I
would like to address one particular example in depth. Namely: the issue of
blacks and the Priesthood. There is no scriptural basis for permanently limiting
the Priesthood to a particular lineage or race. Note that I use the word permanently. In the Old Testament, the
Priesthood was restricted to the tribe of Levi, but this was never intended to
be a permanent arrangement.
In
the revelations given to Joseph Smith, the Priesthood was never limited to a
particular race or ethnicity. In fact, on 3 March 1836, Joseph Smith himself
ordained Elijah Abel, a black man, to the office of Elder in the Melchizedek
Priesthood.[1]
Furthermore, in December 1836, this same Elijah Abel was ordained a Seventy by
Zebedee Coltrin, presumably with the knowledge and approval of Joseph Smith.8 Furthermore, in 1844 or earlier, Walker
Lewis, a black member of the Church, was ordained an Elder by William Smith (a
younger brother of Joseph Smith).[2]
In 1844, Joseph Smith ran for President of the United States, and one of his
key policies was the abolition of slavery.[3]
By
stating these facts, I am trying to show that the early Church was not racist
(and neither is the modern Church, for that matter). Although the Church as a
whole did not become involved in the political question of slavery,[4]
and the Church did not try to free slaves or baptise them without their owners’
permission,[5]
Church members themselves did not own slaves during the lifetime of Joseph
Smith, and Church membership (and, originally, the Priesthood) was always open
to people of any race. I stated before that the Church as a whole did not
become involved in the question of slavery. This is not to say, however, that
individual members of the Church did not have personal political views on the
matter. For example, I explained earlier that Joseph Smith was opposed to
slavery, stating on one occasion: “It makes my blood boil within me to reflect
upon the injustice, cruelty and oppression [of slavery].”[6]
However, many other members of the Church did not share Joseph’s political
views. Orson Hyde and Brigham Young, in particular, were both very much in
favour of slavery, and were both, quite frankly, very racist in their personal
views of blacks. As I explained before, this does not mean that they were not
inspired men of God. It merely means that they were flawed, as human beings
have always been.
Racism
is not a part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but it has been very common in
history, particularly in the 19th Century. A combination of his
personal aversion to blacks and the tendency to speculate that was so common in
the early days of the Church led Orson Hyde to state on 27 April 1845 that
negroes were the cursed lineage of Canaan and expressed his personal theory
that God had cursed them to be slaves to white men in mortality as a punishment
for their actions in the pre-existence.[7]
It is worth pointing out again that he did not claim that this was the revealed
word of God; he was merely speculating and expressing his personal theories and
ideas.
Unfortunately,
early leaders of the Church frequently expressed their personal theories quite
forcefully and vigorously, which often led to confusion in the Church regarding
what was revealed and inspired of God and what was mere human speculation.
However, it is obvious that Orson Hyde, whatever his political views and
doctrinal speculations, saw nothing wrong with black men holding the
Priesthood, for he personally baptised and ordained a black man to the
Priesthood himself in October 1846.[8]
Now, Brigham Young is a different story. He was an extraordinarily bold man,
nicknamed the ‘Lion of the Lord,’[9]
much more forceful and vigorous in expressing his personal views than Orson
Hyde and also, unfortunately, much more confident and certain of his own
speculation and ideas. For some reason, five years after the death of Joseph
Smith, Brigham Young came to the conclusion that God did not wish for black men
to hold the Priesthood. I am not sure exactly what reasoning led him to this
particular conclusion, but it may have involved a combination of his personal
prejudice against black people (which again, is a personal weakness and flaw
which has nothing to do with his role as a Prophet), his political views (he
was a staunch supporter of slavery) and his love of speculating about the
Gospel. In any case, he somehow came to believe that God did not want black men
to hold the Priesthood. He taught and defended this personal theory quite
vigorously and boldly throughout his time as President of the Church, beginning
in February 1849.[10]
There are any number of quotes that involve Brigham Young proclaiming this
belief, for example: “Because Cain cut off the life of Abel...the Lord cursed
Cain’s seed and prohibited them from the Priesthood,”17 and: “Any man having one drop of the seed
of Cain in him cannot hold the Priesthood...I know it is true & they know
it.”[11]
Evidently, Brigham Young was quite certain of his theory and his conclusion and
defended it vigorously. As Governor of Utah, he also gave legal recognition to
slaveholders in Utah and from the time the Saints settled in Utah some Apostles
and other Church leaders began to hold slaves.
This
very confident and bold certainty that was characteristic of Brigham Young was
perhaps his greatest strength and his greatest weakness. Without it, I am
confident that the Saints could never have reached Salt Lake. The martyrdom of
Joseph Smith left the Saints confused, vulnerable and without a leader. Into
this gap, the Lord called Brigham Young to stand up and lead the Church with
the fire of his determination, boldness and confidence. Nobody else could have
led the Saints westward, and nobody else could have established the Church so
securely in the Rocky Mountains. Yet this very boldness was also a great
weakness to the Church, because it means we end up finding quotes such as those
above, which can give the wrong impression about certain issues. One thing is
certain: no matter how boldly and vigorously Brigham Young may have defended
and promoted his views of blacks and the Priesthood, he never once claimed to
have received a divine revelation teaching this doctrine. He was convinced that
his personal theory about blacks was correct, but he never claimed that God had
revealed it to him. There are no revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants in
which God says that black people ought to be excluded from the Priesthood. This
was a personal theory and view held by Brigham Young and several other
prominent Church leaders, based entirely on their personal views. Because of
their high standing in the Church and because of the vigour and boldness of
Brigham Young in defending his theories, the vast majority of the Church soon
came to accept the exclusion of black men from the Priesthood as an
unquestioned and necessary fact of the Church and the Gospel.
This
was taught and accepted as doctrine for well over a hundred years, despite
never being authorised or sanctioned by divine revelation. For example, in
1958, Bruce R McConkie wrote in his book, Mormon
Doctrine, the following words: “The negroes are not equal with other races
when the receipt of certain spiritual blessings are concerned, particularly the
priesthood and the temple blessings that flow therefrom...this
inequality...grows out of the lack of spiritual valiance of those concerned in
[the pre-existence].”[12]
It should be noted that in the preface of Mormon
Doctrine, Elder McConkie wrote a disclaimer at the urging of the First
Presidency, clarifying that all the views expressed therein are merely his own
personal opinions and conclusions and do not necessarily reflect the official
positions and teachings of the Church. Similarly, Joseph Fielding Smith wrote
in 1935: “A curse was placed upon [Cain] and that curse has been continued
through his lineage and must do so while time endures.”[13]
This gave many Church members the impression that blacks would never be
eligible to hold the Priesthood. However, again, it is important to note that
in his book, Joseph Fielding Smith made clear that the views expressed therein
were his own personal opinions rather than official statements of Church
doctrine. The point is, because of their high standing in Church leadership,
these Apostles did influence the beliefs of many members of the Church, and it
was a widespread belief in the Church for many years that blacks would never
hold the Priesthood. However, the fact remained that the policy of restricting
blacks from holding the Priesthood was never introduced by divine revelation.
It was a policy that Brigham Young felt should be introduced, because of his
personal opinions and beliefs, but there is nowhere in the Standard Works of
the Church where the Lord instructs the Church that black men should not hold
the Priesthood. Indeed, in the days of Joseph Smith, blacks were ordained to
the Priesthood. Thus, the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve began
to feel that the practice was unscriptural and not in harmony with the will of
God.
In
1969, President Hugh B Brown proposed that the policy be reversed and black men
be admitted to the Priesthood.[14]
This proposal was approved by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the
Twelve, with the absence of President David O McKay, who was not present due to
health reasons, and President Harold B Lee. When President Lee returned, he
argued against the policy change and demanded another vote. This time,
President Lee convinced enough of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve
that the policy could not be changed without an explicit divine revelation, and
President Brown’s proposal was rejected.21
To clarify the Church’s position on the issue, the First Presidency issued a
letter to all Bishops and Stake Presidents, saying that: “Negroes...[are] not
yet to receive the Priesthood, for reasons which we believe are known to God,
but which He has not made fully known to man...[However], sometime in God’s
eternal plan, the negro will be given the right to hold the Priesthood.”[15]
Over the following nine years, the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve
began to feel increasingly uncomfortable with the policy of excluding black men
from the Priesthood and did not feel that it was a policy which God approved
of. However, they were also very reluctant and hesitant to reverse a policy
which had been a part of the Church’s teachings for over a hundred years, since
the time of Brigham Young. Therefore, they decided collectively to pray and
enquire of God. In response to their plea for knowledge and guidance, they
received a divine revelation instructing them to end the practice of excluding
black men from the Priesthood.
Intriguingly,
one of those present when this revelation was received was Bruce R McConkie,
one of those General Authorities who had been most adamant that blacks should
not be given the Priesthood. Following the divine revelation in 1978, he said:
“Forget everything that I have said, or what President Brigham Young or George
Q Cannon or whoever 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.”[16]
Since 1978, the blessings of the Priesthood have been extended to all worthy
male members of the Church without regard for race or lineage. Some might
wonder why God waited a hundred years before telling the Brethren to cease
restricting black members from holding the Priesthood. The answer is quite
simple: nobody thought it was an issue for a hundred years, and therefore
nobody thought to ask. God would never have answered Joseph Smith if he hadn’t
gone to the Sacred Grove with a question to ask. He would never have told Nephi
the interpretation of Lehi’s vision if Nephi hadn’t asked. Similarly, when this
practice became an accepted part of the Church, nobody thought to question it
for a very long time. It was only as Spencer W Kimball became so confused by
the seemingly un-Christlike practice that the First Presidency and Quorum of
the Twelve knelt together in prayer and earnestly sought the will of the Lord.
And in accordance with His promises throughout the scriptures, when they asked,
He answered.
I use this example of blacks and the
Priesthood because it highlights a very important truth: Church leaders can get
things wrong. They can make mistakes, they can speculate and theorise and come
up with the wrong conclusions, but this
does not mean that they are not divinely appointed Prophets of God. I
sustain the Brethren, and I admire them as very wise, capable men and inspired
leaders. But I do not expect them to be perfect. They struggle with a very
strenuous and difficult calling. I sympathise with them and I can honestly say
they do a much better job of leading this Church than I could ever do. Much of
the time, they must use their own judgement and talents to fulfil their
calling. Those talents are very capable, but they are also limited. Naturally,
they will get things wrong from time to time. But, as evidenced by the 1978
revelation, when they are open to the whisperings of the Spirit, and take
important issues and concerns before the Lord, He answers them. God really does
speak to modern Prophets. As I pointed out earlier, I cannot give anybody a
testimony of the prophetic calling of Joseph Smith or Wilford Woodruff or
Spencer W Kimball or Thomas S Monson. Only God can do that. But hopefully,
through the things I have written, I have helped whoever reads this to
understand these men better, and to better understand what it means to be a
Prophet. For those who have received a testimony of the divine calling of these
men but who have been confused and concerned by these issues, I hope this has
been helpful. In conclusion, I would like to echo the words of President Gordon
B Hinckley: “We recognise that our forbears were human. They doubtless made
mistakes...There was only one perfect man who ever walked the earth. The Lord
has used imperfect people in the process of building His perfect society. If
some of them...stumbled, or if their characters may have been...flawed in one
way or another, the wonder is the greater that they accomplished so much.”[17]
[1] Minutes of the Seventies Journal, Hazen Aldrich, entry for 20
December 1836.
[2] William L Appleby, letter to Brigham Young, 2 June 1847
[3] History of the Church, Vol. 6, Ch. 8, p. 197-198
[4] Messenger and Advocate,
Volume 2, Number 7
[5] D&C 134:12
[6] History of the Church, 4:544
[7] Speech of Elder Orson Hyde upon the course and conduct of Mr S
Rigdon, Nauvoo: Times and Seasons Press, 1845
[8] Bringhurst, Newell G. (1981), Saints,
Slaves and Blacks: The Changing Place of Black People within Mormonism,
Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press
[9] Hirshson, Stanley P. (1969), The
Lion of the Lord: A Biography of Brigham Young, Knopf
[10] Bush, Lester E.; Mauss, Armand L. (1984) Neither White nor Black
[11]Brigham Young, Address to the Territorial Legislature, 16 January
1852, recorded in Wilford Woodruff’s journal of the same date
[12] Mormon Doctrine, 10th
printing, p. 527-528
[13] Joseph Fielding Smith, The
Way to Perfection, Genealogical Society of Utah, 1935, p. 101-102
[14] Quinn, Michael D. The Mormon
Hierarchy: Extensions of Power, 1994, Salt Lake City: Signature Books, p.
14
[15] ‘The First Presidency on the Rights of the Negro’, 15 December 1969
[16] Horne, Dennis B. (2000). Bruce
R McConkie: Highlights From His Life and Teachings. Eborn Books
[17] ‘The Continuous Pursuit of Truth’, Ensign, April 1986, p. 5
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