While America was waiting for the second installment of Star Wars, and watching the Rockford Files on TV, the Mormon religion was teaching that blacks were inferior and not equal equal to a Mitt Romney, or a gregwest.
What was the official teaching that Bishop and Priest Mitt Romney would have been teaching 2 months prior to the “Animal House” movie coming out?
So? I don’t think any of their exclusive theology has legitimacy so what they taught about Blacks does not matter to me.
You need to remember that Joseph Smith was a con man, a huckster a flim, flam guy. All such men need a hook to attract their marks. In mid 19th century United States how many people would have given the Book of Mormon a second look if it had passages exalting racial equality and the evils of slavery?
You better believe the issue of what to do with the Negro were at the forefront of our country’s mind during that time. People might be willing to hear that slavery was wrong. They were much less likely to be willing to hear that Negroes were equal. I don’t doubt that Smith had that figured out when penning his tome.
Do you think it odd that the Book of Mormon told that Christ had especially favored our shores with His presence? Was this something the audience wanted to hear? You betcha. Was it a mere coincidence that it came when the fervor from the Second Great Awakening was still in play? Nope. The Book of Mormon was written to appeal to the mainstream national thought of that time.
But the question is not whether LDS is wrong. I think it is. The question is why a certain religion is off limits for even the mildest of criticisms from the media. I can’t wait to hear all the condemnation heaped upon SP for their disregard of the many Mormons who did not fly planes into buildings. Oh you mean they never did? No defense of LDS is required then.