Church statement on race and the Church

Well, at least someone got the story about temple work for Holocaust victims off the news for a day. Opps, I spoke too soon. Just saw an article about Danny Pearlman's temple work being done. Seriously, is it too much to ask you people in "Zion" to go one week without doing something to embarrass the Church? If the Church were not true, the members would have destroyed it years ago.

lb35, maybe you're embarrassed but seriously. The way you're talking you make it sound like we should stop doing Temple work. The thing is that someone is always going to take issue with Temple Work and the concept of redemption for the dead. But frankly it's going to be a dishonest person who crosses the fence basically and does Temple work for someone who isn't their direct relatives.

It is incomprehensible that the Church would have, for almost 150 years, a racist position that absolutely no one can now give a reason for, or any kind of explanation. It is well known that in the early days of the Church, there were a number of black members, several of whom held the priesthood. What changed? Who changed it? Was it a revelation? Was it prejudice on the part of some members of the leadership? C'mon people, there have to be answers here somewhere. I suspect there certainly are, but no one wants to address them for various political reasons.

firebird, No I do not think we should stop doing temple work. And yes, I agree that the temple work for Jews issue is something enemies of the Church are all behind. The person making the discoveries is an x member, and I will bet she knows who is submitting the names, probably someone who was baptized just to do this and embarrass the Church. We have enough enemies trying to push us into the mud; we don't need stupid comments like Randy Bott's to put us there faster. That was my point.

I'll be honest: I'm glad the Church is finally kicking a religion teacher's butt. I hated in in Seminary when I would hear things like: "All you can do is make babies--you can't create planets in the next life as a woman because you don't hold the priesthood," or "Women will be forgiven if they die without getting married, but men won't get another chance because there will be fewer righteous men than women in the Celestial Kingdom." While people should be allowed to speculate--we all want to know how things work and why things are the way they are or whatnot--there was and all kinds of crap presented in a doctrinesque manner that made me decide that once I got my religion credits in college I wasn't going to make myself attend Institute.

PLEASE let this issue die once and for all! It is such a moot point now. The restriction was thankfully done away with going on 34 years ago and to keep exhuming this body is pointless. God loves us all. Period.

There are members in the Church from just about every country on this planet. We have every color and tongue praying to the same CHRIST that all the other christians pray to. The big difference is that we live it 24/7/52. As for the big hullabaloo about our African Priest holders is just hypocritical. My thoughts on why the Church waited until the 70's to ordain them is GOD was not ready to have the priesthood ordained on them. the Saints in Africa were not ready and the Membership the the Church was not ready. Heavenly Father decided that the time was right and it was sure right for me. I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Back in 1983. My life has never been the same since. I was 44 at the time and was raised Baptist and anti- Mormon. To make this story short and sweet it was a missionary from Accra,Ghana Africa. He was the son of a Methodist minister who came thousands of miles to save my soul. He graduated from BYU married here in Utah raised 6 children in the Church and served in the Bishopric in Orem,Ut He cam to my Son's mission to Veracruz Mexio,farewell in 2003 and was at his return in 2005. So I don't see any reason to carry on this belief that the Church is still the same way it was before. GOD loves him just as much as this old Scottish convert. I am sure I Love him as much as Heavenly Father does.

I feel bad for Brother Bott. Much of what he said were things I was taught were possibilities many years ago. It was always just speculation, but those ideas were often suggested. I even feel they were strongly suggested at times. Brother Bott needed correcting but I wish the correcting had been more gentle with possibly some kind of side note that the idea did get a lot of speculation many years ago. I hope this doesn't come across as critical of any church authority, I would never intentionally do that. I just wish the situation had had a more gentle reaction. I don't know Brother Bott but doubt strongly he is racist. He probably has the same love for all people the rest of us strive to have as good members of the church.