Every Worthy Male

The following Blog is in direct response to a statement given by Brother Bott to the Washington Post about why Blacks weren't allowed to have the Priesthood. 

In my first semester back from the mission I took a Pearl of Great Price class that I really enjoyed.  As part of that class we were required to write a 10 page research paper, which turned out to be one of the more important papers for me personally that I ever wrote.  I choose to write mine on "Blacks and the Priesthood."  I thought this was a pretty simple paper to write in connection with the Pearl of Great Price, since Cain was cursed in the book of Moses (don't stop reading now).  I wrote my entire paper and was done with two weeks to spare, so I presented it to my professor for feedback.  What he told me really surprised me.  He told me that he would tare up my paper and give me an F if I turned it in like I had written it.  He told me to go back and find a deeper explanation than the one I had given.  Now the reasoning I had given was the exact same that Brother Bott gave to the Washington Post.  Namely, that Blacks didn't get the Priesthood because they were descendants of Cain and were cursed.  Although this stance has some appealing support from peculiar scriptures and it was taught throughout the Church for nearly 150 years, it is not supported by the Church.  I learned this through rigorous study as I tried to open my eyes to the possibility that there could be a different reasoning.  Finally I was able to conclude that it really is not known what the origin of the ban was, but that we can be sure that it is better to not rekindle any feelings of racism.

So needless to say, I was grateful for that experience when I heard of the Church's response to Brother Bott's comments.  Their response was reaffirming of what I had learned:

"The positions attributed to BYU professor Randy Bott in a recent Washington Post article absolutely do not represent the teachings and doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. BYU faculty members do not speak for the Church. It is unfortunate that the Church was not given a chance to respond to what others said.

The Church’s position is clear—we believe all people are God’s children and are equal in His eyes and in the Church. We do not tolerate racism in any form.

For a time in the Church there was a restriction on the priesthood for male members of African descent. It is not known precisely why, how, or when this restriction began in the Church but what is clear is that it ended decades ago. Some have attempted to explain the reason for this restriction but these attempts should be viewed as speculation and opinion, not doctrine. The Church is not bound by speculation or opinions given with limited understanding.

We condemn racism, including any and all past racism by individuals both inside and outside the Church."