A reformed apologetic examination of perennial racism within Mormonism

Abstract

In June of 1978, President Spencer W. Kimball of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) received a landmark so-called revelation that allowed worthy Black men to hold the LDS priesthood. That revelation was presented to the LDS's twelve apostles, who all approved. Many assume this ended racism and any other associated problems in the LDS Church. Since the revelation, though, LDS leaders have increasingly sought to not only distance the Church from its racist past, but to root out other current expressions of racism. This research study attempts to answer the question: Is perennial racism and its other associated problems in the LDS Church merely a thing of the past? This study has several key findings that help to answer this question. First, the LDS Church has had such a tawdry history on this subject that it is difficult to trust them today as genuine divine revelators. Second, despite recent LDS defenses, their non-biblical scriptural texts more naturally present a divine origination of racism in different contexts. Third, LDS prophets have biblically failed in not only teaching a prima facie White supremacy based on God being an exalted White man, but also in revealing prophetic racist statements outside their Scripture. Fourth, the LDS Church as well as its laity continue to operate in racist ways. These findings lead to the obvious conclusion that racism continues to be an issue for the LDS Church. Its racism is not something easily dismissed from simply the 1978 revelation. Racism is a more fundamental problem for the Church. This research study adds value not only within the LDS Church, but outside it as well. The former offers an introspective look at LDS scriptural texts, prophetic statements, and some descriptive features of LDS members, but the latter offers an in-depth knowledge of Mormonism to incentivize a Reformed apologetic approach of biblical truth, prophecy, Christian living and witness in the world.