FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Origin of the priesthood ban
The origin of the Mormon priesthood ban
Summary: The origin of the priesthood ban is one of the most difficult questions to answer. Its origins are not clear, and this affected both how members and leaders have seen the ban, and the steps necessary to rescind it.
Jump to details:
- Gospel Topics: "During the first two decades of the Church’s existence, a few black men were ordained to the priesthood"
- Question: What is the Mormon "priesthood ban" that was lifted in 1978?
- Question: What do we know about the origin of the priesthood ban on Church members of African descent?
- Question: Did Joseph Smith confer the priesthood on several black men?
- Question: Why did Brigham Young initiate the priesthood ban?
Gospel Topics: "During the first two decades of the Church’s existence, a few black men were ordained to the priesthood"
"Race and the Priesthood," Gospel Topics on LDS.org (2013):
During the first two decades of the Church’s existence, a few black men were ordained to the priesthood. One of these men, Elijah Abel, also participated in temple ceremonies in Kirtland, Ohio, and was later baptized as proxy for deceased relatives in Nauvoo, Illinois. There is no evidence that any black men were denied the priesthood during Joseph Smith’s lifetime.
In 1852, President Brigham Young publicly announced that men of black African descent could no longer be ordained to the priesthood, though thereafter blacks continued to join the Church through baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. Following the death of Brigham Young, subsequent Church presidents restricted blacks from receiving the temple endowment or being married in the temple. Over time, Church leaders and members advanced many theories to explain the priesthood and temple restrictions. None of these explanations is accepted today as the official doctrine of the Church.[1]
The origin of the Mormon priesthood ban
Summary: The origin of the priesthood ban is one of the most difficult questions to answer. Its origins are not clear, and this affected both how members and leaders have seen the ban, and the steps necessary to rescind it.
Jump to details:
- Gospel Topics: "During the first two decades of the Church’s existence, a few black men were ordained to the priesthood"
- Question: What is the Mormon "priesthood ban" that was lifted in 1978?
- Question: What do we know about the origin of the priesthood ban on Church members of African descent?
- Question: Did Joseph Smith confer the priesthood on several black men?
- Question: Why did Brigham Young initiate the priesthood ban?
The origin of the Mormon priesthood ban
Summary: The origin of the priesthood ban is one of the most difficult questions to answer. Its origins are not clear, and this affected both how members and leaders have seen the ban, and the steps necessary to rescind it.
Jump to details:
- Gospel Topics: "During the first two decades of the Church’s existence, a few black men were ordained to the priesthood"
- Question: What is the Mormon "priesthood ban" that was lifted in 1978?
- Question: What do we know about the origin of the priesthood ban on Church members of African descent?
- Question: Did Joseph Smith confer the priesthood on several black men?
- Question: Why did Brigham Young initiate the priesthood ban?
The origin of the Mormon priesthood ban
Summary: The origin of the priesthood ban is one of the most difficult questions to answer. Its origins are not clear, and this affected both how members and leaders have seen the ban, and the steps necessary to rescind it.
Jump to details:
- Gospel Topics: "During the first two decades of the Church’s existence, a few black men were ordained to the priesthood"
- Question: What is the Mormon "priesthood ban" that was lifted in 1978?
- Question: What do we know about the origin of the priesthood ban on Church members of African descent?
- Question: Did Joseph Smith confer the priesthood on several black men?
- Question: Why did Brigham Young initiate the priesthood ban?
The origin of the Mormon priesthood ban
Summary: The origin of the priesthood ban is one of the most difficult questions to answer. Its origins are not clear, and this affected both how members and leaders have seen the ban, and the steps necessary to rescind it.
Jump to details:
- Gospel Topics: "During the first two decades of the Church’s existence, a few black men were ordained to the priesthood"
- Question: What is the Mormon "priesthood ban" that was lifted in 1978?
- Question: What do we know about the origin of the priesthood ban on Church members of African descent?
- Question: Did Joseph Smith confer the priesthood on several black men?
- Question: Why did Brigham Young initiate the priesthood ban?
Notes
- ↑ "Race and the Priesthood," Gospel Topics on LDS.org (2013)