Racial prejudice is one of the truly significant sins, and there are very few unrighteous acts that I would rank above it on the scale of immorality. Racial prejudice directly violates the second great commandment: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matt. 22:39).
I do NOT believe any race is superior to others. I do NOT believe that people “of color” were inferior in the preexistence!!!! These stances of mine fit Mormon theology.
Racism is pure nonsense and should have NO place in any truly Christian society.
What are the fundamental LDS moral principles about race? They are clearly read in the Book of Mormon. Considering the following:
2 Nephi 26:33
33 … he [the Lord God] inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.
Jacob 3:9
9 Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you, which is the word of God, that ye revile no more against them because of the darkness of their skins; neither shall ye revile against them because of their filthiness; but ye shall remember your own filthiness, and remember that their filthiness came because of their fathers.
3 Nephi 18:22
22 And behold, ye shall meet together oft; and ye shall not forbid any man from coming unto you when ye shall meet together, but suffer them that they may come unto you and forbid them not;
Nephi 17:35
35 Behold, the Lord esteemeth all flesh in one. …
These passages are very strong anti-racist statements. This is the morality LDS people seek.
What do modern prophets have to say on the topic of racism in the Church? Here are just two quotes:
Gordon B. Hinckley, Priesthood Session, Saturday, April 1, 2006
I remind you that no man who makes disparaging remarks concerning those of another race can consider himself a true disciple of Christ. … How can any man holding the Melchizedek Priesthood arrogantly assume that he is eligible for the priesthood whereas another who lives a righteous life but whose skin is of a different color, is ineligible?
The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. E. L. Kimball. Salt Lake City, 1982, pp. 236-37.
We do wish that there would be no racial prejudice. . . . Racial prejudice is of the devil. . . . There is no place for it in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
All people of any colored skin are children of God. They should be treated as such. There is no room for bigotry in the Church.
Newcomers to the Book of Mormon sometimes do not realize that the term “white” is often used synonymously with the concept of moral purity. This symbol of purity has nothing to do with race. Again, consider the following:
Alma 13:12 [emphasis mine]
12 Now they, after being sanctified by the Holy Ghost, having their garments made white, being pure and spotless before God, could not look upon sin save it were with abhorrence; and there were many, exceedingly great many, who were made pure and entered into the rest of the Lord their God.
Alma 32:42 [cf. 1 Ne. 8:11 and Nag Hammadi codices II.5 and XIII.2] [emphasis mine]
42 And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience … ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, … which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.
Mormon 9:6 [emphasis mine]
6 O then ye unbelieving, turn ye unto the Lord; cry mightily unto the Father in the name of Jesus, that perhaps ye may be found spotless, pure, fair, and white, having been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, at that great and last day.
In other locations the context makes it clear that “white” is just a symbol. For example,
1 Nephi 12:10 [emphasis mine]
10 And these twelve ministers whom thou beholdest shall judge thy seed. And, behold, they are righteous forever; for because of their faith in the Lamb of God their garments are made white in his blood.
We need to understand that much language in the Book of Mormon is figurative, symbolic, and metaphorical. (Besides, Issac Newton demonstrated in his book “Opticks” (1704) that white light consisted of all the colors of the rainbow). If one reads the Book of Mormon and concludes that certain races are inferior, then such a reader has come away with the wrong message.
In the early 19th century the Mormon prophet Joseph Smith recognized that blacks had the same capacity as whites, even if not the same circumstance:
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Section Five 1842-43 p.269
Elder Hyde inquired the situation of the negro. I replied, they came into the world slaves, mentally and physically. Change their situation with the whites, and they would be like them. They have souls, and are subjects of salvation. …
Had I anything to do with the negro, I would … put them on a national equalization.
One of my favorite quotes from John Taylor, the 3rd President of the Church, is the following:
John Taylor, The Gospel Kingdom, p.63
ALL ARE GOD'S CHILDREN. -- How does God feel towards the human family? He feels that they are his children. What, all? Yes, the white, the black, the red, the Jew, the gentile, the heathen, the Christian, and all classes and grades of men. He feels interested in all. He has done so from the beginning and will continue to do so to the end. He will do all that lies in his power for the benefit, blessing, and exaltation of the human family, both in time and eternity, consonant with those laws and those eternal principals that I have referred to, from which he himself cannot deviate. -- JD, 21:16, February 8, 1880.
Is it possible to find prejudicial statements by LDS individuals in the 19th century that were racially insensitive? Yes. I think such prejudice was in the minority. Regardless, it was wrong.
No one should feel inferior in this Church because of skin color, social status, country of origin, previous religion, etc. We need to counter racial prejudice.
One of the doctrines of restoration brought forth by the Latter-day Saints is that God loves all people and speaks to designated individuals in many different lands. In effect, that was a prime message in the following talk:
Dallin Oaks, Conference Session, Sunday, April 2, 2006
The Lord will eventually cause the inspired teachings he has given to his children in various nations to be brought forth for the benefit of all people. This will include accounts of the visit of the resurrected Lord to what we call the Lost Tribes of Israel, and his revelations to all the seed of Abraham.
There are inspired writings all over the world. Some are just waiting to be re-discovered.
The moral lesson is that God talks to all of us, regardless of skin color. We are made in his image, regardless of skin color. Jesus would have had a very dark skin. We should not forget these things.
The tree of life is a key symbol for diversity and brotherhood. The Bible alludes to the tree of life but gives us only a little description:
Proverbs 3:13, 18
13 ¶ Happy [is] the man [that] findeth wisdom, and the man [that] getteth understanding. …
18 She [is] a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy [is every one] that retaineth her.
In Lehi’s vision of the tree of life there is a most interesting description of the fruit:
1 Nephi 8:11
11 And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen.
The description of the fruit is almost identical to that found in the Nag Hammadi Papers (discovered in Egypt in 1945), ancient manuscripts much like the Dead Sea Scrolls:
Nag Hammadi Papers: codices II.5 and XIII.2
The color of the tree of life is like the sun… . Its fruit is like a bunch of white grapes.
Once again, the Book of Mormon corresponds with ancient manuscripts, but this is not my point. A few pages later, the Book of Mormon explains what the tree of life symbolizes:
1 Nephi 11:21 – 23 [emphasis mine]
21 And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?
22 And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things.
23 And he spake unto me, saying: Yea, and the most joyous to the soul.
The tree and the fruit is the love of God for ALL of his children. Alma, then, alluded to the tree of life story when he said (as previously cited):
Alma 32:42 [emphasis mine]
42 … ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, … which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.
God’s love for us is pure. So must our love be for him. So must our love be for ALL of God’s children. A pure love of God is expressed only when one lacks racial prejudice.
CONCLUSION: People of any color are welcome and needed in the LDS Church. There is no such thing as an inferior people, because ALL are children of God. Enter the doors and feel welcome -- any and all.
[For an honest documentary on the history of African American's in the LDS Church, see: Nobody Knows: The Untold Story of Black Mormons].
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5 comments:
Very interesting perspective I like it.
This subject is dear to me. Have you seen the DVD called Blacks in the Scriptures? www.blacksinthescriptures.com
It is very well done by members of Genesis.
If you are the Margaret I am thinking of, then I am very well aware of your work, especially with Darius Gray. I think you have had a very important impact.
My non-LDS students who have studied Mormonism tend to argue that the Church should put out a signed statement against racism and racist doctrinal speculations. I await patiently for the day.
The race issue still has a significant effect on the public relations of the Church.
In any case, thank you so much for visiting the site, and I hope you will visit again and make some more comments.
I'm not the Margaret you are thinking of, but I admire her greatly. I'm a Mom whose daughter has married a Black. He's such a good man and I would love to see him accept the Gospel some day.
Every time I find a post like this I hope a few more people will rid themselves of racism. there is just no place for it in Heavenly Father's Kingdom.
Margaret, I am with you! I have a African-American nephew who I wish would get baptized. There is a great need for LDS leaders of all races and ethnicities. A world-wide Church, such as what we are becoming, demands it.
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