
FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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|claim=The author challenges the truthfulness of the recent change in heading to Official Declaration 2: "Early in its history, Church leaders stopped conferring the priesthood on black males of African descent. Church records offer no clear insights into the origins of this practice." The author then quotes various Church leaders as they offered reasons for the practice, and states that "the 2013 edition Official Declaration 2 Header in the scriptures is not only misleading, it’s dishonest. We do have records – including from the First Presidency itself – with very clear insights on the origins of the ban on the blacks." | |claim=The author challenges the truthfulness of the recent change in heading to Official Declaration 2: "Early in its history, Church leaders stopped conferring the priesthood on black males of African descent. Church records offer no clear insights into the origins of this practice." The author then quotes various Church leaders as they offered reasons for the practice, and states that "the 2013 edition Official Declaration 2 Header in the scriptures is not only misleading, it’s dishonest. We do have records – including from the First Presidency itself – with very clear insights on the origins of the ban on the blacks." | ||
|answer= | |answer= | ||
+ | *{{antispeak|liars}} | ||
*As the author notes, the 1949 First Presidency stated that the policy was a "direct commandment from the Lord." They supported this by quoting Brigham Young, who stated that "It comes in consequence of their fathers rejecting the power of the holy priesthood, and the law of God." Wilford Woodruff stated that "the conduct of spirits in the premortal existence has some determining effect upon the conditions and circumstances under which these spirits take on mortality." These were all advanced by Church leaders as ''reasons'' for the priesthood ban. | *As the author notes, the 1949 First Presidency stated that the policy was a "direct commandment from the Lord." They supported this by quoting Brigham Young, who stated that "It comes in consequence of their fathers rejecting the power of the holy priesthood, and the law of God." Wilford Woodruff stated that "the conduct of spirits in the premortal existence has some determining effect upon the conditions and circumstances under which these spirits take on mortality." These were all advanced by Church leaders as ''reasons'' for the priesthood ban. | ||
*However, there is no record of a revelation which instituted the priesthood ban. No such revelation has ever come to light. We do not know precisely how or when the practice began, since Joseph Smith did indeed confer the priesthood upon several black men. We do not know the origin of the practice. The statements of Church leaders providing justification of the practice do not tell us anything about its origin. | *However, there is no record of a revelation which instituted the priesthood ban. No such revelation has ever come to light. We do not know precisely how or when the practice began, since Joseph Smith did indeed confer the priesthood upon several black men. We do not know the origin of the practice. The statements of Church leaders providing justification of the practice do not tell us anything about its origin. |
[[../Scriptures Concerns & Questions|Scriptures Concerns & Questions]] | A FAIR Analysis of:
[[../|Letter to a CES Director]] |
[[../Conclusion|Conclusion]] |
== Notes ==
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