Okay this is going to be my last post on this subject since I think the issue has been adequately discussed.
Regarding the LDS black situation not leading to faith in its leaders, this is a valid and fair criticism. The corollary argument also applies. It does not lead one to have faith that Christ is guiding the Catholic Church through Popes when there have been things such as the inquisition and crusades done in the name of God.
No, this is not the same thing (further, such comparisons also lead me to question LDS claims of apostasy). Further, many aren’t actually aware of the actual relationship between the Catholic Church and the above mentioned issues, instead focusing on the sensationalized versions of history.
The actual issue is that things like the blacks and the priesthood/temple issue in Mormonism really do not lend any credence to the LDS claim that the LDS Church is led by prophets. Your posts themselves also leads me to question who actually knows what is scriptural and/or doctrinal in the LDS Church, since it seems as if you’re saying you know things that the prophets couldn’t see at the time as far as the unscriptural nature of the priesthood ban. You say it was policy, they say it was doctrine, a “direct command from the Lord”. Was it or wasn’t it a direct command from the Lord? Do the prophets know what is and isn’t from the Lord?
The blacks and priesthood issue for LDS is probably the most difficult for LDS members to address since they are generally not taught about it except maybe briefly once every 4 years when Official Declaration # 2 is discussed in Sunday School. I.e. most do not know what to say about it and when they do talk about it they get it wrong most of the time. This is very annoying to me personally. This has started to change for the better in recent years though.
The issue is more of an issue with critics of the LDS church then it is with church members.
Not necessarily. I think that many members that are aware of problematic issues in the LDS Church such as Book of Mormon historicity, blacks and the priesthood, etc just put it up on the mental shelf to deal with at a later time, or believe that there must be an explanation that will come later. I’ve had this discussion many times with active members/friends.
Blacks who investigate the LDS church have the same issues as everyone else.
Being black in the LDS Church doesn’t necessarily correlate with the experiences of others in the LDS Church. I will say that I never experienced any racism or weird moments. Perhaps that’s because I was in a YSA ward in a major city, not in Utah. I also visited wards in California and had great experiences. I
did wonder whether the older members were thinking about the past racist issues, especially since only a few decades ago, we wouldn’t have been able to attend the temple together, or bless and pass the sacrament together, etc. I know that other black members that I have talked to have also wondered whether some of the girls weren’t interested in dating them merely because they’re black (one guy is a Dominican, FWIW as far as the side discussion of who is and isn’t black
). Quite frankly, if the priesthood/temple ban never happened, I would’ve had somewhat of an easier time believing that the LDS Church was true (though there were other major issues anyway).
Blacks who have an issue with past racism of any church stay in the 7 or 8 mostly all black churches which account for 80% of black Christians in the US. Which is to say that this is not just a Mormon issue.
Perhaps. However as a black person, I don’t find the Catholic Church as having a racist past, whether or not you found some obscure quote from 1879. It really is laughable to attempt to compare the LDS Church to the Catholic Church on this matter. It is also somewhat well known amongst blacks that are aware of the LDS Church that it had a racist past against blacks. I know my parents brought it up with me, as well as some of my coworkers, who all said that they could never join a church with such a past institutional discriminatory practice that affected the religious life and eternal life of people.
