Comments on: CNN features black Mormon Marvin Perkins

By: John Pack Lambert

John Pack Lambert — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:58:18 +0000

The “easy way out” accusation against Elder McConkie ignores one important ingredient. He denounced his own passed statements in his talk “All Are Alike Unto God” just as much as he denounced anyone else’s.
He clearly stated that what he said on the matter was not informed by revelation, and the added light and knowledge given by revelation was such that his previous statements had been given in darkness and no longer had any meaning.

By: Frederic Spiller

Frederic Spiller — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:53:53 +0000

The Priesthood and God. The priesthood is either the power to act in God’s name or it is nothing at all. The bible teaches clearly that God ordained Aaron to the priesthood. That is not exclusive to the Old testament (speaking of forgetting what the prophet’s have said), “No man taketh this honor unto himself, save he is called of God as was Aaron,” Hebrews
Jesus said to his apostles, “You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.”
Since God did give authority to a select few to act as his “chosen priests” then there must be something to this leadership (not Luther’s cop-out, “the priesthood of believers” since he had no authority from God for the reformation.
Either the Catholic church has the priesthood inspite of all non scriptural doctrine and non christian history, or the Mormon church had it restored to it.
I don’t know why he chose Aaron, Ely or the Israelites or a man like Joseph Smith, but it seems he does chose whom he elects to give the priesthood, regardless of how that makes me feel. I cannot dictate to God his “ways and reasons.” The faithful blacks and polynesians and Phillipinos and the righteous will magnify that priesthood and bring this church out of its darkness.

By: Bookmarks about Cnn

Bookmarks about Cnn — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 07:45:36 +0000

[...] – bookmarked by 5 members originally found by biancaromano on 2008-12-28 CNN features black Mormon Marvin Perkins http://www.blacklds.org/148/cnn-features-black-mormon-marvin-perkins – bookmarked by 3 members [...]

By: Zach W.

Zach W. — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 23:12:43 +0000

You can look through this very site and discover that some blacks even in the early history of the church were given the preisthood. Joseph Smith himself ordained a black man to the office of elder. To say that the church is racist and biggoted is just simply false. I am sure that if you search and read and pray diligently on this subject you can gain a greater understanding of this sensitive matter.

By: Sean McLaughlin

Sean McLaughlin — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 18:04:50 +0000

As I am really taking a hard look at all of this, my mind is really opening. I think one has to have a solid understanding of church history and the way revelation has come, and the way the Fullness of the gospel isn’t something that was dropped into the church’s lap all at once.
It is a delicate matter when separating tradition and practice from revelation and commandments.
It doesn’t say the church is not true when our leadership operated to the best of their understanding at the times they were in. It doesn’t say that witholding the priesthood from blacks was the right thing to do at the time, but our leaders did the best they could based on what they knew, or thought they knew. It is easy to understand from the attitudes of the times. The 1978 revelation puts things into perspective. I am revamping my entire viewpoint on this, I want to help Marvin Perkins put on his blacks in the scriptures series in my stake because I know that this work was always meant to be global and to go to all the earth. Whatever holds me back from helping the Lord in His work, I have to prayerfully overcome (I’m no racist but there are a lot of things about this that I know must be a matter of prayer and change; that much I know.)

By: sgordon

sgordon — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 22:46:58 +0000

A. Milby,

The difficulty with your reasoning is that you are assuming everything said on the subject was a revelation and not simply an assumption or an interpretation. Gordon B. Hinckley said the following on the Mike Wallace 60 minutes interview:

Mike Wallace: From 1830 to 1978, blacks could not become priests in the Mormon church. Right?

Gordon B. Hinckley: That’s correct.

Mike Wallace: Why?

Gordon B. Hinckley: Because the leaders of the church at that time interpreted that doctrine that way.

As you can see–there is no mention of revelation on the matter.

By: A. Milby

A. Milby — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 04:02:33 +0000

Do you understand and believe what the Bible teaches about a false prophet or a prophet non the less. McConkie (quote below) took the easy way out….”Forget everything I have said, or what President Brigham Young or President Geroger Q.Cannon have said…” You don’t just “forget” what a prophet says. Read Isaiah 8:20, if a spirit doesn’t speak according to Gods word you shouldn’t listen to that spirit because it is not of God. Peter already had the revelation that the gospel was for all men, and Paul said we (believers) are ALL one it Christ, no differences.
I would encourage you to read the Bible, and not take ANY mans interpretation of it, but search for yourself. I left the Mormon Church for this reason (blacks and the racism of the LDS church) and many others. By Gods grace, I was lead to the cross. I now live my life for Him. Jesus is my Lord and Savior. I pray that you come out of the deception and bondage of the Mormon Church and its false doctrines. Research and study for yourself, and you too will come to see that it is not the truth.

Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote in Sermons and Writings of Bruce R. McConkie, Part II, The Mission of the Holy Ghost, Chapter 9—Revelation on the Priesthood 1989 (also spoken at a CES conference at BYU in August 1978):

We Follow Living Prophets

“Forget everything that I have said, or what President Brigham Young or President George Q. Cannon or whoever has said in days past that is contrary to the present revelation. We spoke with a limited understanding and without the light and knowledge that now has come into the world. We get our truth and light line upon line and precept upon precept (2 Ne. 28:30; Isa. 28:9-10; D&C 98:11-12; 128:21). We have now had added a new flood of intelligence and light on this particular subject, and it erases all the darkness and all the views and all the thoughts of the past. They don’t matter anymore.

“It doesn’t make a particle of difference what anybody ever said about the Negro matter before the first day of June of this year [1978]. It is a new day and a new arrangement, and the Lord has now given the revelation that sheds light into the world on this subject.”