous gifts and prayers of friends like you support Saints Alive, our newsletters, websites and outreaches
You can do that by sending in a gift on line at our website or by sending a PayPal gift to
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.saintsalive.com
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
your gifts are tax-deductible Saints Alive Ministries P.O. Box 1347 Issaquah, WA 98027
|
