39 years ago this month, Spencer Kimball et
al. received the revelation lifting the priesthood ban on blacks. Being blunt,
while revelation was behind the revelation, the origins thereof was clearly not—it
was based on racism, pure and straight, and did not originate with Joseph
Smith. The overwhelming evidence of history proves this. I will never defend
the practice either here or elsewhere (whenever I am asked about it, I do give
the historical background to discuss and situate the ban, though I always
preface it by saying that it was a mistake, pure and straight).
Here are some must-read resources on the
issue of blacks and Mormonism:
Russel W. Stevenson, For the Cause of Righteousness: A Global History of Blacks and
Mormonism, 1830-2013
Black
and Mormon, eds. Newell G. Bringhurst and Darron T.
Smith
Matthew L. Harris and Newell G. Bringhurst,
The Mormon Church and Blacks: A
Documentary History
Armand L. Mauss, All Abraham's Children: Changing Mormon Conceptions of Race and Lineage
Connell O’Donovan, “Brigham Young, African
Americans, and Plural Marriage: Schism and the Beginnings of Black Priesthood
and Temple Denial” in The Persistence of
Polygamy: From Joseph Smith’s Martyrdom to The First Manifesto, 1844-1890, eds.
Newell G. Bringhurst and Craig L. Foster, pp. 48-86
An important article, one that was
influential in Spencer Kimball's deliberations about the priesthood restriction
(see the discussion in Edward Kimball, Lengthen
Your Stride: The Presidency of Spencer W. Kimball [Deseret Book, 2005])
would be:
Lester E. Bush, Jr. Mormonism's
Negro Doctrine: A Historical Overview
This essay, written while the restriction
was still in force, thoroughly refuted the thesis Joseph Smith introduced the
ban during the Missouri period of early LDS history
And of course, the LDS Church's Gospel
Topics essay on the restriction is well-done, too:
There are other great resources, but the above books and essays should bring someone up to speed on the topic of blacks and the priesthood restriction.
