Mormonism’s Complicated History with Race and Slavery
You might hear Mormons point to some early church scriptures that say slavery is wrong—like Doctrine and Covenants 101:79, which says it’s “not right that any man should be in bondage,” or D&C 134:12, which calls slavery “dangerous to the peace of every government.” Those verses sound pretty good, especially for the 1800s when slavery was still common in the U.S. But the story doesn’t end there. Despite these statements, the LDS Church actually kept some pretty racist policies for a long time. For over 100 years, Black men were not allowed to hold the priesthood, and Black members couldn’t participate in important temple ceremonies until 1978. That’s a huge deal because it basically meant Black members were excluded from full participation in the faith (Bringhurst). Even worse, the Church taught that Black skin was a curse from God, linked to stories like the curse of Cain. This wasn’t just an old rumor—it was official teaching that justified racial discrimination. On the other han...