FAIR Topical Guide

Guide Home > Doctrinal Issues > Priesthood > Blacks and the Priesthood

Additional Topics

The following are additional topic areas related to Blacks and the Priesthood. If there is a bracket number after the topic, that number indicates how many actual articles there are related to that subject. If the link for the topic is not live, it simply means the topic is a 'planned area' for future growth.

FAIR Resources

These links are either to Web pages hosted on the FAIR Website, or to FAIR Papers. FAIR Papers are short articles about specific topics or questions, written by members of FAIR. These articles can be downloaded and read in PDF format and are intended to be distributed by e-mail or print for the general use of our patrons. (To read FAIR Papers you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader. It can be downloaded free from the Adobe Web site.) Click on a title below to visit a FAIR Web page or to read the latest version of a FAIR Paper.

"Blacks and the priesthood," FAIR Wiki (City Unknown: FAIR) This FAIR Wiki article addresses the pre-1978 ban on blacks holding the priesthood.

"Racist statements by Church leaders," FAIR Wiki (City Unknown: FAIR) This FAIR Wiki artilce responds to the following questions: Why did past prophets make racist statements? God had already revealed to Peter that he should not call anything that the Lord had made unclean (Acts 10:9–16), yet our modern-day prophets thought that blacks were inferior to whites; why is that?

Armand Mauss, "The LDS Church and the Race Issue: A Study in Misplaced Apologetics," 2003 FAIR Conference Why was the priesthood withheld from black members until 1978?

Renee Olson, "Dispelling the Black Myth," (Mesa, Arizona: FAIR, August 2002) As a black Latter-day Saint and former anti-Mormon, Olson has a unique perspective on the issues relating to black members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In her humor-laced, 2002 FAIR Conference presentation, Olson educated attendees on the history of the priesthood ban, race issues that still exist in the Church, and ideas of how and where we should go from here.

Marvin Perkins, "Blacks and the Priesthood," (8 September 2002) A talk given by Marvin Perkins, in Los Angeles.

Margaret Blair Young, "Black Latter-day Saints: A Faith-FULL History," (Mesa, Arizona: FAIR, 2003 FAIR Conference) In her 2003 FAIR Conference presentation, Margaret Blair Young shares stories of faithful black Latter-day Saints from the early days of the Church.

Ensign Articles

These articles cited below provide information on the topic of this page. The Ensign is one of the official publications of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When you click on one of the article links below, you are whisked to the article found in the archives of the Church's Web site.

Marjorie Draper Conder, "A People Prepared: Latter-day Saints in West Africa," Ensign, August 1993, 30.

David Hanna and Steven Ostler, "No Respecter of Persons," Ensign, August 1981, 18. Article on the revelation extending the opportunity to hold the priesthood to all worthy male church members.

Gordon B. Hinckley, "Priesthood Restoration," Ensign, October 1988, 69. A personal testimony about what happened when the revelation of the priesthood was received.

James O. Mason, "The Kingdom Progresses in Africa," Ensign, November 1994, 30.

Alexander B. Morrison, "The Dawning of a New Day in Africa," Ensign, November 1987, 25.

Other Resources

The resources listed below are related items available on the Web that should be of interest. These links are to information not located on the FAIR Web site.

Lester E. Bush, Jr., "Mormonism's Negro Doctrine: An Historical Overview," Dialogue, Vol. 8:1 (Spring 1973), 11-68 Lester Bush's article looks at the possible development and historical practice of the Church's denial of priesthood to black members.

Eugene England, "The Mormon Cross," Dialogue, Vol. 8:1 (Spring 1973), 78-86 Eugene England shares his thoughts on the previous LDS practice of denying the priesthood to black Latter-day Saints.

Stephen R. Gibson, "Was the "Revelation" Received in Response to Pressure?," One-Minute Answers to Anti-Mormon Questions (Bountiful, Utah: Horizon Publishers) Didn't the Church claim to have a revelation from God in 1978 allowing the Blacks to get the priesthood just to stem rising social pressure?

Jeff Lindsay, "Latter-day Saints and The Issue of Race," LDS FAQ Latter-day Saints have been accused of being racists. It's a myth that persists, fueled by misinformation from critics. LDS doctrine teaches that all people of all races are sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father and can be heirs of salvation.

Marcus H. Martins, Ph.D., "All Are (Really) Alike Unto God: Personal Reflections on the 1978 Revelation," Script for Lecture on Video BYU-Television June 12, 2001 Brother Martins gives an excellent summary of the issues related to Blacks and the priesthood in the LDS church. He discusses the possible explainations on the priesthood ban, deals with statements made in the past and adds his own personal reflections as an member of the Church of Jesus Christ.

Hugh W. Nibley, "The Best Possible Test," Dialogue, Vol. 8:1 (Spring 1973), 73-77 Dr. Nibley adds his thoughts to the Lester Bush's article on the denial of priesthood privileges to black Latter-day Saints.

Seth R. Payne, "The Latter-day Saint Struggle with Blacks and the Priesthood," (05 May 2006) Seth Payne, at Yale Divinity School, examines the priesthood ban, the removal of the ban, its implications, and New Testament parallels to the ban.

Gordon C. Thomasson, "Lester Bush's Historical Overview: Other Perspectives," Dialogue, Vol. 8:1 (Spring 1973), 69-72 Thomasson reviews Lester's Bush's thoughts on the historical perspective of blacks and the denial of priesthood privileges.

John A. Tvedtnes, Black Mormons. John Tvedtnes responds to the claim that the Church has a racist past.

W. John Walsh, Are Mormons Prejudiced?.

W. John Walsh, Did Brigham Youn Teach that Interracial Marriage is a Sin?.

W. John Walsh, Do LDS Believe that Blacks Are the Representatives of Satan?.

W. John Walsh, Is Being Black a Disadvantage?.

W. John Walsh, Is Skin Color a Curse From God?.

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