Category: Racism
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Blacks and Priesthood — 40 Years Later
By Sandra Tanner . . . for the seed of Cain were black and had not place among them.(Pearl of Great Price, Moses 7:22) “We have pleaded long and earnestly in behalf of these, our faithful brethren,” wrote Spencer W. Kimball in the announcement of June 8, 1978, when the Church of Jesus Christ of…
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Brigham Young Speech on Slavery, Blacks, the Priesthood, and Blood Atonement
Governor Brigham Young argues against Orson Pratt’s support for Black suffrage based on the curse of Cain, which he said prohibits Blacks from the LDS priesthood (and, by extension, from voting or governance). Also, if White “seed” were to “mingle with the seed of Cain” it would bring whole generations under that curse, for which…
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Racial Statements in LDS Scripture
By Sandra Tanner Despite claims by modern LDS leadership that racist rhetoric and priesthood restrictions are nothing more than relics of unfortunate folklore, their scripture clearly shows a basis for what early LDS leaders defended as doctrine.Consider the following examples from the Book of Mormon and the Pearl of Great Price. Book of Mormon Pearl…
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Mormon Doctrine Altered
By Jerald and Sandra Tanner Unfortunately, most members of the Mormon Church are completely oblivious to the serious changes that have been made by church leaders since the days of the Mormon prophet Joseph Smith. Dr. Hugh Nibley is proclaimed by many to be one of the greatest defenders the Mormon Church has ever known.…
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Brigham Young Sermon: Blacks and the Priesthood
Brigham Young explains the curse of Cain and how black people are relegated to being the “servant of servants” and are prohibited from holding the LDS priesthood until “all the other descendants of Adam have . . . enjoyed the blessings of the Priesthood . . .” As printed in: Journal of Discourses, vol. 7,…
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Excommunication
Mormon Leader Expelled After Charging Church With Racism By Jerald and Sandra Tanner On September 2, 1989, the Salt Lake Tribune made this startling announcement: The only American Indian general authority in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was excommunicated Friday after claiming church leaders are perpetrating a “silent, subtle scriptural and spiritual…
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A {White} Pure and Delightsome People?
By Jerald and Sandra Tanner Since its beginning the Mormon Church has taught that a dark skin is a sign of God’s displeasure. This teaching comes directly from Joseph Smith’s Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon teaches that about 600 B.C. a prophet named Lehi brought his family to America. Those who were righteous…
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The Changing World of Mormonism: Chapter 10
Changing the Anti-Black Doctrine On June 9, 1978, Mormon church leaders announced a very important change in their doctrine concerning blacks. They stated that blacks would now be given “all of the privileges and blessings which the gospel affords” (Deseret News, June 9, 1978). Prior to that time blacks of African lineage were not allowed…
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The Changing World of Mormonism: Chapter 20
Blood Atonement In a manuscript written in 1839, Reed Peck said that Joseph Smith claimed he had a revelation in which Apostle Peter told him that he had killed Judas: “He [Joseph Smith] talked of dissenters and cited us to the case of Judas, saying that Peter told him in a conversation a few days…
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Changing World of Mormonism (newsletter article)
By Jerald and Sandra Tanner January is a month we are anxiously awaiting, for this is when Moody Press plans to release our new book, The Changing World of Mormonism. This is a condensed and updated version of Mormonism—Shadow or Reality?—a book which has sold over 32,000 copies and which Bible scholar Norman L. Geisler…