Secrets Mormons Don't Want You To Know (6 page)

Secret 77

“…Cain, Ham, and the whole negro race have been cursed with a black skin, the mark of Cain, so they can be identified as a caste apart, a people with whom the other descendants of Adam should not intermarry.”
²⁰⁶

The Book of Mormon declares…

“…the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them. And thus saith the Lord God: I will cause that they shall be loathsome…”
²⁰⁷

Loathsome means “disgusting,” “revolting,” “repulsive.” Not a very nice way to describe black people.

“And the skins of the Lamanites were dark, according to the mark which was set upon their fathers, which was a curse upon them because of their transgression…”
²⁰⁸

“…the Lord put a mark upon him [Cain], which is the flat nose and black skin.”
²⁰⁹

Secret 78

“And cursed shall be the seed of him that amixeth with their seed; for they shall be cursed even with the same cursing. And the Lord spake it, and it was done.”
²¹⁰

Secret 79

“Not only was Cain called upon to suffer, but because of his wickedness he became the father of an inferior race… ”
²¹¹

“You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild, and seemingly deprived of nearly all the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind. …That curse will remain upon them, and they never can hold the Priesthood or share in it until all the other descendants of Adam have received the promises and enjoyed the blessings of the Priesthood and the keys thereof.”
²¹²

Secret 80

“Those who were less valiant in pre—existence and who thereby had certain spiritual restrictions imposed upon them during mortality are known to us as the negroes. Such spirits are sent to earth through the lineage of Cain, the mark put upon him for his rebellion against God and his murder of Abel being a black skin.”
²¹³

Secret 81

“When all the other children of Adam have had the privilege of receiving the Priesthood, and of coming into the kingdom of God, and of being redeemed from the four quarters of the earth, and have received their resurrection from the dead, then it will be time enough to remove the curse from Cain and his posterity.”
²¹⁴

Secret 82

“Though he was a rebel and an associate of Lucifer in pre-existence, and though he was a liar from the beginning whose name was Perdition, Cain managed to attain the privilege of mortal birth…”
²¹⁵

Secret 83

“…their black covering emblematical of eternal darkness.”
²¹⁶

Secret 84

“From the days of the prophet Joseph even until now, it has been the doctrine of the Church, never questioned by any of the Church leaders, that the Negroes are not entitled to the full blessings of the Gospel.”
²¹⁷

Secret 85

“Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so.”
²¹⁸

“…if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.” (James 2:11)

Secret 86

“The moment we consent to mingle with the seed of Cain the church must go to destruction–we should receive the curse which has been placed upon the seed of Cain…”
²¹⁹

Secret 87

In 1954, Mormon President David O. McKay said:

“We believe that we have scriptural precedent for withholding the priesthood from the Negro.”
²²⁰

“Negroes in this life are denied the priesthood; under no circumstances can they hold this delegation of authority from the Almighty… The gospel message of salvation is not carried affirmatively to them… The negroes are not equal with other races where the receipt of certain spiritual blessings are concerned, particularly the priesthood and the temple blessings that flow therefrom, but this inequality is not of man’s origin. It is the Lord’s doing…
²²¹

“…God is no respecter of persons:” (Acts 10:34)

Secret 88

In 1967, high-ranking Mormon N. Eldon Tanner said:

“The church has no intention of changing its doctrine on the Negro. Throughout the history of the original Christian church, the negro never held the priesthood. There’s really nothing we can do to change this. It’s the law of God.”
²²²

The “law of God” is the Bible, and the Bible does not say this.

Secret 89

Throughout the civil rights era in the 1960’s, blacks were barred from the Mormon priesthood. But when athletes began boycotting Brigham Young University, lawsuits were threatened and public condemnation grew, the “revelation” finally came:

“…we have pleaded long and earnestly in behalf of these, our faithful brethren, spending many hours in the Upper Room of the Temple supplicating the Lord for divine guidance. He has heard our prayers, and by revelation has confirmed that the long-promised day has come when every faithful, worthy man in the Church may receive the holy priesthood… Accordingly, all worthy male members of the Church may be ordained to the priesthood without regard for race or color…”
²²³

Secret 90

Several Mormon leaders claim they wanted to end the ban on racism but God would not let them:

“In 1954, then President David O. McKay and the Apostles of the Mormon Church studied the matter. President McKay… prayed about it, but according to his own accounts, the Lord told him the time had not yet come… In 1973, President Harold B. Lee fasted for three days and nights while praying about the issue, but received the same answer: the time had not yet come.

“Finally, in 1978, while gathered with the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, President Spencer W. Kimball announced that he had received a revelation ending the ban.”
²²⁴

When Adam fell into sin, he blamed his sin on Eve. Eve blamed her sin on the devil. As a result, both were cast out of the garden of Eden. How much worse is it when men blame their racist doctrines on God?

Secret 91

Today, the Book of Mormon still equates black skin with rebellion against God:

“And he had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like unto a flint; wherefore, as they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them.”
²²⁵

Although Bruce McConkie’s book Mormon Doctrine received many changes concerning the doctrine of black people, the 1986 printing still states:

“The race and nation in which men are born in this world is a direct result of their pre-existent life.”
²²⁶

Secret 92

“…the greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us, is to seek after our dead… It matters not what else we have been called to do… none are exempt from this great obligation… Place, distinction, or long service in the cause of Zion in the mission field, the stakes of Zion, or elsewhere will not entitle one to disregard the salvation of one’s dead.”
²²⁷

“But the greatest and grandest duty of all is to labor for the dead. We may and should do all these other things, for which reward will be given, but if we neglect the weightier privilege and commandment, notwithstanding all other good works, we shall find ourselves under severe condemnation:”
²²⁸

“…the greatest commandment given us, and made obligatory, is the temple work in our own behalf and in behalf of our dead… The Lord expects of us all that we do what we can for ourselves and for our dead.”
²²⁹

“…we are the only people that know how to save our progenitors, how to save ourselves, and how to save our posterity…we in fact are the saviors of the world…”
²³⁰

“When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth.” (Proverbs 11:7)

Secret 93

‘We believe… Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins…”
²³¹

“Baptism… is for the remission of sins.”
²³²

“Initially and primarily, accountable and worthy persons gain forgiveness of their sins when a valid and authoritative baptism is performed for them. The very ordinance of baptism is ordained, among other reasons, so that man may gain a remission of their sins through it.”
²³³

“For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Matthew 26:28)

Secret 94

“The first birth takes place when spirits pass from their pre-existent first estate into mortality… The second birth begins when men are baptized in water by a legal administrator… No one can be born again without baptism…”
²³⁴

“Baptism, a Second Birth. If one cannot see or enter into the kingdom of God without being born again, it is very important that we should fully understand what the Savior had in mind. Since he indicated that this second birth should be ‘of water and of the spirit,’ it is obvious that he had in mind the matter of being baptized in water…”
²³⁵

“The Book of Mormon points out definitely that baptism is an ordinance of initiation, rebirth and regeneration…”
²³⁶

“Baptism, however, is the Gospel ordinance of rebirth…”
²³⁷

“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” (1 Peter 1:23)

See also John 1:12-13, John 3:3-8.

Secret 95

“…but unto that soul who sinneth shall the former sins return, saith the Lord your God.”
²³⁸

“Those who feel that they can sin and be forgiven and then return to sin and be forgiven again and again must straighten out their thinking. Each previously forgiven sin is added to the new one and the whole gets to be a heavy load.”
²³⁹

“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”

(Psalm 103:12)

See also Isaiah 1:18; 43:25, Hebrews 8:12, Revelation 1:5.

Secret 96

“And their children shall be baptized for remission of their sins when eight years old, and receive the laying on of hands.”
²⁴⁰

“Thus the Lord himself fixed the age of accountability at eight years, at which age children who have been taught by their parents as commanded are to be baptized.”
²⁴¹

“…they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.” (Acts 8:36-38)

Secret 97

Sixth Mormon president Joseph Fielding Smith (not to be confused with the tenth Mormon President, Joseph Fielding Smith) said:

“But greater than all this, so far as our individual responsibilities are concerned, the greatest is to become saviors, in our lesser degree which is assigned us, for the dead who have died without a knowledge of the Gospel.”
²⁴²

Tenth Mormon president Joseph Fielding Smith added:

“If a man cannot enter the kingdom of God without baptism, then the dead must be baptized. But how can they be baptized in water for the remission of their sins [when they are dead]? The only way it can be done is vicariously, someone who is living acting as a substitute for the dead.”
²⁴³

High ranking Mormon Milton R. Hunter said:

“God… established on earth again the glorious doctrine of baptism for the dead, thereby opening the door to all of His sons and daughters who have ever lived in mortality to come back into His presence on condition of their worthiness.”
²⁴⁴

“…the Lord has ordained baptism for the dead as the means whereby all his worthy children of all ages can become heirs of salvation in his kingdom… The millions who pass to the spirit world without receiving an opportunity during mortality to hear the truths of salvation will receive their chance subsequent to what men call death… By accepting the gospel in the spirit world, and because the ordinances of salvation and exaltation are performed vicariously in this world, the worthy dead can become heirs of the fullness of the Father’s kingdom…”
²⁴⁵

“These are the principles in relation to the dead and the living… their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation… they without us cannot be made perfect—neither can we without our dead be made perfect… there is a welding link of some kind or other between the fathers and the children… it is baptism for the dead. For we without them cannot be made perfect.”
²⁴⁶

“So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:12)

See also Isaiah 38:18, Psalm 49:7, Luke 16:26.

Secret 98

“Baptism serves four purposes: 1. It is for remission of sins… 2. It admits the repentant person to membership in the Church and kingdom of God on earth… 3. It is the gate to the celestial kingdom of heaven, that is, it starts a person out on the straight and narrow path which leads to eternal life… 4. It is the means whereby the door to personal sanctification is opened.”
²⁴⁷

“For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel…” (1 Corinthians 1:17)