Russel Nelson steps into the racism question in a good way.

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_SteelHead
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Re: Russel Nelson steps into the racism question in a good way.

Post by _SteelHead »

[img]https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/bc/ ... rt4-18.png[/img]
(is the image feature not working?)

Nothing could be more convincing than these guys talking about racism. I mean - just look at the diversity!
It is better to be a warrior in a garden, than a gardener at war.

Some of us, on the other hand, actually prefer a religion that includes some type of correlation with reality.
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_Res Ipsa
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Re: Russel Nelson steps into the racism question in a good way.

Post by _Res Ipsa »

Dr LOD wrote:
Tue Jun 09, 2020 4:05 pm
moksha wrote:
Tue Jun 09, 2020 2:27 pm
I'm certainly glad that the political dominion of the LDS White Citizens Council was broken in San Juan County. We should sing about it, "The night they drove old Dixie down... Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na."
That is quite a group of characters. I won’t confirm or deny that I was there. But the racial environment there is reflective of my experience.
My first mission assignment was Bluff, UT and my second was Aneth. Either could have fit the bill.
​“The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.”

― Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 1951
_I have a question
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Re: Russel Nelson steps into the racism question in a good way.

Post by _I have a question »

Here's a letter to the SLT
As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I enthusiastically applaud President Russell M. Nelson’s recent admonition to “abandon attitudes of prejudice.” Few Mormon prophets have taken such a bold stand against racism in a moment of such political urgency.

As recent events have dramatically shown us, however, it is all too easy to ask others to abandon their prejudices without seriously considering, reconsidering and abandoning our own.

After what can only be generously described as a checkered past with racial issues, the time has come for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to make good on its own admonition to abandon prejudice: Let the prophet cash with his actions the check that he writes with his mouth.
https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/letters/ ... on-should/
Here is a non-violent way the church could take a stand against racism: Remove the vile phrase which describes God’s curse as a “skin of blackness” in 2 Nephi 5:21 from all future editions of the Book of Mormon.

As a faithful Mormon, I have had to read this painfully and blatantly racist scripture my whole life, but I never want to read it again. My children have already had to read this, too, but is there any reason why my grandchildren should? Or their children and grandchildren? Why?

Mormons sustain Nelson as a prophet, seer and revelator, so it is entirely within his power to unreveal this deeply offensive phrase.

In Nelson’s own words: “Any of us who has prejudice toward another race needs to repent.” It is high time that the Book of Mormon itself repent. Otherwise, talk is cheap, even if it purports to be anti-racist.

This could be done tomorrow. Even today. And nobody would have to break any windows to do it.
I agree wholeheartedly.

I cannot think of a good reason for not removing at least the passage referenced above. It’s non removal signifies to me that (as poster ‘moinmoin’ once suggested) “Race And The Priesthood” is merely spin and deep down the Church still holds to the doctrine that God used black skin to identify people whom He had cursed. Doctrinally, an essay doesn’t trump a scripture. Nelson’s words on racism are meaningless rhetoric whilst that scripture prevails.
_Fence Sitter
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Re: Russel Nelson steps into the racism question in a good way.

Post by _Fence Sitter »

I have a question wrote:
Wed Jun 10, 2020 9:27 am
Here's a letter to the SLT

I cannot think of a good reason for not removing at least the passage referenced above. It’s non removal signifies to me that (as poster ‘moinmoin’ once suggested) “Race And The Priesthood” is merely spin and deep down the Church still holds to the doctrine that God used black skin to identify people whom He had cursed. Doctrinally, an essay doesn’t trump a scripture. Nelson’s words on racism are meaningless rhetoric whilst that scripture prevails.
Because removing or rewriting that single verse is just the tip of a white and delightsome iceberg.
Racism is endemic in Mormon scripture.
"Any over-ritualized religion since the dawn of time can make its priests say yes, we know, it is rotten, and hard luck, but just do as we say, keep at the ritual, stick it out, give us your money and you'll end up with the angels in heaven for evermore."
_moksha
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Re: Russel Nelson steps into the racism question in a good way.

Post by _moksha »

Stem wrote:
Tue Jun 09, 2020 8:38 pm
Over on the MD&D board Juilann offered these recommendations for the Church to make a start:
1.Stop pretending the priesthood ban was anything but racist to the core. Put the Gospel Topics where people can see them rather than have to know they exist to find them.
2. Remove any equivalency about how the ban started so that members can't hide behind "God did it." There is too much scholarship to play this game anymore.
3. Instruct local units in what racism is and start talking about it. (All one has to do is read Desert News comments to see the problem we have, it's not like there aren't blaring examples in front of our faces.)
4. The biggest force for good, General Conference. Start. Talking. About. Racism.
https://www.mormondialogue.org/topic/72 ... 1209975931
First off, big kudos to Juliann for these four suggestions. I took a look at that thread to see if it had caused any major light bulbs to go on over the poster's heads. Stem and Bluebell responded but the others are mostly ignoring her wise ideas. It would create some excitement if Smac or Scott Lloyd rose up to smite her suggestions with their usual antics. Even better if the rest of that board endorsed her ideas on this topic.
Cry Heaven and let loose the Penguins of Peace
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