I have put a considerable amount of time to writing this article, after much personal reflection, prayer, and thought.

Personal Reflection

As an African-American member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I am inundated with problems that persist because of folklore that is spread by some of the members of the Church to and about minority members.

African-American members were apprehensive about joining what many consider a "white" church and have suffered the attacks from family and friends because the spirit has testified to them that this is God's true and living church on the earth. Their tender feelings are again hurt by member's comments which sometimes cause them to go into inactivity because their feelings are hurt and their dignity insulted.

• To all of you that have become inactive, it's time to come home and become active again. It is time for all members to love these people back into activity in their Wards and Stakes. We must not allow the ignorance of others to detour us from our call from the Savior to join His Church. We come from proud people who have experienced the depths of agony (just as the Savior did) and now we are proud productive members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and society.

Prayer

After much prayer and scripture study over the past few months, I have concluded that the folklore is of man and not of God. I know many of you came to this conclusion a long time ago, but for me it has never been a problem because I knew that I was directed to this Church by the Holy Spirit of God and no one was going to drive me away from His Church. Eternity is a long time versus the short life we live on earth. I would rather spend my eternity with Heavenly Father than without Him. My prayer is that all of us would consider the feelings of Heavenly Father and how He feels when a chosen child walks away from His Church because of the insensitivity of others.

In Acts 17: 26-28 God states:

"And hath made of bone blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;

That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring."

We are all descendants of Adam and Eve and have the same Heavenly Father. If the Bible and the Book of Mormon are true (and we know they are), then we all know that it's time to show up and be seen and heard preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The greatest commandment is to love the Lord thy God with all your heart, might, and mind; and love thy neighbor as thy self. Sometimes the problem is that people say things to hurt others because they do not like themselves. If you watch closely, you will see they dislike who they are. If someone is not following the greatest commandment, we should make sure we are following the next commandment which is to love those that hate us (sometimes easier said than done). Nevertheless, it is a commandment and if we follow commandments we will find that life is not as hard as it otherwise could be. If you don't believe me, just watch what happens to the person who is full of hate.

Thought

If we expect someone else to stand up for us, it's not going to happen. We must stand up for what we know is right. Unfortunately, some people find it easier to put someone down rather than to lift them up. Our calling is to lift those that are in need and to be our brothers' keepers at all times regardless of race, creed, color, or national origin.

I do not condone or believe the folklore that runs through this Church, and the Brethren do not believe it.

The next time someone says anything pertaining to folklore, hand them the scriptures, and ask them to show you that teaching in the scriptures. When they cannot produce the folklore scripturally, very lovingly ask them to please follow the scriptures and they will be following the truth, and the Savior.

President Don Harwell