Racial Issues Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day SaintsEdit
The racial issues of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) have been a defining thread in its public history and internal life. From early 19th-century teachings tied to the founding moments of the church, through the mid-20th-century social upheavals in the United States, to the late 20th-century policy shifts and ongoing dialogue in a growing global church, questions of race have tested how revelation, doctrine, and cultural context interact in a living religious community. Proponents argue that the church’s leadership operates under divine guidance, and that changes reflect a maturing understanding of equality before God. Critics, however, have pointed to periods of explicit racial exclusion and to how those policies intersected with broader social injustices. The church has responded by clarifying doctrine, acknowledging past mistakes, and emphasizing that all people are children of God with inherent dignity.
A central dynamic in the LDS Church’s racial history is the evolution of priesthood and temple access for members of different racial backgrounds. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, church leaders taught and practiced policies that limited or restricted priesthood ordination and temple rites for some Black members. The church also used biblical language and contemporary racial theories to explain these restrictions, a pattern that elicited both support and criticism within and beyond its membership. In modern times, the church has sought to separate core doctrinal claims from racial theories that it now disavows, emphasizing that God’s promise and the gospel invitation extend to all people regardless of race. The 1978 declaration that permitted all worthy male members to hold the priesthood marked a watershed, and subsequent church statements and essays have continued to frame race as a lived reality to be treated with both fidelity to doctrine and compassion toward real human beings. See Official Declaration 2.
History and evolution
Origins and early teachings
From the church’s inception, theological language about lineage and nations figured into its scriptural landscape. The term Lamanite appears in the Book of Mormon as a label for certain groups, and later generations of leaders wrestled with how those terms related to real-world people and to notions of blessing, covenant, and priesthood authority. In the 19th century, some leaders taught that Black people descended from a biblical line associated with a curse or with the “seed of Cain,” a framework frequently cited to justify restrictions on priesthood and temple access. These explanations reflected broader 19th-century racial theories and the cultural context in which the church was established and grew. See The Book of Mormon and Brigham Young.
The priesthood ban and its rationales (1870s–1940s)
For many decades, the church maintained a ban on priesthood ordination for men of Black African descent, alongside associated temple restrictions. The statements and writings that accompanied this policy drew on a mix of scriptural interpretation, tradition, and cultural assumption. In later years, church historians and leaders began to distinguish between doctrinal principles (such as the belief that all people are children of God) and the racial theories that had accompanied policy in earlier eras. The church’s own retrospective framing of this period culminated in official clarifications that disavow earlier theories that linked race to divine curse or inherent inferiority. See Race and the Priesthood and Brigham Young.
Late 20th century to 1978: debate and change
Pressure from civil rights movements, shifting global church demographics, and ongoing internal conversation contributed to a reevaluation of policy. In 1978, the church announced a new revelation, commonly known as Official Declaration 2, lifting the priesthood ban for all worthy male members, regardless of race. This change did not happen in a vacuum; it followed years of discussion among church leadership and lay members, as well as broader conversations about race and equality in society. See Official Declaration 2.
After 1978 and beyond
Following 1978, the church continued to address race more openly. In the 2010s, the church published a formal essay on Race and the Priesthood that clarified past disavowed theories and reaffirmed the church’s stance that “the Negro race” and other groups are part of God’s diverse human family. The essay is part of a broader effort to articulate doctrine while responding to questions about historical statements and practices. See Race and the Priesthood.
Contemporary policy and practice
Doctrine and practice today
Today the church emphasizes that all people are alike unto God and worthy of respect, and it asserts that priesthood authority and temple blessings are available to all worthy members, regardless of race. The church continues to teach about the dignity of every person and to encourage service, charity, and missionary work across continents. The global growth of the church, including the church's missionary programs in Africa, Latin America, and the Pacific, reflects an emphasis on universalist ecclesiology within a particular Protestant-led restoration tradition. See The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Missionary.
Cultural and contextual factors
Interpretations of church history vary among members and scholars, particularly when weighing 19th- and 20th-century statements against 21st-century clarifications. Critics point to the persistence of cultural attitudes within some congregations, while supporters argue that the church’s trajectory shows a movement from exclusion toward inclusion, guided by revelation and framed by ongoing doctrinal clarification. The church maintains that members should strive to live according to gospel principles in a pluralistic society, while remaining faithful to the revelations it believes to have received. See First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
Controversies and debates
Historical discomfort with past statements: Critics cite early leadership rhetoric and policies that limited priesthood to some racial groups. Proponents contend that the church’s leadership has acknowledged mistakes and corrected course through official declarations and context-rich explanations. See Race and the Priesthood.
Pace and scope of change: Some observers argue that progress has been too slow or incomplete, while others insist that doctrinal authority should be exercised with care, allowing gradual adaptation to new social realities. See Official Declaration 2.
The role of revelation vs. culture: A recurring debate concerns how much church policy is the product of doctrinal revelation versus cultural conditioning. Supporters of the church’s approach emphasize ongoing revelation and the importance of preserving doctrinal integrity, while critics push for more rapid alignment with contemporary equality standards. See Revelation and Doctrine and Covenants.
Woke criticism and its rebuttal: Critics often frame the church’s past and present in terms of social justice benchmarks. Proponents argue that criticisms rooted in modern social movements can misread the nature of religious authority, which they view as operating on a divine timetable rather than on secular timelines. They argue that nagging second-guessing of temple and priesthood policy risks confusing prophetic governance with political ideology. See Race and the Priesthood.