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The LDS Church's views on Black people have alternated throughout its history. Early church leaders' views on Black slavery went from neutrality to abolitionism to a pro-slavery view. As early as 1844, church leaders taught that Black people's spirits were less righteous in premortal life (before birth).
The LDS church discouraged social interaction or marriage with Black people and encouraged racial segregation. The practice began with church founder Joseph Smith who stated, "I would confine them [Black people] by strict law to their own species". [1]: 1843 Until 1963, many church leaders supported legalized racial segregation. [2]
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) is the largest denomination within Mormonism and has a long history of racial exclusion. [21] According to Cassandra L. Clark, one reason why polygamy was a part of the Mormon culture was to promote the growth of the white race. [21]
Before the civil rights movement, the LDS Church's doctrine-based policy went largely unnoticed and unchallenged for around a century [15] [30] with the First Presidency stating in 1947 that the doctrine of the LDS Church which banned interracial marriage and black people from entering the temple or receiving the priesthood was never questioned ...
Nauvoo, Illinois was reported to have 22 Black members, including free and enslaved individuals, between 1839–1843 (Late Persecution of the Church of Latter-day Saints, 1840). In the evening debated with John C. Bennett and others to show that the Indians have greater cause to complain of the treatment of the whites, than the negroes or sons ...
[142] In an interview with Mormon Century, Jason Smith expressed his viewpoint that the membership of the church was not ready for Black people to have the priesthood in the early years of the church, because of prejudice and Black enslavement. He drew analogies to the Bible where only the Israelites have the gospel.
Before 1978, relatively few Black people who joined the church retained active membership. [12] Those who did, often faced discrimination. LDS Church apostle Mark E. Petersen describes a Black family that tried to join the LDS Church: "[some white church members] went to the Branch President, and said that either the [Black] family must leave, or they would all leave.
This painting shows Noah cursing Ham. Smith and Young both taught that Black people were under the curse of Ham, [1] [2] and the curse of Cain. [3]: 27 [4] [5]Teachings on the biblical curse of Cain and the curse of Ham in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and their effects on Black people in the LDS Church have changed throughout the church's history.