Repudiated ideas about race/Neutral in "war in heaven"

Criticism

Critics claim that the Church teaches that Blacks were "neutral" in the "war in heaven."

To see citations to the critical sources for these claims, click here

Response

Blacks neutral in the "war in heaven"?

This idea was repudiated well before the priesthood bad was rescinded. President Brigham Young rejected it in an account recorded by Wilford Woodruff in 1869:

Lorenzo Young asked if the Spirits of Negroes were Nutral in Heaven. He said someone said Joseph Smith said they were. President Young said No they were not. There was No Nutral spirits in Heaven at the time of the Rebelion. All took sides. He said if any one said that He Herd the Prophet Joseph Say that the spirits of the Blacks were Nutral in Heaven He would not Believe them for He herd Joseph Say to the Contrary. All spirits are pure that Come from the presence of God. The posterity of Cane are Black Because He Commit Murder. He killed Abel & God set a Mark upon his posterity But the spirits are pure that Enter their tabernacles & there will be a Chance for the redemption of all the Children of Adam Except the Sons of perdition.^[1]

The First Presidency under Joseph F. Smith also rejected this idea:

there is no revelation, ancient or modern, neither is there any authoritative statement by any of the authorities of the Church … [in support of the idea] that the negroes are those who were neutral in heaven at the time of the great conflict or war, which resulted in the casting out of Lucifer and those who were led by him.^[2]

Pre-mortal failure?

Some members and leaders explained the ban as congruent with the justice of God by suggesting that those who were denied the priesthood had done something in the pre-mortal life to deny themselves the priesthood. When asked “if the spirits of Negroes were neutral in heaven,” Brigham Young answers, “no, they were not, there were no neutral [spirits] in heaven at the time of the rebellion, all took sides... All spirits are pure that came from the presence of God.^[3]

President Kimball was reported as repudiating this idea following the 1978 revelation:

President Kimball "flatly [stated] that Mormonism no longer holds to...a theory" that Blacks had been denied the priesthood "because they somehow failed God during their pre-existence."^[4]

Conclusion

The idea that Blacks were "neutral" in the pre-existence has been thoroughly repudiated.