Questions Raised in the Public Square
From around the mid 1800s to 1978, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints generally banned Black male members from holding the priesthood and from serving missions and participating in temple work. (Interestingly, there were exceptions.)
The policy was nullified in June 1978 by then-Church President Spencer W. Kimball, who received clarifying revelation “extending priesthood and temple blessings to all worthy members of the Church.”
Though the practice has been discontinued, issues of equality and race continue to surface regarding the Church. Recently the topic was made prominent on the national stage with Latter-day Saint Mitt Romney's United States presidential campaign.
Notable religious leaders, such as the Reverend Al Sharpton, raised the issue. They called attention to the long-held practices that had excluded Blacks long after the civil rights era in the '50s, when institutional change was won in many corners of the United States.
Particularly strident in his assessment of past Church practices was Lawrence O'Donnell, actor and political pundit, who, on “The McLaughlin Group” television news show called the Church a racist church.
Such criticisms, sadly, reflect widely held views. A study commissioned by the Church in 1994 revealed misconceptions the public has about the Church. Topping the list was the assertion that “many people” still believe the Church practices polygamy and “there is also strong sentiment that the Church discriminates against African-Americans and other minorities” (Building Bridges, Edelman Public Relations Worldwide, commissioned study, 1994, pg. 34).
In 2008, we see these issues are still at the forefront of the national discussion on Mormonism in the United States. Romney has suspended his campaign and that might quiet the discussion for a while, but the effects of the spotlight on our faith will have a lasting affect for some time.
Of the top issues being raised, members and Church leaders comfortably address the polygamy issue with correct information. The practice has been discontinued for more than 100 years, and no member of the Church practices polygamy. It's an old issue, not a current practice, and so not relevant to Latter-day Saints. Likewise, questions about whether Mormons are Christian are also addressed with information.
However, the topic of racism and equality in the Church seems to be another matter. When confronted with this issue most members feel as though they are ill-prepared and at a loss for what to say.
I have heard many reasons given. Some don't understand the issues; some don't believe racism is an issue; some have never experienced racism; some fear that discussing racism or equality might unnecessarily stir up old wounds; some fear that by discussing it they might offend others; and some don't want to call attention to differences.
And perhaps the reason causing the most discomfort is because racism in its various forms and in some corners is an issue in the Church.
Changing Mind-sets
Two Latter-day Saints, Marvin Perkins and Darius Gray, want to help members feel comfortable when talking about matters of race. They believe it is important to clear up misunderstandings in order to strengthen the mission of the Church.
Together Perkins and Gray have created a four-part DVD set to tackle many of the most vexing questions in the Church. They deal straightforwardly with the myths surrounding scriptural references to skin color and curses and past practices related to equality and the priesthood.
Perkins says, "One of the issues the Church leaders are getting the most heat over is our doctrine on Blacks. One of the greatest things the members can do to sustain the Brethren and alleviate some of the external pressures would be to learn these issues."
Gray, a convert of the Church who joined more than 43 years ago, is one of the original members and former president of the Church-sponsored Genesis Group, an organization that provides support to African-Americans but which is open to all. He has coauthored a historical trilogy with Margaret Blair Young exploring the lives of Black pioneers in the Church.
Perkins, a 19-year convert to the Church, currently serves as Co-Chair for Genesis Public Affairs Committee and is often quoted by the media in matters concerning Blacks in the Church. He has served as Director of African-American Relations on the Southern California Public Affairs Council for the Church.
Gray and Perkins are both African-Americans, but they want members to know that equality issues are universal, affecting people of all colors. They realize that much is on the line because erroneous interpretations of scripture and past practices have hampered Latter-day Saints' outreach and missionary work. Perkins says, "Many see it as a 'Black issue' that doesn't affect them. It really is a 'gospel issue,' and the more the members learn the truths shared in the DVDs the more they realize this and are thus prepared to not only help others into the Church, but to defend the Church and sustain our leaders."
Perkins is often sought after by members and missionaries when issues of race are affecting someone's progression in the gospel. They typically invite him to meet with investigators of all races, but most often with those who are Black.
On one early occasion, Perkins was surprised to meet with a white couple who was struggling with scriptural references to skin color. They told the missionaries they would not continue to study if this troubling part of the picture was not explained. The couple benefited from Perkins' instruction and later joined the Church. Perkins realized from this experience that the issue affects many.
Lack of understanding about race can hinder Latter-day Saints from understanding the full scope and beauty of the Plan of Salvation. Perkins says, "We're being told by viewers that the DVDs have helped them to better understand the plan of salvation and encourages them to want to study and rely upon the scriptures more."
Folklore in the Church
In September 2007, the Pagedale Branch of The St. Louis Missouri Stake held a joint Relief Society and priesthood meeting focused on the topic of equality in the Church and featured Gray as the guest speaker. The branch membership is almost equally divided Black and white. They were asked to list reasons they have heard from other members, even recently, for why Blacks were denied the priesthood. They listed:
- Blacks were less valiant in the pre-mortal life
- Blacks were fence-sitters in the pre-mortal life
- Blacks were cursed because Cain killed Abel
- Blacks were cursed because one of Noah's sons committed a sin
- Blacks were not ready for the priesthood
- Whites were not ready to accept Blacks in the priesthood
- God revealed the practice excluding Blacks from the priesthood
None of these notions can be squared with the scriptures, facts of history, or statements by living prophets of the Church. You can also argue that in light of recent findings in DNA research, these notions can't be squared with common sense.
Gray, in his presentation on the history of Blacks and the priesthood, shares a powerful statement by President David O. McKay, made in 1954:
There is not now, and there never has been a doctrine in this Church that the Negroes are under a divine curse. There is no doctrine in the Church of any kind pertaining to the Negro. We believe that we have a scriptural precedent for withholding the priesthood from the Negro. It is a practice, not a doctrine, and the practice someday will be changed. And that is all there is to it. (Sterling M. McMurrin affidavit, March 6, 1979. See David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism by Greg Prince and William Robert Wright.)Myths of doctrines concerning race are not found in Church curriculum or taught by living prophets of the Church, yet many Latter-day Saints confirm they still hear such folklore being propagated, even in seminaries and religion classes.
Recently I have read blogs where active, well-meaning, members of the Church indicate they believe the curse of Cain pertains to Blacks or that acts in the pre-mortal life determined one's race and also status in this life.
Finding Answers
So what are we to conclude about past Church policies based on race? What do we make of scriptural references to curses or skin color?
I am a white Latter-day Saint woman. I was raised in a predominately white neighborhood, and never had a Black friend until college. Now in my forties, I live with my family in St. Louis, Missouri, where more than 51% of the population is Black. I shop, live, and work in many places where I am only one of a few white faces. I serve in our stake public affairs and represent the stake to many local Black institutions and causes.
As I fellowship with this community of beautiful Black faces, I am often asked why the Church had a policy that banned Blacks from the priesthood. I have been little equipped to say more than, “we don't know why.”
But people want to know more.
And although I don't have to answer every question put to me, I have come to realize that how I answer this question says a lot about what I know about God's relationship to His children.
If I give an answer that says “I don't know why,” then it may be inferred that I really don't know or understand God's very clear statements in both the Book of Mormon and the Bible that He is no respecter of persons. Although there are many things I must accept on faith, how God regards his children is not one of them.
I have found that members have a tendency to want to fill in the “blank” one of two ways. They either say, “We don't know why God allowed the ban,” or “We don't know why God revealed the ban.” There is a big difference between the two statements. One supposes man's hand in the origin, while one credits God's hand in the origin.
Which is true?
The answer is in the scriptures and prophetic statements balance against a backdrop of history.
Rich and Abundant Resources
The information contained in the Blacks in the Scriptures presentations addresses most of the common misconceptions on race still held by Latter-day Saints and others. Using the scriptures as the guide, they largely avoid injecting their own interpretations and put the burden on the listener to seek the Spirit for understanding.
Gray is especially powerful in his chronological historical presentation of Blacks and the priesthood—and allows the listener to come to his/her own conclusions about past practices of priesthood restriction. Gray's research brings clarity to a history that for most of us has been a mystery.
Perkins was asked during Q&A in the presentation if the Church should issue an apology for past discriminatory practices as has commonly been done by other religious and non-religious institutions to redress wrongs of the past. He responded:
My mother always taught me to eat what was on my plate before I asked for more, and most of the Latter-day Saints don't know all that has already been given that I have shared with you today. My question would be to you, if the Latter-day Saints took advantage of what has already been given them from the 1978 revelation, would there still be a need for the Brethren to make a statement? . . . Let's eat what is on the plate now, then, if there is a desire for more, that might be an appropriate question.Indeed, through this two-DVD set, Brothers Gray and Perkins demonstrate how the scriptures and prophetic statements provide us a wealth of knowledge on the subject. It is all there for the taking if we will open our minds and hearts.
Matters of the Heart
Having the answers has profound implications for the heart. Perkins wants people to be ready with the correct answers and not hearsay, that our lamps might be full when someone we know struggles with these issues. He knows firsthand about that struggle.
As an enthusiastic investigator of the Church, Perkins reached a pivotal moment when he had questions about Book of Mormon references to skin color, particularly when it talks about “skins of blackness.” Did it pertain to him, he wondered? He turned to members for interpretation, but found them ill equipped to answer his probing questions and he almost ceased his investigation of the Church.
For people of any race, such scriptural references to skin color might cause a moment of pause and searching, but for some Blacks, and especially African-Americans, it can bring the investigation to a screeching halt. I have had Black friends tell me they literally threw down the Book of Mormon when they read such passages.
I know a white member, young adult, who embraces Black causes and feels passionately about equality, who struggles to open the Book of Mormon because of those scriptures. The confusion is further compounded when one is confronted with the Church's history of Blacks and the priesthood.
I have a member friend from Ghana who said the matter for him made little difference because he had not experienced prejudice like his African-American brothers and sisters. He understood, though, that for anyone who has experienced racism or lives with the legacy of racism, these scriptural references and past practices can strike and rip at the heart.
President Gordon B. Hinckley acknowledged that racism still impedes our progress. He said:
Racial strife still raises its ugly head, even among church members. There are reports of racial slurs and denigrating remarks among us. This is unacceptable. I remind you that no man who makes disparaging remarks concerning those of another race can consider himself a true disciple of Christ.Our hope lies in change. The Church has much to offer, both the Latter-day Saints and the community—to bring about change. We must start by cleansing the inner vessel, clearing misunderstandings in our own community first and then reaching out to others.
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? We rejoiced in the 1978 revelation in the temple. There was no doubt in my mind or those of my associates that what was revealed was the will of God. I have often spoken of the diversity among us and taught that each of us is a son or daughter of God. There is no basis for racial hatred among the priesthood. If you have such feelings, go before the Lord and ask for forgiveness (Priesthood Session of General Conference, April, 2006).
Gray and Perkins' message is universal, and in light of attitudes still prevalent in our communities, much overdue, and much welcomed.
The Field is Black Already to Harvest
Perkins shares a study by The Higher Education Research Institute of UCLA Graduate School of Education that found African-Americans ranked number-one in seeking religion. As a group they were number one in seven of 12 spiritual categories.
The National Council of Churches 2005/2006 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches found that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was number-one for growth in the United States and is the fourth largest denomination.
Perkins says you would think that the most spiritual group and the fastest-growing church would add up for a good marriage. So, he asks, “Where are all the brothers?”
Although the Church does not keep statistics based on race, it is evident that the Church is becoming more global, and thus more diverse. Just look at the Black faces of Africans who line the streets for temple dedications, and who in years past lined up at all times of the night to be baptized. The Church is growing faster in Africa than in any other continent.
But the United States it is another story. Although progress has been made, and pockets of the large numbers of Black members exist in places like Detroit and Harlem, much work needs to be done to take the gospel to our Black brothers and sisters throughout this nation. African-Americans have a deep spiritual heritage and are receptive to the message of the restored gospel.
Perkins believes that just as missionaries prepare to go into other countries by learning the language and culture, we, too, can be more effective as we learn the language and culture of our Black brothers and sisters.
The reality for most African-Americans coming into the Church is that at some point they must deal with the “Black issue.” It may or may not be right away, but at some point they will be asked why they belong to a church that had discriminatory practices or is perceived as racist today.
They will need to defend both their blackness, sometimes to misinformed members, and their Mormonism to those not of the faith. They need a language and cultural foundation to build from that can be found in the scriptures. They will also need the informed support of members of the Church.
A Starting Point
Cultural nuances are never easily understood by outsiders. But with real study, desire, love, and experience, we can begin to close the gap. I know this because I associate comfortably and work and fellowship with people who have very different backgrounds from my own. This was not always the case.
Driving or shopping in predominately Black neighborhoods used to cause me anxiety. I never thought I would have anything in common with Blacks, but today I count many among my dearest friends. I've come a long way from my upbringing by cutting through the smog of false ideas. Today I am comfortable talking about matters of the heart that can divide.
Blacks in the Scriptures does not resolve all issues related to race or cultural differences. It does not fully address how to bridge the cultural differences of other faith traditions, such as Pentecostal or praise worship that some Black converts embrace as part of their proud heritage.
Perkins and Gray do start with the basics and most troubling parts of the barrier. They believe once these hurdles are overcome, progress can be made as we expand our cultural understanding and open our hearts.
Blacks in the Scriptures is an important—even groundbreaking—primer to learn how to improve our ministry to and with African-Americans, how to strengthen the Church, how to better serve our communities, how to be better Christians. I have not found a better tool for increasing my understanding on these matters.
Learning about the basics of the nature and love of God for all His children is a wonderful place to start the dialogue. Basing the conversation around the scriptures with a reliance on the Spirit makes the effort effective and comfortable.