What was the Latter-day Saint Black priesthood ban? Ep. 149

From the mid-1800s until 1978, Black men were not permitted priesthood ordination within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In this episode, Dave reviews the history of this practice. He explores when and how it developed, why it persisted for so long, and offers his opinion on whether or not it was a practice that was instituted by God.

Video Transcript: https://bit.ly/3JiVua6

Contents of this video:

0:00 Introduction
1:40 The beginning of the ban, & prior precedent
5:02 Solidifying the ban
7:21 Old justifications
10:10 Spencer W. Kimball and the 1978 revelation
11:27 Unity among the Brethren
13:31 Caving to external pressure?
14:19 Ban instituted by God?
15:12 New justifications
16:37 The invitation of fallibility
18:09 Why didn't God stop it sooner?
19:43 Jesus Christ heals

“Amos C. Brown: Follow the LDS Church’s example to heal divisions and move forward” via Salt Lake Tribune: https://bit.ly/3upX3yB
“Spencer W. Kimball and the Revelation on Priesthood,” by Edward Kimball: https://bit.ly/3B61GyT
“Race and the Priesthood,” Gospel Topics Essay: https://bit.ly/2UkGLHa
“Forty Years After 126 Years: Reflections from an Aging Black Man in Zion,” by Dr. Marcus Martins: https://bit.ly/3Av999v
“A Century of Black Mormons” project (University of Utah): https://bit.ly/3h9iBbQ
“#22 — Race and Mormonism in the 19th Century, with Paul Reeve and Ardis Parshall (part 1 of 2)” via the Maxwell Institute Podcast: https://bit.ly/3DmtfUm part 2 of 2 here: https://bit.ly/31lPUDm
Resources on this subject from Blacklds.org: https://bit.ly/3Ap6v5K
“Making Sense of the Church’s History on Race,” by Paul Reeve: https://bit.ly/3qPkE8c
LDS Living interview with Mauli Bonner and Paul Reeve: https://bit.ly/36aO8nf
Terryl Givens interviews Paul Reeve on this topic: https://bit.ly/2SJHscT
June 21, 2021 Church News press conference that gives a great sense of the current relationship between the Church and the NAACP: https://bit.ly/3wjxEEg
“The Mormon Cross,” by Eugene England: https://bit.ly/3B6Kmtl
“Looking Back, Looking Forward: ‘Mormonism’s Negro Doctrine’ Forty-Five Years Later,” by Lester E. Bush Jr.: https://bit.ly/2UaDTNu
“David O. McKay’s 1954 Confrontation with Mormonism’s Black Priesthood Ban,” by Newell G. Bringhurst: https://bit.ly/36G3fVW
“David O. McKay and Blacks: Building the Foundation for the 1978 Revelation,” by Gregory A. Prince: https://bit.ly/3rbh3Bn
“The LDS Church and the Race Issue: A Study in Misplaced Apologetics,” by Armand L. Mauss: https://bit.ly/36bO5rk
“Mormonism and the Negro,” by Armand L. Mauss: https://bit.ly/3B25Dob
“The Fading of Pharaohs’ Curse: The Decline and Fall of the Priesthood Ban Against Blacks in the Mormon Church,” by Armand L. Mauss: https://bit.ly/3kkiw6U
“Shouldering the Cross: How to Condemn Racism and Still Call Brigham Young a Prophet,” by Russell Stevenson: https://bit.ly/3xfcl7N
Additional info and resources via Blacklatterdaysaints.org: https://bit.ly/36Co0lC
Treatment of this topic via “Latter-day Saint Q & A”: https://bit.ly/3hcKO1u
Some additional info on Elijah Able (Church’s website): https://bit.ly/3qLkWwS
“The origin of the Mormon priesthood ban,” by FAIR: https://bit.ly/3hcjv7x
“What did Church leaders after Brigham Young think of the priesthood ban?”: https://bit.ly/3w7Blww
Record of Elijah Able’s preaching certificate, which mentions his ordination to the priesthood (Church History Catalog): https://bit.ly/2Ufj1Vc
Further reading:
“Religion of a Different Color: Race and the Mormon Struggle for Whiteness,” by W. Paul Reeve (specifically chapters 4-7).
“David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism,” by Gregory A. Prince & Wm. Robert Wright (specifically chapter 4).
I have yet to read these books but I’ve heard good things about them: “For the Cause of Righteousness: A Global History of Blacks and Mormonism, 1830-2013,” by Russell Stevenson; and “The Mormon Church and Blacks: A Documentary History” by Matthew L. Harris and Newell G. Bringhurst. Here’s a review of these last two books via BYU: https://bit.ly/3Akf6GV

Notes:

— As space is limited in the YouTube description, please visit this episode’s post on our website, SaintsUnscripted.com, for additional notes on this episode.

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