The priesthood and why they were able to when they did. LDS ( Mormons) are not racist. There are people within the church who may be but not as a religion. Our prophets recieve their council and instruction from our Heavenly Father just as they did back in the day. If u don't believe that happens then u really can't say u believe the bible to be the word of God. The bible is all about prophets conversing and receiving instruction and revelation from God. So when a Person of the LDS faith. Makes a comment that comes out racist or crazy.. People need to be more Christlike an less judgmental on the LDS faith. The religion is what Christ taught, it's perfect. The people are not. They're only human. If you really want the truth get it in the right place. You wont feel the holy spirit stronger than when you listen to our loving prophets speak at General Conference in April and October. They are truly men of God and the spirit will testify that to you.

It's rediculous how people just believe what they hear about Mormons. If u don't want to look like a bantering fool, get the truth first. Prophets have always received word and instruction from God since Adam and Eve.. If u believe that doesn't happen still then u truly can't believe the bible. Just like someone commented earlier.. God told Abraham to take his sons life. Abraham was being tested with faith, so God has his reasons for what he does, we don't always have to understand why but we can alway get answers thru prayer and the holy spirit. It's rock solid that way. One day we will all know why the African American men were being prepared to receive the

I can't believe the comments that I'm reading from people I presume are adults. In 2012. People are defending the historic racism of Mormons as either 1. In the past or 2. Human error. So few acknowledge the obvious: the whole concept of "God" is made up by men (and I do mean "men"), therefore it reflects the sensibilities/preferences/knowledge of the times and the society that influenced whichever men wrote whichever text is being discussed. Bringham Young is racist? Then he makes up a "God" that gives him a reason to be racist. Ancient Jews were homophobic? So the "God" they make up finds gays abominable. People today are not racist? So suddenly "God" didn't mean the racist stuff Brigham Young attributed to "God". We're still a male dominated society, so in all of this talk about Blacks not being worthy of priesthood according to historical Mormon lore, there's no protest about the fact that women are still deemed inferior, even today, by many different religions - because that's the way "God" wants it. As more women make a fuss, society will change, and "God" will suddenly in the 21st century change his mind about women. Each of you will make up stories about "God's" reasoning ("God didn't think we were ready for (fill in the blank) centuries ago, but now we are") because people who can' understand Einstein's theories - and he was another human being- feel totally capable of understanding and speaking for a being who could create a universe ("God hates gays!" "No He doesn't!""God doesn't hate gays, He hates homosexual acts" etc).Each of you reading this adheres to an image of "God" that fits your own personal beliefs and preferences. That's so easy to do because the whole idea of "God" is a product of human (mostly male) projections a response to human ignorance. Let it go, people. The human race needs to move into adulthood already.

Notawacko, I don't know if Jesus was a racist or not. Do you? I suspect he wanted to help his own kindred first, if you want the apologetic answer. First to the Jew, then to the gentile. But I have to say, there is evidence that if you were to look at a Jew and a middle-eastern Pagan (believed by the Jews to be decendants of Ham's son Canaan) around 30 a.D., you wouldn't be able to tell them apart. So, it may have been a cultural thing or a religious thing, but it wasn't a racist thing. You're still trying to justify your religion's racism. I really feel sad for you, belonging to a religion that would teach you to defend it like that. It just shows how abusive your Church is at an organizational level. It's like those beat up wives that tell you, "Oh, he's not a bad man, he's just trying to help me be a better person."

John C. I understand your perspective because I understand Mormons. However, when it comes to trying to explain that to the other hundreds of millions of people who are trying to eke out a peaceful existence with the other 6.5 billion people on this planet, your God sounds like an insane madman, and your prophet sounds like His cronie. The argument that God tells his people to do crazy things is just something crazy religious people have always said. Genocide, infanticide, racism, slavery...all things insane religious people have attributed to God. I am grateful I am not a Mormon and to have never been required to believe completely untestable things, or to pray about the truth of things that can be proven untrue (or at least proven extremely unlikely) through simple observation. I've experienced in Utah that Mormons will go to great lengths to defend their beliefs. I don't blame them for this. We all do it to some extent. But if you read through the posts here you will see the extent of this practice of self-assurance. Sometimes its hard to watch good people I have grown to love struggle to explain why they believe something USED to be true, rather than reject what their church used to practice as a false idea. Their prophet Hinckley once brushed aside a question about racism by saying something like, "Let it go. It's in the past." I say, "Go a step further and say it was regretable, then I'll know you're not just blowing smoke." But they won't say that because they believe God said so. What's that John C? Oh, that's right, God's the crazy one, not the Mormon Prophets. Thanks for clearing that up for us.

Considering the current Internet environment, one wonders what might happen if someone in our day and age were to carry out a ritual of child sacrifice as a divine requirement, in manner similar to that carried out by the prophet Abraham. As we are told in Genesis, Abrahame was commanded by God to take his son Isaac's life by point of knife, and was further commanded to cremate his deceased son's lifeless body on a cruel sacraficial alter made of firewood. Just imagine what would happen if our modern "Abraham" were caught in the act with knife poised by law enforcement officers. One can just imagine how "Abraham's" protestations of innocence would fall on deaf ears. This modern "Father of Many Nations" would be pilloried in the press, decried as a most loathsome child abuser. The populace would be shocked and outraged beyond measure, with multitudes of angry fathers and mothers gathered outside the place of his incarceration, calling for speedy retribution on the gallows. After all, who in their right mind could possibly believe the outrageous nonsense that God commanded him to do such a thing. As for the Internet? it would be ablaze with endless threads of incendiary, white-hot commentary by the public at large. One can just see it now -- "Abraham and his false religion exposed in all its horrid reality for all the world to see." "He calls himself a prophet and believes yet and does such unspeakable things? Come on give us a break!" Yet, he would be innocent all along. And in the end God would reveal, much to the great shock and dismay of all those who decried him, that Abraham is truly his most loving, loyal, faithful and obedient servant, after all. And in the end, with great power and glory, God would honored him with the glorious title, "Father of the Faithful." The moral of the story? God may command his people to do unpopular and difficult things to try the faithful, and to expose those of rash and hasty judgement.

Considering the current Internet environment, one wonders what might happen if someone in our day and age were to carry out a ritual of child sacrifice as a divine requirement, in manner similar to that carried out by the prophet Abraham. As we are told in Genesis, Abrahame was commanded by God to take his son Isaac's life by point of knife, and was further commanded to cremate his deceased son's lifeless body on a cruel sacraficial alter made of firewood. Just imagine what would happen if our modern "Abraham" were caught in the act with knife poised by law enforcement officers. One can just imagine how "Abraham's" protestations of innocence would fall on deaf ears. This modern "Father of Many Nations" would be pilloried in the press, decried as a most loathsome child abuser. The populace would be shocked and outraged beyond measure, with multitudes of angry fathers and mothers gathered outside the place of his incarceration, calling for speedy retribution on the gallows. After all, who in their right mind could possibly believe the outrageous nonsense that God commanded him to do such a thing. As for the Internet? it would be ablaze with endless threads of incendiary, white-hot commentary by the public at large. One can just see it now -- "Abraham and his false religion exposed in all its horrid reality for all the world to see." "He calls himself a prophet and believes yet and does such unspeakable things? Come on give us a break!" Yet, he would be innocent all along. And in the end God would reveal, much to the great shock and dismay of all those who decried him, that Abraham is truly his most loving, loyal, faithful and obedient servant, after all. And in the end, with great power and glory, God would honored him with the glorious title, "Father of the Faithful." The moral of the story? God may command his people to do unpopular and difficult things to try the faithful, and to expose those of rash and hasty judgement.

James.. Let me explain why "I don't know", not only is a valid answer but the correct one. Unless you understand what the priesthood is, you will never understand. The priesthood is the power of God, not elder Hollands, not any mans. God is the only one who decides who gets it and when, and we do not decide for Him. There are many things God does, both publically and personally, that we don't understand and we don't expect to tell Him his business. When observing such things.. It makes complete sense to simply say.. I don't know

I suggest everyone head over to Meridian Magazine (ldsmag dot com) and read the story on this very thing. The point is raised in that article that prophets are men, just like us, with weaknesses and prone to let our prejudices get in the way of our judgment. The writer points out places in the Bible where prophets have made mistakes; since prophets are human first, if it impacts the church, the Lord will correct it. The scriptures are full of racist references, but I think many of the "dark and loathsome" references are symbolic. In many cultures, light is associated with goodness and knowledge, and dark with evil. To the Mormon bashers out there, let me just say this: you spend your time looking up what makes us look bad, such as McConkie's many racist comments. Did you bother looking up his retractions? They are out there. Stop challenging me as an active Latter-Day Saint to think for myself if you are unwilling to bother to take the time to challenge your own narrow point of view. The street goes both ways. Also? This BYU professor is an unadulterated idiot.

I have a question for everyone. Why did Jesus tell the Apostles not to teach the gospel to the gentiles? It wasn't until after his death that Paul had his vision and the gospel was allowed to go forth to the gentiles. Was Jesus a racist?