SRR wrote: “And the fact that you still justify the Priesthood ban was of God, simply does not work for me. And by the way, Bruce R McConkies’ books are not held in high regard anymore. If you still consider him a seer and revelator, you need to do some real reading about what the First Presidency has said about his books and some of his very strange views of doctrine. So throwing his name out as support of your opinion weakened your argument in my mind.”

I am with you on Bruce McConkie. There are many things he wrote which I disagree with. My point in quoting him is that if he with his inaccurate view on the subject of the priesthood ban, even he said for everyone to forget about all that was taught before. And he cited a New Testament precedent.

SRR wrote: “You simply cannot stomach someone taking an adverse opinion on a subject that most Saints simply leave alone. And it is fully within my right as a human to disagree with you on a subject I am very passionate about. . . . So I don’t why you think I don’t believe in God. Because I question some of the things that happened in the past?”

There you go again. You are claiming to know what I am thinking and believing. I don’t have any problem with anyone having an opinion which is contrary to my own. Educated people can do that. I consider myself and intellectual. But a true intellectual realizes that not all can explained by the human intellect. I true God for the rest because He knows all things. He also loves me and all His children with a perfect love knowing exactly what each of us need to move along to the happiness and fulfilment He wishes for each of us. As for your passion, you have the right to be passionate. But if you are a follower of Christ, you would not use such tactics. you say you believe in God. Do you believe in Christ? I questioned your believe in God because you don’t seem to follow Him in the tactics you employ as you argue your points.

SRR: ” just want to stop lying about our past and say, yes, those things were wrong and let’s move forward.”

I am not lying about them. And whatever God commands is right. Period. I’m moving forward. Apparently you aren’t. President Hinckley liked to say, “People can leave the Church. But they can’t leave it alone.”

SRR: “And you are one of those Saints that is holding on to a false narrative. We cannot change the world without accepting the failures of the past. You blame me for my position because you still believe in the divinity of the priesthood ban. You are the one in the wrong here, not me. And you are too proud to admit it.”

Again, it’s not a false narrative. I believe the worse thing that this country has ever done was black African slavery. I admit that and agree that without accepting that truth, our country can’t move on. You say I blame you for your position. What blame? I don’t understand this statement at all. I haven’t blamed you for anything. If I believed that the ban was not of God, I would not be too proud to admit it. I promise. And if you knew me, you’d know that’s a true statement.

But we’ve come to an empasse. I will no longer comment on this issue or to you, SRR. I wish you well and much happiness.

Many LDS still believe the priesthood ban was of God. Nothing could be further from the truth. Brigham Young was simply a racist and imposed his views on the Church. What a travesty. Dozens of generations of LDS were influenced by this false position and even though it was rescinded in 1978, many Saints continue to believe in the original divinity of the ban. What a shame. And the Mormon Church could put an end to that nonsense by fully apologizing for this error of history.

And you are one of those Saints that is holding on to a false narrative. We cannot change the world without accepting the failures of the past. You blame me for my position because you still believe in the divinity of the priesthood ban. You are the one in the wrong here, not me. And you are too proud to admit it.

All that needs to be said on the subject is right here.

http://archive.sltrib.com/story.php?ref=/sltrib/news/57241071-78/church-lds-says-mormon.html.csp

I do believe in God. I just no longer believe in people that cover things up or continue to perpetuate lies and mistakes of the past.

The reason I am so contention about this issue is that it is so clearly racial in nature and born in the times and conditions under which Brigham Young developed his opinions and views. I don’t blame him for his view. But I do blame him for imposing his view on the Church. And that is what happened. You can wrap it up anyway you want to justify it. But there is no justification. Brigham Young made LDS members racists for over 130 years and that racism still exists today because members still believe the ban was of God and that somehow African Blacks did something in the pre-existence that made them somehow unworthy to hold the priesthood until the ban was lifted in 1978. You rightly distance yourself from the racism, but you still hold onto the divinity of the Priesthood ban and you still believe that God ordained the ban. I don’t believe that and it does not make me a bad person. Nor does in translate into a disbelief in God. I just refuse to accept something that is clearly a lie that is continuing to be perpetuated even today. Brigham Young had a lot of doctrinal beliefs that are rejected to day. It does not make him any less of leader. It just makes him human.

I will not stop until the Church fully apologizes for this travesty. The Southern Baptists, who by all rights are the ones that invented it, have fully apologized and state clearly that it was to justify enslaving others and still remain in the good grace of God. Their leaders made a bad mistake and they have apologized for it. It does not erase what happened, but I can certainly move forward with that type of apology. The Mormon Church needs to do the same.

And the fact that you still justify the Priesthood ban was of God, simply does not work for me. And by the way, Bruce R McConkies’ books are not held in high regard anymore. If you still consider him a seer and revelator, you need to do some real reading about what the First Presidency has said about his books and some of his very strange views of doctrine. So throwing his name out as support of your opinion weakened your argument in my mind.

You simply cannot stomach someone taking an adverse opinion on a subject that most Saints simply leave alone. And it is fully within my right as a human to disagree with you on a subject I am very passionate about. And a subject that I have researched extensively, not only in the Mormon Church but in other American evangelical churches that employed similar positions regarding African blacks. I was so surprised to learn that it was really just a southern American thing. From there I read everything I could on the subject. And I am firm in my conclusions that it was never a divine action. God did not tell Brigham Young to deny the priesthood to blacks. Brigham Young did that all on his own.

So I don’t why you think I don’t believe in God. Because I question some of the things that happened in the past? That I firmly reject the Priesthood ban in all shapes and forms? That I am concerned that Joseph Smith entered into some very questionable marriages. I can accept that Joseph Smith was a mortal man and that Brigham Young was a mortal man. And they can make mistakes. And they did make mistakes. It does not erase all the good that they did. I just want to stop lying about our past and say, yes, those things were wrong and let’s move forward.

SRR, once again, you have either not read my post or are trying to purposely misstate what I have said. I have at no time said that I believe what Brigham Young said about blacks and the priesthood. The priesthood ban was right. The reasons people may have thought the Lord did ban ordination were wrong. And the Church has NOT said that the ban was not from God. It has disavowed any teaching that the ban was because of the curse of Cain. It also for many decades (long before 1978) also made it clear that black people were denied the priesthood because of something they did or did not do in their premortal lives. Elder Bruce McConkie of the Twelve stated publicly, “Forget everything that I have said, or what President Brigham Young or President
George Q. Cannon or whomsoever has said in days past that is contrary to the present revelation. We spoke with a limited understanding and without the light and knowledge that now has come into the world. We get our truth and our light line upon line and
precept upon precept. We have now had added a new flood of intelligence and light on this particular subject, and it erases all the darkness and all the views and all the thoughts of the past. They don’t matter any more”

And I really doubt that you believe in God. A disciple of God would not be so full of hate and vitriol as you are.

If you are stating that God told you that what Brigham Young said about African Blacks and Priesthood was true, then you are a liar. The spirit of the Lord did not whisper that to you because the Lord does not lie. Why is it so hard just to admit that the priesthood ban and the awful things said about blacks by Brigham Young are simply wrong. That is what the Church itself states today. What is so hard about accepting that our leaders sometimes make mistakes.

I do believe. That is why I know that God does not lie. And God would not tell a prophet something false like African blacks are not allowed to hold the priesthood. And I doubt seriously that a someone that speaks for God would say the horrible things that were preached from the pulpit about African blacks by Brigham Young.