Racial issues and the Church of Jesus Christ/Blacks and the priesthood/Ban

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The priesthood ban

Overview

Summary: An overview of the priesthood ban that was lifted in 1978.

The origin of the Mormon priesthood ban

Summary: The origin of the priesthood ban is one of the most difficult questions to answer. Its origins are not clear, and this affected both how members and leaders have seen the ban, and the steps necessary to rescind it. The Church has never provided an official reason for the ban.

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: What do we know about the origin of the priesthood ban on Church members of African descent?
• Question: Did Joseph Smith confer the priesthood on several black men?
• Question: Why did Brigham Young initiate the priesthood ban?
• Question: What did Church leaders after Brigham Young think of the priesthood ban?

Understanding pre-1978 statements by members and leaders of the Church

Summary: Critics frequently parade justifications for the ban by past General Authorities that are considered quite racist by today's standards. While these have not been officially renounced, there is no obligation for current members to accept such sentiments as the "word of the Lord," and they most certainly do not reflect the Church's current position and teachings.

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: How have modern Church leaders reacted to the speculations of the past regarding the reason for the priesthood ban?
• Question: How is it possible for a Church leader or prophet to have been influenced by racism, yet be consistent with the Lord not allowing prophets to lead the Church astray?

Lifting the Priesthood ban

Summary: Is it true that the Church has never produced a copy of the revelation granting Blacks the ability to receive the priesthood?

Did social pressure play a role in lifting the ban?

Summary: Critics try to raise doubts about the authenticity of the 1978 revelation by claiming that it was dictated by social or governmental pressure.

Joseph Fielding Smith's racial reference in LOOK Magazine in 1963

Summary: Critics point to a 1963 statement by Joseph Fielding Smith LOOK Magazine in which he used the word "Darkies" as representative of the Church's racism. These critics, however, are applying a double standard to the Church in 1963. Not one article, photo, or ad in a full 154 pages of this colorful oversized magazine interrupts its perky Caucasian landscape by featuring an African-American. They are not to be seen in ads, Catholic schoolrooms, or even on a featured college football team. Looking at this slice of life from the sixties, the only reason one would have to think blacks even lived in the United States is one photo on page 118 where a few blacks are pictured as the recipients of charity. The patronizing hypocrisy of examining one small church's "attitude toward Negroes" in this sort of environment has, of course, not yet settled into the mainstream of American consciousness.

Policy or doctrine

Statements

Summary: A compilation of statements made by Church leaders both before and after the rescinding of the priesthood ban in 1978.

Banned from temple open houses

Summary: Were blacks banned from visiting temples prior to dedication, while other non-members were welcomed?