In December 2013, the LDS Church published an essay approved by the First Presidency which gave context to the restriction. The 1978 declaration was incorporated into the Doctrine and Covenants, a book of Latter-day Saint scripture. In 1978, it was declared that the restriction was lifted as a result of a revelation given to the church president and apostles. Church leaders used LDS scriptures to justify their explanations, including the Book of Abraham, which teaches that the descendants of Canaan were black and Pharaoh could not have the priesthood because he was a descendant of Canaan. Over time, the restriction was relaxed so that dark-skinned people of non-African descent could attend priesthood meetings and people with a "questionable lineage" were given the priesthood, such as Fijians, Indigenous Australians, Egyptians, as well as Brazilians and South Africans with an unknown heritage who did not appear to have any black heritage.ĭuring this time, the church taught that the restriction came from God and many leaders gave several race-based explanations for the ban, including a curse on Cain and his descendants, Ham's marriage to Egyptus, a curse on the descendants of Canaan, and that black people were less valiant in their pre-mortal life. Spouses of black people of African descent were also prohibited from entering the temple. Between 18, a few black men had been ordained to the priesthood under Joseph Smith.Īs part of this restriction, both black men and women of African descent at various times were prohibited from taking part in ceremonies in LDS temples, serving in certain leadership church callings, attending priesthood meetings, and speaking at firesides. In 1978, the church's First Presidency declared in a statement known as " Official Declaration 2" that the restriction had been lifted. ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)įrom 1849 to 1978, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) prohibited men of black African descent from being ordained to the priesthood. Consider transferring direct quotations to Wikiquote or, for entire works, to Wikisource. Please help improve the article by presenting facts as a neutrally worded summary with appropriate citations. This article contains too many or overly lengthy quotations for an encyclopedic entry.
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