47 replies to this topic

[AddamS]

I'm asking this without an agenda, I'm really just curious.

There are some older people here who were members at the time of the 1978 revelation that allowed Black men to become priesthood holders. Do you know of any people that left the church because of this revelation?

The thought occurred to me because it was a fairly dramatic change and I figure there must have been some people who thought the church was going down an incorrect road. For instance, if the church brought back polygamy today (assuming it was legalized in the U.S.) I would imagine there would be some people that would leave over it, just as there were in Joseph Smith's time.

[Zakuska]

Expositor, on Jul 31 2008, 05:11 PM, said:

I'm asking this without an agenda, I'm really just curious.

There are some older people here who were members at the time of the 1978 revelation that allowed Black men to become priesthood holders. Do you know of any people that left the church because of this revelation?

The thought occurred to me because it was a fairly dramatic change and I figure there must have been some people who thought the church was going down an incorrect road. For instance, if the church brought back polygamy today (assuming it was legalized in the U.S.) I would imagine there would be some people that would leave over it, just as there were in Joseph Smith's time.

I heard a lot of people did... but that might just be a faith promoting rumor of a seven year old.

[MatthewG]

My parents knew some people in Mesa, AZ though I'd have to call my Mom to find out who and how many. Interestingly enough Arizona was the last state to approve the MLK holiday. Growing up people I knew seemed to always blame Mesa for killing the vote every year. No idea if true or not just what I was told growing up.

[HiJolly]

I was seventeen;  I and most members I talked to about it assumed that there would be - but I did not know of any myself.  

I've heard one or two people say they left for that reason at the time on Van Hale's radio pgm, FWIW.  

HiJolly

[Luigi]

Expositor, on Jul 31 2008, 05:11 PM, said:

I'm asking this without an agenda, I'm really just curious.

There are some older people here who were members at the time of the 1978 revelation that allowed Black men to become priesthood holders. Do you know of any people that left the church because of this revelation?

The thought occurred to me because it was a fairly dramatic change and I figure there must have been some people who thought the church was going down an incorrect road. For instance, if the church brought back polygamy today (assuming it was legalized in the U.S.) I would imagine there would be some people that would leave over it, just as there were in Joseph Smith's time.

I've heard people say that but I've never heard anyone point to a specific person they actually knew.  I think that it was probably only a very tiny fringe of people in the Church who had serious issues with it.  I think the days of major policy change in the Church are over.  The Church will never introduce something new which goes so strongly against cultural norms (like polygamy) and all the other 'controversial' Church practices are shared by enough of mainstream Christians (such as positions on SSM) that changing them would gain them as many enemies as friends .

[Connolly]

It could be that more people left the church over the ear-ring thing.

When looking for an excuse to leave, any excuse will do.

[Deborah]

Connolly, on Jul 31 2008, 05:49 PM, said:

It could be that more people left the church over the ear-ring thing.

When looking for an excuse to leave, any excuse will do.

I agree. I did not know of anyone who left over the Priesthood issue. I heard a lot of people speculate that some would leave. I think most people were very happy about it and those who had questions hopefully resolved them with prayer. I know that many of us wondered if it would happen in our lifetime and when it did we were elated. We had a wonderful black family in our ward in North Carolina and I thought of them when I heard the news. No doubt some, as Connolly said, used this as the excuse to leave the church.

[ebeddoulos]

My bride and I were at a stake dance, chaperoning I believe, when it was announced.  I can remember the excitement and the buzz.  In all the intervening years, I have yet to meet anyone who left the church over this revelatory change in policy.  This subject has been discussed in several priesthood quorum meetings with pretty much the same result.  The assumption is that there must have been a few but nobody knows anyone who did,

Edited by ebeddoulos, 31 July 2008 - 05:31 PM.

[SolarPowered]

ebeddoulos, on Jul 31 2008, 04:30 PM, said:

In all the intervening years, I have yet to meet anyone who left the church over this revelatory change in policy.

Gee, I haven't run into anybody at Church who left the Church over the revelation, either.  

Seriously, I don't remember anyone in my ward leaving because of it.

[1aardvark]

My husband's grandfather wasn't happy about the revelation.... but he didn't leave the church.  He did however state that he didn't think he could be in the temple with a black person.....

[rpn]

I presume you know that "not running into them" would be highly likely if someone left the church.

Did the church 1978 statistics show any difference in the rate of growth?

[Zakuska]

rpn, on Jul 31 2008, 07:14 PM, said:

I presume you know that "not running into them" would be highly likely if someone left the church.

Did the church 1978 statistics show any difference in the rate of growth?

Id assume it increased?  Can anyone confirm?

[Garden Girl]

I was raised believing that one day the ban would be lifted... even BY said it would in some of his later writings...

Garden Girl

[SolarPowered]

rpn, on Jul 31 2008, 05:14 PM, said:

I presume you know that "not running into them" would be highly likely if someone left the church.

Humor impaired today, are we?  I was poking fun at ebeddoulos' post.

[kolipoki09]

Well, I can tell you that four of my converts on my mission were all grateful for Official Declaration 2, especially this March when I was able to witness my first convert and her husband, both african americans, be sealed in the Dallas Temple.  However, one thing that frustrates me are all of the "supposed reasons" people come up with for why they were withheld from the priesthood in the first place.  

Acts 17:26-  "And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation ;"

[Obiwan]

The Priesthood issue was such a "non-issue" in the Church itself, that I found the Churches teachings and it's people to be one of the "least" racist of any pre-1978, so much so that I didn't even learn of the ban until a few years after.

In all my travels around the Church and religions, I heard of know-one who left the Church because of this issue.
The rumor mill was that there might have been someone here or there, but know-one ever knew.

This is further evidence that the Church and it's people were never "racist", and the policy wasn't based on "racism" in relation to the Church anyway.

Note, how prior to discovering the LDS Church I found most religions or at least the people inside them to be pretty racist.  Only a few small ones did I not detect anything.  The only major ones that I really didn't detect anything was the Catholic and LDS Churches and the people therein.  My further point however in what's interesting about this, is that after the Priesthood Ban was lifted, "racism" almost immediately disappeared from most of America.  However, it did resettle itself "a little" with black America in the form of reverse racism.  Though, it's possible that that particular percentage/degree had already existed prior.

[smac97]

Expositor, on Jul 31 2008, 05:11 PM, said:

I'm asking this without an agenda, I'm really just curious.

There are some older people here who were members at the time of the 1978 revelation that allowed Black men to become priesthood holders. Do you know of any people that left the church because of this revelation?

The thought occurred to me because it was a fairly dramatic change and I figure there must have been some people who thought the church was going down an incorrect road. For instance, if the church brought back polygamy today (assuming it was legalized in the U.S.) I would imagine there would be some people that would leave over it, just as there were in Joseph Smith's time.

My Dad has mentioned to me a few times that he knew a few folks who left the Church over the lifting of the ban in 1978.

-Smac

[Daniel Peterson]

I heard that some people left the Church, but never actually knew of any specific cases and, in the intervening years, have never met anybody who did nor anybody who actually claimed to know anybody who did.

[Pa Pa]

Connolly, on Jul 31 2008, 04:49 PM, said:

It could be that more people left the church over the ear-ring thing.

When looking for an excuse to leave, any excuse will do.

Amen...two quick stories of such individuals

1. One guy left because JS misspelled his name in a revelation

2. A married couple left because JS was rolling around on the floor with some kids playing...they felt that was undignified.

[urroner]

Pa Pa, on Aug 1 2008, 08:33 AM, said:

Amen...two quick stories of such individuals

1. One guy left because JS misspelled his name in a revelation

2. A married couple left because JS was rolling around on the floor with some kids playing...they felt that was undignified.

I left the church because of the priesthood issue.  I was at a meeting in Provo and had to run home and call some people and tell them about it.

Edited by urroner, 01 August 2008 - 05:37 AM.