Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Latter-day Saint
Dear Anonymous Mormon: There is no comparison.

Dear Anonymous Mormon: There is no comparison.

Last updated on: June 16, 2020 at 1:14 pm by Margaret Blair Young

Dear Anonymous Mormon: There is no comparison. 2020-06-16T13:14:57-07:00 Margaret Blair Young

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Sam and Amanda Chambers, both former slaves.

A recent controversy comparing Mormon hardships to Black hardships went viral. I honestly wonder if some Latter-day Saints might be unaware of the real suffering (the foundation of the BLM movement) which is part of our global history and of Mormon history.
The comparison is not new. The First Presidency issued a justification for the race-based priesthood restriction in 1969, which included these words:

We know something of the sufferings of those who are discriminated against in a denial of their civil rights and Constitutional privileges. Our early history as a church is a tragic story of persecution and oppression. Our people repeatedly were denied the protection of the law. They were driven and plundered, robbed and murdered by mobs, who in many instances were aided and abetted by those sworn to uphold the law. We as a people have experienced the bitter fruits of civil discrimination and mob violence.

The writer of the most recent comparison glorified early Mormons and their heroic comeback with a list of horrors they suffered. I will copy the list and make a second list of A FEW hardships which Blacks have suffered specifically in America and pre-America:

MORMONS

1) They were murdered. (Yes. 17 died at Haun’s Mill and 1 in the Crooked River Battle.)

2) They were raped. (Yes. That happened to a few.)

3) They had their homes burnt down. (Yes. The expulsion from Missouri was dispicable.)

4) Our prophet was murdered. Yes.

5) Our beautiful temple was burnt down. (Ultimately destroyed, but the history is more complicated.)

6) They were denied help by the U.S. government for protection.

7) We were against slavery even before the civil war began. (No. Complicated.)

8) Their children were not allowed to play with other children who were not the same religion.

9) They had and have falsehoods told about them

10) They were denied justice in a court of law

11) They were hunted by mobs and militias like animals

12) They were chased from state to state

13) They were stripped naked and had hot tar and feathers poured on their bodies.

14) They were hung up in trees

BLACKS

1) They were kidnapped, imprisoned, and shipped away from their homelands. 2 million died in the Middle Passage. Millions more were murdered after slavery.

2) Part of their bondage included a SYSTEM permitting rape.

3) Their businesses were burned down and entire cities destroyed .

4) Black leaders and spokespeople were murdered. MLK, Malcolm X, Medgar Evers, etc. See this film.

5) Business communities were burned down. See Tulsa

6) Laws encouraged segregation and targeting. See Charles Hamilton Houston and Plessy V. Ferguson.

7) Several Mormon pioneers owned slaves and Utah was a slave territory. Slaves were sold to raise money to for buildings in SLC—before the Civil War. See this site.

8) Their children were not only separated from other children but murdered when perceived as breaking the color line (Emmett Till).

9) Lied about? Jim Crow laws were founded in the lies totalizing blacks.

10) Denied justice? Lynchings became CELEBRATIONS, which some whites attended with picnic lunches.

11) Hunted? See Fugitive Slave Acts.

12) SOLD from state to state, or taken with their masters.

130 Stripped naked? See slave auction.

14) Hung up in trees? See “Strange Fruit”

THERE IS NO COMPARISON. There is only an open invitation to heal the breach.

And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. (Isaiah 58:12)

Uncategorized

African American Mormons

BLM

Previous Post

March 24, 2020

Sanity during Corona Virus - a writing exercise

Next Post

June 17, 2020 Darius Gray and a Wish List for BYU

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Ancestors family conflict in the scriptures race and religion Uncategorized

Select a Month August 2026 March 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 July 2025 April 2025 March 2025 January 2025 November 2024 May 2024 April 2024 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 June 2023 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 January 2022 December 2021 October 2021 September 2021 July 2021 June 2021 October 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 March 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 June 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 September 2018 August 2018 May 2018 March 2018 January 2018 November 2017 October 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 March 2017 February 2017 November 2016 October 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 November 2015 August 2015 July 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What happened when Jesus touched the coffin of the widow's son at Nain?

Select your answer to see how you score.

The coffin broke The son came back to life The crowd dispersed Rain fell