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022 Was the Racial Ban Church Policy or Doctrine? Setting the Stage for a Revelation (from 1908-1978)
In 1907, the First Presidency codified the Church’s official policy about black African participation in both priesthood and temple declaring that, “…
3 years ago
021 How the Priesthood-Temple Ban Became Fully Entrenched Policy in the Church
Once people come to terms with the uncomfortable idea that Brigham Young committed an error in endorsing a priesthood ban on church members with blac…
3 years, 1 month ago
020 1852 and The Beginnings of the Priesthood-Temple Ban in the Church
The historical record shows that Joseph Smith did not implement or endorse any practices or policies which specifically prevented Church members with…
3 years, 1 month ago
019 Joseph Smith and Black Africans
In the broader American culture in which Joseph Smith lived and led the growing Church of Jesus Christ, white attitudes and beliefs about the inferio…
3 years, 1 month ago
018 The Racist American Context the Church was Born Into
There was a season in our Church’s history when members with black African ancestry were unevenly barred from both priesthood and temple privileges. …
3 years, 1 month ago
017 Q&R! Tough Polygamy Questions with Dr. Brian Hales
Did Joseph Smith have any regrets about plural marriage? Like, with full hindsight, if he could go back and change anything about the way he implemen…
3 years, 2 months ago
016 The Rocky End to Plural Marriage in the Church
In 1852, only eight years after Joseph Smith’s death, Church leaders in Utah publicly announced to the astonished world what some had suspected—that …
3 years, 2 months ago
015 Plural Marriage Troubles (part 2): Emma’s Fury and Joseph’s Martyrdom
In June and July of 1843 tensions ran high in the marriage of Joseph and Emma Smith. After she had tried but failed to embrace the principle of plura…
3 years, 2 months ago
014 Plural Marriage Troubles (part 1): John C. Bennett, Hyrum Smith, & Emma
As Joseph Smith quietly practiced plural marriage in Nauvoo in 1842 and 43, all was not well. Three people in particular complicated things for Josep…
3 years, 2 months ago
013 Joseph Smith’s Trial and Error Approach to Plural Marriage
Did you know that Joseph Smith’s first attempt to obey the Lord’s command to him to practice plural marriage ended quite badly and ended up straining…
3 years, 2 months ago