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A REFERENCE TO THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS

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Mormon Racism


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“You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild, and seemingly deprived of nearly all the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind.”

— Brigham Young

Second Mormon prophet
"Intelligence, etc."
General Conference, Salt Lake City
Journal of Discourses, Vol. 7, p. 290


Juvenile Instructor

"The Negro Race", Juvenile Instructor, LDS Sunday School periodical.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a long history of institutionalized racism.


Racism in Mormon scripture


And he had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like unto a flint; wherefore, as they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them.

Book of Mormon

— 2 Nephi


5:21

And I beheld the Spirit of the Lord, that it was upon the Gentiles, and they did prosper and obtain the land for their inheritance; and I beheld that they were white, and exceedingly fair and beautiful, like unto my people before they were slain.

Book of Mormon

— 1 Nephi


1:15

And it came to pass that I beheld, after they had dwindled in unbelief they became a dark, and loathsome, and a filthy people, full of idleness and all manner of abominations.

Book of Mormon

— 1 Nephi


12:23

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 a delightsome people.

Book of Mormon

— 2 Nephi


30:6

O my brethren, I fear that unless ye shall repent of your sins that their skins will be whiter than yours, when ye shall be brought with them before the throne of God. Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you, which is the word of God, that ye revile no more against them because of the darkness of their skins; neither shall ye revile against them because of their filthiness; but ye shall remember your own filthiness, and remember that their filthiness came because of their fathers.

Book of Mormon

— Jacob


3:8-9

And the skins of the Lamanites were dark, according to the mark which was set upon their fathers, which was a curse upon them.

Book of Mormon

— Alma


3:6

And also that the seed of this people may more fully believe his gospel, which shall go forth unto them from the Gentiles; for this people shall be scattered, and shall become a dark, a filthy, and a loathsome people, beyond the description of that which ever hath been amongst us.

Book of Mormon

— Mormon


5:15

O then ye unbelieving, turn ye unto the Lord; cry mightily unto the Father in the name of Jesus, that perhaps ye may be found spotless, pure, fair, and white, having been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, at that great and last day.

Book of Mormon

— Mormon


9:6

For behold, the Lord shall curse the land with much heat, and the barrenness thereof shall go forth forever; and there was a blackness came upon all the children of Canaan, that they were despised among all people.

Pearl of Great Price

— Moses


7:8

And Enoch also beheld the residue of the people which were the sons of Adam; and they were a mixture of all the seed of Adam save it was the seed of Cain, for the seed of Cain were black, and had not place among them.

Pearl of Great Price

— Moses


7:22


Black Skin a Curse

Mormons are taught that Cain’s mark in Genesis 4:15 is the result of God cursing him with dark skin, making Cain the first Black man.

As a result of his rebellion, Cain was cursed with a dark skin; he became the father of the Negroes, and those spirits who are not worthy to receive the priesthood are born through his lineage.... Noah's son Ham married *Egyptus, a descendant of Cain, thus preserving the negro lineage through the flood.

Bruce R. McConkie

— Bruce R. McConkie

Mormon apostle
Mormon Doctrine (1958), pp. 102, 477

Now this king of Egypt was a descendant from the loins of Ham, and was a partaker of the blood of the Canaanites by birth. From this descent sprang all the Egyptians, and thus the blood of the Canaanites was preserved in the land. The land of Egypt being first discovered by a woman, who was the daughter of Ham, and the daughter of Egyptus, which in the Chaldean signifies Egypt, which signifies that which is forbidden; When this woman discovered the land it was under water, who afterward settled her sons in it; and thus, from Ham, sprang that race which preserved the curse in the land….

Now, Pharaoh being of that lineage by which he could not have the right of Priesthood, notwithstanding the Pharaohs would fain claim it from Noah, through Ham, therefore my father was led away by their idolatry.

Pearl of Great Price

— Abraham


1:21-24, 27


Blacks denied the Priesthood

The negro is an unfortunate man. He has been given a black skin. But that is nothing compared with that greater handicap that he is not permitted to receive the Priesthood and the ordinances of the temple.

George F. Richards

— George F. Richards

Mormon apostle
Conference Report (1939, April), pp. 58-59

From the days of the Prophet Joseph even until now, it has been the doctrine of the Church, never questioned by any of the Church leaders, that the Negroes are not entitled to the full blessings of the Gospel.

First Presidency

— George Albert Smith, J. Reuben Clark, David O. McKay

The First Presidency
Letter to Dr. Lowry Nelson, July 17, 1948, p. 2


Racism by General Authorities

Black Skin the Curse of Cain

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 of Cain

Joseph Smith

— Joseph Smith

Mormonism founder
History of the Church, Vol. 4, p. 501

You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild, and seemingly deprived of nearly all the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind. The first man that committed the odious crime of killing one of his brethren will be cursed the longest of anyone of the children of Adam. Cain slew his brother. Cain might have been killed, and that would have put a termination to that line of human beings. This was not to be, and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat nose and black skin.

Brigham Young

— Brigham Young

Second Mormon prophet
"Intelligence, etc."
General Conference, Salt Lake City Tabernacle
Journal of Discourses, Vol. 7, p. 290

The offspring of Ham inherited a curse, and it was because, as a revelation teaches, some of the blood of Cain became mingled with that of Ham's family, and hence they inherited that curse.

John Taylor

— John Taylor

Third Mormon prophet
"The Order and Duties of the Priesthood, etc."
Salt Lake City Tabernacle
Journal of Discourses, Vol. 21, p. 370

Cain was cursed for this, with this black skin that there is so much said about. Do you think that we could make laws to change the color of the skin of Cain’s descendants? If we can, we can change the leopard’s spots; but we cannot do this, neither can we change their blood.

Brigham Young

— Brigham Young

Second Mormon prophet
"Gathering the Saints, etc."
General Conference, Salt Lake City Tabernacle
Journal of Discourses, Vol. 14, p. 86

What was that mark? It was a mark of blackness. That mark rested upon Cain, and descended upon his posterity from that time until the present. Today there are millions of descendants of Cain, through the lineage of Ham, in the world, and that mark of darkness still rests upon them.

Wilford Woodruff

— Wilford Woodruff

Fourth Mormon prophet
"Discourse delivered by President Wilford Woodruff",
General Conference, Salt Lake City Tabernacle
Millennial Star, Vol. 51, No. 22, p. 339

We will first inquire into the results of the approbation or displeasure of God upon a people, starting with the belief that a black skin is a mark of the curse of Heaven placed upon some portions of mankind…. No mark could be so plain to his fellow-men as a black skin. This was the mark God placed upon him, and which his children bore. After the flood this curse fell upon the seed of Ham, through the sin of their father, and his descendants bear it to this day…. Their skin is black, their hair woolly and black, their intelligence stunted, and they appear never to have arisen from the most savage state of barbarism.

George Q. Cannon

— George Q. Cannon

First Presidency Counselor and Founder and Editor of the Juvenile Instructor
"The Negro Race", Juvenile Instructor (1868, Oct. 15), Vol. 3, No. 20, p. 157 aka The Instructor, LDS Sunday school periodical from 1866 to 1970. Replaced by New Era for youth.

That mark will be seen upon every face of every Negro upon the face of the earth. And it is the decree of God that that mark shall remain upon the seed of Cain.

Wilford Woodruff

— Wilford Woodruff

Fourth Mormon prophet
As quoted by Mormon apostle Mark E. Petersen
Race Problems - as they Affect the Church, p. 18


Opposition to Abolishing Slavery

Having learned with extreme regret, that an article entitled, "Free People of Color," in the last number of the Star, has been misunderstood, we feel in duty bound to state, in this Extra, that our intention was not only to stop free people of color from emigrating to this state, but to prevent them from being admitted as member of the Church…. We often lament the situation of our sister states in the south, and we fear, lest, as has been the case, the black should rise and spill innocent blood, for they are ignorant, and a little may lead them to disturb the peace of society. To be short, we are opposed to having free people of color admitted into the state; and we say, that none will be admitted into the Church.

Joseph Smith

— Joseph Smith

Mormonism founder
History of the Church, Vol. 1, pp. 378-379

"Are the Mormons abolitionists?"

No, unless delivering the people from priestcraft, and the priests from the power of Satan, should be considered abolition. But we do not believe in setting the negroes free.

Joseph Smith

— Joseph Smith

Mormonism founder
History of the Church, Vol. 3, p. 29

Rebellious niggers in the slave States.

Joseph Smith

— Joseph Smith

Mormonism founder
Millennial Star, Vol. 22, No. 38, p. 602

The descendants of Ham, besides a black skin which has ever been a curse that has followed an apostate of the holy priesthood, as well as a black heart, have been servants to both Shem and Japheth, and the abolitionists are trying to make void the curse of God, but it will require more power than man possesses to counteract the decrees of eternal wisdom.

John Taylor

— John Taylor

Third Mormon prophet
Times and Seasons, Vol. 6, No. 6, p. 857

Trace mankind down to after the flood, and then another curse is pronounced upon the same race—that they should be the "servant of servants;" and they will be, until that curse is removed; and the Abolitionists cannot help it, nor in the least alter that decree.

Brigham Young

— Brigham Young

Second Mormon prophet
"Intelligence, etc."
General Conference, Salt Lake City
Journal of Discourses, Vol. 7, p. 290

The rank, rabid abolitionists, whom I call black-hearted Republicans, have set the whole national fabric on fire.

Brigham Young

— Brigham Young

Second Mormon prophet
"The Laws of God Relative to the African Race, etc."
Salt Lake City Tabernacle
Journal of Discourses, Vol. 10, p. 110

H.G.—What is the position of your church with respect to Slavery? B.Y.—We consider it of Divine institution, and not be abolished until the curse pronounced on Ham shall have been removed from his descendants.

H.G.—Are any slaves now held in this [Utah] Territory? B.Y.—There are.

H.G.—Do your Territorial laws uphold Slavery? B.Y.—Those laws are printed—you can read for yourself. If slaves are brought here by those who owned them in the States, we do not favor their escape from the service of those owners.

Brigham Young

— Brigham Young

Second Mormon prophet
Interview with Horace Greeley
Salt Lake City, July 13, 1859
"Two Hours with Brigham Young", New York Tribune (1859, Aug. 20)

This Greeley is one of their popular characters in the East, and one that supports the stealing of Niggers.

John Taylor

— John Taylor

Third Mormon prophet
"Doings in The States, etc."
Salt Lake City
Journal of Discourses, Vol. 5, p. 119


Opposition to the Civil Rights Movement

The discussion on civil rights, especially over the last twenty years has drawn some very sharp lines. It has blinded the thinking of some of our own people, I believe. They have allowed their political affiliations to color their thinking to some extent, and then, of course, they have been persuaded by some of the arguments that have been put forth.…

I think the Lord segregated the Negro and who is man to change that segregation? It reminds me of the scripture on marriage, "what God hath joined together, let no man put asunder." Only here we have the reverse of the thing—what God hath separated, let no man bring together again.

Mark E. Petersen

— Mark E. Petersen

Mormon apostle
Race Problems - as they Affect the Church, pp. 1, 20

There is no doubt that the so-called civil rights movement as it exists today is used as a Communist program for revolution in America.

Ezra Taft Benson

— Ezra Taft Benson

13th Mormon prophet
"False Solicitude for the Unfortunate"
General Conference, Salt Lake City
Official Conference Report (1967, Sept. 29-Oct. 1), p. 35


Opposition to Interracial Marriage

Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so.

Brigham Young

— Brigham Young

Second Mormon prophet
"The Laws of God Relative to the African Race, etc."
Salt Lake City Tabernacle
Journal of Discourses, Vol. 10, p. 110

Now what is our policy in regard to intermarriage? As to the Negro, of course, there is only one possible answer. We must not intermarry with the Negro.

Mark E. Petersen

— Mark E. Petersen

Mormon apostle
Race Problems - as they Affect the Church, p. 19

If any man mingle his seed with the seed of Cain the only way he could get rid of it or have salvation would be to come forward and have his head cut off and spill his blood upon the ground—it would also take the life of his children.

Wilford Woodruff

— Wilford Woodruff

Fourth Mormon prophet
Diary, January 4, 1852


True Christianity and Race

God instructed His Apostles to love all people, without regarding anyone as unclean, and to understand that He does not show partiality to anyone.


And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

Holy Bible

— Apostle Peter


Acts 10:28

Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons.

Holy Bible

— Apostle Peter


Acts 10:34

For there is no respect of persons with God.

Holy Bible

— Apostle Paul


Romans 2:11

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Holy Bible

— Apostle Paul


Galatians 3:28

And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.

Holy Bible

— Apostle John


Revelation 5:9

Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

Holy Bible

— Evangelist Luke


ACts 13:1

Behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship….

And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

Holy Bible

— Evangelist Luke


Acts 8:27, 36-38


Conclusion

For over 120 years, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints discriminated against Blacks.

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