Still in utter shock I said,
"I don't believe it I see a Black Mormon racing on a bike, on a Mormon mission!"
(I had to try and get a pic that's him below)
OK, I don't know about you guys but, I've never seen a black Mormon and I'm from Jersey:) Instantly I ran home compelled to do some research on the history of Blacks in the Mormon church, who knew, right???
Apparently the reason we don't see a lot of them is because there was a"priesthood-ban" placed on Black Mormons from 1843 to 1978 this following passage was part of their doctrine:
"But let them apostatize, and they will become gray-haired, wrinkled, and black, just like the Devil" (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol 5, p332
Mormon Church leaders taught, that Negroes were the "cursed" children of Cain!
On June 8th, 1978 the ban was lifted and Black Mormons thankfully have all the rights and opportunities in the Church as all others? (I guess there must be other nationalities in the Mormon church, wow!)
Since the ban was lifted Black Mormon membership has skyrocketed to over 400,000 members!!!
So now when these familiar guys on the left come knocking at your door, they may start looking like this fellow on the right:)Just so you know, cause I didn't know, their are gay Mormons as well, since I don't really do politics's or religion, I'm going to leave this whole topic alone for now:)
Disclaimer: Sincerely, I mean know disrespect to any of you bloggers that may be practicing Mormons, I just thought I'd share:)
12 comments:
Hmmmm...
Funny I have to learn this from you instead of my former Mormon husband (formerly Mormon, not former husband). I've tried to get him to talk to me about the religion, but he gets very defensive and clams up.
Though, come to think of it, I've never seen a black Mormon until your picture. Or gay Mormons (thought that wasn't allowed - the whole procreation thing).
I guess I've never thought about it that much, but I hadn't heard of a black Mormon. I certainly hadn't heard of a gay Mormon! Interesting.
The Mormon faith is supposed to be one of the fastest growing faiths in the U.S. and I have heard it claimed as “in the world.” I am not certain if this fact, but the thing I find most unusual are the claims that LDS teaching emphasizes the church's commitment to conservative and family values, and downplays its past beliefs in polygamy and racism.
Although, that statement doesn’t really fit with the photo at the end of your blog, does it? Perhaps that is best explained by the last paragraph in this article:
http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/churchandministry/evangelism/mormons_are_fastest_growing_religion.aspx
T.H.
Wow GunDiva how interesting:) You know the whole faith is apparrently on the rise. I went to the link Ms. Annyoumous posted and it said that by 2080 membership will be something like 265 million!
I'm a member of the religion you reference in this post. Over a year ago, your writing captivated me & entertained me one day & I've enjoyed following your blog & reading the stories you've posted ever since. (Thanks!)
Some statements made by leaders of our church in the 1800's & early 1900's, such as Brigham Young, were published back then in documents called “Journal(s) of Discourses". Unfortunately they are still circulating in society as a historical record & often used to define the nature of the people of our church nearly 200 years later. Those documents combined with communication on this topic based on the unaware people who are both members of our church & those who are not, are what prevents the majority of people in society from being able to define our church as anything but white supremacist, racist & other related synonyms. After discovering that reading such powerful, painful statements are truly one part of our church’s history, people don’t tend say to themselves, even 170-something years later: Hey, look at how society in general has changed & progressed during the past hundred years. I wonder how the "Mormon" church, its leaders & the majority of its members have changed & progressed then too?
[continued from above] I spend a lot of time wishing more members of our church would express regret or sorrow about the past practices, warped views & attitudes regarding dark-skinned people of African descent within our church & how ethnicity defined a person's religious privliges & capabilities within our church. People of my faith are so accustomed to being labeled all sorts of junk that don't define them, that many times people of my faith go into defense-mode on this topic, instead of doing what I believe is the right thing. That is, straight-up acknowledging sadness, regret & concern for how certain things operated in the past within our church first, then inform on the improved way things now operate. I believe that there's forever room for improvement & that we should never stop trying. Society operated with so many awful, primitive, flat-out ridiculous & wrong practices based on external appearances and/or ethnicity of a human being. Prior to the any sign of Civil Rights Movement & beyond, I believe that more black people (African descent) had more spiritual goodness & awareness than most white people of any descent. The country failed black people & unfortunately our church was not unique in this department. One important thing to know is that none of the words from leaders of our church on this topic that were recorded & published in the "Journal of Discourses" were ever announced as doctrine intended to literally define our religious views about God's perspective. In saying that I don't mean to discredit that the words are outrageously cruel. Unfortunately members of my faith in the 1800's were dealing with a massive amount of persecution too. Society was warped regarding the topics of race & religion. The organization or our church was not immune nor were the members able to combat, only persevere in the primitive mindsets they were taught mingled with their new convictions. They did an awesome job in some departments but followed suit on the topic of race. Brigham Young, a product of his times, was prejudice, just like most everyone else back then. It probably would’ve been hard to find a good man to be a leader of any church who wasn’t messed up that way.
[continued from above] Thankfully we can fast forward to the 21st century to the times when people like Gordon B. Hinckley's wisdom (below) led the way when he was the President of our church. This is just one example of many similar speeches from the past few Presidents of our church during the past 20-ish years. It will be a beautiful day when 200 years from now, these are the type of words & perspectives that are quoted as a way to define The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("The Mormons") instead of many of those condescending, inept words & perspectives from the ancient Journal of Discourses.
APRIL 2006 / Gordon B. Hinckley
"When a man grows old he develops a softer touch, a kindlier manner. I have thought of this much of late.
"Now I am told that racial slurs and denigrating remarks are sometimes heard among us. I remind you that no man who makes disparaging remarks concerning those of another race can consider himself a true disciple of Christ. Nor can he consider himself to be in harmony with the teachings of the Church of Christ. How can any man holding the 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?
"Throughout my service as a member of the First Presidency, I have recognized and spoken a number of times on the diversity we see in our society. It is all about us, and we must make an effort to accommodate that diversity.
"Let us all recognize that each of us is a son or daughter of our Father in Heaven, who loves all of His children.
"Brethren, there is no basis for racial hatred among the priesthood of this Church. If any within the sound of my voice is inclined to indulge in this, then let him go before the Lord and ask for forgiveness and be no more involved in such.
"Why do any of us have to be so mean and unkind to others? Why can't all of us reach out in friendship to everyone about us? Why is there so much bitterness and animosity? It is not a part of the gospel of Jesus Christ."
Someone who read my comments above emailed me (got my email address from my blog) with curiosity about my race. Maybe others are interested in knowing too? I'm white, my husband is too. We've been married 25 years & are an interracial family raising five children: three white, two black.
This is a wonderful example of how many different people CAN talk respectfully about religion. Ms. Wanda...I think you need a talk show or radio show : )
But to add my two cents in, I never thought about it : ) (Black Mormons)
Wanda you're good for simply taking the picture. I would have waved him down to talk to him. My question would have been, "Why?"
Dozen Senses...thanks for your beneficial comments!
I have a close friend who is Mormon and anytime I went to a function with her, I was the only Black, but always felt comfortable.
Wow!!!! Thank you Dozen Senses for all of your comments:) I'm just now reading them today and I am so glad you shared so much!
Spirit Filled, I would love a talk show:)
Momsweb, girl I think I would have never made it to the gym if I stopped to talk to him:) xoxoxox
Post a Comment