Matthew S. Turley, Mormon Missionary, Tragically Killed Yesterday In Argentina; Still No Official Mention Of His Death On LDS.ORG!!

Elder Matthew S. Turley and Elder Tyler A. Watts, from left to right.

***Update***4/27/06-Well, none of us should be surprised!! I knew it was too good to be true, that the Mormon Church would continue to honor the death of Matthew Turley, a Mormon Missionary, by making him the number one news story, on either one of their news sections. As pointed out below in my other updates, he wasn't originally number one, until after I wrote this post blasting them for it, as I've been doing since December, when Benjamin Ellsworth died and wasn't even mentioned on LDS.ORG.

Sadly, in the section "News for members and friends of the Church", where Matthew Turley's death, mysteriously rose to number one, after being number 2 the day before, he has now fallen to number 3 in about a day's time. So what was it that suddenly and quickly became more important than the life of this missionary? Well, the number one story is now, "Number 4,000 for Music and the Spoken Word" and the number 2 story is, "Elder Kikuchi Encourages Korean, Japanese Students." So, how many damn shows the MOTAB has done and Elder Kikuchi speaking, are now more important than a missionary that died and it only took one day for this to happen?

It even gets worse on the other news page, "Newsroom for news media" where the prime story on the front page is "United Way Honors Church Leader" and where Matthew Turley was already 2nd and has now fallen to 4th. I predict within a few more days, he wont even be on the main page of either news pages, if they have to create new news stories or pull them out of their ass to do it. The quicker this news goes away, of a missionary dying and not being protected by the Lord or his garments, the better, right? That's obviously what they are doing and I'm just here to point it out to everyone, as I always do.

Come on everybody, read this post, think about what I'm writing, hell, even ponder and pray about it if you are a TBM and you'll know that what I'm saying is true.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, that these men know no shame and will do whatever it takes to keep the big corporate money machine, that is masquerading as a church, running at full steam. Speaking of running at full steam, I wonder how Boyd K. Packer's little factory is doing, or if he has been fondling it, making it speed up lately.

Yeah, that's the kind of bullshit these pathetic, so called "men of God", care about, not whether a missionary died. The Mormon Church and the Mormon Hierarchy, all the way to Gordon B. Hinckley himself, are an unbelievable disgrace!! When will the masses realize that the Church doesn't give a tinkers damn about them, their family, their missionaries or anybody, but their image, shopping malls, luxury resorts and filthy lucre? Hopefully sooner than later!!

WAKE UP EVERYBODY AND SEE THE LIGHT!!

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***Update***4/25/06-Wow!! Did the Church actually read my blog and respond or what? Suddenly, the number 2 story on their "News for members and friends of the Church" page, became the number one story and the number one story, fell to number 2. They have never done this one time, that I've seen in the last 10 months. Now, on their "Newsroom for news media" page(formerly "mistakes in the media" page), Matthew Turley's tragic death is still number 2, as it was yesterday, behind the article, "Church Supports Call for Constitutional Amendment."

I'm amazed that the Mormon Church actually put the missionary death first, on either of their news sections. Whether it was my influence or somebody else's, it doesn't matter, as I'm just grateful, that this missionary, Matthew Turley, and his family, are being honored by having a link to his tragic accident on the homepage of LDS.ORG, where it belongs and belonged yesterday. That is all I wanted!! Honor this young man and his family for his ultimate sacrifice!!

Whether they were shamed into it or not, at least they eventually did the right thing for this man and his family. Now, let's see how long it stays there. I'll keep everyone posted on that.***

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***Update***4/24/06-Believe it or not, the Mormon Church, has actually, finally, reported the death of this missionary on their website. His companion was from Utah, so maybe that had something to do with it? It wasn't there earlier, but it is now. My blog, sadly, reported it before they did and hopefully my blog maybe forced them or persuaded them to actually report it this time, which is not customary at all, for the Mormon Hierarchy.

After all, I have people from Church headquarters and BYU(FARMS), reading my blog on a daily basis, for hours at a time, so maybe they caught this post and reacted quickly. They(The Mormon Hierarchy) strongly prefer and try, to sweep all missionary deaths under the carpet, as they aren't faith promoting and may affect future recruits into their cult, especially future missionary recruits.

Still no mention of Benjamin Ellsworth, who was killed in December and Joel Galindo Flores, who was killed in Mexico 11/9/2005 when he was also hit by car. That is just 2 of the hundreds of missionaries killed, that the Church doesn't mention, honor, acknowledge or respect in anyway whatsoever. The Mormon Church has no memorial, no memoriam, nada, zilch, honoring these poor young men and women, who died trying to convert more people into their damn cult.

Where is the compassion and the love? Where is their public show and display of gratitude, for these young men and women that have made the ultimate sacrifice for their damn lies and fairy tales? These young men and women, (along with their families), believed with their heart and soul, that they were representatives of Jesus Christ, also that they would be protected during their mission, but at the same time, were willing to die for Hinckley and the Mormon Church and well, they did, sadly die, in the service of the Mormon Church/Cult.

Let me also point out a couple of things to everyone that you may or may not have noticed, that irritate the living, holy hell out of me and I find them to be absolutely reprehensible and disgusting.

First of all, this story of Matthew Turley's death, is 2nd, yes 2nd, in the Mormon Church's current stories. In other words, take a look, under "NEWSROOM", as this story doesn't appear on the home page of LDS.ORG, which only lists the "NUMBER ONE STORY." The number one story, is the homophobic/bigoted story, entitled, "Church Supports Call for Constitutional Amendment."

Secondly, on the actual page, of the story, of Matthew Turley's death, it is the same article, word for word, as reported on KSL. But the big thing to me, and the most despicable thing, is that once again, accompanying this article, under
"DETAILED INFORMATION", it lists:

Elder Ballard Speaks on Missionary Safety

So, once again, even when a missionary dies, the Church wants to reassure future missionaries and their families, that the Church is doing all that they can, with the inspiration of the Lord and inspired Mission Presidents, to keep them safe and oh yeah, "THE WORK WILL GO FORWARD NO MATTER WHAT!! All they care about is image and more baptisms from more missionaries and the bottom line. They love quoting the trash talking, Joseph Smith worshiping, hard-ass Ballard, who (supposedly) wouldn't care if someone he loved, died for the Mormon cause.

Let's refresh everyone's mind on exactly, word for word, what the pathetic Mormon Apostle M. Russell Ballard said, right after Morgan Young and the 2 missionaries in New Zealand were killed:

This work will continue to go forward regardless of what happens, regardless of what the future may hold. If there are other missionaries that are hurt or other missionaries that are killed, it will not stop this work. Joseph Smith made that abundantly clear that there would be nothing that would stop this work from rolling forward till the Great Jehovah comes forward and says the work is done. And He hasn't said that yet.

Elder M. Russell Ballard-Member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Audio of the remark

Text of the remark

Now, that's love and compassion for grieving families, isn't it? What a sad commentary on these pathetic men, that purport to be Prophets, Seers and Revelators!!***
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Well guys, I'm sorry to report once again, that yet another missionary has died and like Benjamin Ellsworth, who died in December, it was in Argentina, where I served my mission and almost died myself, while serving the Mormon cult.

Also, like Benjamin Ellsworth and most other missionaries that have died; no mention on LDS.ORG. Frankly, since it happened so far away, and the missionary wasn't from Utah, I highly doubt that they will even mention it at all, at any point, on LDS.ORG, like the majority of missionary deaths. If he was from Bountiful Utah, their backyard, they'd be all over it and be going to his funeral, with cameras snapping, like Morgan Young, when he died. One also has to wonder, as I've mentioned before, why aren't the holy, sacred garments of God protecting these poor, young, supposed servants and direct representatives of Jesus Christ?

I'll be doing more in the very near future on what the Church has "OFFICIALLY" said about how the garments protect you from harm and from SATAN. Of course, it always hinges on your obedience, which is a travesty to these missionaries that are dying. Just to insinuate that, "if they would have been worthy, their garments would have protected them", is asinine and outright evil and an amazing deception.

The "obedience" factor, is always the Church's escape hatch, back door, or way out of any promise or blessing(health, Patriarchal, etc), that doesn't come true. It's the ultimate bail out and cover all(or how they cover their ass!!). Also, where was the supposed inspiration from Gordon B. Hinckley, the current Mormon Prophet, Seer and Revelator. The Mormon God, must have been out hitting the links on Kolob or something......or Gordon B. Hinckley isn't a Prophet at all? You think?

I wish more people, specifically, you TBMS, would get a clue and connect the dots. It's time to quit sending your kids on missions, thinking that they will be protected by garments, a Prophet or the Mormon God. 6 missionaries have died since November and nobody saw it coming and the garments did nothing.

I will sadly and unfortunately, be adding Matthew Turley to my missionary memoriam page later today. By the way, Where is the Mormon Churches "Missionary Memoriam Page?" Oh yeah, that's right, they don't have one, because they don't give a damn about who dies and who gets sick(Ballard), the work will go forward because Ol'Joe said so....how sad!!

Now, as I pointed out in the title to this post, there was no mention of this on LDS.ORG and I found out through the News Media once again, as the Church made their announcement through KSL TV, which they own and only people in Utah or surrounding areas are able to see. The story was brief, to the point and they moved right on to the next story, like it was nothing. I find this appalling!! Here is the story on KSL.COM:

LDS Missionary Killed by Drunk Driver

April 24th, 2006 @ 4:23pm

(KSL News) -- A missionary serving The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Argentina was killed yesterday by a drunk driver.

The incident happened in San Luis. The victim is Elder Matthew Turley of Ridgefield, Connecticut. His companion, Elder Tyler Watts, of West Valley City was also hit but is expected to make a full recovery.

The missionaries were walking on a path beside a street when they were hit from behind by a drunk driver on the wrong side of the road.

Elder Turley had served for 21 months, Elder Watts for 17.

LDS Church spokesman Dale bills said, "We extend our deepest sympathies to the family of Elder Turley. We pray that the Lord will comfort them as they mourn his loss. Our prayers are also with Elder Watts and his family as he recovers from his injuries."

Here is the article from the local Argentina Newspaper, for those of you that speak Spanish. I linked to it at the bottom, but you may need to register, as I did, in order to enter. However, here is the entire article, word for word.

ACCIDENTE EN LA AVENIDA SARMIENTO DE SAN LUIS

Alcoholizado, un automovilista embistió a un joven mormón y lo mató

Fue ayer a la mañana. (April 24, 2006) El conductor del auto abandonó la escena del accidente y lo interceptaron a las pocas cuadras.

Un accidente fatal, donde según asegura la Policía una vez más estuvo presente el alcohol como desencadenante de la desgracia, ocurrió ayer a la mañana en avenida Sarmiento, en las proximidades de la esquina con calle Córdoba, en el sector este de San Luis. La víctima es un misionero estadounidense que murió en el instante, al ser embestido desde atrás por un automóvil.

El trágico episodio sucedió alrededor de las 9, a metros del inicio de una bajada situada a poca distancia de calle Felipe Velázquez. El fallecido fue identificado como Mattew Scott Turley, de 19 años, quien en el momento de ser arrollado caminaba junto a otro religioso que también sufrió lesiones y está fuera de peligro. Se trata de Watts Tailor, de 20 años y domiciliado en calle Colón al 245.

La absurda muerte del consejero de la Iglesia Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Días, sucedió en circunstancias en que a pie se dirigía junto a su compañero a cumplir con una de las habituales visitas a una de las familias de esa comunidad religiosa. Los dos mormones transitaban por el costado oeste de Sarmiento, es decir que de frente podían ver los vehículos que bajaban.

Pero la fatalidad sorprendió a Turley por la espalda, ya que sin darle lugar a la más mínima reacción, tanto él como Tailor fueron arrollados por el Volkswagen Senda dominio WJF 823 que conducía Daniel Hipólito Martín, de 27 años y con domicilio en avenida Centenario 148, en San Luis.

De acuerdo a la reconstrucción de la tragedia que hace el área de Accidentología Vial del Cuerpo de Tránsito, el VW Senda se desplazaba por Sarmiento de sur a norte y antes de llegar al cruce con calle Córdoba, Martín perdió el control del volante y abruptamente se desvió hacia el carril contrario, embistiendo a los dos misioneros.

Tailor tuvo un poco más de fortuna, porque tras ser golpeado por el costado izquierdo fue despedido hacia la vereda. Sin embargo no ocurrió lo mismo con el muchacho de 19 años, que después de golpear con violencia contra el capó fue arrastrado más de 20 metros.

El estadounidense sufrió golpes en todo el cuerpo, pero las lesiones irreversibles las padeció en la cabeza. “Le partió el cráneo”, sintetizó uno de los peritos policiales, para indicar seguidamente que en el lugar donde quedó tendido, quedó una gran mancha de sangre debido a las fatales lesiones internas y cortes en el cuero cabelludo.

El otro misionero fue hospitalizado y por la tarde fue dado de alta, por lo que de inmediato iba a ser trasladado a Accidentología Vial, para tomarle la correspondiente declaración testimonial.

La situación de Martín se presenta como muy complicada. Algunos testigos del drama le hicieron conocer a la Policía que “tras despedir el cuerpo de Turley se detuvo, bajó y se fue”, apuntó un vocero policial. Minutos más tarde fue interceptado frente a la parroquia Nuestra Señora del Carmen.

En la dependencia con sede en calle Falucho, detrás de la Comisaría 1ª, se le efectuó la prueba de alcotest y el resultado fue positivo, según confió una fuente del sector. Quedó detenido acusado de “Homicidio culposo en accidente de tránsito” y a disposición del Juzgado en lo Penal y Correccional Nº 3.

El sumario además de la prueba de alcotest, comprende vistas fotográficas, plano del escenario del hecho y pericias mecánicas.

http://www.eldiariodelarepublica.com/060424/13.php

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Here is the article and link to the story that is currently on the Deseret News website:

Car strikes, kills LDS missionary in Argentina

Companion from W.V. injured by drunken driver

By Ben Winslow
Deseret Morning News

An LDS missionary in Argentina was killed and his companion was injured when they were hit by a drunken driver while walking to meet a family and accompany them to Sunday services.

Matthew S. Turley, 21, of Ridgefield, Conn., and Elder Tyler A. Watts, 20, of West Valley City, were walking on a path beside a street in San Luis, Argentina, when they were struck from behind by a drunken driver who was on the wrong side of the road, said Dale Bills, a spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"We extend our deepest sympathies to the family of Elder Turley," Bills said Monday. "We pray that the Lord will comfort them as they mourn his loss."

Elder Turley's father, Scott Turley, told KSL-TV his son was "a very determined young man in all he did, and his mission was no exception."

In 2002, Elder Turley made headlines as a high school athlete who refused to play in a state high school championship football game because it was on a Sunday. As a practicing Mormon, he told the News-Times in Ridgefield, Conn., "I've never faced a decision of this magnitude."

The missionaries were on their way to meet a family who was preparing for a baptism and were to accompany them to church services, said Salt Lake Granger South Stake President Roger Nordgren, who oversees the Watts family's West Valley ward.

The Watts family "is obviously grateful that their son wasn't injured more seriously," Nordgren said.

The Argentinian newspaper El Diario de la Republica reported Monday that Daniel Hipolito Martin, 27, was detained on charges of automobile homicide. The newspaper said Martin fled the scene of the crash and was found a couple of blocks away, and police said Martin tested positive for alcohol use.

Describing a bloody scene, El Diario de la Republica published crash-scene photographs of a blue Volkswagen with a shattered front windshield. The Spanish-language newspaper said Turley was dragged for 20 meters and died of head injuries.

Elder Watts was treated and released from a local hospital and is expected to make a full recovery, the LDS Church said. Local church members were helping him. The Watts family spoke to him Sunday night.

"He was able to walk," Nordgren said. "He said he was doing well under the circumstances."

Elder Turley had served in the Argentina Mendoza Mission for 21 months, Elder Watts had served 17.
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E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com

I wish Matthew Turley's Family and friends, the very best and I sincerely hope that they can overcome this tragedy and somehow find a way to move forward, the best way that they can. I can't even imagine the hell and suffering that they must be going through after such an unexpected, tragic death and loss.

Samuel the Utahnite

Gordon B. Hinckley, Mormon Prophet Of God, Makes It Crystal Clear, That Brigham Young And Many Others, Weren't Prophets Of God!!Is He Being Sincere?!!

MP3 File

Well, in the Mormon General Priesthood session, Saturday night, Gordon B. Hinckley said the following, and please listen to the audio clip above, to hear it for yourself and in its entirety:

"I remind you that no man who makes disparaging remarks concerning those of another race can consider himself a true disciple of Christ, nor can he consider himself to be in harmony with the teachings of the Church of Christ. How can any man, holding the Melchizedek Priesthood, arrogantly assume that he is eligible for the Priesthood while another who lives a righteous life but whose skin is of a different color is ineligible."

Now, we need to decide if he was sincere and what the implications are of his words. Allow me to post many of the things that Hinckley has said regarding racism in the past in his public interviews. This may help us understand what priority he has given this issue in the past and it will help us to decide if he really cares or not. I'm also including the statements that he has made about people like me, or anyone that openly questions the Church, it's doctrine, or it's leaders.

After that, I'm going to include the exact words of previous leaders, such as Brigham Young for example, and then, you can decide for yourself, if these men were "true disciples of Christ" or if anyone can "consider them to be harmony with the teachings of the Church of Christ." It's not hard folks to figure this one out. Also, let's consider the ramifications of what Hinckley said, if Brigham Young and others were not "true disciples of Christ" and held the title of Prophet or Apostles. What would that make Gordon B. Hinckley?

Hinckley had the following exchange with Larry King:

Larry King: Are people ever thrown out of your church?

Gordon B. Hinckley: Yes.

Larry King: For?

Gordon B. Hinckley: Doing what they shouldn't do, preaching false doctrine, speaking out publicly. They can carry all the opinion they wish within their heads, so to speak, but if they begin to try to persuade others, then they may be called in to a disciplinary council. We don't excommunicate many, but we do some.

Larry King: Concerning morality, in the past, the church has had some problems in this area. One was the racial area.

Gordon B. Hinckley: Yes.

Larry King: The story was that blacks couldn't attain any hierarchy.

Gordon B. Hinckley: Right.

Larry King: Has that changed?

Gordon B. Hinckley: Yes, it has. In 1978 that was changed. We now work strongly among the blacks. I have been to Africa recently up and down that continent meeting with wonderful people, great leaders. All of our local leaders are local people who work on a volunteer basis. None of them is paid.

Larry King: Could there someday be a black president?

Gordon B. Hinckley: Oh, it could be. It's conceivable, yes.

Larry King: Just as there could be a black pope someday?

Gordon B. Hinckley: Sure.

Larry King: So that's all equal.

Gordon B. Hinckley: Yes, all equal.

http://www.tungate.com/lking1.htm

Here was an exchange from an interview, with a German reporter, during the Olympics, regarding speaking out and blacks not having the Priesthood:

REPORTER:

YOUR MISSIONARIES…IS VERY SUCCESSFUL. I READ AND HEARD. BUT WHY DO YOU NEVER PUBLISH THE FIGURES OF DISSIDENTS?

HINCKLEY:

OF DISSIDENTS?

REPORTER:

YES.

HINCKLEY:

OH, WE HAVE A FEW DISSIDENTS. WE HEAR FROM THEM. THEY'RE NOT QUIET, THEY MAKE THEMSELVES KNOWN, BUT WE DON'T HAVE MANY DISSIDENTS, REALLY. VERY FEW.

REPORTER:

VERY FEW.

HINCKLEY:

THEY'RE NOT…THEY'RE VERY FEW, REALLY. ONCE IN A WHILE, NOT FREQUENTLY AT ALL. NO. OUR PEOPLE ARE VERY CONGENIAL, HAPPY PEOPLE. WE WORK TOGETHER, AND HAVE A GOOD TIME, AND FEEL THEY BELONG TO A GREAT ORGANIZATION. LOVE ONE ANOTHER. AND ENJOY LIFE. WHETHER THEY'RE GERMANS, AMERICANS, SCANDINAVIANS, JAPANESE, AUSTRALIANS, IT'S THE SAME EVERYWHERE.

REPORTER:

UNTIL 1978, NO PERSON OF COLOR ATTAINED PRIESTHOOD IN YOUR CHURCH. WHY IT TOOK SO LONG TIME TO OVERCOME THE RACISM?

HINCKLEY:

I DON'T KNOW. I DON'T KNOW. I CAN ONLY SAY THAT. BUT IT'S…WE'RE…IT'S HERE NOW. WE'RE CARRYING ON A VERY EXTENSIVE WORK IN AFRICA, FOR INSTANCE. WE'RE CARRYING A VERY SUBSTANTIAL WORK IN BRAZIL. WE'RE WORKING AMONG THESE PEOPLE, WE'RE DEVELOPING THEM. UH, WE'VE HAVE THEM AMONG THE LEADERSHIP OF THE CHURCH. AND THEY'RE ABLE, THEY DO A GREAT WORK, AND WE LOVE THEM, AND APPRECIATE THEM. AND RESPECT THEM, AND ARE TRYING TO HELP THEM.

You can actually watch this interview, if you haven't seen it, in order to 100% verify that he said what it says he said:

http://www.mormonchallenge.com/hinckley.htm

Now, here was an interview that Hinckley did with the Compass in November of 1997. If my memory serves me correctly, this interview was over in Australia I believe.

DR: There does seem to be though an uncritical acceptance of a conformist style?

Gordon B. Hinckley: Uncritical? No. Not uncritical. People think in a very critical way before they come into this Church. When they come into this Church they’re expected to conform. And they find happiness in that conformity.

DR: But not allowed to question?

Gordon B. Hinckley: If what?

DR: They’re not allowed to question?

Gordon B. Hinckley: Oh they are allowed to question. Look - this Church came of intellectual dissent. We maintain the largest private university in America.

DR: And that continues to this day?

Gordon B. Hinckley: 27,000 students.

DR: And that dissent continues to that this day?

Gordon B. Hinckley: Oh absolutely, absolutely. We expect people to think for themselves. Now, if they get off and begin to fight the Church and that sort of thing as one or two do now and again, we simply disfellowship them and go our way. But those cases are really very, very few.

DR: Now up until 1978 I understand Blacks were not allowed to be priests in your Church?

Gordon B. Hinckley: That is correct. Although we have Black members of the Church. They felt that they would gain more in this Church than any other with which they were acquainted and they were members of the Church. In 1978 we (the president of the Church) received a revelation under which all worthy men would receive all the blessings of the Church available to them as well as to any others. So across the world now we are teaching the Gospel to Blacks, Whites, everyone else who will listen.

DR: So in retrospect was the Church wrong in that?

Gordon B. Hinckley: No I don’t think it was wrong. It things, various things happened in different periods. There’s a reason for them.

DR: What was the reason for that?

Gordon B. Hinckley: I don’t know what the reason was. But I know that we’ve rectified whatever may have appeared to be wrong at that time.

DR: Is it a problem for the Church that it it still has a tag of being racist?

Gordon B. Hinckley: No I don’t think so. I don’t see that anywhere. I’ve been to Africa. I’ve been to other places. I don’t see any evidence of that any more. There’s some misconception of course that among some people. But I don’t see much evidence of that any more.

http://www.tungate.com/1997_nov_compass.htm

Now, the best view of Hinckley's attitude toward the blacks not having the Priesthood was in the Mike Wallace interview on 60 minutes, in 1996. This was quoted in the White Wash article, that led me to further research.

MW: From 1830 to 1978, blacks could not become priests in the Mormon Church. Right?

GBH: That's correct.

MW: Why?

GBH: Because the leaders of the church at that time interpreted that doctrine that way. [cut]

MW: Church policy had it that blacks had the mark of Cain. Brigham Young said, "Cain slew his brother, and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat nose and black skin."

GBH: It's behind us. Look, that's behind us. Don't worry about those little flecks of history.

MW: Skeptics will suggest, "Well, look, if we're going to expand, we can't keep the blacks out."

GBH: Pure speculation. [Laughs.]

MW [voiceover, footage of people in church]: Now that blacks can be priests, the current issue is whether Mormon women will ever be priests.

http://www.tungate.com/GBH2.htm

Okay guys and gals, there you have it!! What say you? Either Hinckley has done a 180, and suddenly cares about "those little flecks of history" or he is lying again. I mean, come on, he can't figure out what the problem is and why this racism has continued? Am I on candid camera? Could he be that dumb or that insensitive? Is he just clueless? I guess we already know the answer to that question, at least some of us do.

I just wanted to share Hinckley's exact words with everyone, regarding these issues, just in case some of you hadn't read them before. Hinckley clearly states that blacks being banned from the Priesthood, in retrospect, was not wrong, when he states: "No I don’t think it was wrong." All of this racism, is just "misconceptions."

He then goes on to say that "there were reasons for it, but doesn't know what the reasons are" and is basically clueless on this whole topic and discussion, as he proved this past Saturday night.

Then in the Mike Wallace interview, he claims that "the leaders of the church at that time interpreted that doctrine that way" and then wraps up with the classic, "It's behind us. Look, that's behind us. Don't worry about those little flecks of history."

This man is considered to be divinely called and inspired of God, when he has no clue about something so basic? I'd like to know how any of you can reach that conclusion, after reading these words and still be honest within yourself? First he knew, then he didn't, now he's shocked by this racism and bitterness and doesn't have a clue where it is coming from? Is he joking? Can somebody please clue him in, or direct him to this post?

Notice that he refers to it as DOCTRINE? It wasn't myth or folklore, it was DOCTRINE, which is a big difference. Let me re-state Hinckley's words again, from this past Saturday's Priesthood session:

"I remind you that no man who makes disparaging remarks concerning those of another race can consider himself a true disciple of Christ, nor can he consider himself to be harmony with the teachings of the Church of Christ. How can any man, holding the Melchizedek Priesthood, arrogantly assume that he is eligible for the Priesthood while another who lives a righteous life but whose skin is of a different color is ineligible."

Okay, now it is time to take a walk down memory lane, to re-visit many of the past teachings and doctrines, regarding blacks and what former Prophets and Apostles have said regarding this matter. Maybe this post will help Hinckley, to understand what the hell is going on and why there are racist attitudes in the Church. I guess we should have all realized by now, when he didn't know if God was once a man, or if the Church even teaches that; that he doesn't have a clue or is just lying for the Lord, as he always does.

Here are the exact words of supposedly inspired Prophets and Apostles of God, that Hinckley now says, are not "true disciples of Christ, nor can be considered to be in harmony with the teachings of the Church of Christ."

To appease their slave-holding neighbors, on July 16, 1833, the Mormons(Joseph Smith approved) published an article in their newspaper stating:

". . . our intention was not only to stop free people of color from emigrating to this state, but to prevent them from being admitted as members of the Church" (Evening and the Morning Star, July 16, 1833).

Writing in 1836 Joseph Smith stated:

I do not believe that the people of the North have any more right to say that the South shall not hold slaves, than the South have to say the North shall. . . . It is my privilege then to name certain passages of the Bible . . . "And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren . . ." (Gen. IX:25) . . . I can say, the curse is not yet taken off from the sons of Canaan, neither will be until it is affected by as great a power as caused it to come . . . (History of the Church, vol. 2, p. 438).

In 1842 Joseph Smith published his Book of Abraham, which is part of the Pearl of Great Price, in the church-owned Times and Seasons. This new work reflected Smith's growing racist attitude toward blacks and priesthood:

Now this king of Egypt was a descendant from the loins of Ham, . . . From this descent sprang all the Egyptians, and thus the blood of the Canaanites was preserved in the land (Pearl of Great Price, Book of Abraham 1:21-22).

Further on in the same chapter we read that Pharaoh, being a descendant of Ham, could not have the priesthood:

Now, Pharaoh being of that lineage by which he could not have the right of Priesthood . . . (Book of Abraham 1:27)

In 1845 LDS Apostle Orson Hyde explained that blacks were inferior spirits in the pre-earth state:

At the time the devil was cast out of heaven, there were some spirits that did not know who had authority, whether God or the devil. They consequently did not take a very active part on either side, but rather thought the devil had been abused, . . . These spirits were not considered bad enough to be cast down to hell, and never have bodies; neither were they considered worthy of an honourable body on this earth: . . . But those spirits in heaven that rather lent an influence to the devil, thinking he had a little the best right to govern, but did not take a very active part any way were required to come into the world and take bodies in the accursed lineage of Canaan; and hence the Negro or African race. (Speech of Elder Orson Hyde, delivered before the High Priests' Quorum, in Nauvoo, April 27, 1845, printed by John Taylor, p. 30).

After the Mormons moved west, Brigham Young, the second president of the church, became very adamant in his disapproval of blacks. Preaching in 1859, at the October Conference of the LDS Church, President Brigham Young declared:

Cain slew his brother . . . and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat nose and black skin. . . . How long is that race [blacks] to endure the dreadful curse that is upon them? That curse will remain upon them, and they never can hold the Priesthood or share in it until all the other descendants of Adam have received the promises and enjoyed the blessings of the Priesthood and the keys thereof. Until the last ones of the residue of Adam's children are brought up to that favourable position, the children of Cain cannot receive the first ordinances of the Priesthood. They were the first that were cursed, and they will be the last from whom the curse will be removed (Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p. 290).

On another occasion Brigham Young declared:

Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so (Journal of Discourses, vol. 10, p. 110).

Preaching in 1882, John Taylor, the third president of the LDS Church, taught:

Why is it, in fact, that we should have a devil? Why did not the Lord kill him long ago? . . . He needed the devil and great many of those who do his bidding just to keep . . . our dependence upon God, . . . When he destroyed the inhabitants of the antediluvian world, he suffered a descendant of Cain to come through the flood in order that he [the devil] might be properly represented upon the earth (Journal of Discourses, vol. 23, p. 336).

Writing in 1935 Apostle Joseph Fielding Smith, who later became the 10th president of the LDS Church, explained the curse on Cain:

Not only was Cain called upon to suffer [for killing Abel], but because of his wickedness he became the father of an inferior race. . . . Millions of souls have come into this world cursed with a black skin and have been denied the privilege of Priesthood and the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel. These are the descendants of Cain (The Way to Perfection, by Joseph Fielding Smith, p. 101, Genealogical Society of Utah, 1935).

Elder B. H. Roberts, of the council of Seventy, wrote:

. . . I believe that race [blacks] is the one through which it is ordained those spirits that were not valiant in the great rebellion in heaven should come; who, through their indifference or lack of integrity to righteousness, rendered themselves unworthy of the Priesthood and its powers, and hence it is withheld from them to this day (Contributor 6:297, as quoted in The Way to Perfection, p. 105).

LDS Apostle Bruce R. McConkie, son-in-law of President Joseph Fielding Smith, wrote:

Those who were less valiant in pre-existence and who thereby had certain spiritual restrictions imposed upon them during mortality are known to us as the Negroes. Such spirits are sent to earth through the lineage of Cain, the mark put upon him for his rebellion against God and his murder of Abel being a black skin (Mormon Doctrine, pp. 476-477, 1958 edition; p. 527 in the second edition in 1966).

In 1949 the LDS Church First Presidency issued an official statement on priesthood denial to blacks:

The attitude of the church with reference to the Negroes remains as it has always stood. It is not a matter of the declaration of a policy but of direct commandment from the Lord on which is founded the doctrine of the Church from the days of its organization, to the effect that Negroes may become members of the Church but that they are not entitled to the priesthood at the present time (As quoted in Black Saints in a White Church, by Jessie L. Embry, p. 24, Signature Books, 1994).

During the 1960's and early 1970's there were demonstrations and extensive articles denouncing the LDS teaching on blacks.

In January of 1963 the LDS Church announced a mission to Nigeria but it was aborted when the Nigerian Outlook printed articles attacking the Mormon position on blacks and the Nigerian government refused to grant visas to LDS missionaries.

From 1968 through 1970 students at various colleges protested against the LDS position on race. Tensions mounted against BYU and its sports department to the point that in 1969 Stanford University announced it would end participation in any sporting events with the Mormon school. The Salt Lake Tribune reported:

The Stanford University Student Senate has voted overwhelming approval of the institution's ban against sporting events with Brigham Young University over a racial question (The Salt Lake Tribune, Dec. 25, 1969).

Stanford's policy of not scheduling games with BYU stayed in place until after the 1978 revelation. Gary Bergera and Ron Priddis commented:

At the time of the [1978 priesthood] announcement, only four American blacks and a handful of Africans were enrolled at BYU. During the three years following the announcement, the number of blacks rose to eighteen American and twenty-two foreign blacks . . . As a direct result of the priesthood revision, Stanford University decided in 1979 to remove its ban against athletic competition with BYU (Brigham Young University: A House of Faith, by Gary James Bergera and Ronald Priddis, p. 303, Signature Books, 1985).

One of the problems for the Mormons regarding the priesthood restriction was their stand that anyone with black ancestry was barred.

Speaking at BYU on August 27, 1954, Apostle Mark E. Petersen explained:

We must not inter-marry with the Negro. Why? If I were to marry a Negro woman and have children by her, my children would all be cursed as to the priesthood. . . . If there is one drop of Negro blood in my children, as I have read to you, they receive the curse (Race Problems—As They Affect the Church, speech by Mark E. Petersen, BYU, August 27, 1954).

With the mixed racial profile of many people in South Africa and South America, especially Brazil, it was becoming obvious that some priesthood holders had black ancestry. LDS scholar Jessie L. Embry discussed the struggle that had been going on in Brazil:

. . . church membership in Brazil had grown enormously during the 1960's and 1970's. Determining who was black had always been a sensitive issue in the racially mixed country. In 1978 a temple, from which blacks would be excluded, was under construction (Black Saints in a White Church, p. 28).

For over a hundred years the Mormon leaders had taught that blacks could not be given the priesthood until the millennium. In 1854 Brigham Young taught:

When all the other children of Adam have had the privilege of receiving the Priesthood, and of coming into the kingdom of God, and of being redeemed from the four quarters of the earth, and have received their resurrection from the dead, then it will be time enough to remove the curse from Cain and his posterity. He deprived his brother of the privilege of pursuing his journey through life, and of extending his kingdom by multiplying upon the earth; and because he did this, he is the last to share the joys of the kingdom of God (Journal of Discourses, vol. 2, p. 143).

Here are some other miscellaneous quotes that you may find of interest, President Hinckley, since you obviously aren't aware of them:

Mormon Apostle Pratt, on the superiority of the Mormons over "Fallen Nations", including Africans:

“...among the Saints is the most likely place for these spirits to take their tabernacles, through a just and righteous parentage. They are sent to THAT PEOPLE THAT ARE THE MOST RIGHTEOUS OF ANY OTHER PEOPLE UPON THE EARTH;...THIS IS THE REASON THE LORD IS SENDING THEM HERE,... The Lord has not kept them in store for five or six thousand years past, and kept them waiting for their bodies all this time to send them among the Hottentots, the AFRICAN NEGROES, the idolatrous Hindoos, or any other of the fallen nations that dwell upon the face of the earth. They are not kept in reserve in order to come forth to receive such a DEGRADED PARENTAGE upon the earth;...” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1, p. 63)

Church leader Bruce R. McConkie, on the denial of equality for Africans:
“NEGROES IN THIS LIFE ARE DENIED THE PRIESTHOOD; under NO circumstances can they hold this delegation of authority from the Almighty. The gospel message of salvation IS NOT CARRIED AFFIRMATIVELY TO THEM... “NEGROES ARE NOT EQUAL WITH OTHER RACES WHERE THE RECEIPT OF CERTAIN SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS ARE CONCERNED...” (Mormon Doctrine, 1958, p. 477)

Future President of the Mormon church, Joseph Fielding Smith wrote:

“Not only was Cain called upon to suffer, but because of his wickedness HE BECAME THE FATHER OF AN INFERIOR RACE.” (The Way to Perfection, page 101)

More from Joseph Fielding Smith:

“There is a reason why one man is BORN BLACK and with OTHER DISADVANTAGES, while another is BORN WHITE with great advantages. The reason is that we once had an estate before we came here, and were obedient; more or less, to the laws that were given us there.” (Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 1, page 61)

The Mark of Cain

The Mormon prophet Brigham Young on the appearance of Africans:

“Cain slew his brother....and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the FLAT NOSE AND BLACK SKIN...” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 7, pages 290-291)

Besides a black skin, Africans have a black heart, according to Mormon publication Times and Seasons, edited by future prophet John Taylor:

“The descendants of Ham, besides A BLACK SKIN which has ever been a curse that has followed an apostate of the holy priesthood, as well as a BLACK HEART, have been servants to both Shem and Japheth, and the ABOLITIONISTS ARE TRYING TO MAKE VOID THE CURSE OF GOD, BUT IT WILL REQUIRE MORE POWER THAN MAN POSSESSES TO COUNTERACT THE DECREES OF ETERNAL WISDOM.” (Times and Seasons, Vol. 6, page 857)

Blacks Have Dishonorable Bodies

Apostle Orson Hyde taught that some people don't receive an "honourable body" because they sided with the Devil in a previous life:(This is a longer version of the same quote listed above.)

“At the time the devil was cast out of heaven, there were some spirits that did not know who had authority, whether God or the devil. They consequently did NOT TAKE A VERY ACTIVE PART ON EITHER SIDE, BUT RATHER THOUGHT THE DEVIL HAD BEEN ABUSED, AND CONSIDERED HE HAD RATHER THE BEST CLAIM TO THE GOVERNMENT. These spirits were not considered bad enough to be cast down to hell, and never have bodies; neither were they CONSIDERED WORTHY OF AN HONOURABLE BODY on this earth: but it came to pass that Ham, the son of Noah, saw the nakedness of his father while he lay drunk in his tent, and he with 'wicked joy,' ran like Rigdon, and made the wonderful disclosure to his brethren; while Shem and Japheth took a garment, with pity and compassion, laid it upon their shoulders—went backwards and covered their father,... The conduct of the former BROUGHT THE CURSE OF SLAVERY upon him, while that of the latter secured blessings, jurisdiction, power and dominion....Canaan, the son of Ham, received the curse; for Noah wished to place the curse as remote from himself as possible. He therefore placed it upon his grandson instead of his son. Now, it would seem cruel to force PURE celestial spirits into the world through the lineage of Canaan that had been cursed. This would be ill appropriate, putting the PRECIOUS and VILE together. But those spirits in heaven that rather LENT AN INFLUENCE to the DEVIL, thinking he had a little the best right to govern, but did not take a very active part any way were required to come into the world and take bodies information concerning the doctrine of pre-existence: “Is there reason then why the type of birth we receive in this life is not in the ACCURSED lineage of Canaan; and hence the NEGRO or African race.” (Speech of Elder Orson Hyde, delivered before the High Priests' Quorum, in Nauvoo. April 27th, 1845, printed in Liverpool, page 30)

God Darkens Sinners

According to the Book of Mormon, the church's sacred scripture, God darkens people who sin. This is the Mormon church's explanation for the color of the American Indians:

“...wherefore, as they were white, and exceeding fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people the Lord God did cause a SKIN OF BLACKNESS to come upon them.” (Book of Mormon, page 61, 2 Nephi 5, verse 21)

“And the skins of the Lamanites were DARK, according to the mark which was set upon their fathers, which WAS A CURSE upon them because of their transgression...” (Book of Mormon, page 201, Alma 3, verse 6)

“...for this people shall be scattered, and shall become a DARK, a filthy, and a loathsome people, beyond the description of that which ever hath been amongst us,...” (Book of Mormon, page 468, Mormon 5, verse 15)

The Book of Mormon, however, predicts that the Indians will repent of their sins and become white:

“...and many generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a WHITE AND DELIGHTSOME PEOPLE.” (Book of Mormon, page 102, 2 Nephi 30, verse 6. (The word "WHITE" was changed to "PURE" in later editions of the Book of Mormon))

Mormon Publication claims that sinners turn dark:

“From this it is very clear that the mark which was set upon the descendants of Cain was a SKIN OF BLACKNESS, and there can be no doubt that this was the mark that Cain himself received; in fact, it HAS BEEN NOTICED IN OUR DAY THAT MEN WHO HAVE LOST THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD, AND FROM WHOM HIS BLESSINGS HAVE BEEN WITHDRAWN, HAVE TURNED DARK TO SUCH AN EXTENT AS TO EXCITE THE COMMENTS OF ALL WHO HAVE KNOWN THEM.” (Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 26, page 635)

Scrubbing the Mark

Dark skin is God's mark and even with help from his white friends, an African can't scrub it off:

“For instance, the descendants of Cain cannot cast off their SKIN OF BLACKNESS, at once, and immediately, although every soul of them should repent,...Cain and his posterity must wear the mark which God put upon them; and his white friends may WASH THE RACE OF CAIN WITH FULLER'S SOAP EVERY DAY, THEY CANNOT WASH AWAY GOD'S MARK;...” (Mormon publication, Millennial Star, Vol. 14, page 418)

People of Color Consort with the Devil

Also from McConkie: Cain was an associate of Lucifer and is the Father of the Negros.

“Though he was a rebel and AN ASSOCIATE OF LUCIFER IN PRE-EXISTENCE, and though he was a liar from the beginning whose name was Perdition, CAIN MANAGED TO ATTAIN THE PRIVILEGE OF MORTAL BIRTH. Under Adam's tutelage, he began in this life to serve God....he came out in open rebellion, fought God, worshiped Lucifer, and slew Abel.... “As a result of his rebellion, CAIN WAS CURSED WITH A DARK SKIN; he became the father of the Negroes, and those spirits who ARE NOT WORTHY to receive the priesthood are born through his lineage. He became the first mortal to be cursed as a son of perdition. As a result of his mortal birth he is assured of a tangible body of flesh and bones in eternity, a fact which will enable him to RULE over SATAN.” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 102)

According to the 3rd president of the Mormon church, John Taylor, Cain's curse of a dark skin marks the representatives of the Devil:

“And after the flood we are told that the CURSE that had been pronounced upon Cain was continued through HAM'S WIFE, as he had married a wife of that seed. And why did it pass through the flood? because it was necessary that the DEVIL SHOULD HAVE A REPRESENTATION upon the earth as well as God;...” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 22, page 304)

Inter-racial Relationships

Brigham Young: Death to inter-racial couples:

“Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the AFRICAN RACE? If the WHITE man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the PENALTY, under the LAW OF GOD, IS DEATH ON THE SPOT. THIS WILL ALWAYS BE SO.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 10, page 110)

Slavery - A Divine Institution

A letter written by Joseph Smith, the first Mormon prophet, to the Messenger and Advocate, an early Mormon newspaper, deriding those who would end slavery.

Later, this letter was printed in "History of the Church":

“DEAR SIR: —This place (Kirtland) having recently been visited by a gentleman who advocated the principles or doctrines of those who are called ABOLITIONISTS, and his presence having created an interest in that subject, if you deem the following reflections of any service, or think they will have a tendency to correct the opinions of the Southern public,...you are at liberty to give them publicity... I FEAR that the sound might go out, that 'an Abolitionist' had held forth several times to this community,...all, except a very few, attended to their own vocations, and left the gentleman to hold forth his own arguments to nearly naked walls. I am aware that many, who PROFESS to preach the Gospel, complain against their brethren of the same faith, who reside in the South, and are ready to withdraw the hand of fellowship, because they will not renounce the principle of slavery, and raise their voice against every thing of the kind. This must be a tender point, and one which should call forth the candid reflections of all men, and more especially before they advance in an opposition calculated to lay waste the fair states of the South, and let loose upon the world a community of people, who might, peradventure, OVERRUN OUR COUNTRY, AND VIOLATE THE MOST SACRED PRINCIPLES OF HUMAN SOCIETY, CHASTITY AND VIRTUE.... I do not believe that the people of the North have any more right to say that the South shall not hold slaves, than the South have to say the North shall. “How any community can ever be excited with the CHATTER of such persons, boys and others, who are too indolent to obtain their living by honest industry, and are incapable of pursuing any occupation of a professional nature, is unaccountable to me; and when I see persons in the free states, signing documents against slavery, it is no less, in my mind, than an army of influence, and a DECLARATION OF HOSTILITIES, against the people of the South. What course can sooner divide our union? “After having expressed myself so freely upon this subject, I do not doubt, but those who have been forward in raising their voices against the South, will cry out against me as being uncharitable, unfeeling, unkind, and wholly unacquainted with the Gospel of Christ....the first mention we have of SLAVERY is found in the Holy Bible,... And so far from that prediction being averse to the mind of God, it remains as a lasting monument of the DECREE OF JEHOVAH, to the shame and confusion of all who HAVE CRIED OUT against the South, in consequence of their holding the sons of Ham in SERVITUDE.... I can say, the CURSE IS NOT YET TAKEN OFF FROM THE SONS OF CANAAN, neither will be until it is affected by as great a power as caused it to come; and the people who INTERFERE THE LEAST WITH THE PURPOSES OF GOD in this matter, will come under the LEAST CONDEMNATION BEFORE HIM; and those who are determined to pursue a course, which shows an opposition, and a feverish restlessness against the DECREES OF THE LORD, will learn, when perhaps it is too late for their own good, that God can do his own work, without the aid of those who are not dictated by His counsel.” (History of the Church, by Joseph Smith, Vol. 2, pages 436-438)

More from the Mormon newspaper "Messenger and Advocate":

“Where can be the common sense of any wishing to see the slaves of the south set at liberty,... Such a thing could not take place without corrupting all civil and wholesome society, of both the north and the south! Let the BLACKS of the south be free, and our community is overrun with paupers, and a reckless mass of human beings, uncultivated, untaught and unaccustomed to provide for themselves the necessaries of life— endangering the chastity of every female who might by chance be found in our streets—our prisons filled with convicts, and the HANG-MAN WEARIED with executing the functions of his office! This must unavoidably be the case, every rational man must admit, who has ever travelled in the slave states, or we must open our houses unfold our arms, and bid these DEGRADED AND DEGRADING sons of Canaan, a hear[t]y welcome and a free admittance to all we possess! A society of this nature, to us, is so intolerably DEGRADING, that the bare reflection causes our feelings to recoil, and our hearts to revolt....the project of EMANSIPATION IS DESTRUCTIVE TO OUR GOVERNMENT, and the notion of amalgamation is devilish!— And insensible to feeling must be the heart, and low indeed must be the mind, that would consent for a moment, to see his fair daughter, his sister, or perhaps, his bosom companion, in the embrace of a NEGRO!... (Messenger and Advocate, Vol. 2, pp. 299-301)

Brigham Young states that slavery is a divine institution:

“Ham will continue to be servant of servants, as the Lord decreed, until the curse is removed. WILL THE PRESENT STRUGGLE FREE THE SLAVE? NO; but they are now wasting away the black race by thousands.... “Treat the slaves kindly and let them live, for HAM MUST BE THE SERVANT OF SERVANTS UNTIL THE CURSE IS REMOVED. Can you destroy the decrees of the Almighty? YOU CANNOT. Yet our Christian brethren think that they are going to overthrow the sentence of the Almighty upon the seed of Ham. THEY CANNOT DO THAT, though they may kill them by thousands and tens of thousands.” (Millennial Star, Vol. 25, page 787; also published in Journal of Discourses, Vol. 10, page 250)

Abolitionists are Nigger Stealers

John Taylor, who became the third President of the Mormon Church, had this to say concerning the abolitionist Horace Greeley after Mr. Greeley visited Utah:

“... I WOULD NOT TALK TO HIM: I FELT MYSELF SUPERIOR TO SUCH A MEAN CONTEMPTIBLE CUR. I knew he was not after truth, but falsehood. “This Greeley is one of their popular characters in the East, and one that supports the stealing of NIGGERS and the underground railroad....he is one of the prominent newspaper editors in the Eastern country, and he is a POOR, MISERABLE CURSE.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 5, page 119)

While giving sermons, Brigham Young had these things to say about the abolitionists:

“The rank, rabid ABOLITIONISTS, whom I call BLACK-HEARTED Republicans, have set the whole national fabric on fire.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 10, page 110)

Denial of Equality

As part of a church instructional manual, Mormon church Historian B.H. Roberts, quoted from William B. Smith:

“Perhaps the most convincing book in JUSTIFICATION of the south in DENYING TO THE NEGRO RACE SOCIAL EQUALITY with the white race is the one written by William Benjamin Smith, entitled The Color Line, A Brief in Behalf of the Unborn, from which the following is a quotation:“'Here, then, is laid bare the news of the whole matter: Is the south JUSTIFIED in this ABSOLUTE DENIAL OF SOCIAL EQUALITY to the NEGRO, no matter what his (personal) virtues or abilities or accomplishments? “'We affirm, then that the south is ENTIRELY RIGHT in thus keeping open at all times, at all hazards, and at all sacrifices an IMPASSIBLE SOCIAL CHASM BETWEEN BLACK AND WHITE. This she must do in behalf of her blood, her essence, of the stock of her Caucasian race.... The moment the bar of ABSOLUTE SEPERATION is thrown down in the south, that moment the bloom of her spirit is BLIGHTED FOREVER,... That the negro is MARKEDLY INFERIOR to the Caucasian is proved both craniologically and by six thousand years of planet-wide experimentation; and that the commingling of INFERIOR with SUPERIOR must lower the higher is just as certain as that the half-sum of two and six is only four.' (The Color Line, pp. 7-12)” (First Year Book in the Seventy's Course in Theology, pages 231-233)

The Ideals of Segregation

Church leader Bruce R. McConkie claims that a human caste system is part of the gospel:

“Certainly the caste systems in communist countries and in India, for instance, are man made and are not based on true principles. “However, in a broad sense, CASTE SYSTEMS have their ROOT and ORIGIN in the GOSPEL itself, and when they operate according to the DIVINE DECREE, the resultant restrictions and SEGREGATION ARE RIGHT AND PROPER AND HAVE THE APPROVAL OF THE LORD. To illustrate: Cain, Ham, and the whole negro race HAVE BEEN CURSED WITH A BLACK SKIN, the mark of Cain, so they can be identified as a CASTE APART, a people with whom the other descendants of Adam should not intermarry.” (Mormon Doctrine, 1958, pp. 107-108)

The Secret Agenda of Blacks

The Mormon church owned Deseret News printed apostle and future prophet Ezra Taft Benson's words concerning civil rights:

“LOGAN, UTAH—Former agriculture secretary Ezra Taft Benson charged Friday night that the CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT in the South had been 'FOMENTED ALMOST ENTIRELY BY THE COMMUNISTS.' “Elder Benson, a member of the Council of the Twelve of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said in a speech at a public meeting here that the WHOLE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT WAS 'PHONY.'...“'The whole slogan of 'civil right' as used to make trouble in the South today, is an exact parallel to the slogan of agrarian reform' which they used in China,' he added....“'The pending 'civil rights' legislation is, I am convinced, about 10 per cent civil rights and 90 per cent a further extension of socialistic federal controls,' Elder Benson said, 'It is part of the PATTERN FOR THE COMMUNIST TAKE-OVER OF AMERICA.'“ (Deseret News, December 14, 1963)

At the 135th annual conference of the Mormon church, Apostle Benson continued his diatribe:

“'What are we doing to fight it? BEFORE I LEFT FOR EUROPE I WARNED HOW THE COMMUNISTS WERE USING THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT TO PROMOTE REVOLUTION AND EVENTUAL TAKEOVER OF THIS COUNTRY. WHEN ARE WE GOING TO WAKE UP? WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE DANGEROUS CIVIL RIGHTS AGITATION IN MISSISSIPPI? DO YOU FEAR THE DESTRUCTION OF ALL VESTIGES OF STATE GOVERNMENT? “'NOW, BRETHREN, THE LORD NEVER PROMISED THERE WOULD NOT BE TRAITORS IN THE CHURCH. WE HAVE THE IGNORANT, THE SLEEPY AND THE DECEIVED WHO PROVIDE TEMPTATIONS AND AVENUES OF APOSTASY FOR THE UNWARY AND THE UNFAITHFUL. BUT WE HAVE A PROPHET AT OUR HEAD AND HE HAS SPOKEN. NOW WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT? Do Homework “'Brethren, if we had done our homework and were faithful we could step forward at this time and help save this country.” (Salt Lake Tribune,April 7, 1965, p. A-5)

Mark E. Petersen's Racist Talk at BYU

The Mormon apostle Mark E. Petersen gave a talk at Brigham Young University in 1954 concerning race relations. Here are select parts of that talk:

“Is there reason then why the type of birth we receive in this life is not a reflection of our WORTHINESS OR LACK OF IT in the pre-existent life?...can we account in any other of way for the birth of some of the children of God in darkest AFRICA, or in flood-ridden CHINA, or among the starving hordes of INDIA, while some of the rest of us are born here in the United States? We cannot escape the conclusion that because of performance in our pre-existence some of us are born as Chinese, some as Japanese, some as Indians, some as Negroes, some as Americans, some as Latter-day Saints. THESE ARE REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS, fully in harmony with His established policy in dealing with SINNERS AND SAINTS, rewarding all according to their deeds....

Using the Chinese as an example:

“Let us consider the great mercy of God for a moment. A Chinese, born in China with A DARK SKIN, and with all the handicaps of that race seems to have little opportunity. But think of the mercy of God to Chinese people who are willing to accept the gospel. IN SPITE OF WHATEVER THEY MIGHT HAVE DONE IN THE PRE-EXISTENCE TO JUSTIFY BEING BORN OVER THERE AS CHINAMEN, if they now, in this life, accept the gospel and live it the rest of their lives they can have the Priesthood, go to the temple and receive endowments and sealings, and that means they can have exaltation. Isn't the mercy of God marvelous?

Concerning Africans:

“Think of the Negro, CURSED AS TO THE PRIESTHOOD.... This Negro, who, in the pre-existence lived the type of life which justified the Lord in sending him to the earth in the lineage of Cain with a BLACK SKIN, and possibly being born in darkest Africa—if that Negro is willing when he hears the gospel to accept it, he may have many of the blessings of the gospel. IN SPITE OF ALL HE DID IN THE PRE-EXISTENT LIFE, the Lord is willing, if the Negro accepts the gospel with real, sincere faith, and is really converted, to give him the blessings of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. If that Negro is faithful all his days, he can and will enter the celestial kingdom. He will go there AS A SERVANT, but he will get celestial glory.”

On civil rights. What people of African decent want:

“The discussion on civil rights, especially over the last 20 years, has drawn some very sharp lines. It has blinded the thinking of some of our own people, I believe. They have allowed their political affiliations to color their thinking to some extent, and then, of course, they have been persuaded by some of the arguments that have been put forth.... We who teach in the Church certainly must have our feet on the ground and not be led astray by the philosophies of men on this subject... “I think I have read enough to give you an idea of what the Negro is after. He is not just seeking the opportunity of sitting down in a cafe where white people eat. He isn't just trying to ride on the same streetcar or the same Pullman car with white people. It isn't that he just desires to go to the same theater as the white people. From this, and other interviews I have read, it appears that the Negro seeks absorption with the white race. He will not be satisfied until he achieves it by intermarriage. That is his objective and we must face it. We must not allow our feeling to carry us away, nor must we feel so sorry for Negroes that we will open our arms and embrace them with everything we have. Remember the little statement that we used to say about sin, 'First we pity, then endure, then embrace.'...

On segregation. A Godly principle:

“Now let's talk SEGREGATION again for a few moments. Was segregation a wrong principle? When the Lord chose the nations to which the spirits were to come, determining that some would be Japanese and some would be Chinese and some Negroes and some Americans, He engaged in an act of SEGREGATION.... When he told Enoch not to preach the gospel to the descendants of Cain who were BLACK, the Lord engaged in SEGREGATION. When He CURSED the descendants of Cain as to the Priesthood, He engaged in SEGREGATION.... “Who placed the Negroes originally in darkest Africa? Was it some man, or was it God? And when He placed them there, He SEGREGATED them....The Lord segregated the people both as to blood and place of residence. At least in the cases of the Lamanites and the Negroes we have the definite word of the Lord Himself that He placed a dark skin upon them as a curse—as a punishment and as a sign to all others. He forbade intermarriage with them under threat of extension of the curse. (2 Nephi 5:21) And He certainly SEGREGATED the descendants of Cain when He cursed the Negro as to the Priesthood, and drew an absolute line. You may even say He dropped an Iron curtain there....

Mr. Mark E. Petersen would that every person of African decent drive a Cadillac:

“Now we are generous with the Negro. We are willing that the Negro have the highest kind of education. I would be willing to let every Negro drive a Cadillac if they could afford it. I would be willing that they have all the advantages they can get out of life in the world. BUT LET THEM ENJOY THESE THINGS AMONG THEMSELVES, I think the Lord segregated the Negro and who is man to change that segregation? It reminds me of the scripture on marriage, 'what God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.' Only here we have the reverse of the thing— WHAT GOD HATH SEPARATED, LET NOT MAN BRING TOGETHER AGAIN.” (Race Problems as They Affect the Church, an address by Apostle Mark E. Petersen, delivered at the Convention of Teachers of Religion on the College Level, Brigham Young University, August 27,1954)

Yet on June 9, 1978, the Mormon Church's Deseret News carried a startling announcement by the First Presidency of the church that stated a new revelation had been given and that blacks would now be allowed to hold the priesthood. Although the ban was lifted in June, the declaration was not presented to the church for formal acceptance until September 30, 1978 at the Fall Conference.

N. Eldon Tanner, counselor to President Kimball, read the declaration to the congregation:

To Whom It May Concern:

On September 30, 1978, at the 148th Semi-annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the following was presented by President N. Eldon Tanner, First Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church:

In early June of this year, the First Presidency announced that a revelation had been received by President Spencer W. Kimball extending priesthood and temple blessings to all worthy male members of the Church. President Kimball has asked that I advise the conference that after he had received this revelation, which came to him after extended meditation and prayer in the sacred rooms of the holy temple, he presented it to his counselors, who accepted it and approved it. It was then presented to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who unanimously approved it, and was subsequently presented to all other General Authorities, who likewise approved it unanimously.

N. Eldon Tanner then read President Kimball's letter to the priesthood:
Dear Brethren:

As we have witnessed the expansion of the work of the Lord over the earth . . . This, in turn, has inspired us with a desire to extend to every worthy member of the Church all of the privileges and blessings which the gospel affords.
Aware of the promises made by the prophets and presidents of the Church who have preceded us that at some time, in God's eternal plan, all of our brethren who are worthy may receive the priesthood, . . . we have pleaded long and earnestly in behalf of these, our faithful brethren, spending many hours in the Upper Room of the Temple supplicating the Lord for divine guidance.

He has heard our prayers, and by revelation has confirmed that the long-promised day has come when every faithful, worthy man in the Church may receive the holy priesthood, . . . Accordingly, all worthy male members of the Church may be ordained to the priesthood without regard for race or color. . . .
Sincerely yours,

SPENCER W. KIMBALL N. ELDON TANNER MARION G. ROMNEY

Was the original ban based on scripture or revelation? Many Mormons have maintained that the priesthood ban was a policy, not established by revelation. If it was only a policy, why did it take a revelation to end it?

If a revelation was received in June of 1978, why isn't the specifically worded revelation published instead of a statement about a supposed revelation? Declaration 2 is not the revelation!!

If Declaration 2 represents a revelation to the church, why wasn't it numbered with the other sections of the Doctrine and Covenants? The two Declarations at the back of the D&C seem to be policy statements putting an end to practices, but neither contains the words "thus saith the Lord" or repudiates the doctrine behind the practice. If the revelation included a repudiation of past teachings on race and color why isn't it published? Blacks are still the seed of Cain and a very merciful God finally decided not to be a racist, right?

Another contradiction is the fact that the revelation was given too early.

According to Brigham Young, the priesthood would not be given to the blacks until after the resurrection:

. . . they [descendents of Cain] never can hold the Priesthood or share in it until all the other descendants of Adam have received the promises (Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p. 290).

This was obscured in the 1978 declaration that said "Aware of the promises made by the prophets and presidents of the Church who have preceded us that at some time, in God's eternal plan, all of our brethren who are worthy may receive the priesthood." Past leaders had said that blacks would eventually receive the priesthood, but they maintained that it would be after everyone else had had a chance to receive it.

Darron Smith, a black convert, wrote:

. . . even though the priesthood ban was repealed in 1978, the discourse that constructs what blackness means is still very much intact today. . . . Hence there are Church members today who continue to summon and teach at every level of Church education the racial discourse that blacks are descendants of Cain, that they merited lesser earthly privilege because they were "fence-sitters" in the War in Heaven, and that, science and climatic factors aside, there is a link between skin color and righteousness. . . .

Further anchoring the early LDS appropriation of negative notions concerning blackness are several Book of Mormon teachings that associate dark skin with that which is vile, filthy, and evil, and white skin with that which is delightsome, pure, and good. . .

I did not find out about the priesthood ban on blacks until after I had joined the Church, and, sadly, I passed on much of the folklore while serving an LDS mission in Michigan. Looking back on that experience, I venture to say that had I known about such teachings in the Church, I might not have joined. . . .

Blacks who do move toward Mormonism should not be made to feel that blackness is synonymous with curses, marks, or indifference. And this can be accomplished only by a formal repudiation, in no uncertain terms, of all teachings about Cain, the pre-mortal unworthiness of spirits born to black bodies, and any idea that skin color is connected to righteousness ("The Persistence of Racialized Discourse in Mormonism," by Darron Smith, Sunstone, March 2003, pp. 31-33).

By the way, Darron Smith, just did a 3 part interview with John Dehlin and I highly recommend that everyone that is interested in this topic, go and listen to it. There is a place for comments and I was the first one to comment. It would be great if some "Mormon Truth" readers and listeners, would be able to listen to it and then also leave comments.

So you tell me TBMS, Gordon B. Hinckley, Apologists like Daniel C. Peterson; where could the current and past racist attitudes of Mormons have come from? It's just so damn hard to figure out, isn't it? I think that Mr. Hinckley, needs to look inward, to his own destructive, racist, bigoted cult, and it's history, to find the answers to his questions and the core of Mormonism since 1830.

At least someone finally brought this to his attention, as he mentioned last Saturday, as "clueless" or "selective memory oriented", as he seems to be. If Gordon B. Hinckley really expects that we'll believe him, that he has been completely unaware of all of this, until right now, about everything that I just put in this post; then he is a worse buffoon, than I ever thought he was or gave him credit for. If he really doesn't know any of this, then fill in the blank; Gordon B. Hinckley is a(n)..........!! Certainly Prophet of God or Prophet, Seer and Revelator, wouldn't fit into that blank.

The bottom line for me, is that either he is lying and doesn't care one whit about any of this, changed his attitude and views 180 degrees, since doing those interviews or he had actually never heard of any of these racist teachings.

Also, Hinckley clearly declared, with his statement above, that everyone I just mentioned, including Prophets and Apostles: Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, Orson Hyde, Joseph Fielding Smith, John Taylor, Bruce R. McConkie, Ezra Taft Benson, Mark E. Petersen and others, were not and could not have been "true disciple of Christ", nor can they "consider themselves to be in harmony with the teachings of the Church of Christ."

So, if this makes them unworthy to be Prophets and Apostles, now what? They weren't really men of God? They weren't inspired? So what about Hinckley today? What makes him so special, when he just stated that these past men couldn't have been "true disciples of Christ?" Was what they said inspired of God and now Hinckley is the one out of line, according to the Mormon God? Who is inspired if anybody? If Joseph was a fraud and a racist, that started these evil teachings, and passed them onto future racists/bigots/Prophets/Apostles, then how could anybody else have been a true Prophet or Apostle?

I sincerely think that the words of Hinckley last Saturday night, when pondered and compared to these quotes and teachings, and the racist history, that I just stated above, proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the Mormon Church is false, a fraud and nothing but a cruel hoax, that has been perpetuated on the world. It is a disgraceful, hurtful, divisive, bigoted and racist organization!!

Oh by the way, using Hinckley's words, if we are to truly eradicate all the racism; we have to throw out the Book of Mormon, The book of Moses, The book of Abraham and The doctrine and covenants, along with Boyd K. Packer. So what is the Church left with? Well, I guess that they always have that man Gordon B. Hinckley, who can't even figure out where this racism came from. According to his responses in the interviews that I posted above, I guess we have to throw him out too.

So, if all of that goes out the window, there is no Mormon church and no point to any of it, especially, the "we are the only true and living Church on the planet earth" BS.(D&C 1:30) When will the masses figure this out? The sooner the better!! I guess until then, they can focus on the "popcorn popping on the apricot tree" and keep singing "we thank the O God for a Prophet" and "Praise to the man."

Best wishes to all of those people that are still stuck in the Mormon Cult and I pray, that you will find your way out, to the freedom and peace that awaits you.

The truth shall set you free!!

Samuel the Utahnite