The Book of Mormon speak of dark skin as a curse for sins, as opposed to the “white and delightsome” appearance of the righteous (2 Nephi 30:6, cf. 1 Nephi 12:23, 13:15, 2 Nephi 5:21, Jacob 3:8-9, 3 Nephi 2:14-15, Moses 7:8, 12, 22). A passage in the “Book of Abraham” (1:26-27), that spoke of the Egyptian pharaohs as having Negro ancestry, thereby disqualifying them from God’s priesthood, was used by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to deny the Mormon priesthood and temple privileges to anyone with any amount of Negro ancestry. These passages in Mormon scripture served as the basis for every Mormon prophet since Smith to teach that blacks were cursed for their supposed sins before earthly birth. Brigham Young, Smith’s successor, also underscored the racist stand of Mormonism: “Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so” (Journal of Discourses 10:109). Throughout the civil rights movement in the 1950s and’60s, Mormon apostles continued to teach the LDS doctrine on people with African ancestry and other persons of color. Mark E. Petersen asserted that people are born black because of their inadequate performance in the pre-existence. Bruce R. McConkie maintained “Negroes are not equal with other races” in spiritual matters and that this is God’s law, not man’s. The future prophet Spencer W. Kimball claimed that in just 15 years from the time of their conversion he had seen Indian people who accepted the Mormon gospel become “white and delightsome.” But the civil rights movement had its effect the LDS Church. Black leaders urged boycotts of the state of Utah and all Mormon Tabernacle Choir products. The NAACP brought discrimination charges against the Utah Boy Scouts for prohibiting a black member from assuming a senior patrol position. College athletes refused to play Brigham Young University teams. Groups protested at the church’s twice-yearly general conferences in Salt Lake City. Mormon leadership finally acknowledged that many, perhaps most, of the converts to the Church in Brazil had some degree of black ancestry. While their donations helped build the São Paulo Temple, they were not permitted to attend it. By 1978, increased social repudiation of racism, coupled with Mormon evangelization in areas with large populations of racially mixed ancestry, led to one of the most drastic reversals in Mormon belief and practice: Those with Negro blood were allowed to attend the temple, and worthy black men could also hold the priesthood. Dated June 8, 1978, and released the following day, President Kimball’s “Official Declaration-2” (as it is now called in the Mormon scripture Doctrine and Covenants) came after “extended meditation and prayer in the sacred rooms of the holy temple.” He presented the changed doctrine to his counselors, the Twelve Apostles, and other leaders, who approved it unanimously. The day has come, he said, when the Lord now grants to “every faithful, worthy man in the Church . . . the holy priesthood . . . [and] the blessings of the temple.” The declaration was presented to the general membership and ratified pro forma on September 30, 1978. Though this opening of the priesthood to all races moved the Mormon Church into a less racist position regarding its practice, Mormon teaching remained unaltered. The new “revelation” did not change the previous Mormon teaching that people are born black because of their sins in the pre-existence.
@GeorgeDemetz
2 ай бұрын
You are dead wrong! There is nothing in that statement that mentions slavery at all! You need to read it again!! Also, Moses 7:,8, Moses 7:22, and the first chapter of Abraham all state about the curse of blackness and the curse of the priesthood ban on the descendants of Cain, and Canaan who was the fourth son of Ham! Joseph knew about this priesthood ban and curse! He is the one who translated those scriptures, so quit all of your BS and lying and trying to twist the simple plain meanings of those scriptures,! You are like the fool, Dr. Reeves, who think that he needs to correct all the prophets, and maybe the scriptures as well as Gid himself because if his great wisdom and learning, and you guys fit the bill of what John Milton meant when he stated that a little leaning is a dangerous thing!! I have news for you! You are Dr. Reeves are lying apostates and are wrong as hell, and what all the prophets and the scriptures state are gospel truth!!! Here is more of that statement from Joseph Smith of April 7, 1836: Continued:
@cornercanyon6th39
2 ай бұрын
Well done. Thank you
@GeorgeDemetz
2 ай бұрын
You sre dead wrong! Even though inspired exceptions were made by Joseph Smith and others until as late as 1935! This is a statement from Joseph Smith that your types keep ignoring: "The curse is not yet taken off the sons if Canaan, neither will it be until it is affected by as great a oower as caused it to come."!!! It is also scriptural which makes it official church doctrine which is another thing that your types conveniently ignore!! READ Moses 7:8; READ Moses 7:22; READ the first chapter of the Book of Abraham and stop your dishonest scholarship!!!
@Mormonismexplained
2 ай бұрын
The statement you are referring to by Joseph Smith states that the curse of Canaan is slavery, which was an institution that still existed in Joseph Smith’s day. Joseph Smith clearly believed that the institution of slavery could, and should, be abolished (this was his platform when he ran for president). There is little evidence that Joseph Smith believed the alleged curse applied to a priesthood restriction, especially because in the same year he made the statement, Elijah Abel (a Black man) was ordained to the priesthood. Additionally, the scriptures you refer to in the Book of Moses do not refer to a priesthood curse. They refer to a curse of blackness, which many theologians believe is a metaphorical reference to the sins people choose to commit, just as whiteness is a metaphorical reference to purity. Even if it was a literal skin of blackness, that does not mean that they could not repent and receive all of the blessings of God (2 Nephi 26:33). The Book of Abraham refers to a priesthood restriction on Pharaoh, not on anyone else. From the Book of Mormon, we clearly learn that any curse that we cause to come upon ourselves through our sins can be lifted through repentance and the mercy and merits of Jesus Christ (Helaman 13:8, 11). Finally, and probably most significantly, Mormons believe in continuing revelation, that is why God calls prophets. The most recent statement about curses or any justifications for the priesthood ban is this: “the Church disavows the theories advanced in the past that black skin is a sign of divine disfavor or curse, or that it reflects unrighteous 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. Church leaders today unequivocally condemn all racism, past and present, in any form.” Thanks for watching!
@GeorgeDemetz
2 ай бұрын
@@Mormonismexplained This is the rest of the statement from Joseph Smith: "Trace the HISTORY of the world from this notable event (the curse if Cain, slavery was not the event) down to this day, and you will find the fulfillment of this singular prophecy. What could have been the design of the Almighty in this wonderful occurrence is not for me to say (not a once time occurrence of slavery, but the occurrence of the proclamation of the priesthood ban and curse), but I can say that the curse is not yet taken off the sons of Canaan, neither will it be until it is affected by as great a power as caused it to come (which happened in 1978), and the people who interfere the least with the decrees and purposes of God in this matter will come under the least condemnation (obviously not speaking if interfering with slavery, Joseph Smith himself had that righteous purpose) before him, and those that are determined to pursue a course which shows an opposition and a feverish restlessness against the designs of the Lord (like you, Dr. Reeves and other ignorant fools), will learn, when perhaps it is too late for their own good, that God can do His own work without the aid of those who are not dictate by His counsel."!!! Also you need to look up both meanings of the word disavow,!!! Also, you need to learn that God does not change his mind like a fickle teenage girl, although He does revoke bans like this and revoke the practice of polygamy, etc. You also need to consider the following statement by elder Ballard: Continued...
@GeorgeDemetz
2 ай бұрын
Here it is: "Dallin Oaks and I don't often agree on doctrine, but I agree with his assertion regarding the consistency of God's truth. The Holy Ghost/Holy Spirit WILL NOT CONTRADICT what God has already revealed. If something "revealed" contradicts what God has said in the Bible (and I would add, all if the scriptures), IT CAN NOT BE TRUE."!!! That is just exactly what Dr. Reeves stupid essay on race and the priesthood does! The first chapter of Abraham does not state that the curse you mentioned is only in Pharaoh! It states that it was upon that "from Ham sprang that RACE which preserved that CURSE in the land."!!! Your reading comprehension is apparently not very good! Also, the other meaning of the word disavow means to simply wash ones hands of a matter and not necessarily that it was not true! Anyway, church manuals and church essays are NOT official church doctrine! The official church proclamations from the first presidency, like the one that affirms the priesthood ban, and the scriptures are!!! Continued...
@GeorgeDemetz
2 ай бұрын
I am not ignorant like Dr. Reeves! I have studied theology and Mormon doctrine for more than 60 years, and I am well aware that Joseph Smith and other prophets made inspired exceptions to this ban, in fact, as late as 1935, but these were inspired exceptions such a as Christ made to the Canaanite woman AFTER INITIALLY REFUSING HER as recorded in Matthew 15: 22-28!!as he stated before, Joseph Smith was well aware of this banbsince he was the one who translated the very scriptures that specifically mentions the curse if black edd as well as the descendants of Ham through his illicit fourth son, Canaan as I have clearly showed in Abraham 1: 21-28, and, in particular the quote that from Ham, "sprang that RACE which preserved the CURSE in the land."!! I have also heard from an inside source that Dr. Reeves used sn underhanded method in getting the sanction of the church to publish that super stupid essay, but I don't want to elaborate on that since it is what the courts would call hear say evidence, and I love the absolute truth, which from my studies led me to the church.
@GeorgeDemetz
2 ай бұрын
I have studied theology and Mormon doctrine for more than 60 years and I am well aware that Joseph Smith and others made inspired exceptions to this ban as late as 1935, but they were inspired exceptions such a as Christ made to the Canaanite woman AFTER INITIALLY REFUSING HER as recorded in Matthew 15: 22-28! Continued...
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