I, too, was there in 1978 when "revelation" brought the black-priesthood-denial issue into the forefront. One thing that might be interesting to note is that, at that time, civil litigations were coming to a head within the LDS church. It was becoming a cost efficiency matter ...too much money chasing an issue that, legally, was quickly going against the church and dipping excessively into the coffers. The "laws of the land" were decidedly against the LDS church's actions. Money was the driving reason for a "revelation." Kimball was, in fact, a smart CEO protecting the interests of the corporation. More (active) members (black or white) meant more money. And the expanded geography of missionary work was increased immensely. It was, in essence, a boon decision for the church
Current concerns with gay rights and legal marriage (in California -- Prop 8) will only get positive traction when the nation overcomes its homophobic approach to this topic. The Mormon church still has lots of leverage and money.
Good article. One correction:
You wrote regarding the discriminatory "Negro doctrine", "Mormons actually believed that blacks could go to heaven. They just couldn't have the priesthood."
Since black Mormons could not have the priesthood prior to 1978, they could not be married in a Mormon temple and, consequently, were considered by Mormon's to be ineligible for the "Celestial Kingdom" (heaven).
Sadly, the Mormon view of marriage and heaven once excluded blacks as it now excludes gay people.
The last commenter wants to split hairs and mix up categories. OK, yes, technically, homophobia is not the most immediate cause of Mormon policy. Simple political oppression of human beings is.
Gays, like all other humans, are covered by the Declarations of Independence and Human Rights. One person, one vote, everybody holding equal rights. So Mormons are working to take those rights away from gays, and daring to call themselves "sacred" in the process. Disgusting.
Homophobia is the underlying psycho-analytic diagnosis of why Mormons, at least as an organization, are so stupid and wrong and ill on this matter.
And, of course, the secret to why the Mormon Church even cares about this issue is that letting it go would deprive it of its bread and butter, which is the militant insistence that morality is a matter that begins and ends within the four walls of one's family dwelling, to hell with society and the maldistribution of power and larger affairs.
I look forward to the day when the blatantly anti-Christ and anti-American hypocrisy of this hoary medieval trick starts to sap the strength of Mormon recruitment drives amongst/against the world's poor and uneducated. Then, we'll get to see the Catholic syndrome kick in.
Great post, and enlightening to boot; I always thought of Mormons as, uhh, a bit quirky--for some reason, most of us find the idea of demi-gods roaming the planet a couple of thousand years ago perfectly reasonable, but can't get our heads around the idea of 19th century New Yorkers in possession of golden tablets--but ultimately harmless. A semi-lapsed Catholic, I always felt the Roman Curia was a far greater threat to civil rights and psychological well being. Some of what you've included herein is downright stomach-churning--torturing gay people in the 70's is a far cry from the groovy let's-hear-it-for-the-spirit! style nuns (short haired but habit-less) with whom I was familar at the time.
I have some pretty deep roots in NE PA--Scranton and environs--though I haven't lived there in some time; I think the most stunning thing about election night for me was when Pennsylvania was called for Obama the instant the polls closed. Thought I was misreading. So what I couldn't figure out was how my allegedly racist, gaybashing, abortion hatin' hillbilly brethren in PA managed to break so heavily for Obama, while my enlightened left coast comrades voted in favor of this moronic ban.
But it may well be a case of winning the battle but losing the war. Like Paul VI's Humanae Vitae, the Mormon struggle against gay marriage may represent a watershed moment--a grand gesture which ultimately reveals an institution pathetically out of touch and doomed to an imminent political state of irrelevance because of this committment to a single explosive issue (look at Catholic voting trends in PA last month for an example--in the Scranton archdiocese, the Bishop had every pastor read a letter decrying Democratic pro-abortion candidates; the week the letter was read contributions to Obama's campaign surged in these same districts).
While I have tremendous sympathy for the gay couples of California--I live in Massachusetts, where we've resolved the issue, apparently for good now--the "PR nightmare" might be worth it (I assume that next time around the good people of CA will overturn the ban). While I'm not looking to wholly discredit any religion, the personal really is the political, and vice versa. Being a decent and kind person amongst your own tribe is one thing--but as Jesus himself noted, "even the heathen do that." Extending that same goodwill towards those Outside the tribe is the mark of a spiritually mature person and genuinely godly religion, and like so many other institutions and congregation members, the Mormons, based on this analysis, would seem to regressing.
(Also wondering what effect all this has on Romney's plans. He ran as the darling of the far right--despite their reservations about his religion, he was the best they had; Mormonism will doubtless have found new respect among the Christian Right for this win, butin another four years, I suspect the whole thing is going to look ridiculous).
(BTW, if you see this, Mr Rampton, thanks for what might be the most depressing book I've ever read--"Toxic Sludge..." Depressing as it was, I've read it twice now...)
Michael Horan.
my site: http://www.nosuppertonight.com
I too was raised Mormon and as a fifth generation Mormon left the church after prop 22 in CA in 2000, which is much like prop 8 was, and the church reportedly raised forty million dollars then, assessing each family in CA congregations an average of 250 dollars to "donate," to the cause.
Seeing my lovely church yard in Pacific Palisades covered with vote yes signs on Prop 22 ripped my heart apart. I was raised to love all people and these signs spoke silently of hate.
I especially liked this line from the article
"Unfortunately, it is actually possible to possess all of those positive attributes and still promote hatred and intolerance."
And sadly that is what I find so true and the thing I can understand the least.
Thanks for such a great article.
Beckie Weinheimer
Author
Queens NY
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