Summary: In this extremely important talk, given at the last General Conference Priesthood session, Gordon B. Hinckley condemned all current and past racism. My favorite quote was: "Now I am told that racial slurs and denigrating remarks are sometimes heard among us. 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 whereas another who lives a righteous life but whose skin is of a different color is ineligible?" Basically, Gordon B. Hinckley is talking about the past and current Prophets and Apostles, that taught "Blacks are the seed of Cain", "Blacks were less valiant in the pre-existence" or that there should be "death on the spot" if a black person mixed their seed with a white person and so on and so on. I don't know where this leaves Apostles and Prophets like Boyd K. Packer and Brigham Young among others, since "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." For example, Boyd K. Packer taught, in 1977: "We've always counseled in the Church for our Mexican members to marry Mexicans, our Japanese members to marry Japanese, our Caucasians to marry Caucasians, our Polynesian members to marry Polynesians. The counsel has been wise.....Plan, young people, to marry into your own race. This counsel is good." Brigham Young taught: "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)." So, I guess it is a step forward to admit the racism and condemn it, but I don't know where that leaves us. Also, to wonder where it all comes from or to be confused about it, is a little puzzling to me, since it is so easily and clearly laid out in our LDS history. It is confirmed by the fact that blacks were denied all temple blessings until 1978. Hopefully this is a step in the right direction, but much more needs to be done. This talk was given in April 2006 at the Priesthood session.
