I Am Unashamed
November 15, 2009 4:09 PM - Anonymous said: "How can you be black and be such a supporting member of an organization that was officially racist until 1978? And still teaches to this day that the Curse of Cain is manifest in black people? Shame on you."
Sista Laurel's response:
We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
Above is the 11th Article of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The line in that sentence that stood out to me the most as I pondered and prayed on this question was: “according to the dictates of our own conscience.”
Dic-tate [v. dik-teyt, dik-teyt; n. dik-teyt] verb, -tat-ed, -tat-ing, noun
6. a guiding or governing principle, requirement, etc.: to follow the dictates of one's conscience.
Con-science [kon-shuh ns] –noun
1. the inner sense of what is right or wrong in one's conduct or motives, impelling one toward right action: to follow the dictates of conscience.
2. the complex of ethical and moral principles that controls or inhibits the actions or thoughts of an individual.
"How can you be black and be such a supporting member of an organization that was officially racist until 1978? And still teaches to this day that the Curse of Cain is manifest in black people? Shame on you."
I know that I am a child of God. A loving Heavenly Father provided a Savior for me, Jesus Christ. I have gained this testimony through experiences both spiritual and temporal. I strive to live a Christ-like life, but I am imperfect. I have fallen short, I do fall short, I will fall short. I am thankful for the knowledge that Jesus Christ died for my sins, so that I have the opportunity to stand again each time I fall. My testimony, this knowledge, and this goal have all contributed in my decision to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I have always thought of spirituality and faith as being personal. This thought process has helped me to develop a personal relationship with God and Jesus Christ. Also, I find that my faith is not sedentary. With each passing day it can grow and it can waiver and in both instances I rely heavily on these personal relationships. If at any time I have questions regarding religion, my faith, spirituality, membership in the church to which I belong, etc., I have always consulted with the Lord through prayer and have always received answers to my prayers.
Through my testimony in prayer and according to the dictates of my own conscience I am an unashamed member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Sista Laurel
Sista Beehive's response:
Pastor Rick Warren, was asked the question, " Do all religions lead to God"? His response was, "Think about the logic of this. Can I go into a phone booth and dial any phone number and get home? No, there’s only one number that’ll get me home. I could be sincere, but I could be sincerely wrong. The truth is, all roads don’t lead to Rome and all roads and all religions don’t lead to God".
In following that same thought pattern the scriptures teach in John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
While it is not my responsibility to try to explain away the painful, yet historic teachings of past church practices (not only in the LDS Church). Nor is it my intention to defend the crippeling history of our "free" country, a place that we all call home. Jesus is the way, Jesus, my elder brother, the only one who could, atoned and sacrificed for me, he alone is the truth and the light.
I am grateful for parents who taught me to recognize and yield to the teachings of the Holy Ghost. I'm grateful that I was blessed with a strong Pentacostal family that encouraged me to develop a personal relationship with the Lord, so that when the time came in my life where I would need to testify of the truthfullness of the Holy Ghost I would be able to do so in my own words. So that when the day came for me to become a soilder in God's army, I would be armed with a truth that I was willing to stand on and if needs be die for. I have found that truth in the church that I've choosen to embrace.
I have a personal relationship with my Father in heaven who loves me and has been merciful to me. It is ultimately because of this love that I feel "No Shame"!! for my choice in worshiping the Lord my God, in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I make no apologies to my anonymous Brotha/Sista for being a member of the LDS church. Just as I make no apologies to any of the Brothas/Sistas of the LDS faith for the race, or lineage that I was born into.
Jesus atoned for me! He suffered and died! It is because of his love for me that eternal life and not death is possible. In closing, I feel that it's approiate for us all to be reminded: "Love thy neighbor" is not a cliché; it is a commandment from God. In Matthew 22:37–39, Jesus emphasized the importance of loving the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind and loving your neighbor as yourself. He said, all the other commandments, all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments (v. 40).
Sista Beehive
44 comments:
I am not a black member of the LDS Church. Also, I believe the the Church was wrong to have instigated the practice of not allowing black me to have the priesthood until 1978. I also think that anyone who taught that it was justified was a racist, whether that person was a prophet, apostle, or institute teacher. Nevertheless, I have remained loyal because I look at the church much like a spouse. What do you do when your spouse acts or says thing you don't agree with? Do you leave? Or do you stay, hoping to influence them to a better way of thinking? Does the fact that one's spouse may be spouting, for example, political views different from your own, negate all the good things that spouse has done? Love and loyalty to one's marriage, church, or country, are much more complex than just walking away if something is going one with which you disagree.
Thank you for your testimonies, sistas. You are inspiring.
Thank you, sista. You say it well.
Beautifully said! Thank you for making us all think.
LaurieBee
Love this post - so full of faith and so inspiring. Thanks for sharing with us.
I love you, girls! I couldn't say anything better. I always wonder why people comment anonymously in polemic issues.
Thank you for keeping Christ in your answers. Thank you for being strong in the gospel. You are both inspirations, and I love that whenever I read your blog, I am uplifted by the Spirit of Christ. Thank you.
cute fun hip positive fb page. But there always has to be a sad sour grape in the bowl.
i love this blog!
Thank you both for your testimonies. I appreciate them both.
You two are truly amazing. I love this blog.
Thank you for sharing your testimonies. Beautifully stated.
I agree with my (the) sistas. I recently had a conversation with a friend the other day regarding this very same topic. My answer to him, as it has recently become more often was this. There was a lot of negative in a lot of different churches over the past centuries. God, my Heavenly Father, has remained the same. Our Lord and savior Jesus Christ atoned for my sins. Man was given the most ultimate giftm our father could have ever given us, our free will. This country practiced in slave trade years and years ago. Do I uproot and move away from this country just because it was lawful to own a man, and be issued a bill of sale, just because he was Black? A bill of sale. Let's talk about the witch hunt in churches long before slavery. How could any woman remain a member of the church that burned women at the stake for being witches, just because the natural man got in the way of their judgement? How can the Native American still live in this country after all of the things that happend to them? Are they supposed to leave and remove themselves as citizens of this country because of what happened in the PAST? How many women didn't find time to vote last year? Do we stop being American citizens because in the PAST women had no rights...and better yet, do I stop being a member of this church...simply because you told me I shouldn't be? Where would I be then? I am sorry to take up all of this space like it's my column or something. I guess I've been holding that in for a while. I too love this church! The church IS Jesus Christ.
"You won't find a" Black" LDS church anywhere. All latter-Day Saints worship together. We are one fold and we have one shepherd, and our head is Jesus Christ. That is Zion. That is why I am not ashamed to proudly proclaim my membership."
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Amen!
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Here is a link to a video I made a few years ago of the LDS Church in Southwest Los Angeles (Watts):
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http://www.youtube.com/user/manaen1lds#p/a/u/1/ea6hMDsYVlo
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(go to YouTube.com and search on “Watts Branch 2003” if this link doesn’t work).
Marguerite
Throughout the history of humanity, heinous atrocities have been perpetrated in the name of religion. In addition, people, ostensibly people of faith (any faith here), have lied, cheated, stolen, raped, tortured, and murdered despite, and because of, their individual religious affiliations.
Is the Lord Jesus Christ not my Savior?
Just because some people who were evil used people who were scared or weak or unlearned to do things (things we generally accept as wrong today) "in the name of the Lord" doesn't mean there is no Lord. In fact, only because of an abiding faith could many of the scores of well-meaning people on this earth do the difficult and sometimes distateful things that they believe their religions require of them.... Read More
That is the point. They BELIEVE it is required of them, but sometimes we imperfect people are just, well, wrong. In 1978, The Church of Jesus Christ changed because revelation taught them that a particular thing many BELIEVED was not the way, the truth, or the light.
Now, "Anonymous Nov 15" asks how can I, a Black person, belong to that church? Given reality, "A-11/15" cannot think it shameful to belong where discrimination used to be. That would mean that no minority could shamelessly proclaim their devotion to ANY church (or citizenship in any nation). Rather "A-11/15" must think it shameful only when the changes in practice are so comparatively recent. Do those 10-15 years between the change in LDS church policy and
the changes in policy elsewhere really make a difference?
Yes, they do! But not the way you may think.
My Father is Catholic from Baltimore. There are lots of Catholics in Baltimore, both Black and White, but by and large, they do not worship together. They work together, and even live in the same neighborhoods, but when Sunday comes, they separate. The Catholic church's "official" policies may have ended in the decades before the LDS church 1978 revelation, but come Sunday, its members do not "come together."
I do not mean to pick on Catholics. In fact, I am grateful that my early religious instruction taught me about God and prepared and inspired me to seek Him for myself. I use that example because that is the one with which I have personal experience. My friends and family around the country confirm that my experience with "Oh, honey, the Black [fill in the name of the religion] church is over there," is not unique to Catholics or to Baltimore. And it exists TODAY, long after the 1978 revelation that changed thiings for the LDS church.
When things "changed" outside the LDS church, the transition was not smooth. It was ordered by courts and forced upon a nation in which many citizens not only did not welcome those changes, they feared them, they fought them, and often resisted them with violence. The result is that innocent children had to go to school under the protection of the National Guard. People whose hearts had not changed, harbored and nursed their resentments, and promoted their racist ideologies in "unofficial" ways.
In comparison, by the time of the 1978 revelation, the vast majority of the members of the LDS church, not only wanted the change, they worked for it, prayed for it, many even "lobbied" for it, writing church leaders pleading for its elimination. When it came, they didn't rebel and take up arms against it. They rejoiced in it. They welcomed it, and they welcomed the people of color who began to trickle and then flood in after it, one of whom is me.
That which is "official" is known. Being seen, it must be acknowledged and dealt with. If it is an illness, like cancer, it can be cut out and irradiated, thus excised and cured. That which is "unofficial" is hidden, and like a hidden tumor, festers and grows unknown in the shadows until it is too big, too pervasive, to do anything about but simply watch as it wreaks its havoc.
You can travel the world and find LDS churches in nearly every corner of it. But you know what you won't find? You won't find a" Black" LDS church anywhere. All latter-Day Saints worship together. We are one fold and we have one shepherd, and our head is Jesus Christ. That is Zion. That is why I am not ashamed to proudly proclaim my membership.
So, "Anonymous Nov 15" asks how can I, a Black person, belong to that church? I ask, "How can I belong to any other?" A church that doesn't have a living prophet and doesn't have modern-day revelation has no means to get back on track if initial conclusions or beliefs about something in our ever-changing world would, albeit unwittingly, lead off-course.
A church that does not have a living prophet and modern-day revelation cannot see that all things are not just done, but done "in wisdom and in order" so the timing is right. The LDS (Mormon) church is not alone in having some painful practices regarding race in its history. In fact, it is joined in this fraternity by every other church I have ever heard of. The difference is, I believe the LDS church has gotten it right. And in this, they are in rare company.
Marguerite Driessen
I appreciate the post and the testimonies. Not everyone thinks of historic events, good or bad, as spiritual matters. Often I view life and historic events as practical, political, or intellectual matters. When I do take into consideration the spiritual perspective, and the testimonies of those involved, I have a more complete understanding and the events have more richness and depth. Thank you "Sistas" and "Commenters" for reminding us of the strength and importance of our testimonies. Too often in life we address issues in a sterile vacuum.
As a missionary people would ask me about this often. My response? "In the bible did all male members of Christ's church hold the holy priesthood?" They would either say "I don't know." or if they read the bible, they would answer "no." "The last 30+ years is the ONLY time in the history of the world that ALL worthy male members of the church were allowed to hold the holy priesthood. What an amazing time in which we live!"
In March of this year I blogged about this topic and this is what I wrote:
I was reading a book last night with many quotes from the Prophet Joseph Smith on many different topics. One quote that caught my eye was regarding blacks. He spoke about how if black people were given the opportunity that they would not only equal their white brothers and sisters, but in many ways they would outshine them. He also said that if he had any power over what happened with the black community that he would "confine them by strict law to their own species" (meaning that he would make sure that they were a part of society as a whole as a member of the human race.) "and put them on a national equalization."
I found this to be especially interesting for one major reason. Many people during this period of time found the practice of slavery to be barbaric and inhumane. They thought the process of buying and selling people was disgusting. However, most (including abolitionist's) did not believe that blacks were at all equal to whites. They did not believe that they should have the same rights as land owners, voters, or even as citizens. Most people favored segregation.
Joseph Smith's sentiments of equality during this particular period of time are not only astonishing, but that he would share such feelings aloud to others is amazing. He truly understood that we are all beloved spirit children of our Heavenly Father, and he understood the principles of unconditional love.
Reference: Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Compiled by Joseph Fielding Smith, pg 269-270
Bravo Marguerite.
Nephi said, "I know God loveth his children. Nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things."
I am so glad that I have found your site through one of my friends. I love hearing your beautiful testimonies!
Wow. A great post, as inspirational as it was thought-provoking. Thanks!
=)
I'm so glad this post is still up. It's so inspiring to me. Thank you for your beautiful testimonies. I feel privileged to be a sister and fellow member with such amazing people.
Wow, well said! beautiful!
Thank you for sharing your testimonies with us. I know you two must be busy with the holidays, but I hope you will be back soon. I love your posts!
Thank you both for addressing this topic in such a wonderful way. I think the way you explained you reason could not have been better. Thanks for your testimonies and the inspiration that you give to all those around you. I admire your courage to find the truth out for yourselves by turning to the Lord. That is what The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints is all about. Find out for yourself what is true by turning to the Lord.
Dear Sista Laurel and Sista Beehive...Love your site and your powerful testimonies! Merry Christmas! Love, Jocelyn Christensen
This was a great post!! I thoroughly enjoyed reading your testimonies here! More peopl eneed to read this post!!!!
clothedmuch.blogspot.com
WOW!, what a wonderful collections of posts and testimonies. I am very impressed. I was speaking to my Sista Beehive today and she invited me to post my 2 bits on the topic.
I have few thoughts on the matter.
First, I say AMEN to what the others have posted in response to " Anonymous said: "How can you be black and be such a supporting member of an organization that was officially racist until 1978? And still teaches to this day that the Curse of Cain is manifest in black people? Shame on you."
Second, I ask why are you not ashamed of your ignorance on the matter? I invite you to post the official doctrine of the church that you claim is racist. If racism is "still being taught" in the LDS church, could you please cite a few examples?
Third, can you please provide citations and quotations of the "official doctrine" for the church regarding this subject?
Third, you need to look at it from historical eyes and not today's eyes as has been suggested. As has been previously pointed out by many others our society has changed greatly over the past century and a half. We often times look at history with our eyes and understanding of today and not what circumstances of the past.
Fourth, When did Jesus Christ teach to keep and hold a grudge and not to forgive? You should be cheering and shouting the good news from the roof tops that ALL worthy males can hold the priesthood in the LDS church not begrudging them.
Fifth, I express my admiration and respect for my brothas and sistas that had the courage to stand by their testimonies despite the ridicule of people like anonymous and not cave to the their pressure. They are right up there with Rosa in my book.
Sixth, Why is anonymous so narrow minded that he/she thinks that everyone must think and act as Anonymous dictates? That sounds rather satanic to me.
Seventh, The gospel of Jesus Christ is not about skin color. Skin tone will have no bearing on whether or not you enter the Kingdom of God.
Eighth, through out history the priesthood has been given to very few. There have always been limitations on who can receive the priesthood of God. Even today, not everyone can hold the priesthood.
So, to my good friend anonymous, I hope this and the other posts before mine have helped to enlighten you on the subject and answered your inquiry. But something tells me that you harbor far to much bitterness and are too insecure to consider, study and learn for yourself the truth of the matter.
I will pray for you that your heart may be softened, your mind opened and your understanding enlarged.
Great post and comments! I hope there will be more soon.
Aloha, you had me at your Blog title!! Your Post is very inspiring and also carries alot of strength. I love being a member of the church, especially as a woman and a Sistah as we say here in the North shore of Hawaii in Relief Society. This organization is bonded like no other. I count myself so very lucky,humbled,grateful and honored to share this Gospel with you lovely women,
Mahalo for your fine examples
All my Aloha
Brandi
I don't blog very much anymore and just saw a link to this blog on the Niblets award. Mazel Tov!
One response I give to the criticism you cite is that there are not very many American religions who DIDN'T practice open racism at one time or another. Mormons are the only ones (that I know of) who had an official doctrine.
While I abhor the doctrine, I don't believe it was based on anything but practicality, now we are among the least racist of American religions. If you go to the deep south, segregation is still practiced by many Baptist congregations.
I find it ironic that Baptists, who are among our harshest critics, probably out-number Mormons by a million to one as members of the KKK. Of course, I have no idea the actual number. But there is a certain hypocrisy there.
I ask them, "what religion do you suppose the murderers of Emmett Till were?"
"I'll be back"....LOL, maybe in 6 months when I get time to sit down at my computer again. Good blog :)
Wow! Incredibly eloquent and personal. Thank you for sharing. Many of the comments here are equally moving as well. I hope you update this site soon, I stumbled onto it, but would like to return.
I am proud to be a Mormon and equally proud of my brothers and sisters of regardless of their race, country of origin, profession, or political beliefs who boldly proclaim the same.
I wrote about this on my blog but it can't hold a candle to your personal comments - not even close. The only comment I'd like to make is that Brigham Young didn't originate the Cain-Curse theory. That was the common belief and practice among almost all churches in America and Western Europe. You can Wikipedia that. He was brought up believing that in his Protestant religion and there is a difference there. All of America bought into that and thanks heavens we all grew up. Right?
Joseph Smith himself never bought into or acted on that belief. If it interests you, there are some other thoughts on the topic including statements from apostle/prophet who think it was an error. Just click "blacks" on the topic list.
I subscribe to your blog by Google reader so I don't comment much but I laugh an awful lot. I posted one of your posts on my blog this morning...
Shawnie - Most can agree that many religions have had racist or discriminatory theories, beliefs and practices at some point in their history. However, Mormonism continued these practices well past the civil rights movement and almost into the 80's.
The "Curse of Cain" theory of did not originate with Brigham Young, but it seems to be where it originated for the Mormon church. All of America did not buy into it, but a lot did and as you put it "we all grew up" long before the Mormon religion did.
What makes the rest of the world shocked is not that Mormons had those practices, but how long it took for them to stop them and how hard they tried to convince the world that what they were doing was not racist or discriminatory, but what God wanted.
A lot of ppl don't understand what the curse of cain really entails, there is a difference between the curse of cain and the mark of cain... I'll share this great article with you all to understand that being black or of black descend has absolutely nothing to do with Heavenly Father cursing cain but a mark and protection( is bit long sorry):
As a consequence of murdering Abel, Cain understood that he was to roam the earth as “a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that he that findeth me will slay me, because of mine iniquities” (Moses 5:39). It should be noted that roaming the earth as a fugitive was not Cain’s “curse.”
Why would those that find Cain attempt to kill him? Well, because they were living under the patriarchal law of blood vengeance: “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man” (Gen. 9:6). This law, commonly referred to as the “an eye for an eye” law, was later incorporated into the Law of Moses (see Num. 35:19).
Under blood vengeance, the nearest kin had a right and responsibility to avenge the death of his relation by killing the murderer. Because Abel’s murder was known, Cain realized that it was only a matter of time before blood vengeance took its lawful toll. Is it any wonder that Cain cries out to the Lord, “my punishment is greater than I can bear” (Moses 5:38)?
Since God is merciful, he does not necessarily desire the loss of one life to lead to the loss of another. So he offered Cain two protective elements. First, God decreed that “Whosoever slayeth [Cain], vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold” (Moses 5: 40). In other words, God declared that the Cain's slayer would in turn suffer the loss of seven lives from his or her family; quite a severe toll. Because the avenger is not to suffer loss under the law of blood vengeance, the fact that vengeance was to come against the avenger contradicted the current system.
The second protective element is that God “set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him” (Moses 5:40). Accordingly, a mark, presumably of darkened skin, was placed upon Cain to visually remind any avenger of God’s decree about the seven lives for the life of Cain. One may speculate that the mark was placed upon Cain at his own request so as to prolong his life. However, Cain’s darkened skin was not his “curse,” but instead was the sign of his curse.
So, what was Cain’s curse? Not unlike the cursing placed upon the Lamanites for rebellion, Cain’s curse consisted of being “shut out from the presence of the Lord” (Moses 5:41). Indeed, Cain declared that God had “driven me out this day from the face of the Lord, and from thy face shall I be hid” (Moses 5:39). The Lord's presence is routinely equated with the temple and other holy sanctuaries or geographical locations; consequently, Cain essentially had his temple recommend revoked so that he could not access the Lord any longer.
Anonymous, May 24, 2011 7:57 PM Thank you for your thoughts and enlightenment. I have never had the curse of Cain explained to me in this way before and it is just the answer I have been searching for. Sistas thank you for your site you don't know how much it has helped me as I struggle with my faith.
It's something. you don't say "No, I do not believe my skin color came from a mark. No I do not believe that black people were banned from being priests".
It's as if you deep down consider it's true (even though it was clearly made up 100 years before Smith was born, by Baptists to enslave black people).
Regarding the previous Anonymous, "May 24, 2011 7:57 PM" comment.
That's an elaborate explanation for something that was clearly made up to enslave black people.
It does not matter if the curse or mark was separate. I can see it's not the same thing. but the fact is, the "marked people" indicated as black in LDS writings are the same "cursed people".
Are there people in this context who were marked yet not cursed? Are there segments of the black race who were not partakers of the curse? Impossible considering the LDS scriptures say that all blacks descend from the Mark of Cain. So it's moot.
But more importantly it's not true.
What is hurtful and damaging is that that elaborate explanation is used to uphold a racist teaching which had no justification. Jews did not practice this kind of thing against blacks. In fact, Jews immigrated to Ethiopia and Mozambique and tribes of ancient Jews remain in Mozambique (and retain their priesthood heritage as proven by DNA, their own oral traditions, and the fact they are still practicing Jews).
Also, in the Bible the curse is "the ground will not yield forth it's fruit". That being the case, black people were enslaved as to make the ground yield forth it's fruit. Egypt was the most agriculturally successful place in the ancient world. They were not partakers of any curse on Cain.
It doesn't make it "better" by empathizing that the mark was a mark of "protection".
The actual mark was not even skin color. The Hebrew word is "owth" which means OMEN, not "skin color changing".
So I wonder, where did you even get the notion that the "mark" had anything to do with an assumed white Cain turning black anyhow? THAT is also based on white supremacist teachings of the 1800s and 1700s.
It's a shame those elaborate explanations are used to make some of you feel better when in fact you need to look at the truth and the matter honestly and stop relying on white interpretations to safeguard your self esteem for you.
Your ancestors were never cursed. Blackness has nothing at all to do with Cain. And thus, this is the hard part, Mormonism and LDS scriptures are simmply wrong on this one. I know you want to hold on to it because you have this belief that in your religion it's "all true" or nothing. But if that's the case, you may want to reconsider Mormonism and recognize you can still be Christian, still be close to God, still accept Jesus love and everything WITHOUT adding ANY Mormon stuff to that.
Last thing to add to this:
It's one thing to say Cain was shut out of the lord for his own sin. But it's quite fascinating that anyone in here would accept without really thinking about it:
What does black people have to do with Cain that they themselves would be shut out of the Lord's presence while everyone else on Earth were to continue on God's presence.
Then on top of that, this ultimate earthly punishment (and lets face it, being shut out of the lord is a major punishment), is considered something as to maintain from the second generation of humanity's beginning to the second to the last generation of humanity's presence (99% of history blacks have been shut out).
Really? You guys really accept that and try to accept some explanation. That's quite a sad thing to accept such a bunch of falsehood against you and your heritage.
Wow, what a discussion. I believe that early Christians have misinterpreted the Bible in this instance and historically led cultures to this conclusion. However, one only needs to know God and Christ to know that the mark was not darker skin but that the Spirit would not preside with the person. I believe that everyone deserves the same rights and always should have had them, especially the Priesthood. Historically, religions have bowed down to culture in order to appease the masses. Think of the Jews and Gentiles during Christ's crucifixtion. Think of the First Crusade; supposed Christians taking over the Holy Land and killing whoever was in their way. The mixing of religion and culture will always provide a work around for those with strong opinions. What is most relevant is your individual relationship to Christ and how your life displays Him, not publicly but to Him personally.
Absolutely Maura, our individual relationship with Christ IS truly what matters most!
Thank you for sharing this. I have come across this same argument many times. Your testimonies are beautiful.
No early Christians interpreted anything racial in the Bible about black people and Cain's sin.
IT's also outrageously false to imply "early Christians misinterpreted" anything about god's spirit not residing with any person based on anything Cain did. That is essentially racist still. Becuse it says that some humans were kept from God's spirit for no actions of their own, but because of Cain.
Maura you're not even making sense since the Cain events came from the earliest part of Judiasm, long before there were any Christians. So you'd have to have an analysis of Jewish thought and history to get a handle on it.
But beyond that is this: When you or anyone speak of people being shut out of God's spirit based on some carrying down of Cain's heritage... how do you know who is or who isn't of that curse? Oh well, here we go, we will all accept that it's related to black people, but we won't SAY it.
Whatever Christians did, whether it be crusades, or anything else has NOTHING to do with this. You cannot then say "oh Christians did bad things later, so the curse of Cain must be true". no.
The Bible does not imply that Cain's descendents were of any particular race nor does it imply that his descendents were cursed by being "kept from the spirit of God". We don't have any idea who Cain's descendents were or are and by now, EVERYONE, is a descendent of Cain if Cain truly lived through the descendents of Noah.
Here is the most important thing about Cain, black skin, curses, and what not.
All of this Cain related teaching came from the minds of white Southern Baptists and Methodists about 100 years before Mormonism. It had no historical basis, and none of them ever cited any ancient Christian or Jewish thought on this. Furthermore, they didn't even claim to have a revelation about it.
Joseph Smith and ALL (including the current) Mormon leaders adopted this teaching, and have accepted it as an actual part of either the Jewish religion, or taught by Ancient Jews during the time of Moses. They have to, the story allegedly was written in the book of Genesis (and Mormon book of Moses, Abraham)... i.e. Jews.
Why do any of you in here, confuse white racist fabrictions of the mid 1700s with ancient Jewish thought is clearly because you are still mentally enslaved by white supremacy.
You have this elaborate and heartfelt explanation about Cain and the mark and curse and God's spirit and so on... and it's this elaborate soft felt touching philosophy to explain something that was made up to justify slavery,
I am not speaking about the Bible being made up. I am speaking about a 1700s racist philosophy being pushed on Christianity and you all accepting it in some form or another instead of just rejecting it all. Why? Because it's "Mormon" teaching now, and you can't reject it outright without rejecting a core teaching of Mormonism.
And why is that? Because, even though ALL the other Christian groups reject this racist blasphemy for what it is, Mormon leaders have not. So neither can you. Thus, the heartfelt explanation of racism. Oh gee the mark is meant to PROTECT black people? That is like trying to teach someone you think is too slow to tell when they are being humored, so you give them a compliment to distract them from getting to the heart of the matter.
Any of you ever had someone compliment you and you could tell they were doing it so you wouldn't have any leg to stand on when you are trying to discuss an issue that they disagree with?
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