givenright said:
Have you heard the one out the mormons at first not allowing darker then pure white in their church? There is a story that God put a curse onto cain for killing Abel, ( it says he was turned to darkness) they believe this means people of color I have heard) Can any of you explain this one to me, please.
Jennifer
http://givenright.com
Hello Jennifer,
To answer your inquiry,
and to quote Joseph Fielding Smith, from his essay,
The Way to Perfection,
"Is it not a reasonable belief, that the Lord would select the choice spirits to come through the better grades of nations? Moreover, is it not reasonably to believe that less worthy spirits would come through less favored lineage? Does this not account in very large part, for the various grades of color and degrees of intelligence we find in the earth?"
Also, Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:61, 65-66 posts very explicit statements which I will not post here.
Mormon teachings brought out the fact that if one were good enough, then the color of their skin could be changed. The dark skin was considered to be satan's representation on the earth (numerous references available from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 10th, and other prophets)
The texual criticism is based upon a passage from the book of 1 Nephi 30:6
"And then shall they rejoice: for they shall know that it is a blessing unto them from the hand of God; and their scales of darkness shall begin to fall from their eyes; and many generations shall not pass away among them save they shall be a white and delightsome people."
Also,
1 Nephi 12:23 (prophecy of the Lamanites)
"became a dark, and loathsome, and a filthy people, full of idleness and all manner of abominations."
However, in the 1970's there were several actions that cause the prophet of that time (Spencer Kimball) to sincerely seek the truth of revelation from God.
1) The IRS began to question the not-for-profit tax-exempt status for the church based upon their teachings concerning race. Then-President Carter discussed this matter with the then-prophet Kimball.
2) The colleges and universities across the United States were issuing statements that they would begin boycotting BYU sports events and sports programs.
3) The NAACP began filing lawsuits against the Boy Scout troops supported by Mormon wards/stakes concerning racism.
4) Racial activists began campaigns to urge people to curtail tourism to Utah or to purchase <<record albums>> of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. (yes, it was "records" in those days)
5) Surprisingly, the mormon church built a lage temple in Brazil which could not be used by the majority of converts because they had trace lineages of "black" blood in their background.
Surprisingly, the prophet Spencer Kimball received a progressive revelation from God that changed the entire teachings of the LDS church. That is issued in Official Declaration #2, September 30, 1978. "Accordingly, all worthy male members of the Church may be ordained to the priesthood without regard for race or color."
This is, of course, a very brief history of the racial indiscretions that existed in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but it is also one that need not be brought up again and again since the denomination teaches and accepts progressive revelation; therefore, a mormon sees no problem with the past indiscretions since revelation was received from God that changed church teachings. Progressive revelation is a part of the restored church.
Questions?
~malaka~
<edited for "profit" and "prophet" ... ooops!>
