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

[_msnobody]

I tend to agree with your OP, Dr. Lod. At the same time, I find myself wishing the GAs would seek and find unity within the body of Christ.

[_Gadianton]

"Oh, wow. How you get out of that without rage in your heart is foreign to me."

That's some crazy stuff to go through and it's a good point that Dr. LOD keeps cool about things. In contrast, Mr. Midgley was treated like a God by the Maori on his mission and came back to become a BYU professor in a pretty easy subject where he found a gang of like-minded to pal around with for his career. As he says, he's lived a "charmed life" and hasn't had any major challenges. Yet, the slightest bit of confrontation sends him into a tail spin, where he verbally lashes out at people who don't agree with him or question anything any of his buddies say. He creates files on people he doesn't like, and hunts down those he really, really doesn't like for confrontation. I've never seen him be the bigger man and let something go, or show kindness to someone who is abrupt or just plain has a contrary opinion.

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

DON’T FORGET THE SPINNING.

-Doc

[_Dr LOD]

Oh, wow. How you get out of that without rage in your heart is foreign to me. How has this experience colored your view of the Other? Also, if you keep that bit about reports up you’ll see this used as a cudgel on your interactions with mopologists moving forward. Dossiers and all that...

- Doc

I’m not too worried about my SCMC file. At least any attempted additions from Mopologists, can join what was gathered about the episode I shared.

As far as rage. Two things helped.

First was trying to understand how those people got to the point where they were pious racists in denial, I thought they weren’t following their religious upbringing. I was wrong they were, the system of institutionalized racism within the doctrine and teachings is what led them to the type of behavior that I saw them exhibit.

I also got some rage out by slowly dismantling the life of my main protagonists. And watching that community flounder in their own incompetence.

I do miss my patient population I worked with someday we will go back. Hopefully by them more of the racism I experienced will have rotted away in nursing homes, and buried in the dust where it belongs.

[_I have a question]

While he supports the sentiments expressed in Monday’s article, Wil Colom, special counsel to the NAACP president, said the group “hasn’t seen very much” progress on joint projects.

https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2020/06 ... president/

The NAACP is “looking forward to the church doing more to undo the 150 years of damage they did by how they treated African Americans in the church,” Colom said, and by their “endorsement of how African Americans were treated throughout the country, including segregation and Jim Crow laws.”
Derrick Johnson — the NAACP president and CEO, who signed the op-ed with Nelson and who met in Salt Lake City with the Latter-day Saint leader in May 2018 — said Monday that Colom was authorized to speak for the organization.

Both groups “have learned lessons from the past,” the joint commentary piece stated. “Both of us have been willing to listen to and learn from each other.”
But there seems to be “no willingness on the part of the church,” Colom said, “to do anything material.”
He looks forward “to their deeds matching their words,” he said. “It’s time now for more than sweet talk.”

Exactly.

[_moksha]

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."

[_Dr LOD]

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.

[_Stem]

It appears the pictures of the Church over the past couple of years with the NAACP was not much more than photo ops. Saying the Church hasn't done anything material seems to confirm that notion. I guess a photo op linking arms is something, but perhaps not really something material. Ah well, its something.

[_Dr LOD]

It appears the pictures of the Church over the past couple of years with the NAACP was not much more than photo ops. Saying the Church hasn't done anything material seems to confirm that notion. I guess a photo op linking arms is something, but perhaps not really something material. Ah well, its something.

Yes very little action of substance has actually been done.

Now have a member of the NAACP give a conference talk. That would be something.

[_Stem]

Yes very little action of substance has actually been done.

Now have a member of the NAACP give a conference talk. That would be something.

Over on the MD&D board Julianne 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.

Not bad, although I would suggest if the Church takes the lead on instructing on racism, they need to start with the clear unequivocal acceptance that the Church had preached racism as if it was from God for most of it's existence. Without that clarification I don't knw anyone should take the Church teaching anything on race relations seriously.

https://www.mormondialogue.org/topic/72 ... 1209975931