I, as most LDS would be, am fully aware that there were black/Afro-A,erican members from the start. They were always permitted to be baptised and enjoy communion and membership with the church. What’s the big deal?
When did it start that they were denied entrance into the temple or to be ordained to the Mormon priesthood.
I know all that was opened up in 1978, but prior to that, they could not be “sealed” or have any of the “blessing of temple worship”
They were barred from the priesthood and the temple through out most of LDS history.
I am struck by the title of the doctumantary, “Nobody Knows:—”
It seems to be hinting at Fawn Brodie’s biography of Joseph Smith. “Nobody Knows My History”
She was the neice of President David O McKay and was given full access to the church’s achieves. Something most historians were not allowed.
Her book did a lot to take away the myth/legend that had been built up around Joseph Smith, and got to the more accurate and historical picture of the real man.
I highly recommend.
Former Mormon here.
I understand the doctrine of both.
Catholic church has never claimed that women dont hold the priesthood because of the “curse of Cain.” Nor have women been denied anything that in Catholic dogma, is fundamental to salvation, according again to dogma.
Blacks, according to Mormon theology, are recipients of the “curse of Cain”. So they were denied access to the temple rites, which according to Mormon theology, is fundamental to salvation.
everystudent.com/features/truth.html
Is the Bible credible? Isn’t it just a European book that has little to do with our people?
The answer to the questions are, “Yes, the Bible is credible,” and “No, it isn’t a European book that has nothing to do with our people.” Black people are referred to and appear on the stage of biblical history many times. Several works have been done to chronicle these instances.1 One notable biblical character was Zipporah, Moses’ Midianite wife. This means that Zipporah’s father, Jethro, was also black.2 In the New Testament, there are several characters whom scholars believe were likely black due to the location of their home cities. The most undeniable instance was Lucius’ comrade in Antioch, Simeon, who was called Niger. Niger simply means “black.” African nations and African people are quite prominent in biblical times. To say that the Bible is the white man’s holy book or to suggest that it is European in origin or nature, is simply not taking into account the facts.
Isn’t Christianity a late arrival in Africa? Isn’t it a foreign religion to Africa and Africans?
In his book, The Early Church in Africa, Dr. John Mbiti outlines the fact that the message of Jesus penetrated Africa before it ever reached Europe. “Christianity in Africa is so old that it can be rightly described as an indigenous, traditional and African religion,” says Dr. Mbiti.3 The conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch described in the Book of Acts predates the apostle Paul’s first missionary journey into Europe by a number of years. There is clear, historical documentation of the church in Africa by the third century. Christianity was the dominant religion in North Africa and most notably Egypt.
Egyptian and North African scholars such as Clement, Origen, Tertullian, and Athanasius are widely recognized as fathers of the church. By the year 300, Egypt had more than a million Christians. In the sixth century, Christianity spread to the Nubian Kingdoms, soon becoming the dominant religion. The Christian Nubian Kingdoms survived for 700 years, resisting attempted domination by Muslim conquerors for 600 of those years.
The Egyptian Coptic Church in the Sudan and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church still exist today. Though persecuted, their presence is testimony to the historicity of Christianity in Africa.4 There is growing evidence that the long-standing presence of Christianity in the Nile Valley and in present-day Ethiopia provided a base for the introduction of Christianity in Southern and Western Africa. In summary, the assertion that Christianity is the “white man’s religion” is neither historically accurate nor currently true. The first African Christians were not American slaves. The Christian heritage in Africa goes all the way back to the days of the Bible itself.
And guess what Church they were part of? Can we all say Catholic? Amen
