Item Detail
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27719
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0
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0
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English
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Unexplaining the Mormon Priesthood Ban on Blacks
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Christian Research Journal
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39
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1
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Charlotte, NC
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Christian Research Institute
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For much of its history, leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had a fairly standard explanation as to why those of African heritage were prohibited from holding any priesthood office in the Church. The ban was officially lifted in June 1978 by the First Presidency, the top leaders of the Church; since then, those former elucidations have quietly faded away. Modern explanations tend to exhibit a kind of "doctrinal amnesia," causing many to wonder why a Church that claims to be led by prophets and apostles could have enforced such a ban when the reasons given pre-1978 are being repudiated today.