The Racist American Context the Church was Born Into

Title

The Racist American Context the Church was Born Into

Publication Type

Podcast

Publication Date

July 4, 2023

Authors

Griffiths, Casey Paul (Primary), and Woodward, Scott (Primary)

URL

https://churchhistorymatters.podbean.com/e/the-racist-american-context-the-church-was-born-into/

Terms of use

Items in the BMC Archive are made publicly available for non-commercial, private use. Inclusion within the BMC Archive does not imply endorsement. Items do not represent the official views of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or of Book of Mormon Central.

Bibliographic Citation

Abstract

There was a season in our church’s history when members with Black African ancestry were unevenly barred from both priesthood and temple privileges. This overtly discriminatory practice is one of the most challenging aspects of our history, and for many is one of the most difficult to understand. How could something like this happen in a church led by living prophets and apostles? It’s a fair question, and the truth is the answer is impossible to really get at without understanding the prevailing attitudes and beliefs about black Africans in the broader American culture at the time the church was established and into this century that followed. In today’s episode of Church History Matters we begin our series on race and priesthood by exploring the racial climate in antebellum America in the 1800s and probing the three major factors responsible for how it got that way.