VernPorter.com

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My latest book has been published and is available at www.archwaypublishing.com. It is titled Will the Real Mormons Stand Up and Sound the Alarm?. It is available at other vendors, but it is more profitable for me if you buy from the publisher.

Racism gained a foothold in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints because the Lord did not require new converts to take a stand for or against racism or slavery. In the early days of the LDS Church slavery was a world-wide business. Racists ideology was used to justify slavery and slavery incouraged racism. But, not all slave owners were racists and not all racists were slave owners. Joseph Smith, our first latter-day prophet and leader of the Church was neither a racist or slave owner and he ordained at least one black man.

Converts to the Church were taught the same gospel found in the Bible. In addition to the Bible, Joseph Smith translated some gold plates given him by an angel which contained the record of peoples who had immigrated to the American continent from the old world. The book was named the Book of Mormon after the name of one of the last prophets in the new world. Mormon condensed hundreds of years of history onto gold plates which were to be given to Joseph Smith. However, Joseph was only allowed to translate one third of them. The Saints were to be tested to see if they believed the Book of Mormon before they would be allowed to receive more. The Book of Mormon contains the same Gospel taught in the New Testament and both of them teach that believers are equal in the sight of God. The Book of Mormon clearly proclaims polygamy as being an abomination.

The test came when Joseph Smith claimed to have translated some papyri found with an Egyptian mummy which translation claimed to be the writings of Abraham. This Book of Abraham contained information which racists in the Church claimed to justify the refusal to allow blacks of African descent to be given the priesthood. Joseph also tested the saints with the thought that they might be allowed to practice polygamy. Thus the Saints showed that they did not believe the Book of Mormon and failed the test as I will attempt to show in Will the Real Mormons Stand Up and Sound the Alarm?.

It was Joseph Smith's successor, Brigham Young, who promoted racist doctrine which insisted that the unworthiness of African Blacks destined them to have to be the last ones to be given the priesthood. Brigham also insisted that the priesthood holders who were called to practice polygamy were required to obey. Under threat from the Federal Government in 1890 Brigham Young's successor issued an official declaration putting a stop to the practice of polygamy. The leaders of the Church still did not acknowledge the Book of Mormon teaching that it was an abomination and so maintained their belief in the principle of polygamy as something which could be practiced again should the head of the Church reinstate the practice. The availability of the priesthood to men of all races was finally announcedd in 1978.

During the 1950's and 1960's David O. McKay was the president of the LDS Church. He did not believe it was proper to withhold the priesthood from worthy black men, but his many attempts to obtain revelation from God which would allow him to bring that practice to an end met with failure. One of his councilors told him that the saints were not ready for that to happen. The Biography of President McKay which details his efforts was not published until 2005, thus his efforts may still not be widely known.

There are zealots in the Church who find it easy to become suspicious of anyone whom they feel may not be in agreement with them when it comes to their favorite speculative doctrine. Those who are obsessed with polygamy may find themselves in that category since the Church was forced to give it up because of pressure from the Federal Government. Those who will not give up their obsession with racism may choose to believe that the Church allowed men of all races to obtain the priesthood because of pressure from the civil rights movement. The fact that some of the leaders of the Church have promoted the idea that the Lord would not allow our prophet to lead us astray can make it easier to come to the conclusion that Church doctrine has been changed because of pressure from outside groups rather than accepting the fact that some of our prophets have taught false doctrine which needed to be changed. This has motivated some local leaders who fall into the category of zealots to deal harshly with those whom they become suspcious of. My confronting of racists and polygamists has, I believe, made me a natural target of those obsessed with racism or polygamy as well as with those who are just plain zealots.