🌶 Various Quotes¶
Estimated time to read: 15 minutes
I'm not sure how to title these notes; spicy takes? Apostolic counsel? "Let's marvel at how awful people were 100 years ago?"
General Conference¶
I think this is a nice opportunity to point out that the LDS church's site only lists Conference addresses back to 1971. Maybe the following quotes will give us an idea of why they'd opt to exclude older speeches?
The negro is an unfortunate man. He has been given a black skin. But that is as nothing compared with that greater handicap that he is not permitted to receive the Priesthood and the ordinances of the temple, necessary to prepare men and women to enter into and enjoy a fulness of glory in the celestial kingdom. What is the reason for this condition, we ask, and I find it to my satisfaction to think that as spirit children of our Eternal Father they were not valiant in the fight. We are told that Michael and his angels fought, and we understand that we stood with Christ our Lord, on the plat- form, ‘Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever. ’I cannot conceive our Father consigning his children to a condition such as that of the negro race, if they had been valiant in the spirit world in that war in heaven. Neither could they have been a part of those who rebelled and were cast down, for the latter had not the privilege of tabernacling in the flesh. Somewhere along the line were these spirits, indifferent perhaps, and possibly neutral in the war. We have no definite knowledge concerning this.
— George F. Richards, Conference Reports, April 1939, pp. 58-59
Just as Brother George F. Richards has indicated that our poor benighted negro brethren are suffering the consequence of their sowing at some other time and place, so as certainly shall we hereafter reap what we are sowing here and now.
— Melvin J. Ballard, Conference Reports, April 1939, p. 69
The Negro race have been forbidden the priesthood, and the higher temple blessings, presumably because of their not having been valiant while in the spirit. It does not pay to be anything but valiant.
— George F. Richards, Conference Reports, October 1947, p. 57
Journal of Discourses¶
When the curse of the Almighty comes upon a people, it certainly is the work of generations to remove it. When Cain brought a curse upon his own head, and that of his household, his after generations bore the same curse. The curse that came upon Canaan, the son of Ham, has extended to a great portion of the human race, and has continued to the present day. For the last hundred years, philanthropists, who were ignorant of the order of God—of the irrevocable decrees of the Almighty—have exerted themselves vigorously to thwart the purposes of the Almighty, in trying to remove the curse of servitude from the descendants of Canaan; but their endeavors are vain and useless; it is labor lost, and answers no end, only so far as it serves to multiply the difficulties and perplexities which are arising in this generation, to bring about the great destruction of corruption and wickedness from the earth; in this way it all indirectly serves a purpose.
— George A. Smith, September 23, 1855, Journal of Discourses 3:29
Shall I tell you of the law of God in regards 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.
— The Persecutions of the Saints, etc; Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 10:110
There are numerous others in the JoD, but I can only handle so much racist nonsense in a day. I'll add more as I encounter them, or when I build up the fortitude to seek them out.
Other¶
Part of the curse upon Canaan was ‘a blackness,’ similar to that which had been placed upon ‘the seed of Cain.’ The curse also deprived the Canaanites of the Priesthood; though they were blessed ‘with the blessings of the earth and with the blessings of wisdom’
— Orson F. Whitney, Saturday Night Thoughts, pp. 119-120, published 1921
Why is it in this Church we do not grant the priesthood to the Negroes? It is alleged that the Prophet Joseph said—and I have no reason to dispute it—that it is because of some act committed by them before they came into this life. It is alleged that they were neutral, standing neither for Christ nor the devil. But, I am convinced it is because of some things they did before they came into this life that they have been denied the privilege. The races of today are very largely reaping the consequences of a previous life
— Sermons and Missionary Service of Melvin J. Ballard (1, 2) , p. 248
“The principles that the Prophet Joseph taught are the doctrines that we must abide in, or we shall be overthrown. …It was manifest to him that the seed of Cain would not come in remembrance before the Lord for their final redemption, until the seed of Abel the righteous should all have their opportunity”
— Franklin D. Richards, October 5, 1896, Collected Discourses 5:220
To date, I haven't found a primary source for "collected discourses", but I have found other official LDS speeches cite this collection (1, 2)
Mark E. Petersen¶
Elder Petersen was an apostle from 1944 - 1984, under presidents G. A. Smith, McKay, J Fielding Smith, Lee, and Kimball. None of those presidents seemed to think of Petersen as problematic, if that means anything to you. To me, Mark is egregious enough to deserve his own section!
"Race Problems— As They Affect the Church"¶
Petersen does have other hot takes, but this particular speech is sufficient for me to confidently say that this guy was a piece of shit. For whatever reason, BYU Speeches' list of addresses by Petersen doesn't list this one. 🤔
The closest thing I can find to a primary source is from FAIR, where you can find a transcript of this speech. UTLM (of Jerald & Sandra Tanner) have a transcript as well. archive.org has a printed handout to peruse. I'll include a few spicy takes here, all taken from the same speech:
We cannot escape the conclusion that because of performance in the 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.
When He placed the mark upon Cain, He engaged in 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
The Lord segregated the people both as to blood and place of residence. At least in the case 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 the threat of extension of the curse. (2 Nephi 5:21) And He certainly segregated the Negro as to the Priesthood, and drew an absolute line. You may even say He dropped an Iron curtain there. The Negro was cursed as to the Priesthood, and therefore, was cursed as to the blessings of the Priesthood. Certainly God made a segregation there.
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 a celestial resurrection. He will get a place in the celestial glory. He will not go then with even the honorable men of the earth to the terrestrial glory, nor with the ones spoken of as being without law.
*If I were to marry a Negro woman and have children by her, my children would all be cursed as to the priesthood. Do I want my children cursed as to the priesthood? If there is one drop of Negro blood in my children, as I read to you, they receive the curse. There isn’t any argument, therefore, as to inter-marriage with the Negro, is there?
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.*
There are numerous snippets and excerpts to take from this BYU speech, each more egregious and upsetting than the last. I've ended up cutting some out, if you're really interested in more religious justification for offensively racist beliefs, you can dive into the speech transcript yourself. I think I've had enough Petersen to last me a good while.
Eulogy¶
This isn't really a quote pertaining to race, but this heading for Petersen is the best fit I have for this side note:
Few men are given the opportunity to influence the Church in the manner Elder Mark E. Petersen influenced it for nearly forty years as one of the Lord’s special witnesses.
His was a pen of spiritual power. Mark Petersen combined an insightful mind with a faith-filled heart to work wonders with his words. His style was distinctively his own. The many years he worked as a reporter and editor showed in the crispness of his sentences, the probing and succinct questions which punctuated his messages, and the conclusions of his appeals which invariably penetrated the heart of the reader and prompted a determination to come closer to Christ.
The calling fit admirably the empathy, the breadth and depth of Mark’s heart and soul...
I loved, respected, and admired Mark Petersen for these and many other traits and for his life of devotion to truth and to duty.
“We have been a blessed people to have had him for nearly forty years as one of our prophets, seers, and revelators. He was a “giant” here. We miss him. He is a “giant” there.”
— Mark E. Petersen— A Giant among Men, Elder Thomas S. Monson Of the Quorum of the Twelve, Ensign March 1984
McConkie¶
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.
— Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 1966, p. 109
We have read these passages and their associated passages for many years. We have seen what the words say and have said to ourselves, “Yes, it says that, but we must read out of it the taking of the gospel and the blessings of the temple to the Negro people, because they are denied certain things.” There are statements in our literature by the early Brethren which we have interpreted to mean that the Negroes would not receive the priesthood in mortality. I have said the same things, and people write me letters and say, “You said such and such, and how is it now that we do such and such?” And all I can say to that is that it is time disbelieving people repented and got in line and believed in a living, modern prophet. Forget everything that I have said, or what President Brigham Young or President George Q. Cannon or whomsoever has said in days past that is contrary to the present revelation. We spoke with a limited understanding and without the light and knowledge that now has come into the world.
We get our truth and our light line upon line and precept upon precept. We have now had added a new flood of intelligence and light on this particular subject, and it erases all the darkness and all the views and all the thoughts of the past. They don’t matter any more.
It doesn’t make a particle of difference what anybody ever said about the Negro matter before the first day of June of this year, 1978. It is a new day and a new arrangement, and the Lord has now given the revelation that sheds light out into the world on this subject. As to any slivers of light or any particles of darkness of the past, we forget about them. We now do what meridian Israel did when the Lord said the gospel should go to the Gentiles. We forget all the statements that limited the gospel to the house of Israel, and we start going to the Gentiles.
— All Are Alike unto God, Bruce R. McConkie Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, August 18, 1978
"Yeah, I said horrible things in the past and passed them off as unchangeable, eternal doctrine. Get over it, it's a new day. You need to repent. We have a prophet."
I don't know how else to express this— You don't get to tell us that "it doesn't make a particle of difference. The doctrine you (McConkie) perpetuated literally kept people away from salvation. You don't just get to wave it off and move on with zero consequence. The proper response to correctinf a bold claim that you made with limited understanding is "I'm sorry." You apologize. You don't tell people that they are wrong, and they need to repent. What do those people need to repent of? Is this their fault for believing you? You (McConkie) are the one who perpetuated offensively racist teachings that you've conceded were wrong. You repent, you bitch.
“One clear-cut position is that the folklore must never be perpetuated. … I have to concede to my earlier colleagues. … They, I’m sure, in their own way, were doing the best they knew to give shape to [the policy], to give context for it, to give even history to it. All I can say is however well intended the explanations were, I think almost all of them were inadequate and/or wrong. … It probably would have been advantageous to say nothing, to say we just don’t know, and, [as] with many religious matters, whatever was being done was done on the basis of faith at that time. But some explanations were given and had been given for a lot of years. … At the very least, there should be no effort to perpetuate those efforts to explain why that doctrine existed. I think, to the extent that I know anything about it, as one of the newer and younger ones to come along, … we simply do not know why that practice, that policy, that doctrine was in place. Well, some of the folklore that you must be referring to are suggestions that there were decisions made in the pre-mortal councils where someone had not been as decisive in their loyalty to a Gospel plan or the procedures on earth or what was to unfold in mortality, and that therefore that opportunity and mortality was compromised. I really don’t know a lot of the details of those, because fortunately I’ve been able to live in the period where we’re not expressing or teaching them, but I think that’s the one I grew up hearing the most, was that it was something to do with the pre-mortal councils. … But I think that’s the part that must never be taught until anybody knows a lot more than I know. … We just don’t know, in the historical context of the time, why it was practiced. … That’s my principal [concern], is that we don’t perpetuate explanations about things we don’t know. …We don’t pretend that something wasn’t taught or practice wasn’t pursued for whatever reason. But I think we can be unequivocal and we can be declarative in our current literature, in books that we reproduce, in teachings that go forward, whatever, that from this time forward, from 1978 forward, we can make sure that nothing of that is declared. That may be where we still need to make sure that we’re absolutely dutiful, that we put [a] careful eye of scrutiny on anything from earlier writings and teachings, just [to] make sure that that’s not perpetuated in the present. That’s the least, I think, of our current responsibilities on that topic”
— PBS Documentary “The Mormons” transcript of Interview with Jeffrey Holland