If you were in my Sunday School class today (Gospel Doctrine), as I was discussing the beauties of 2 Nephi 26:33, "and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile", I pointed out my excitement with the growing diversity within the church and of the church's attempts to publicly address and disavow much of its racist history. I shared specifically the unique struggles within my own family history (having a black cousin, being married to a Polynesian, the marriage of my mother and father in law and the hostilities thrown at them as a result in the name of "following the counsel of the brethren.")
I realize this discussion makes many uncomfortable, and often, the comment, "we need to be careful we don't confuse church history and the culture of the church at the time with the things that were actually being taught as principles of the Gospel." That comment was made in class in counter to my above sentiments. As a disciple of Christ and as an educator, I want there to be NO CONFUSION about this---while that statement has good intentions, it is dangerously divergent from the realities and truth of LDS church history. When asked if I think the church has a racist history, I will state boldly that yes I do. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not racist, but in the past and presently when instituted by imperfect beings (us) who are affected by our individual cultures, the church will always (past and present) have racist elements within it so long as human beings make up the body of Christ.
The LDS church has produced a good (while also hard to read for some because it deals with complex issues) essay entitled "Race and the Priesthood" which is published on its website (and I have attached it below for convenience). The church has asked that we all as congregants READ these essays and be familiar with them. In their own words, "We again encourage members to study the Gospel Topics essays cited in the links below as they “seek learning, even by study and also by faith.” Controversial and difficult topics such as plural marriage as practiced by Joseph Smith and polygamy in general within the church, race and the priesthood, the Book of Abraham, etc. are addressed.
In conclusion, if we have an issue with someone who claims the history of the LDS church has been racist, we have an issue with these essays, which means we have an issue with the 1st Presidency and the Quorum of the 12 Apostles. As quoted directly from the essay, "Today, the Church disavows the theories advanced in the past that black skin is a sign of divine disfavor or curse, or that it reflects unrighteous actions in a premortal life; that mixed-race marriages are a sin; or that blacks or people of any other race or ethnicity are inferior in any way to anyone else. Church leaders today unequivocally condemn all racism, past and present, in any form." IF there were no racist teachings given from the pulpit (and not just "lower" pulpit---70's, sisters in auxiliaries, the 12 and former prophets), there would be no need for the church to disavow its racist history.
God Bless and onward. #CaffeinatedMomScholar
