In a
message dated 3/10/2004 5:55:17 PM Pacific Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
You are probably right about one thing, the Southern Baptists
would not believe anything they had not heard inculcated into their minds by
tradition, repetition, and the fear of the boys with the hoods
who burn crosses in your front yard if you disagree with them or have a
little color to your skin. (:>) But that has nothing to do with the
truth, which I would represent as being far whiter than the sheets the good
ol' boys use to cover their sinful depradations against those whose
come-uppance they most dreadfully fear.
How many blacks are in the Mormon church and when were they
allowed to be a part of the fellowship?
Blaine: There is no way of knowing for
sure how many Blacks are members of the LDS faith, since color is not listed
on membership records. However, in Ghana, Africa alone, there were
17, 278 members as of the publication of the 2000 Deseret News Church
Almanac, most of them Black. The same book lists 81, 962
members in West Africa, and another 50,780 members in
South East Africa, with most African nations being
represented. There are currently three temples in Africa, the latest one
to be dedicated being in Accra, Ghana--this temple represents about 25
stakes, or about 150 wards, as well as about 200 smaller
branches.
Not all Baptist are as described above. Actully most are
not. But if you live in a glass house, you really shouldn't
throw stones. The Mormon church is the only religion in America
that excluded blacks as a matter of denominational structure. The
Baptist church in the North had black brethren at the same time the hypocrites
in the South did not.
Blaine: As a matter of unofficial church dogma--tradition--Blacks in the South were disallowed from attending White churches,
schools, even most public places, e.g., restaurants and school
buses.
In the North,
although Blacks were allowed full membership in Baptist and other
Protestant denominations, the prevailing philosophy was to keep them
separate--but equal. In other words, distance was placed between
them and Whites in almost all instances.
But blacks were excluded from the Mormon church (at least as
leaders) as a matter of church dogma.
John
Blaine: The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints never did exclude Blacks from membership, just the
priesthood. Other than this ban, Blacks were well treated as
Church members. But what's the big deal? The Israelites--God's
chosen people-- banned all tribes from holding the priesthood except the
tribe of Levi, and only those descended from Aaron himself could hold the
highest office in that priesthood--that of High Priest.
