The LDS church has renounced the Book of Mormon teaching that dark skin is a curse from god.
Read more about it here: http://awaypoint.wordpress.com/2013/12/11/mormon-church-dark-skin-a-sign-of-gods-curse-no-longer/
Here, on the official church website, you can read where the church admits (for once) about it's racist past and openly admits that those teachings and doctrine have been changed. Thank you, Senigami, for providing this link: http://www.lds.org/topics/race-and-the-priesthood.
From this link above: "Today, the Church disavows the theories advanced in the past that black skin is a sign of divine disfavor or curse, or that it reflects actions in a premortal life; that mixed-race marriages are a sin; or that blacks or people of any other race or ethnicity are inferior in any way to anyone else. Church leaders today unequivocally condemn all racism, past and present, in any form."
Theories, huh? This was doctrine. I was openly taught this. These were not "theories". Although they are finally admitting to some fault, they are trying to make themselves look as innocent as possible. I was clearly taught, in church, that the whiter a person is, the more valiant they were in the pre-mortal existence.
By condemning racism in the past, they are condemning Brigham Young who was very open and blunt in his racist statements. Many prophets after Brigham Young also made similar statements.
I find it so amusing that they can change their doctrine whenever it suites them but if any other religion does it, they scream apostasy.
I thought that LDS doctrine is eternal, perfect, and unchanging. If the church had truly been established by a perfect god, then there would NEVER be a need for the doctrine to change. The very fact that the church has a very racist history is only further evidence of how man-made it really is.
It was President Hinckley who said (in paraphrase) that the church is either completely true or completely false. If a teaching in the Book of Mormon is now believed to be false, then the entire book is not true.
Joseph Smith even claimed it is "the most correct book on earth". If that is the case, why is the church distancing itself from core Book of Mormon teachings?
Every believing member should be asking that very question.
As a child, I was what people call a "toehead". My hair was so light, that when I was in the sunlight it literally looked like a light bulb. I still am very fair complected. I grew up being taught that I was one of god's elite sons since I was so white. I was literally taught that black people were the least noble in the pre-existence. The lighter a person is, the more valiant they were in the pre-existence.
I have encountered many young Mormons in my blogging days and none of them are aware of this doctrine. They outright deny that the church has ever taught that a person's skin color was determined by their level of valiancy. This is a doctrine that the church is desperate to distance itself from. However, there are those of us who remember it well. I remember being so proud that I was elite.
Again, I have to ask the question.. If god loves everyone, why is he so damn racist? If the church is perfect, why does it change it's doctrine once again?
People, the writing is on the wall! All you have to do is open your eyes and read it!
4 comments:
I posted about this on my facebook page to all my mormon contacts. Actually I linked to the original article on the church website. I didn't want to say anything negative about the church to dissuade them from reading it. I just wanted them to not turn a blind eye to things that were happening. So I simply headed the posting with the phrase, "Well it's about time!"
Wouldn't you know it but I actually had some people re-post it and had a number put a 'like' on it. I'm going to have to do that with more LDS articles such as the one about Joseph Smith translating the BOM by staring into his hat.
“Joseph Smith would put the seer stone into a hat, and put his face in the hat, drawing it closely around his face to exclude the light; and in the darkness the spiritual light would shine. A piece of something resembling parchment would appear, and on that appeared the writing. One character at a time would appear, and under it was the interpretation in English. Brother Joseph would read off the English to Oliver Cowdery, who was his principal scribe, and when it was written down and repeated to Brother Joseph to see if it was correct, then it would disappear, and another character with the interpretation would appear. Thus the Book of Mormon was translated by the gift and power of God, and not by any power of man.” (David Whitmer, An Address to All Believers in Christ, Richmond, Mo.: n.p., 1887, p. 12.)
http://www.lds.org/ensign/1993/07/a-treasured-testament?lang=eng
So my challenge to all the faithful members reading this post I ask you how you explain that one away? This contradicts all the teachings and paintings put out by the church that try to hide the fact that he used his seer stone that he found before any of his visions etc. to 'translate' a book that he never had to have in his possession anyway. (of course it was reported to be hid in the woods for a large part of the translation process, again contrary to images and teachings of the church)
Would you mind sending me the link to that article on the church's website? I'll put it into the original post so that no one can accuse us of making it up. Even if the church has renounced this doctrine, I'm quite sure they won't go around tooting their horns about it since a change in doctrine just might get people thinking too much...
Sure thing.
http://www.lds.org/topics/race-and-the-priesthood
Thanks, I'll put this link in the post.
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