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The Church of Jesus Christ and Black People 1973-1975
Apostasy in Nigeria
On January 23, 1973, E. E. Akpan wrote to LaMar Williams, "Praise the Lord, greetings to you in Jesus Christ precious Name. We are the group Bishop E. A. Attah led to join with you, but now seeing the truth revealed to us about the mormon teachings we have decided in our General Conference of 18th -21st Jan., 1973, to adopt the name above [Grace and Truth Church].
"MORMONISM - SHADOW OR REALITY?
BY
JERALD AND SANDRA TANNER:
ENLARGED EDITION:
"We notice many things, the most important is: The Negro in mormon theology page 262, If God curse Negro, and not pleasing with the black skin, as believed by the Church of Jesus Christ of LDS Mormon organisation, so the whole Africa as a nation and other black skinned people are not redeemed by Christ?
"We see no way to affiliate with mormon group, and you did not reveal this to us upon your visit to us and when visiting us you did not stay at our home.
"Therefore with many other reasons we are no more with mormon organisation what about the teaching of Jesus Christ in Matt. 28:19. Should the gospel be preached to the white only?
"We are no longer be known and called Church of Jesus Christ of LDS, and we are no more with your orgainisation please. All the 25 congregations have withdrawn from Mormon organisation.
"Thank you, God bless you. Amen.
"Yours Faithfully,
E.E. AKPAN
SECRETARY FOR
GRACE AND TRUTH CHURCH"
On January 30, Church Historian Leonard J. Arrington wrote in his diary, "There were other controversial things that were being brought to his [President Harold B. Lee's] attention. For example, a large manuscript on the Negro question by a brother, which President Lee had asked Brother [Boyd K.] Packer to study. President Lee said that unfortunately this study quoted from the minutes of the Quorum of the Twelve that had gotten into the papers of an apostle, and he had been unwise enough to let it go to BYU library. (Of course, I knew all about this. It was among the minutes of the Quorum of the Twelve of Adam S. Bennion, and the person doing the study is Lester Bush.)
LaMar Williams responded on February 27, "Dear Mr. Akpan: Please accept my appreciation for your correspondence of January 23rd.
"I am sorry to hear that you have changed your mind regarding your affiliation with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We believe that you have every right to choose the religion that you would like to follow. I thank you for your thoughtfulness in letting me know by correspondence.
"I am sorry to learn that you were unfortunate enough to read such unfavorable literature as Mormonism - Shadow or Reality? by Jerald and Sandra Tanner. They have done much to discredit the church by the material they have published which is misleading in its nature and misunderstood by those who read it. According to information I have received, Mr. and Mrs. Tanner are not in good standing in our church, and if I were you, I would disregard any literature printed by them. We believe with all our heart that the gospel should be preached to every kindred, tongue and people. It is for every race.
"I am a bishop and have some black members in my congregation. They are active and faithful members. We love them and they are full supporters of the church.
"If we can help you in any way, kindly let us know. May the Lord continue to bless you in your religious activity.
"Sincerely yours,
LaMar S. Williams
Missionary Department"
On April 2, Church Historian Leonard J. Arrington wrote in his diary, "When Dr. [Lewis W.] Spitz was at BYU last Wednesday, Davis Bitton asked him to explain how Wes Johnson was fired from Stanford. We have always assumed that Wes Johnson was fired for two reasons: (a) he was not a black and the blacks and other black sympathizers on the Stanford staff thought they should have a black as head of African Studies; (b) he was a Mormon, and Mormons were supposed by the militants of Stanford to be anti-black because of our priesthood doctrine. Dr. Spitz says that when the matter came up of giving Wes tenure, the department voted by a slight majority to give him tenure. The matter then went to the dean and to the president as all other such appointments do. The young militants in the department, presumably both students and faculty, lobbied with the dean and president against granting tenure to Wes and the president finally turned it down.
"Surpisingly, Dr. Spitz says the main objection the young militants had was not that he was white nor that he was a Mormon, but that he was too conservative in his political and economical philosophy.
"It is funny how one gets tagged. In terms of a Utah community like, say, Cache Valley, Wes would probably be considered as a political liberal, but on the Stanford campus he was regarded as a conservative. The young militants did not want to add tenured faculty who were conservatives, so he was let go."
"MORMONISM - SHADOW OR REALITY?
BY
JERALD AND SANDRA TANNER:
ENLARGED EDITION:
"We notice many things, the most important is: The Negro in mormon theology page 262, If God curse Negro, and not pleasing with the black skin, as believed by the Church of Jesus Christ of LDS Mormon organisation, so the whole Africa as a nation and other black skinned people are not redeemed by Christ?
"We see no way to affiliate with mormon group, and you did not reveal this to us upon your visit to us and when visiting us you did not stay at our home.
"Therefore with many other reasons we are no more with mormon organisation what about the teaching of Jesus Christ in Matt. 28:19. Should the gospel be preached to the white only?
"We are no longer be known and called Church of Jesus Christ of LDS, and we are no more with your orgainisation please. All the 25 congregations have withdrawn from Mormon organisation.
"Thank you, God bless you. Amen.
"Yours Faithfully,
E.E. AKPAN
SECRETARY FOR
GRACE AND TRUTH CHURCH"
On January 30, Church Historian Leonard J. Arrington wrote in his diary, "There were other controversial things that were being brought to his [President Harold B. Lee's] attention. For example, a large manuscript on the Negro question by a brother, which President Lee had asked Brother [Boyd K.] Packer to study. President Lee said that unfortunately this study quoted from the minutes of the Quorum of the Twelve that had gotten into the papers of an apostle, and he had been unwise enough to let it go to BYU library. (Of course, I knew all about this. It was among the minutes of the Quorum of the Twelve of Adam S. Bennion, and the person doing the study is Lester Bush.)
LaMar Williams responded on February 27, "Dear Mr. Akpan: Please accept my appreciation for your correspondence of January 23rd.
"I am sorry to hear that you have changed your mind regarding your affiliation with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We believe that you have every right to choose the religion that you would like to follow. I thank you for your thoughtfulness in letting me know by correspondence.
"I am sorry to learn that you were unfortunate enough to read such unfavorable literature as Mormonism - Shadow or Reality? by Jerald and Sandra Tanner. They have done much to discredit the church by the material they have published which is misleading in its nature and misunderstood by those who read it. According to information I have received, Mr. and Mrs. Tanner are not in good standing in our church, and if I were you, I would disregard any literature printed by them. We believe with all our heart that the gospel should be preached to every kindred, tongue and people. It is for every race.
"I am a bishop and have some black members in my congregation. They are active and faithful members. We love them and they are full supporters of the church.
"If we can help you in any way, kindly let us know. May the Lord continue to bless you in your religious activity.
"Sincerely yours,
LaMar S. Williams
Missionary Department"
On April 2, Church Historian Leonard J. Arrington wrote in his diary, "When Dr. [Lewis W.] Spitz was at BYU last Wednesday, Davis Bitton asked him to explain how Wes Johnson was fired from Stanford. We have always assumed that Wes Johnson was fired for two reasons: (a) he was not a black and the blacks and other black sympathizers on the Stanford staff thought they should have a black as head of African Studies; (b) he was a Mormon, and Mormons were supposed by the militants of Stanford to be anti-black because of our priesthood doctrine. Dr. Spitz says that when the matter came up of giving Wes tenure, the department voted by a slight majority to give him tenure. The matter then went to the dean and to the president as all other such appointments do. The young militants in the department, presumably both students and faculty, lobbied with the dean and president against granting tenure to Wes and the president finally turned it down.
"Surpisingly, Dr. Spitz says the main objection the young militants had was not that he was white nor that he was a Mormon, but that he was too conservative in his political and economical philosophy.
"It is funny how one gets tagged. In terms of a Utah community like, say, Cache Valley, Wes would probably be considered as a political liberal, but on the Stanford campus he was regarded as a conservative. The young militants did not want to add tenured faculty who were conservatives, so he was let go."
The Church Screens Lester Bush's Article
On April 27, 1973, Church Historian Leonard J. Arrington wrote in his diary, "He [Joseph Anderson] also mentioned the manuscript by Lester Bush on the Negro problem which says that the Church is wrong on the Negro doctrine. The manuscript has been read by Brother Packer, and Brother Anderson himself is reading it now. He doesn't know what is the proper thing to do here. On the one hand, if they disapprove his publication of it he may go ahead and publish it and even make commerce out of their disapproval. On the other hand, can they approve publication of a manuscript which in essence shows that the Church was wrong on the Negro question? Brother Anderson hesitates to predict how this eventually will be resolved. He brought it up because Brother Bush quotes from minutes of the Quorum of Twelve that were among the papers of Adam S. Bennion that went to BYU. Brother Anderson seems to have full confidence in what I am doing and also is very pleasant in giving me counsel about the responsibility that I have."
On May 22, Brother Arrington wrote in his diary, "Brother Anderson said that he thought it was unfortunate that we do not have the original papers of Church officials in all instances. He thought it was regrettable that some of these go to BYU and the University of Utah and elsewhere. He thought some of these papers, particularly those carrying confidential memorandums and minutes, could be better controlled here in our archives and should be controlled. He gave as an example the Bennion papers given to BYU Library to which Brother Lester Bush had access, and his use of them in connection [with] the Negro controversy makes it embarrassing for the Church."
On May 31, Brother Arrington wrote in his diary, "Brother Anderson invited me into his office this morning to tell me about Lester Bush. Lester Bush had flown in from Viet Nam yesterday and would be here for two or three days. As soon as he came to our archives and asked for material, they spotted his name and told him he would have to get the approval of Brother Anderson before he could use the material in the archives. He went to see Brother Anderson. Brother Anderson referred him to Brother Packer. He talked with Brother Packer. They both arranged later in the day to speak with him together. So most of his day was spent in interviews and conversations with these two brethren. Brother Anderson reported those to me.
"As the result of those discussions, Brother Anderson instructed me to allow Brother Bush to see anything in our archives which is not restricted to other scholars. He also said that while they wish his piece would not be published as scheduled in Dialogue, they are interposing no obstacles and told him that as far as they were concerned they would not ask him not to publish.
"Brother Anderson said they were impressed with his sincerity, with his devotion, and with his scholarship, but they wish he had not contracted to publish with Dialogue or with anybody. However, they feel that the publication of the article will not necessarily be harmful to the Church. There are even some persons perhaps that might be benefitted by the publication of the article. They do not think it would be as damaging to appear in Dialogue as it might be in BYU Studies.
"Brother Anderson went to some length to detail the conversations. He liked Brother Bush very much - but thought he was a little misguided, or perhaps too confident that he knew all the facts. Said that one divines religious truths by the spirit of God and not exclusively by the learning and wisdom of men. Said he had borne testimony to Brother Bush that from his personal knowledge, working with all of the First Presidency and General Authorities for more than fifty years, that there was no doubt in any of their minds about the truth of the 'Negro doctrine' presently held by the Church. Said in parting Brother Packer had read to Brother Bush from Paul's statement in the second chapter of First Corinthians. The entire chapter implies in essence knowing things by the spirit of God rather than by the learning of men.
"When Brother Bush came into the archives this morning Marilyn [Seifert] brought in the slips for me to approve for him to see the journals of Willard Richards, William Appleby, and Anson Call. On the basis of what Brother Anderson had instructed, I told her to show him anything in the archives that was unrestricted for use by other scholars. In other words, as Brother Anderson said, 'If we permit others to use it, we must allow him to use it.'
"Lester Bush was in the archival search room using some materials, and I took the opportunity of introducing myself to him and inviting him into the office for a few minutes. He must have spent half an hour here. He explained his own personal background and something about the work he has been doing and something about interviews which he has had with Brother Anderson and Brother Packer. At the close of our interview, Brother Anderson called to ask him to come to his office, and so I left him there. I have the notion that Brother Anderson will also take him over for another interview with Brother Packer. It may be that they have checked with President Lee and they may want to mention something to him. Brother Bush says that he told them Dialogue had already accepted his article and planned to publish it in the next issue, and they told me [him] they wish it weren't being published, but they would not ask him not to publish it because they were more fearful of the result of a Church request not to publish than they were of the publication itself. He said he got the impression from Brother Packer that he and various other Church officials are down on Dialogue....
"Dr. Bush grew up in Washington, D.C. and Virginia where his father was a government employee. His parents are converts. His mother from Louisiana was converted about twenty years ago and his father was converted within the last year or two. Brother Bush has not served a mission for the church, but his brother has. Brother Bush went to the University of Virginia to receive his bachelor's and also his M.D. degree. During that period was the George Romney excitement and this got him interested in the 'Negro problem' of the Church. He came to Salt Lake City Hospital as an intern and during that time did research on the 'Negro problem' of the church. He had quite an interesting story to tell about his experiences trying to get access to material in the Church Archives. He had lengthy and friendly conferences with A. William Lund, who Dr. Bush said was senile. Basically the material he has collected comes from the collections at the University of Utah, BYU, and other outside sources. Even 90 percent of the Bennion documents at BYU which he used is among the George Albert Smith papers at the University of Utah.
"Brother Bush said he asked Brother Packer why the Church had not asked the Historical Department people to collect material on the history of the Negro doctrine. And Brother Packer did not give a direct response to that, but he said that they had accumulated a good deal of material on the subject, but Dr. Bush thought that was simply the material collected by Apostle Bennion.
"I am impressed that Dr. Bush is sincere and devout and prayerful. Also that he sincerely believes that the prophets and Church leaders have occasionally made mistakes and feels that they did make a mistake in the case of the Negro doctrine. He says it is very clear to him as a result of his research that the Negro doctrine was not established by Joseph Smith but by Brigham Young, and that a study of our history will demonstrate that it is the product of a series of circumstances rather than the clear voice of the Lord to one of his prophets.
"He does intend to go ahead and publish in Dialogue. He asked me if I thought it was proper for him to do so under the circumstances. I replied evasively that he had not been discouraged from doing so by Brother Packer and by Brother Anderson and that I did not think it was proper for me to discourage him."
The next day, Brother Arrington wrote in his diary, "This afternoon Lester Bush came into my office again while he was waiting on Davis Bitton. He reports that he has had an additional conversation with Brother Packer, yesterday afternoon with Brother Anderson, and this morning with Hartman Rector. He knows personally Brother Rector. It would appear that the purpose of these additional interviews was to attempt to sell him on the idea that there is absolutely no doubt among the Brethren on the 'Negro doctrine' of the Church, and that any research and writing on this subject is superfluous, wasteful, and potentially harmful. They do not see historical research on this question as making it easier for the Church to solve the 'Negro problem'; the doctrine is solved and settled. Brother Packer apparently takes a dim view of the 'learning of men' which essentially includes all academically oriented research. It appears to be his belief that you search the scriptures for answers and to the extent to which answers are not provided then you go to the Lord in prayer, and you get the working of the Holy Ghost to provide you with an acceptable and truthful and adequate answer. Brother Bush suggested that perhaps Brother Rector is a little more encouraging of academic research of the type that he has been doing....
"Brother Bush says his interviews have been harrowing and emotional and very difficult for him. Nevertheless, he feels that he must go ahead with the publication of his paper. He feels very depressed that there appears to be no possibility of a change on the Church's Negro doctrine within the next twenty years. There seems to be unanimity among all the brethren on this question and no desire to alter the Church policy and practice in this regard."
On May 22, Brother Arrington wrote in his diary, "Brother Anderson said that he thought it was unfortunate that we do not have the original papers of Church officials in all instances. He thought it was regrettable that some of these go to BYU and the University of Utah and elsewhere. He thought some of these papers, particularly those carrying confidential memorandums and minutes, could be better controlled here in our archives and should be controlled. He gave as an example the Bennion papers given to BYU Library to which Brother Lester Bush had access, and his use of them in connection [with] the Negro controversy makes it embarrassing for the Church."
On May 31, Brother Arrington wrote in his diary, "Brother Anderson invited me into his office this morning to tell me about Lester Bush. Lester Bush had flown in from Viet Nam yesterday and would be here for two or three days. As soon as he came to our archives and asked for material, they spotted his name and told him he would have to get the approval of Brother Anderson before he could use the material in the archives. He went to see Brother Anderson. Brother Anderson referred him to Brother Packer. He talked with Brother Packer. They both arranged later in the day to speak with him together. So most of his day was spent in interviews and conversations with these two brethren. Brother Anderson reported those to me.
"As the result of those discussions, Brother Anderson instructed me to allow Brother Bush to see anything in our archives which is not restricted to other scholars. He also said that while they wish his piece would not be published as scheduled in Dialogue, they are interposing no obstacles and told him that as far as they were concerned they would not ask him not to publish.
"Brother Anderson said they were impressed with his sincerity, with his devotion, and with his scholarship, but they wish he had not contracted to publish with Dialogue or with anybody. However, they feel that the publication of the article will not necessarily be harmful to the Church. There are even some persons perhaps that might be benefitted by the publication of the article. They do not think it would be as damaging to appear in Dialogue as it might be in BYU Studies.
"Brother Anderson went to some length to detail the conversations. He liked Brother Bush very much - but thought he was a little misguided, or perhaps too confident that he knew all the facts. Said that one divines religious truths by the spirit of God and not exclusively by the learning and wisdom of men. Said he had borne testimony to Brother Bush that from his personal knowledge, working with all of the First Presidency and General Authorities for more than fifty years, that there was no doubt in any of their minds about the truth of the 'Negro doctrine' presently held by the Church. Said in parting Brother Packer had read to Brother Bush from Paul's statement in the second chapter of First Corinthians. The entire chapter implies in essence knowing things by the spirit of God rather than by the learning of men.
"When Brother Bush came into the archives this morning Marilyn [Seifert] brought in the slips for me to approve for him to see the journals of Willard Richards, William Appleby, and Anson Call. On the basis of what Brother Anderson had instructed, I told her to show him anything in the archives that was unrestricted for use by other scholars. In other words, as Brother Anderson said, 'If we permit others to use it, we must allow him to use it.'
"Lester Bush was in the archival search room using some materials, and I took the opportunity of introducing myself to him and inviting him into the office for a few minutes. He must have spent half an hour here. He explained his own personal background and something about the work he has been doing and something about interviews which he has had with Brother Anderson and Brother Packer. At the close of our interview, Brother Anderson called to ask him to come to his office, and so I left him there. I have the notion that Brother Anderson will also take him over for another interview with Brother Packer. It may be that they have checked with President Lee and they may want to mention something to him. Brother Bush says that he told them Dialogue had already accepted his article and planned to publish it in the next issue, and they told me [him] they wish it weren't being published, but they would not ask him not to publish it because they were more fearful of the result of a Church request not to publish than they were of the publication itself. He said he got the impression from Brother Packer that he and various other Church officials are down on Dialogue....
"Dr. Bush grew up in Washington, D.C. and Virginia where his father was a government employee. His parents are converts. His mother from Louisiana was converted about twenty years ago and his father was converted within the last year or two. Brother Bush has not served a mission for the church, but his brother has. Brother Bush went to the University of Virginia to receive his bachelor's and also his M.D. degree. During that period was the George Romney excitement and this got him interested in the 'Negro problem' of the Church. He came to Salt Lake City Hospital as an intern and during that time did research on the 'Negro problem' of the church. He had quite an interesting story to tell about his experiences trying to get access to material in the Church Archives. He had lengthy and friendly conferences with A. William Lund, who Dr. Bush said was senile. Basically the material he has collected comes from the collections at the University of Utah, BYU, and other outside sources. Even 90 percent of the Bennion documents at BYU which he used is among the George Albert Smith papers at the University of Utah.
"Brother Bush said he asked Brother Packer why the Church had not asked the Historical Department people to collect material on the history of the Negro doctrine. And Brother Packer did not give a direct response to that, but he said that they had accumulated a good deal of material on the subject, but Dr. Bush thought that was simply the material collected by Apostle Bennion.
"I am impressed that Dr. Bush is sincere and devout and prayerful. Also that he sincerely believes that the prophets and Church leaders have occasionally made mistakes and feels that they did make a mistake in the case of the Negro doctrine. He says it is very clear to him as a result of his research that the Negro doctrine was not established by Joseph Smith but by Brigham Young, and that a study of our history will demonstrate that it is the product of a series of circumstances rather than the clear voice of the Lord to one of his prophets.
"He does intend to go ahead and publish in Dialogue. He asked me if I thought it was proper for him to do so under the circumstances. I replied evasively that he had not been discouraged from doing so by Brother Packer and by Brother Anderson and that I did not think it was proper for me to discourage him."
The next day, Brother Arrington wrote in his diary, "This afternoon Lester Bush came into my office again while he was waiting on Davis Bitton. He reports that he has had an additional conversation with Brother Packer, yesterday afternoon with Brother Anderson, and this morning with Hartman Rector. He knows personally Brother Rector. It would appear that the purpose of these additional interviews was to attempt to sell him on the idea that there is absolutely no doubt among the Brethren on the 'Negro doctrine' of the Church, and that any research and writing on this subject is superfluous, wasteful, and potentially harmful. They do not see historical research on this question as making it easier for the Church to solve the 'Negro problem'; the doctrine is solved and settled. Brother Packer apparently takes a dim view of the 'learning of men' which essentially includes all academically oriented research. It appears to be his belief that you search the scriptures for answers and to the extent to which answers are not provided then you go to the Lord in prayer, and you get the working of the Holy Ghost to provide you with an acceptable and truthful and adequate answer. Brother Bush suggested that perhaps Brother Rector is a little more encouraging of academic research of the type that he has been doing....
"Brother Bush says his interviews have been harrowing and emotional and very difficult for him. Nevertheless, he feels that he must go ahead with the publication of his paper. He feels very depressed that there appears to be no possibility of a change on the Church's Negro doctrine within the next twenty years. There seems to be unanimity among all the brethren on this question and no desire to alter the Church policy and practice in this regard."
Lester Bush's Groundbreaking Article
The Spring 1973 issue of Dialogue carried Lester Bush's article, entitled "Mormonism's Negro Doctrine: A Historical Overview". He wrote, "One cannot help but wonder why, in view of the hundreds of millions of men who have been denied the priesthood either because it had not been restored or because of their inaccessibility to the gospel, a relatively insignificant additional handful should be singled out for the same restriction based on the elaborate rationales that have accompanied the Negro policy. Though Church leaders have frequently spoken of the millions who have been denied the priesthood because of the curse on Cain, Negroes were really no less likely to receive the priesthood prior to the Restoration than anyone else, nor are they presently less likely to receive the priesthood than the majority of mankind. Ironically, the few men who have been denied the priesthood only because they were Negroes are the rare blacks who have accepted the gospel; yet acceptance of the gospel is frequently cited as a sign of 'good standing' in the preexistence when the individual is not a Negro."
Brother Bush concluded: "No one, I believe, who has talked with leaders of the contemporary Church can doubt that there is genuine concern over the 'Negro doctrine'. Nor can there be any question that they are completely committed to the belief that the policy of priesthood denial is divinely instituted and subject only to revelatory change. The not infrequent assumption of critics of the Church that the demonstration of a convincing historical explanation for modern Church teachings would result in the abandonment of the Negro doctrine is both naive and reflective of a major misunderstanding of the claims of an inspired religion. Yet among the parameters of revelation, careful study has been identified as a conducive, if not necessary, preliminary step (D&C 9:7-8). A thorough study of the history of the Negro doctrine still has not been made. In particular, three fundamental questions have yet to be resolved:
"First, do we really have any evidence that Joseph Smith initiated a policy of priesthood denial to Negroes?
"Second, to what extent did nineteenth-century perspectives on race influence Brigham Young's teachings on the Negro and, through him, the teachings of the modern Church?
"Third, is there any historical basis from ancient texts for interpreting the Pearl of Great Price as directly relevant to the black-priesthood question, or are these interpretations dependent upon more recent (e.g., nineteenth-century) assumptions?
"For the faithful Mormon a fourth question, less amenable to research, also poses itself: Have our modern prophets received an unequivocal verification of the divine origin of the priesthood policy, regardless of its history?
"The lack of a tangible answer to the fourth question emphasizes even more the need for greater insight to the first three. We have the tools and would seem to have the historical resource material available to provide valid answers to these questions. Perhaps it's time we began."
Brother Bush concluded: "No one, I believe, who has talked with leaders of the contemporary Church can doubt that there is genuine concern over the 'Negro doctrine'. Nor can there be any question that they are completely committed to the belief that the policy of priesthood denial is divinely instituted and subject only to revelatory change. The not infrequent assumption of critics of the Church that the demonstration of a convincing historical explanation for modern Church teachings would result in the abandonment of the Negro doctrine is both naive and reflective of a major misunderstanding of the claims of an inspired religion. Yet among the parameters of revelation, careful study has been identified as a conducive, if not necessary, preliminary step (D&C 9:7-8). A thorough study of the history of the Negro doctrine still has not been made. In particular, three fundamental questions have yet to be resolved:
"First, do we really have any evidence that Joseph Smith initiated a policy of priesthood denial to Negroes?
"Second, to what extent did nineteenth-century perspectives on race influence Brigham Young's teachings on the Negro and, through him, the teachings of the modern Church?
"Third, is there any historical basis from ancient texts for interpreting the Pearl of Great Price as directly relevant to the black-priesthood question, or are these interpretations dependent upon more recent (e.g., nineteenth-century) assumptions?
"For the faithful Mormon a fourth question, less amenable to research, also poses itself: Have our modern prophets received an unequivocal verification of the divine origin of the priesthood policy, regardless of its history?
"The lack of a tangible answer to the fourth question emphasizes even more the need for greater insight to the first three. We have the tools and would seem to have the historical resource material available to provide valid answers to these questions. Perhaps it's time we began."
Hugh Nibley's Response
Scholar Hugh Nibley soon responded to the article with a letter to Dialogue, writing in part, "What Brother Bush has given us in this excellent study is not a history of the Negro policy in the Church, but of the explanations for it. The 'attitudes' shift in 'a complex evolutionary pattern,' as he puts it, while noting in his concluding sentence that from first to last there has been no weakening of 'the belief that the policy is justified.' That is why this indispensable study seems strangely irrelevant the more one reads it. It is an interesting chapter in the history of thought, showing how the leaders of the Church have from time to time come up with various explanations for limitations placed on the activity of the Negro in the Church. To engage in such mental exercises has been not only their prerogative but their duty. When faced with such a problem, the command is, 'You must study it out in your mind,' then, when you have gone as far as you can, you must ask God not to confirm your solution but to let you know whether it is right or not...
"This, of course, does not satisfy the world; it has always put the prophets in bad with the rest of mankind and has repeatedly put the Mormons in an awkward position, individually and collectively. For every individual must solve the 'Negro Question' for himself. The late President Joseph Fielding Smith in the current Melchizedek Priesthood manual repeats the words of earlier leaders when he writes, 'It is the duty of every male member of the Church to know the truth, for each is entitled to the guidance of the Holy Ghost... Each member of the Church should be so well versed [in the Standard Works] that he, or she, would be able to discern whether or not any doctrine taught conforms to the revealed word of the Lord. Moreover, the members of the Church are entitled... to have the spirit of discernment.' This not only guarantees that every worthy member, if he puts his mind to it, can know the answers for himself just as surely as the Prophet does, but throws the floor open to discussion when President Smith adds that members are 'under obligation to accept the teachings of the authorities... unless they can discover in them some conflict with the revelations and commandments the Lord has given.' Hence, though the mind of the Lord is confirmed by an imponderable feeling, one is required, before asking of the Lord and receiving that feeling, to exercise his own wits to the fullest, so that there must be place for the fullest discussion and explanation in the light of the scriptures or any other relevant information.
"More than an explanation for the world, such discussion is really a heart-searching and a test for the Latter-day Saints themselves. Nothing could be easier than to join in the chants of unison that proclaim the perfect equality of all men in all things that are fashionable at the moment; that way we could proclaim our idealism to the world while continuing, like the rest of the world, to treat our fellowman much as we always have. As C. S. Lewis used to point out, the test of the Christian is not to conform with the commandments and accept teachings which are perfectly right and sensible to any normal way of thinking; if the gospel consisted only of such convenient and unobjectionable things, we could be quite sure that we were making it up ourselves. It is the very contrariness and even absurdity of the Christian teachings that provide, for him, the highest proof of their divinity - this is no man's doing. In the efforts of every President of the Church to explain our position to the world, as presented in Dr. Bush's study, we see the admission that this thing is not the invention of those men - they are embarrassed by it, and they all pass the acid test for honesty when they refuse to put their own opinions forth as revelation - which in their case would have been an easy thing to do. They are all sure that the policy is right, but none claims to give definitive rational or scriptural justification for it, though they are not backward in putting forth suggestions and speculations.
"This put the Mormons in an embarrassing position, and why not? The Lord has often pushed the Saints into the water to make them swim, and when our own indolence, which is nothing less than disobedience, gets us into a jam, he lets us stew in our own juice until we do something about it. The most impressive lesson of Bush's paper is how little we know about these things - and how little we have tried to know. The man Adam is expected to seek for greater light and knowledge, ever seeking 'for the blessings of the fathers... desiring also to be one who possessed great knowledge' (Abraham 1:2). This seeking must go on: 'Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word?... My work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man' (2 Nephi 29:8-9). On the other hand, nothing displeases God more than to have his people 'seek for power, and authority, and riches' (3 Nephi 6:15). It is God who gives us the answers, but only after we have been looking for them for quite a while - and what the Saints have been seeking is not light and knowledge, but those other forbidden things."
"This, of course, does not satisfy the world; it has always put the prophets in bad with the rest of mankind and has repeatedly put the Mormons in an awkward position, individually and collectively. For every individual must solve the 'Negro Question' for himself. The late President Joseph Fielding Smith in the current Melchizedek Priesthood manual repeats the words of earlier leaders when he writes, 'It is the duty of every male member of the Church to know the truth, for each is entitled to the guidance of the Holy Ghost... Each member of the Church should be so well versed [in the Standard Works] that he, or she, would be able to discern whether or not any doctrine taught conforms to the revealed word of the Lord. Moreover, the members of the Church are entitled... to have the spirit of discernment.' This not only guarantees that every worthy member, if he puts his mind to it, can know the answers for himself just as surely as the Prophet does, but throws the floor open to discussion when President Smith adds that members are 'under obligation to accept the teachings of the authorities... unless they can discover in them some conflict with the revelations and commandments the Lord has given.' Hence, though the mind of the Lord is confirmed by an imponderable feeling, one is required, before asking of the Lord and receiving that feeling, to exercise his own wits to the fullest, so that there must be place for the fullest discussion and explanation in the light of the scriptures or any other relevant information.
"More than an explanation for the world, such discussion is really a heart-searching and a test for the Latter-day Saints themselves. Nothing could be easier than to join in the chants of unison that proclaim the perfect equality of all men in all things that are fashionable at the moment; that way we could proclaim our idealism to the world while continuing, like the rest of the world, to treat our fellowman much as we always have. As C. S. Lewis used to point out, the test of the Christian is not to conform with the commandments and accept teachings which are perfectly right and sensible to any normal way of thinking; if the gospel consisted only of such convenient and unobjectionable things, we could be quite sure that we were making it up ourselves. It is the very contrariness and even absurdity of the Christian teachings that provide, for him, the highest proof of their divinity - this is no man's doing. In the efforts of every President of the Church to explain our position to the world, as presented in Dr. Bush's study, we see the admission that this thing is not the invention of those men - they are embarrassed by it, and they all pass the acid test for honesty when they refuse to put their own opinions forth as revelation - which in their case would have been an easy thing to do. They are all sure that the policy is right, but none claims to give definitive rational or scriptural justification for it, though they are not backward in putting forth suggestions and speculations.
"This put the Mormons in an embarrassing position, and why not? The Lord has often pushed the Saints into the water to make them swim, and when our own indolence, which is nothing less than disobedience, gets us into a jam, he lets us stew in our own juice until we do something about it. The most impressive lesson of Bush's paper is how little we know about these things - and how little we have tried to know. The man Adam is expected to seek for greater light and knowledge, ever seeking 'for the blessings of the fathers... desiring also to be one who possessed great knowledge' (Abraham 1:2). This seeking must go on: 'Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word?... My work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man' (2 Nephi 29:8-9). On the other hand, nothing displeases God more than to have his people 'seek for power, and authority, and riches' (3 Nephi 6:15). It is God who gives us the answers, but only after we have been looking for them for quite a while - and what the Saints have been seeking is not light and knowledge, but those other forbidden things."
Excommunication of John W. Fitzgerald
In a speech on July 1, 1973, John W. Fitzgerald announced, "And so, it makes me very sad, indeed, that because I have dissented peacefully and in good conscience, and have declared that I believe that the discrimination against the Negro is wrong, unethical, and un-Christian, and immoral, that it has no real revelation-value, not in Scripture or out of it, that my name has been withdrawn from the rolls of the Mormon Church.
"The President of the Holladay Stake, supported by his counsellors, the High Council of that Stake, under orders of The First Presidency of the Church, and supported by them, have excommunicated me from the L.D.S. Church."
In the Autumn-Winter issue of The Journal of Religious Thought, O. Kendall White, Jr. wrote, "Since they believe in 'continuing revelation', Mormons have a mechanism that enables them to reverse previous positions without repudiating the past. This is illustrated in the resolution of the conflict over polygamy. Mormons never disavowed their belief in polygamy, but they discontinued the practice on the grounds that it conflicted with another belief involving support for 'the law of the land'. That the church will invoke such a mechanism to resolve the racial issue is not too unlikely. However, this approach has a serious drawback. It is the tendency not to acknowledge the errors of the past. While revelation could be used to legitimate a new racial policy and to redefine Mormon relations with black people, Mormons might still be unwilling to condemn the racism involved in their history. They might be inclined to argue that Mormons in earlier periods were under a different mandate than the one binding them. This obviously implies that the church is never wrong. Thus, change may come through the notion of continuing revelation, but the racist aspects of Mormon history will not necessarily be condemned."
"The President of the Holladay Stake, supported by his counsellors, the High Council of that Stake, under orders of The First Presidency of the Church, and supported by them, have excommunicated me from the L.D.S. Church."
In the Autumn-Winter issue of The Journal of Religious Thought, O. Kendall White, Jr. wrote, "Since they believe in 'continuing revelation', Mormons have a mechanism that enables them to reverse previous positions without repudiating the past. This is illustrated in the resolution of the conflict over polygamy. Mormons never disavowed their belief in polygamy, but they discontinued the practice on the grounds that it conflicted with another belief involving support for 'the law of the land'. That the church will invoke such a mechanism to resolve the racial issue is not too unlikely. However, this approach has a serious drawback. It is the tendency not to acknowledge the errors of the past. While revelation could be used to legitimate a new racial policy and to redefine Mormon relations with black people, Mormons might still be unwilling to condemn the racism involved in their history. They might be inclined to argue that Mormons in earlier periods were under a different mandate than the one binding them. This obviously implies that the church is never wrong. Thus, change may come through the notion of continuing revelation, but the racist aspects of Mormon history will not necessarily be condemned."
When the Latter-day Saints Go Marching In
On November 11, Tom Pettit asked Public Affairs director Wendell J. Ashton about the priesthood ban in NBC's "1973 Special News Report: When the Latter-day Saints Go Marching In". He cited the 1969 First Presidency letter and reiterated that a revelation would be necessary to change it.
Priesthood Premonitions
In 1973 Covina California Stake Patriarch Oscar L. McFarland, promised black Sunday School superintendent Theodore Britton in a patriarchal blessing that if he remained faithful he would one day receive the blessings of the priesthood. Patriarchal blessings often include the next life, but it was clear from the context that this referred to mortality. Shocked, the patriarch informed his stake president, who sent a transcript of the blessing to President Kimball. The transcript was sent back with a red question mark by the passage about priesthood blessings but no comment, and a cover note that simply said "A fine blessing."
Also in 1973, black Brazilian members Helvécio and Rudá Martins were promised in their patriarchal blessings that they would be privileged to live within an eternal covenant while still on earth, and that their son Marcus would preach the gospel. The language used suggested that this referred to a full-time mission, so despite their confusion they opened a missionary fund for him. Originally they had opened a fund for him but then found out that he would not be allowed to serve.
Also in 1973, black Brazilian members Helvécio and Rudá Martins were promised in their patriarchal blessings that they would be privileged to live within an eternal covenant while still on earth, and that their son Marcus would preach the gospel. The language used suggested that this referred to a full-time mission, so despite their confusion they opened a missionary fund for him. Originally they had opened a fund for him but then found out that he would not be allowed to serve.
Spencer W. Kimball Becomes the Prophet
President Harold B. Lee unexpectedly died of a pulmonary hemorrhage on December 26, 1973 after one of the briefest presidencies in church history, and Elder Spencer W. Kimball was ordained President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on December 30. Like President McKay, he took a special interest in the subject of black people and the priesthood. There were various reasons for this, including his lifelong work with and love for another racial minority (Native Americans), personal encounters with faithful black members, and perhaps more than anything the long-standing commandment to take the gospel into all the world. He was the twelfth President of the Church, and the number twelve in Hebrew culture (along with three and seven) has great symbolic significance with regard to the priesthood.
In his first press conference after being ordained, President Kimball was asked about the priesthood ban and responded, "[I have given it] a great deal of thought, a great deal of prayer. The day might come when they would be given the priesthood, but that day has not come yet. Should the day come it will be a matter of revelation. Before changing any important policy, it has to be through a revelation from the Lord. But we believe in revelation. We believe there are yet many more things to be revealed from the Lord... We are open to the Father on every suggestion that He gives us, to every direction He gives us, to every revelation of desire for change."
In his first press conference after being ordained, President Kimball was asked about the priesthood ban and responded, "[I have given it] a great deal of thought, a great deal of prayer. The day might come when they would be given the priesthood, but that day has not come yet. Should the day come it will be a matter of revelation. Before changing any important policy, it has to be through a revelation from the Lord. But we believe in revelation. We believe there are yet many more things to be revealed from the Lord... We are open to the Father on every suggestion that He gives us, to every direction He gives us, to every revelation of desire for change."
Reception of Lester Bush's Article
On February 13, 1974, Church Historian Leonard J. Arrington wrote in his diary, "Lester Bush came in yesterday and reported to us on the reception he had from his article on the Negro doctrine published in Dialogue. He discussed at some length his current interest in the Book of Mormon and in medical history. He has had no official criticism as the result of his article in Dialogue and very little complaint from any source. He has had many congratulatory letters.
"He has heard that some person from Church headquarters, perhaps Brother Packer, did discuss him with his mission presidents [sic] and regional representative, and they both favorably reported on him and his work and attitude, and thus that investigation was dropped."
On February 20, Brother Arrington wrote in his diary, "When Lester Bush was in here the other day, he said he had a particular personal friend among the General Authorities, whom he did not identify. He did say that this was a rather conservative brother. He had chatted with him before he talked with us. He said that he had heard of absolutely no reaction to the article which Lester had published in Dialogue magazine on the Mormons and the Negro.
"He said this friend had told him that things seemed to have been moving in the direction of liberalizing the Negro doctrine. This had come up in two or three respects. One involved racial intermarriages and one involved temple activities. At any rate, this friend said that some of the more conservative brethren had somewhat resisted some of the liberalizing decisions which President Lee had made. Whether or not the friend had agreed with this was not made clear by Brother Bush. In any case, some of these people had said that they thought President Lee was mistaken in some of these liberalizing decisions and others thought he was headed in the right direction. Some regarded President Lee's sudden death as an interference of God to prevent further liberalizing from taking place."
"He has heard that some person from Church headquarters, perhaps Brother Packer, did discuss him with his mission presidents [sic] and regional representative, and they both favorably reported on him and his work and attitude, and thus that investigation was dropped."
On February 20, Brother Arrington wrote in his diary, "When Lester Bush was in here the other day, he said he had a particular personal friend among the General Authorities, whom he did not identify. He did say that this was a rather conservative brother. He had chatted with him before he talked with us. He said that he had heard of absolutely no reaction to the article which Lester had published in Dialogue magazine on the Mormons and the Negro.
"He said this friend had told him that things seemed to have been moving in the direction of liberalizing the Negro doctrine. This had come up in two or three respects. One involved racial intermarriages and one involved temple activities. At any rate, this friend said that some of the more conservative brethren had somewhat resisted some of the liberalizing decisions which President Lee had made. Whether or not the friend had agreed with this was not made clear by Brother Bush. In any case, some of these people had said that they thought President Lee was mistaken in some of these liberalizing decisions and others thought he was headed in the right direction. Some regarded President Lee's sudden death as an interference of God to prevent further liberalizing from taking place."
Kayoti Oyefuli
Heber Wolsey recalled, "One day I got a call from David Haight. He said, 'Heber, President Kimball‘s asked me to talk to a young man from Utah State University, a young Black man. I‘ve just got the call and I‘ve got to go to Los Angeles. Would you mind coming down and speaking with him?'
"I said, 'Sure.' I went down. His name is Kayoti Oyefuli. He‘s from Nigeria.
"He said, 'Brother Wolsey,' and he called me Brother Wolsey. He said, 'I‘ve been sent over here from Nigeria for my government and they‘ve told me to get an education and to find out all the very best in America that America could give to us and bring it back.'
"And then he looked at me and says, 'I‘ve found the best, the very best that anybody could ever ask for, but I can‘t take it back with me.'
"I said, 'Why not?'
"He said, 'It‘s the Mormon Priesthood. You won‘t give it to me.'
"He said, 'I understand why,' but he said, 'That‘s the greatest thing I could give my people and I can‘t do it.'
"And we had a really warm and friendly talk and I‘ll always remember he went to the elevator, and he pushed the down button and I pushed the up button. It was one of the most sobering experiences of my life because I knew he was a good young man, a wonderful young man, and he wanted only the best for his people.
"The day that the Priesthood was given to the Blacks, the first call I made was to Utah State University to see if I could find him and they said, 'He‘s moved on. We don‘t know where he is.' But he knows now."
"I said, 'Sure.' I went down. His name is Kayoti Oyefuli. He‘s from Nigeria.
"He said, 'Brother Wolsey,' and he called me Brother Wolsey. He said, 'I‘ve been sent over here from Nigeria for my government and they‘ve told me to get an education and to find out all the very best in America that America could give to us and bring it back.'
"And then he looked at me and says, 'I‘ve found the best, the very best that anybody could ever ask for, but I can‘t take it back with me.'
"I said, 'Why not?'
"He said, 'It‘s the Mormon Priesthood. You won‘t give it to me.'
"He said, 'I understand why,' but he said, 'That‘s the greatest thing I could give my people and I can‘t do it.'
"And we had a really warm and friendly talk and I‘ll always remember he went to the elevator, and he pushed the down button and I pushed the up button. It was one of the most sobering experiences of my life because I knew he was a good young man, a wonderful young man, and he wanted only the best for his people.
"The day that the Priesthood was given to the Blacks, the first call I made was to Utah State University to see if I could find him and they said, 'He‘s moved on. We don‘t know where he is.' But he knows now."
The NAACP Sues the Boy Scouts
Though public pressure against the Church had subsided, occasional incidents continued. In 1974, for example, a scheduled New England tour by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir was canceled due to protests by black clergymen in the area.
The Church had long been one of the world's biggest supporters of the Boy Scouts of America program, and used it to teach moral values and important skills to its young men. S. Mark Barnes wrote, "In the early 1970s, my uncle, Byron Marchant, was a young returned missionary from France, who was starting his new family with my aunt Gladys in an old red brick home on 500 East, across the street from Liberty Park. Byron had been the tennis pro at the park, and he loved the neighborhood. He was called to be the Liberty Ward scoutmaster. Unlike most wards along the Wasatch Front, the population living within the geographical boundaries of Liberty Ward was poor and heavily minority. Byron had encouraged both member and nonmember boys, alike, to join the Liberty Ward scouting program. His troop's senior patrol and assistant senior patrol leaders were both of African de[s]cent.
"The Church announced a new policy with regard to the Boy Scouts. Ward deacon quorum presidencies were also to occupy the scout troop leadership positions. This meant that the top two leaders in his troop would be banned from holding any leadership positions in the troop. Convinced that this new policy simply overlooked the unusual demographics of the Liberty Ward, Byron began to climb the ladder of the Church hierarchy looking for a sympathetic ear. He was convinced that if they listened, they would make an exception for his troop. From bishop to the First Presidency, there were no sympathetic ears. Rather there were rejections and strong warnings that his pleas could result in his excommunication."
Francis M. Gibbons wrote, "Shortly after the October general conference, President Kimball was distressed when he was served with a subpoena to give a deposition in a case brought by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People against the Boy Scouts of America and Troop 58, organized in one of the wards of the Liberty Stake in Salt Lake City. There were two black Scouts in the troop. One of them complained to the black ombudsman for Utah because he was deprived of the chance to become the senior patrol leader of his troop because of the Church procedure that the senior patrol leader had to be the deacons quorum president. It was contended that this violated the young man's civil rights. This procedure had been put into effect as part of the effort to bring about more complete coordination and correlation between the priesthood and the activity programs for young men. While the Church was not a party to the suit, the Church's practice was a key issue in the litigation. It was for this reason the subpoena was issued to President Kimball. And because it was a subpoena duces tecum [subpoena for production of evidence], he was directed to bring to the deposition every document relating to the Church's policy withholding the priesthood from blacks. Because he had had little to do with litigation during his life and was uncertain about what faced him, President Kimball was distraught. He could not sleep. He could talk of little else in the meetings with his counselors. Long sessions were held with the First Presidency, the Twelve, and the Presiding Bishopric where the implications of the suit and the subpoena were considered at length. The Brethren were reluctant to change the procedure because it served an important need to coordinate the priesthood and activity programs. Yet they also were reluctant to sever connections with the Boy Scouts of America, ending a relationship that had lasted amicably and profitably for both parties for more than sixty years."
On July 18, 1974, the Salt Lake Tribune quoted Utah's black ombudsman Don L. Cope as saying, "A 12-year-old boy scout has been denied a senior patrol leadership in his troop because he is black... [Mormon] troop policy is that in order for a scout to become a patrol leader, he must be a deacon's quorum president in the LDS Church. Since the boy cannot hold the priesthood, he cannot become a patrol leader."
The NAACP said in a statement, "While we very reluctantly acknowledge the LDS Church’s legal right to maintain its doctrine excluding blacks from the priesthood, we are outraged when that doctrine finds expression in the church’s secular activities."
On August 3 the Salt Lake Tribune followed up: "Shortly before Boy Scout officials were to appear in Federal Court Friday morning on charges of discrimination, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a policy change which will allow black youths to be senior patrol leaders, a position formerly reserved for white LDS youths in troops sponsored by the church. An LDS Church spokesman said Friday under the 'guidelines set forth in the statement, a young man other than president of the deacons quorum could (now) become the senior patrol leader if he is better qualified'."
Francis M. Gibbons concluded, "After prayerful deliberation it was decided to change the Scouting procedure in Church-sponsored troops so as not to require that the senior patrol leader also be the deacons' quorum president.This removed the basis for the suit and it was soon dismissed, much to the relief of President Kimball. He had found that the subpoena so dominated his thoughts he was unable to focus on anything else for long. And there was much to do."
The Church had long been one of the world's biggest supporters of the Boy Scouts of America program, and used it to teach moral values and important skills to its young men. S. Mark Barnes wrote, "In the early 1970s, my uncle, Byron Marchant, was a young returned missionary from France, who was starting his new family with my aunt Gladys in an old red brick home on 500 East, across the street from Liberty Park. Byron had been the tennis pro at the park, and he loved the neighborhood. He was called to be the Liberty Ward scoutmaster. Unlike most wards along the Wasatch Front, the population living within the geographical boundaries of Liberty Ward was poor and heavily minority. Byron had encouraged both member and nonmember boys, alike, to join the Liberty Ward scouting program. His troop's senior patrol and assistant senior patrol leaders were both of African de[s]cent.
"The Church announced a new policy with regard to the Boy Scouts. Ward deacon quorum presidencies were also to occupy the scout troop leadership positions. This meant that the top two leaders in his troop would be banned from holding any leadership positions in the troop. Convinced that this new policy simply overlooked the unusual demographics of the Liberty Ward, Byron began to climb the ladder of the Church hierarchy looking for a sympathetic ear. He was convinced that if they listened, they would make an exception for his troop. From bishop to the First Presidency, there were no sympathetic ears. Rather there were rejections and strong warnings that his pleas could result in his excommunication."
Francis M. Gibbons wrote, "Shortly after the October general conference, President Kimball was distressed when he was served with a subpoena to give a deposition in a case brought by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People against the Boy Scouts of America and Troop 58, organized in one of the wards of the Liberty Stake in Salt Lake City. There were two black Scouts in the troop. One of them complained to the black ombudsman for Utah because he was deprived of the chance to become the senior patrol leader of his troop because of the Church procedure that the senior patrol leader had to be the deacons quorum president. It was contended that this violated the young man's civil rights. This procedure had been put into effect as part of the effort to bring about more complete coordination and correlation between the priesthood and the activity programs for young men. While the Church was not a party to the suit, the Church's practice was a key issue in the litigation. It was for this reason the subpoena was issued to President Kimball. And because it was a subpoena duces tecum [subpoena for production of evidence], he was directed to bring to the deposition every document relating to the Church's policy withholding the priesthood from blacks. Because he had had little to do with litigation during his life and was uncertain about what faced him, President Kimball was distraught. He could not sleep. He could talk of little else in the meetings with his counselors. Long sessions were held with the First Presidency, the Twelve, and the Presiding Bishopric where the implications of the suit and the subpoena were considered at length. The Brethren were reluctant to change the procedure because it served an important need to coordinate the priesthood and activity programs. Yet they also were reluctant to sever connections with the Boy Scouts of America, ending a relationship that had lasted amicably and profitably for both parties for more than sixty years."
On July 18, 1974, the Salt Lake Tribune quoted Utah's black ombudsman Don L. Cope as saying, "A 12-year-old boy scout has been denied a senior patrol leadership in his troop because he is black... [Mormon] troop policy is that in order for a scout to become a patrol leader, he must be a deacon's quorum president in the LDS Church. Since the boy cannot hold the priesthood, he cannot become a patrol leader."
The NAACP said in a statement, "While we very reluctantly acknowledge the LDS Church’s legal right to maintain its doctrine excluding blacks from the priesthood, we are outraged when that doctrine finds expression in the church’s secular activities."
On August 3 the Salt Lake Tribune followed up: "Shortly before Boy Scout officials were to appear in Federal Court Friday morning on charges of discrimination, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a policy change which will allow black youths to be senior patrol leaders, a position formerly reserved for white LDS youths in troops sponsored by the church. An LDS Church spokesman said Friday under the 'guidelines set forth in the statement, a young man other than president of the deacons quorum could (now) become the senior patrol leader if he is better qualified'."
Francis M. Gibbons concluded, "After prayerful deliberation it was decided to change the Scouting procedure in Church-sponsored troops so as not to require that the senior patrol leader also be the deacons' quorum president.This removed the basis for the suit and it was soon dismissed, much to the relief of President Kimball. He had found that the subpoena so dominated his thoughts he was unable to focus on anything else for long. And there was much to do."
Public Communications
On October 1, Church Historian Leonard J. Arrington wrote in his diary, "We had a meeting this morning with Florence Jacobsen, Wendell Ashton, and Bishop [John H.] Vandenburg about transferring the Church Curator and her functions to the Historical Department. In the discussion afterwards Wendell Ashton mentioned two or three things that were very interesting. The single most ticklish problem for the Church in terms of public communications, he said, is the problem of the Negro and the priesthood. He said it is his impression that we are getting tighter on the issue rather than more lenient. President Lee in his statement on the issue had included the sentence, 'We have always believed that at some time the Negro will be given the priesthood.' He said President Kimball's suggestion and those of his associates is that this be modified to read, 'Some day the Negro may be given the priesthood.' He [Brother Ashton] said President Lee, in giving him his call, which President Lee emphasized was a Church service call, said the advantage of having him was that he could make statements which could later be repudiated if necessary by the First Presidency. On the Negro issue they have insisted that he, Wendell Ashton, make the statement. President Kimball has followed that same policy."
Am I Valiant?
In the October 1974 General Conference, Elder Bruce R. McConkie said, "Our doctrine is clear; its application sometimes seems to be more difficult. Perhaps some personal introspection might be helpful. For instance:
"Am I valiant in the testimony of Jesus if my chief interest and concern in life is laying up in store the treasures of the earth, rather than the building up of the kingdom?
"Am I valiant if I have more of this world's good than my just needs and wants require and I do not draw from my surplus to support missionary work, build temples, and care for the needy?
"Am I valiant if my approach to the Church and its doctrines is intellectual only, if I am more concerned with having a religious dialogue on this or that point than I am on gaining a personal spiritual experience?
"Am I valiant if I am deeply concerned about the Church's stand on who can or cannot receive the priesthood and think it is time for a new revelation on this doctrine?
"Am I valiant if I use a boat, live in a country home, or engage in some other recreational pursuit on weekends that takes me away from my spiritual responsibilities?
"Am I valiant if I engage in gambling, play cards, go to pornographic movies, shop on Sunday, wear immodest clothes, or do any of the things that are the accepted way of life among worldly people?"
"Am I valiant in the testimony of Jesus if my chief interest and concern in life is laying up in store the treasures of the earth, rather than the building up of the kingdom?
"Am I valiant if I have more of this world's good than my just needs and wants require and I do not draw from my surplus to support missionary work, build temples, and care for the needy?
"Am I valiant if my approach to the Church and its doctrines is intellectual only, if I am more concerned with having a religious dialogue on this or that point than I am on gaining a personal spiritual experience?
"Am I valiant if I am deeply concerned about the Church's stand on who can or cannot receive the priesthood and think it is time for a new revelation on this doctrine?
"Am I valiant if I use a boat, live in a country home, or engage in some other recreational pursuit on weekends that takes me away from my spiritual responsibilities?
"Am I valiant if I engage in gambling, play cards, go to pornographic movies, shop on Sunday, wear immodest clothes, or do any of the things that are the accepted way of life among worldly people?"
A Temple for Brazil
At the São Paulo Brazil Area Conference on March 1, 1975, President Spencer W. Kimball stood up before the opening hymn and prayer and hushed the crowd by saying, "I have an important announcement. A temple will be built in Brazil. It will be built in São Paulo." A rendition of the building was unveiled amid a chorus of gasps and tears of joy that Elder James E. Faust called "the greatest audience reaction I have ever seen." South America's growing membership was in need of a temple; there were four missions, nine stakes, and forty-one thousand members in Brazil alone, yet its closest temple was in Washington D.C. However, there was great concern among mission presidents and regional representatives who already had great difficulty and made several errors determining priesthood and temple eligibility due to the extensive race mixing in Brazilian ancestry.
President Kimball later told his son Edward that when he had decided to build the temple he "was not thinking in terms of making an adjustment", but rather assumed that the Church would have to be even more careful in inquiring into members' racial backgrounds when they sought temple recommends. But Armand Mauss observed that when this decision was made "the realization among the brethren must have developed rapidly, if indeed it was not there to start with, that the priesthood ban would be untenable and unmanageable."
President Kimball later told his son Edward that when he had decided to build the temple he "was not thinking in terms of making an adjustment", but rather assumed that the Church would have to be even more careful in inquiring into members' racial backgrounds when they sought temple recommends. But Armand Mauss observed that when this decision was made "the realization among the brethren must have developed rapidly, if indeed it was not there to start with, that the priesthood ban would be untenable and unmanageable."
Mary Frances Sturlaugson Investigates the Church of Jesus Christ
Mary Frances Sturlaugson, who in mid-1975 was a student at Dakota Wesleyan University living and working on a Native American reservation with her friend Sarah, recalled, "Finally I decided to take the opportunity to let the Mormons know how I felt about them. Opening the door, I invited them in. Once they were inside I immediately started swearing at them for their teachings about my race. The missionaries stood looking confused and afraid, yet they did not offer a word of defense. Seeing that I wasn't going to get an argument out of them, I told them I would give them five minutes to explain, and that their explanation better be a good one.
"I never thought that five minutes would extend to half an hour. When I realized that they had my attention with their explanation I became uneasy. I had never intended to listen to them. Quickly I told them to get out because they had overstayed their five-minute limit. They apologized for staying so long. They left us an inviation to attend church on Sunday. 'I'll never attend your stinking church,' I screamed as I slammed the door behind them....
"We discovered that going to the Mormon church that Sunday had been a mistake. It became impossible to get rid of those two missionaries in the weeks and months that followed. They wanted to share a message with us, but we didn't want to listen. Day after day they returned with their message, and day after day we told them in no uncertain terms to get lost. When language failed to discourage them, we reverted to physical abuse. One day we called them on the phone and told them we were ready to listen and to come over early enough to have dinner. We then boiled some water and when they arrived, we opened the door and announced that dinner was over but that they might as well drink up. We threw the water on them, closed the door, and laughed. They still kept coming back.
"At that time the missionaries were at the breaking point trying to teach me. Completely discouraged, they called the mission president to ask his advice. They told him about the black girl to whom they strongly felt they were to teach the gospel, but who refused to let them. The mission president asked them if there was a romantic interest. One of them briefly explained to the president some of the things I had done to them and then said, 'Now tell me, president, could there possibly be a romantic interest?' The president reminded them of the Church's policy and told them not to go back anymore. But early the next morning, shortly after seven o'clock, he called them back and said, 'Elders, I don't know why, but keep trying to teach her.'
"Months passed and the missionaries got nowhere in their efforts to teach me the gospel. One day as they stood knocking I opened the door to once again make threats on their lives. But of all the many times they had stood before me, I had never seen what I saw then. I saw love on those two faces. The words I had planned to say somehow came out this way: 'Either you guys are crazy or I am, so come on in so I can be sure it's not me.'
"At first accepting the things they taught was hopeless because of the pictures they used. They showed me pictures of Joseph Smith and said he was a prophet for these latter days just like the prophets of the Bible. I didn't care about the Bible and its prophets nor did I care whether God had called a prophet to the earth in my lifetime. My suspicions that God was white and only cared about the white man were confirmed when I saw that God had called a white man to be prophet. The missionaries showed me pictures of twelve apostles, and they too were white. At this point I told them to get out and go teach their white racist ideas to someone else, because I didn't care to know about what white folk had been chosen to do this or that for 'their' God. Bitterness welled up within me. Everything that was good or highly regarded always seemed to have a white man behind it.
"The next day the missionaries returned and asked if they could please share their message with me, this time without showing me any pictures. So I told them, 'You two are as bad as my Mama - she never gives up either.'
"We began to progress. Little by little I recognized feelings that were unusual for me, and little by little I became afraid. I tried to suppress these feelings with negative thoughts about Mormons and whites, but the feelings inside just wouldn't go away. I tried to define what they were but couldn't. All I knew was that my strong hatred of and bitterness against the Mormons were disintegrating....
"Later Mama told my brothers that the Mormons had been talking to me about God. That night my brother Roy called me back. 'Stay away from 'em,' he told me sternly. 'Who?' I asked. A cold lump of fear knotted my heart. I knew he was going to say the Mormons. 'Those no-good Mormons who go around teaching that you are lower than the animals of this earth, that's who.' I tried explaining but he refused to listen. More of my brothers got on the phone and, in general, gave me the same advice. Mormons were no good in their book and never would be."
"I never thought that five minutes would extend to half an hour. When I realized that they had my attention with their explanation I became uneasy. I had never intended to listen to them. Quickly I told them to get out because they had overstayed their five-minute limit. They apologized for staying so long. They left us an inviation to attend church on Sunday. 'I'll never attend your stinking church,' I screamed as I slammed the door behind them....
"We discovered that going to the Mormon church that Sunday had been a mistake. It became impossible to get rid of those two missionaries in the weeks and months that followed. They wanted to share a message with us, but we didn't want to listen. Day after day they returned with their message, and day after day we told them in no uncertain terms to get lost. When language failed to discourage them, we reverted to physical abuse. One day we called them on the phone and told them we were ready to listen and to come over early enough to have dinner. We then boiled some water and when they arrived, we opened the door and announced that dinner was over but that they might as well drink up. We threw the water on them, closed the door, and laughed. They still kept coming back.
"At that time the missionaries were at the breaking point trying to teach me. Completely discouraged, they called the mission president to ask his advice. They told him about the black girl to whom they strongly felt they were to teach the gospel, but who refused to let them. The mission president asked them if there was a romantic interest. One of them briefly explained to the president some of the things I had done to them and then said, 'Now tell me, president, could there possibly be a romantic interest?' The president reminded them of the Church's policy and told them not to go back anymore. But early the next morning, shortly after seven o'clock, he called them back and said, 'Elders, I don't know why, but keep trying to teach her.'
"Months passed and the missionaries got nowhere in their efforts to teach me the gospel. One day as they stood knocking I opened the door to once again make threats on their lives. But of all the many times they had stood before me, I had never seen what I saw then. I saw love on those two faces. The words I had planned to say somehow came out this way: 'Either you guys are crazy or I am, so come on in so I can be sure it's not me.'
"At first accepting the things they taught was hopeless because of the pictures they used. They showed me pictures of Joseph Smith and said he was a prophet for these latter days just like the prophets of the Bible. I didn't care about the Bible and its prophets nor did I care whether God had called a prophet to the earth in my lifetime. My suspicions that God was white and only cared about the white man were confirmed when I saw that God had called a white man to be prophet. The missionaries showed me pictures of twelve apostles, and they too were white. At this point I told them to get out and go teach their white racist ideas to someone else, because I didn't care to know about what white folk had been chosen to do this or that for 'their' God. Bitterness welled up within me. Everything that was good or highly regarded always seemed to have a white man behind it.
"The next day the missionaries returned and asked if they could please share their message with me, this time without showing me any pictures. So I told them, 'You two are as bad as my Mama - she never gives up either.'
"We began to progress. Little by little I recognized feelings that were unusual for me, and little by little I became afraid. I tried to suppress these feelings with negative thoughts about Mormons and whites, but the feelings inside just wouldn't go away. I tried to define what they were but couldn't. All I knew was that my strong hatred of and bitterness against the Mormons were disintegrating....
"Later Mama told my brothers that the Mormons had been talking to me about God. That night my brother Roy called me back. 'Stay away from 'em,' he told me sternly. 'Who?' I asked. A cold lump of fear knotted my heart. I knew he was going to say the Mormons. 'Those no-good Mormons who go around teaching that you are lower than the animals of this earth, that's who.' I tried explaining but he refused to listen. More of my brothers got on the phone and, in general, gave me the same advice. Mormons were no good in their book and never would be."
Miracles in Ghana
Senior missionary Marjorie Wall Folsom recorded, "The 'Reverend' [Joseph William Billy] Johnson became renowned as a man of great faith with healing powers. The sick and afflicted were brought to him to be healed. He recalled one such occasion, (also recorded earlier by John H. Cox). On 23 December, 1975, a 16-year-old student came to the Johnson home complaining of mental and physical disorders. Accompanied by her mother, they stayed in his home, where on Christmas day she died. The girl had been declared dead by a doctor about 7 p.m., apparently of a heart attack.
"Brother Johnson recalls praying continuously from 4 p.m. until midnight on her behalf. He appealed to the Lord to save her life because she had come to him seeking help and he was concerned that members of his congregation and the community would doubt that the Lord was still powerful among them.
"Getting up from his knees about midnight, Brother Johnson took the girl into his arms so that she was standing. A few moments later she awoke and started to praise the Lord. She also declared many unknown facts about the persons there with them, which they confirmed to be true.
"Another manifestation also served to strengthen the group. Brother Johnson’s brother, dead since 1961, appeared to him and said he wanted to be baptized, adding, 'Dear Brother, don’t give up. This is the only true church in the world and also here in the spirit world. I am being taught the gospel here and know it is true. Don’t give up!'
"Many acts of healing and manifestations continued, as without ceasing the group prayed for recognition for the Church. Each time a miraculous event occurred, it had a salient influence upon the struggling devotees. Brother Johnson is convinced that the Lord provided these in order to maintain the vigor within the group."
Next: The Church of Jesus Christ and Black People 1976-1977
Main Page: Latter-day Saint Racial History
"Brother Johnson recalls praying continuously from 4 p.m. until midnight on her behalf. He appealed to the Lord to save her life because she had come to him seeking help and he was concerned that members of his congregation and the community would doubt that the Lord was still powerful among them.
"Getting up from his knees about midnight, Brother Johnson took the girl into his arms so that she was standing. A few moments later she awoke and started to praise the Lord. She also declared many unknown facts about the persons there with them, which they confirmed to be true.
"Another manifestation also served to strengthen the group. Brother Johnson’s brother, dead since 1961, appeared to him and said he wanted to be baptized, adding, 'Dear Brother, don’t give up. This is the only true church in the world and also here in the spirit world. I am being taught the gospel here and know it is true. Don’t give up!'
"Many acts of healing and manifestations continued, as without ceasing the group prayed for recognition for the Church. Each time a miraculous event occurred, it had a salient influence upon the struggling devotees. Brother Johnson is convinced that the Lord provided these in order to maintain the vigor within the group."
Next: The Church of Jesus Christ and Black People 1976-1977
Main Page: Latter-day Saint Racial History
