How the Priesthood-Temple Ban Became Fully Entrenched Policy in the Church

Рет қаралды 3,282

4 ай бұрын

Once people come to terms with the uncomfortable idea that Brigham Young committed an error in endorsing a priesthood ban on church members with black African ancestry, a puzzling question naturally follows: if the ban was an error, then why didn’t it get corrected earlier than 1978? There were nine church presidents between Brigham Young and Spencer W. Kimball, and 101 years between President Young’s death in 1877 and President Kimball’s revelation in 1978. So why did it take so long to correct this mistake and again offer full privileges to black Africans in the church, as they had enjoyed in Joseph Smith’s day? In today’s episode of Church History Matters we attempt to offer at least the beginning of an answer to this question by tracing the key moments and decisions in the leadership councils of the church when, instead of correcting this error, they came to conclusions that led to an unfortunate hardening in place of the priesthood ban. In this episode, the years 1879, 1904, 1907, and 1908 will, sadly, be added alongside the year 1852 as we piece together both the timeline and the reasoning behind this ban.
This is the fourth episode of our 7-part podcast series on the history of Race and the Priesthood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For a full transcript of this episode, as well as show notes and additional resources, visit our website at doctrineandcovenantscentral.o...
You can also subscribe to our podcast via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and other platforms, and follow us on popular social media platforms. Visit linktr.ee/churchhistorymatters to connect with us.
Originally published July 25, 2023
DISCLAIMER: While we try very hard to be historically and doctrinally accurate in what we say on this podcast, please remember that all views expressed in this and every episode are our views alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Scripture Central or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Пікірлер: 29

@elizabethpeterson9914 4 ай бұрын

Painful, messy history for sure, but I'm so glad you're tackling it head on.

@davidtorbenson4686 4 ай бұрын

I love this series - and highlighting the fallibility of prophets, seers and revelators. That is the theme of the scriptures. I am grateful to those who accept the call to lead. I do feel one of the challenges, in an environment in ongoing revelation, is that leaders can speak to errors made a long time ago, but find it much more difficult to speak about specific errors as they are uncovered, corrected. Part of this might be due to fears that members will be less confident with future revelations (I personally believe the results would be opposite). Part of this might also be to the current "we don't apologize" culture. I personally feel that if the leaders of the church had included a repentant apology in 1978 (or even at the Be One celebration where the singing/program was great but the talk was not) - we would be much further down the path in moving forward in a healthy way.

@ltinfpr2j247 Ай бұрын

Racism is a human nature issue. So sad our flesh is so weak. We see racism all across the world. But I also see progress away from racism, prejudice and or bias. I don't use the past to define the present let alone define my perspective on reality. Faith, hope, charity, patience, knowledge, trust and revelation is what I use to keep me balanced in the now and looking forward to the future.

@davidmartineau1483 4 ай бұрын

This topic is difficult but the details are important to understand the mistakes that were made. Thanks for doing the series 🙏🏻

@ashlyncrane8992 4 ай бұрын

God loves you!!!

@Timmyjg2004 4 ай бұрын

Why do you think an angel or something just didn't come and tell them?

@nancylowe2692 3 ай бұрын

I marvel that early Black members were able to give so much grace to the early Priesthood leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Why, do you think they did?

@kathrync829 4 ай бұрын

Why was it that,, during Moses'' time, only the Levites were allowed the Priesthood and none of the rest of the tribes? I believe this continued at least until the time of Christ.

@dr33776 Ай бұрын

It was not based on race, levites had no land inheritance and were consecrated as priests that were sustained by Israel’s tithing, big difference.

@kathrync829 Ай бұрын

@@dr33776 It was based on tribe.

@dr33776 Ай бұрын

@@kathrync829 you made my point, priesthood ban based on race is written in canonized lds scripture (look up the pearl of great price) and official first presidency statements from the past not on historical evidence or biblical scripture. Even recently, Elder Oaks tried to blame the ban on God, he said that “rarely God gives reasons for his commandments” implying that the ban was not of racist men but of God.

@kathrync829 Ай бұрын

@@dr33776 If you've found an answer that you're satisfied with I'm happy for you. However, this conversation hasn't really addressed my question. I feel like we're carrying on two different conversations with two different purposes. Thank you for your time. Perhaps it will help me find a little more clarity of thought on this subject.

@RyanMercer 4 ай бұрын

👍

@fhmoth 2 ай бұрын

I'm trying to accept it, the very fact that there were 9 prophets and over a century of serious racism in the church makes it hard to believe the concept of revelation by the spirit, my mind and soul simply cannot accept God allowed that. I wonder if we will have to provide historical context to explain what the church is doing to the LGBTQ community in the near future.

@GeorgeDemetz 2 ай бұрын

God has even killed people!!! This ban is specifically taught in the books of Abraham and Moses as well as by Joseph Smith!

@GeorgeDemetz Ай бұрын

Do not try to accept this lying apostates words! Read Joseph Smithe comment in my post!!! He mentions so much bull here with his cherry picking, but he won't mention what Joseph Smith actually stated!!!

@robertlewis7208 Ай бұрын

I guess when I clear out all my skeletons and live in such a way as to have an open line to God and he decides that it's his will to answer every thing that I need to function as a human being but I'm not a robot so I like them will have settle for being imperfect use my agency do the best I can knowing that God will forgive me for my mistakes

@Kaydubbbb Ай бұрын

These are great conversations. One thing missing for the initiation and the cause of the priesthood ban lasting so long is the fact that the members living in southern states would have been in mortal danger without real legal recourse against the violence that would have occurred against them had it not been in place. There were state sanctioned and supported organizations like the guys wearing white dunce caps who violently enforced separation.😢When the federal government was willing to send troops in the 1960s to enforce civil rights laws it was finally safe for many Latter-Day Saints to remove the ban. The church is one church and functioned across multiple state lines. Lives would have been lost without the ban IMHO. Also missing is the political environment with slave states and free states lobbying for power to spread and prevent the spread of slavery in 1852, and, since Utah was a slave territory the confederacy left it alone in the civil war. The policy itself was not a mistake. The false doctrines taught to support the policy were.

@missstrizz5252 3 ай бұрын

...The explanation is as basic as breathing, Please reason about it for yourself! ...So If past Mormons were so such strong TRUE BELIEVERS, you must ask yourself, whom were they believers of, GOD or men? LDS theology teaches that God is unchanging in His attributes, including His love, justice, and mercy. Therefore, the principle of God's love for all individuals equally is believed to have been true from the beginning according to LDS's. LDS Church leaders and modern prophets have reiterated the principle of Jesus Christ. Moroni 10:19, states: "And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that he is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that all these gifts of which I have spoken, which are spiritual, never will be done away, even as long as the world shall stand, only according to the unbelief of the children of men." SO, Why would TRUE christians follow Brigham??? --WHY DID IT TAKE 126 years!!! You can't just make true believers racist, that already existed in THEM /YOU( teachings passed down to this day)!! I don't care how hard a person tries, no human can make me hate or go along with injustice, especially "Under the guise" of JESUS for I was not created that way. You can't oblige hate within my heart and force me to comply. If such is possible, did you ever really know love? Can you love? Do you have faith or are you on a factory line? Are you an empty shell? -- That Ban, that is not love, that is not God and if YOU knew Yahweh's Love, it would be naturally wrong to do such.You would not have to work at it, love of all comes naturally and true believers already possess it.... it's so simple. IF YOU DON'T GET IT, THEN YOU DON'T GOT IT, AND IF YOU DONT GOT IT, YOU ARE NOT ONE OF HIS PEOPLES. If I was a devout Mormon and the doctrine changed to contradict my faiths CORE belief then it wasn't real. You can't reconcile being a "true believer" in the LDS faith with harboring such beliefs or engaging/supporting exclusionary racist behavior. Merely it's blasphemy! You, my friend are gambling with your soul on the table of man! WHY gamble with your salvation and put it in the rules of men? Don't you SEE? --God's word does NOT CHANGE!! This example is a true account of following rules of men and not of GOD. People are caught up in religion and not a relationship with GOD! Empty shells without empathy, per if empathy and following God was present and this was the ONE TRUE WAY...we would not be here leaving comments, people making excuses, defending the reasons of men because Yahweh is not a God of confusion and the word does not change. Agape! I love you All!

@fhmoth 2 ай бұрын

Appreciate your comments. I'm a 35 year old active member, that only now began to question this serious issue, a wife and three kids later. You have to understand the conditioning, as children we are taught we are God's chosen people and that we have the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ from birth. We are so lucky, that out of all religions, we were born in a family that has the fulness of it all! That comes with very very high expectations, you have to be grateful and obedient. You sincerely believe you are doomed if you sin or if you leave the covenant path if you don't confess to your Bishop and don't follow the repentance steps. When racial and polygamy issues arise, you simply believe any explanation you're given, because what matters is that it's all true, as long as the explanation leads you to believe it's all true. Until I heard about the Gospel Topics Essays, a month ago, I believed the explanations provided by former prophets and apostles, that always sounded offensive, when I read the essay on race, only then, I learned the church now disavows those explanations, it all began to crumble for me, where was God? Why did He allow us to be led to believe such atrocities taught by His mouthpiecES? I am expected to follow the teachings, I covenanted to give my life if necessary, but at a risk of things simply being disavowed in the future. All I ask is, please don't judge before you understand the conditioning. Religious conditioning causes people to do/believe things that an unconditioned person believes are stupid. I was uncomfortable with the explanation on many issues, when things sound unexplainable, then the go to is: God is just and merciful he will make it right in the end. That works because I'm white and I'm not gay. I find myself here trying to find an explanation to something from a believer's stand point, the more I hear the harder it gets. Just note that, for the most part, members don't worship with these issues in their hearts, they really want to follow the commandments and their leaders, serve and help other people. These issues really shake the foundation of being the chosen people or that we are the only one true church, but not so much the desire to do good. Some, such as myself, will awake to the fact that it may not be true because of these issues, I am now depressed thinking either I make myself sad or my wife and family sad, it's not easy to disagree when you are a rooted member that has followed the path all his life. Everything you said makes sense to me, but I have all my family and community at stake, my own sense of worthiness and core values are at stake, so it is not easy. But I promise you, Mormons are kind and loving, we are not evil.

@GeorgeDemetz 2 ай бұрын

Joseph Dmith himself made this statement confiimimg the true church doctrine as clearly stated in the books if Abraham snd Moses:"The curse is not yet taken iff the dons of zcsnasn, neither eill it be until it us affectef by as great a piwer as caused it to come." Niw, will you still harden your apistate hearts against the truth that God has clearly revealed?!?!?!?

@GeorgeDemetz Ай бұрын

They are full of crap! READ the statement from Joseph Smith himself on my post, and READ the book of Abraham chapter one!!!