Does someone have a link or copy with documentation of the letter the first presidency issued right after Nelson Mandela died denouncing harmful doctrines regarding Black Americans and declaring that past past prophets starting with Brigham Young had been influenced by bigotry? I know it exists because I read it when it came out, but I can't find it on lds.org .

I need it for a response to a comment someone in my ward made on a friend's Facebook wall that is very TBM and uneducated.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/09/2015 04:49PM by ithinkivehadit.

Hmmmm....you'd think that past prophets of the One True and Restored Church would have been influenced by...oh, I don't know......GOD???

I think you might be referring to the essay, "Race and the Priesthood," found at this link:

https://www.lds.org/topics/race-and-the-priesthood?lang=eng

There is the race and the priesthood essay they released right after his death, I dont know if it was timed that way or just happened around the same time.

https://www.lds.org/topics/race-and-the-priesthood?lang=eng

In a statement related directly to the event they said

With the rest of the world, we mourn the passing of revered statesman Nelson Mandela. His courage, kindness and extraordinary moral leadership have been an example to all people. We express our love and sympathies to his family and the people of South Africa as they remember his extraordinary life

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/church-statement-nelson-mandela

But maybe it was this article that you read that brought it all together

http://aboutmormons.org/4394/church-jesus-christ-nelson-mandela-race-priesthood

No, it wasn't the essay. It was an official statement; I saw it on Facebook and I remember thinking the timing was in incredibly bad taste because they issued it like the day after he died.

In the letter they actually used the phrasing that they denounced past harmful doctrines regarding people of color, including doctrines that stated that they were born to that station in this life because of being less valiant in the pre-existence. My sister in law posted it saying how beautiful it was. I was furious, not because of declarations of equality, but because I was part of the generation who was heavily influenced by those harmful doctrines. I still have my original copy of Mormon Doctrine where Bruce R. McConkie stated all that crap and it was backed up by church leadership.

I think they scrubbed it; I can't find it.

Such a letter, if it existed, would have been big news internationally, nationally and especially here in Utah (not to mention on the Recovery From Mormonism board). Even if the Mormon church tried to "scrub" it from their site, the record of it would have been permanently recorded in cyberspace.

Maybe the letter you read was a hoax.

If you don't think so, try searching for it anywhere online. Start with news searches (sltrib.com would certainly have record of it) and sites likes utlm.org and mrm.org.

Hmmm, thanks lurkingin.

I read the essay again and the paragraph toward the end under "The Church Today" sounds a lot like part if what I am remembering. Maybe I was just so infuriated that that was all that stuck with me. The whole essay is such a gloss-over. It feels like its aim is to minimize what the reality has been.

I could have sworn it was a letter/statement from Mormon newsroom, though. And Inremember thinking at the time that I was surprised that it wasn't circulating around Facebook more than it was. I do remember when I clicked I the link it took me to Mormon newsroom. I was just over there and nothing is pulling up.

Maybe I'm crazy. . .

You're not crazy... I remember a church statement like that as well. What struck me is that they mentioned Brigham's bigotry (in nicer language... something like ccommonly accepted attitudes of the times), and racist "policies" but I don't think they actually addressed the racist doctrine that still exists within the BOM. I remember reading the statement and wondering how they could say they "denounce" (I think they used that word) racism while entire parts of their doctrine are based on it.

Anyway, I do remember reading this church statement... I thought it was mormon newsroom too.

You're not crazy ! : )

It's easy to conflate multiple memories into a single one. (I know I've done it many times before.) That news release from mormonnewsroom.org about Mandela's death was issued not too long before the essay, "Race and the Priesthood," so it would be easy to combine them into one memory.

And you're right, the essay was a lame, embarrassing apologetic gloss over. The church hopes few members (or any others, for that matter) will ever read it--but hey, it's there, and they can now claim that they've addressed the issue and it's time to "move on!"

Okay, I am NOT crazy. I found the share on my SIL's timeline for December 10, 2013. The share is titled, "Race and Priesthood: LDS Church Statement Reaction/KUTV.com." When you click on the link it says the page can no longer be found, blah blah blah. On the KUTV site, if you do a search for Race and Priesthood, nothing comes up. There is nothing on LDS.org or Mormon newsroom except for the essay, and I know the original statement was not the length of the essay. And I do remember specifically that they said prophets from Brigham Young up to one if the ones before SWK were influenced by bigotry.

I had a feeling at the time that I should print it off. I am ticked off.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/10/2015 01:33AM by ithinkivehadit.

I have been doing searches and it looks like wherever the statement is referenced in articles, blogs, etc. (and they do refer to it as an official statement) and there is a link provided, the link now goes to the essay which is worded in a very different tone as well as being significantly longer.

There was a conference talk a few years ago (2005?)that said something to the effect of "how grateful I am that since its inception, the cojcolds has stood against racism in all of its forms". That is some hilarious BS!

Wow…then why are there still so many racist people in the cult?

Elder What's-his-face Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There was a conference talk a few years ago (2005?)that said something to the effect of "how grateful I am that since its inception, the cojcolds has stood against racism in all of its
> forms". That is some hilarious BS!

Elder Alexander B. Morrison of the Seventy wrote:

How grateful I am that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has from its beginnings stood strongly against racism in any of its malignant manifestations. (Ensign, Sept 2000, p 16)

"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?"

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2006/04/the-need-for-greater-kindness?lang=eng


This from a man who believed exactly that for well over half of his life.

"I don't think we teach that..."

It did quote GBH from a conference in 2006. This was well before the essay(s). Yet it was during the same time that two well known Mormons were running for the highest political office of the land Romney and Huntsman.

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/race-church