“If this doesn't make you feel the spirit then you are crazy.I love the book of mormon. It is a powerful book.A testimony of the book of mormon.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUqNW_PTTp0”
“I certainly agree. We should not bash on other religions because they are not our own. I am a steadfast Latter Day Saint and I am proud to be one. Please, if you do not like us Mormons I implore you to not write degrading things about us. Everyone should be respected for what they believe. ”
“I agree that we should not be cruel about peoples religious beliefs. Yes, I believe in the truth of this book and Yes, I am mormon. Rude comments do not change this. They just make the person who says them look mean. It's like our parents teach us as children. Treat others the way you want to be treated. People will respect your opion better if you give it respectfully :)”
“Hi everybody. I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving holiday. I wanted to share a short email I received that puts into perspective one of the two main reasons I write what I have on this discussion board. First, as I've explained, one reason I write occasionally is that I feel driven to ensure that "both sides of the story" are being told, not just the anti-Mormons' "smoke and mirrors" versions, but also the true facts, history and documented evidences of the Book of Mormon. Second, I write what I do because I believe it's important to stand up against prejudice, whatever the form or source might be. I'd do the same thing for any of my Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or non-Mormon/Christian friends, were they under attack in the way we as Mormons are and have been on this site. It's reprehensible what goes on here, and I'm saddened by it. (I don't mean to offend but I'm also saddened by the fact that I'm the only one who seems bothered by it all or willing to say something about it. Ana M, or whoever else might read this: if you are truly strong members of the LDS church, shouldn't you say something about your faith, your own feelings, WHAT you believe and WHY YOU BELIEVE IT, instead of just standing by?!) The early Mormon pioneers, when they were being raped and murdered and driven from state to state, didn't just stand idly by and accept what was happening. They didn't fight back very often, since they were counseled not to, but they weren't OKAY WITH IT either. They certainly didn't try to pretend the mobs didn't exist or that the intolerance they were experiencing would never change so, "what the hey." Are you really saying (Ana, etc.) that we should just pretend like it's okay for someone to be so blatantly racist. Are verbal hate-crimes today okay? Is it "no big deal" when Ryan and Shannon (etc.) drag the sacred ceremonies of the temple, the memories of our beloved apostles, the very essence of WHO WE ARE through the mud? I can't imagine this is what you're saying, but not saying anything is as good as acceptance. I agree, this is a book site and should be focused on books. It hasn't been, though. It's turned into a forum for anti-Mormon intolerance. Can I ask: is ANYONE reading this okay with the hatred and prejudice we have been submitted to on this site? (I have noticed it's been almost two weeks since R & S have raised their heads. Does that mean we can all be spared from their misdirecting hatred from now on? If so, believe me, you won't hear anything more from me...!) Like I said, though, I received an email yesterday that touches on this subject. It's an apt reminder of what I'm talking about. Let me share with you a couple of passages from the write-up (the Rabbi / writer is referring to some recent hate-crimes against several LDS members in California). Please ask yourself folks, "What if it was me?" WE ARE ALL MORMONS by Rabbi Shifren ....People have perhaps wondered: why the Mormons? Answer: they are a small, yet vocal Christian minority. They have been selected by the mobs as vulnerable, a group that might not have such massive support among America's Christians. We who are friends of the Mormons, their patriotism, their family values, will not falter in our continued support of these dear Americans. Let us recall the Christian minister Niemoller, whose admonition during those dark years of Nazi Germany moved us to our core: "When they came for the gypsies, I said nothing, because I wasn't a gypsy. When they came for the homosexuals, I said nothing, because I wasn't a homosexual. When they came for the Jews, I said nothing, because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I said nothing, because I wasn't a Catholic......then they came for me, and there was no one left to defend me." My fellow Americans, in the coming battle for the heart and soul of America and everything we cherish, may this call to arms be the mantra of every concerned patriot: "WE ALL ARE MORMONS!" Rabbi Nachum Shifren - Lecturer and Teacher Just food for thought.... Take care everybody, and thanks for listening. PL”
“P.S. Here are three great sites for those seeking real answers about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and documented responses to the anti-Mormon blabber that unfortunately exists. http://www.fairlds.org/ http://www.lds.org/ http://www.mormon.org/ Happy Holidays!”
“I don't think you will find many people Mormon or not that deny that the Mormon Church was racist in its early years. The question really is whether these acts were caused by The Book of Mormon or were these statements just these men's personal beliefs? It is doubtful that these were entirely caused by the BoM.One can make the claim that the BoM gave these powerful men justification for racism. The statements made in the BoM are undoubtedly racist but I think it was these men's own prejudice that compelled them to make the remarks they did. Even today there are very few people of African descent in leadership positions in the LDS church.I remember baptizing some gentlemen from Nigeria on my mission. After I left the area some missionaries that followed me decided to tell these men that they were descendants of Cain. It was not pretty and they left the church. Today, I feel horrible that they were hurt but proud that they were freed from an institution with such a racist history,”
“Another Mormon racist, John Taylor, Millennial Star, Vol. 14, pg. 418:"For instance, the descendants of Cain cannot cast off their skin of blackness, at once, and immediately, although every soul of them should repent,....Cain and his posterity must wear the mark which God put upon them; and his white friends may wash the race of Cain with fuller's soap every day, they cannot wash away God's mark."Wait. Wait. Do you think Taylor, as a white friend, took a bar of Dove soap to the face of a black man in attempt to wash away this curse? Why did Elohim, the Mormon God, curse a people with black skin? I'm going to reread those Book of Mormon passages concerning this racism right now. According to Mormon theology, the righteous will be white in the Celestial Kingdom. The take away message from the Book of Mormon is that black is not beautiful.”
“In the Journal of Discourses, Mormon "prophet" Brigham Young says these vile words:'Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African Race? If the White man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so.Vol. 7, pg. 290-291"Cain slew his brother. . . and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat nose and black skin.You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild, and seemingly deprived of nearly all the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind. The first man that committed the odious crime of killing one of his brethren will be cursed the longest of any one of the children of Adam. Cain slew his brother. Cain might have been killed, and that would have put a termination to that line of human beings. This was not to be, and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat nose and black skin. Trace mankind down to after the flood, and then another curse is pronounced upon the same race--that they should be the "servant of servants." So those who email me concerning racism in Mormon history, let's just discuss it here. Thanks! Since this is a book discussion, I want to know what specific passages from the Book of Mormon do you think were in Young's heart when the Mormon God, Elohim, "inspired" these racist remarks.”
“I wanted to start a post concerning the Book of Mormon and racism, and I'd like to dig deeper into the unfair treatment of blacks by the Church. It has been touched upon, but I think too many sweep it under the rug. I'll start from with a quote by Brigham Young, the second president of the church:"Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so." (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 10:110)And now I'll quote another president of the church, Joseph Fielding Smith:"Joseph Fielding Smith stated, "Not only was Cain called upon to suffer, but because of his wickedness he became the father of an inferior race" (The Way to Perfection, p.101)."The negroes are not equal with other races where the receipt of certain spiritual blessings are concerned, particularly the priesthood and the temple blessings that flow therefrom..." (Mormon Doctrine, p.527, 1966 ed.)Spencer W. Kimball, later 12th President of the Mormon church, commenting on the Native American Indians as folows:And here's a quote from another president of this arguably racist church, Spencer Kimball the 12th prophet of a truly racist deity:"I saw a striking contrast in the progress of the Indian people today as against that of only fifteen years ago. Truly the scales of darkness aref allign from their eyes, and they are fast becoming a white and delightsome people....For years they have been growing delightsome, and they are now becoming white and delightsome, as they were promised..."(Spencer W. Kimball, Improvement Era, Dec. 1960, pp.922-3)As for the Book of Mormon, here are some passages that have been used to engage in racist acts:2 Nephi 5:21"And he had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like unto a flint; wherefore, as they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them."In a 1947 letter, the LDS First Presidency condemned interracial marriage, :“There is a growing tendency.. toward the breaking down of race barriers in the matter of intermarriage between whites and blacks, but it does not have the sanction of the Church and is contrary to Church doctrine.”They Mormon Church currently opposes same-sex marriage, another issue of civil rights, but let's focus on racism, shall we? Any comments on how the recent acceptance of blacks into the LDS Priesthood contradicts earlier dogmatic statements by LDS president Brigham Young (and others)?”
