All this gay talk makes me think of another question I've had

[LogMafia]

Has the LDS Church ever come out and said that interracial marriages are O.k.?

My parents are older and have always taught me that interracial marriages are wrong, but I was was born after 1978, so for most of my life I've never heard much for or against it.

Is there any stance on this subject in the Church?

[Indy Coug]

There obviously isn't because interracial marriages abound in the church.

[Moliere]

Has the LDS Church ever come out and said that interracial marriages are O.k.?

My parents are older and have always taught me that interracial marriages are wrong, but I was was born after 1978, so for most of my life I've never heard much for or against it.

Is there any stance on this subject in the Church?

Yes, the church has openly debunked this teaching.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I could be wrong, but I think they simply stopped speaking against it. That of course is the proper correlated approach: change what you do, but never admit error.

[byu71]

Has the LDS Church ever come out and said that interracial marriages are O.k.?

My parents are older and have always taught me that interracial marriages are wrong, but I was was born after 1978, so for most of my life I've never heard much for or against it.

Is there any stance on this subject in the Church?

There is something in some kind of manual, at least there was a couple of years ago that was taken very negatively by a brother of mine. His wife is Phillipino and has two children.

He is extremely active and whatever it was set him off pretty good.

He was sitting in a Sunday School class about 15 years ago when the gal teacher went off on inter-racial marriages and how the church is against them. He didn't say she quoted anything though in that case. He wasn't so upset that time because he was telling me how pissed the black fellow and white gal were that were in the class.

[Sullyute]

My parents are older and have always taught me that interracial marriages are wrong, but I was was born after 1978, so for most of my life I've never heard much for or against it.

Is there any stance on this subject in the Church?

President Packer said this in a 1977 BYU speach:

"Now, one other subject. It's been the policy of the Church--and it's been spoken on many occasions--that as the gathering of Israel is in Mexico for the Mexicans, in Tonga for the Tongans, in China for the Chinese, and so on, so has been our counsel as it relates to marriage.

"We've always counseled in the Church for our Mexican members to marry Mexicans, our Japanese members to marry Japanese, our Caucasians to marry Caucasians, our Polynesian members to marry Polynesians. The counsel has been wise. You may say again, "Well, I know of exceptions." I do, too, and they've been very successful marriages. I know some of them. You might even say, "I can show you local Church leaders or perhaps even general leaders who have married out of their race." I say, "Yes--exceptions." Then I would remind you of that Relief Society woman's near-scriptural statement, "We'd like to follow the rule first, and then we'll take care of the exceptions."

As El Duderino said above, after the priesthood ban was lifted leaders simply stopped talking about it. You parents were probably just restating the things that they were taught from their leaders at the time...

[mUUser]

President Packer said this in a 1977 BYU speach:

"Now, one other subject. It's been the policy of the Church--and it's been spoken on many occasions--that as the gathering of Israel is in Mexico for the Mexicans, in Tonga for the Tongans, in China for the Chinese, and so on, so has been our counsel as it relates to marriage.

"We've always counseled in the Church for our Mexican members to marry Mexicans, our Japanese members to marry Japanese, our Caucasians to marry Caucasians, our Polynesian members to marry Polynesians. The counsel has been wise. You may say again, "Well, I know of exceptions." I do, too, and they've been very successful marriages. I know some of them. You might even say, "I can show you local Church leaders or perhaps even general leaders who have married out of their race." I say, "Yes--exceptions." Then I would remind you of that Relief Society woman's near-scriptural statement, "We'd like to follow the rule first, and then we'll take care of the exceptions."

As El Duderino said above, after the priesthood ban was lifted leaders simply stopped talking about it. You parents were probably just restating the things that they were taught from their leaders at the time...

You just had to go find something by Packer didn't ya?

[smokymountainrain]

President Packer said this in a 1977 BYU speach:

"Now, one other subject. It's been the policy of the Church--and it's been spoken on many occasions--that as the gathering of Israel is in Mexico for the Mexicans, in Tonga for the Tongans, in China for the Chinese, and so on, so has been our counsel as it relates to marriage.

"We've always counseled in the Church for our Mexican members to marry Mexicans, our Japanese members to marry Japanese, our Caucasians to marry Caucasians, our Polynesian members to marry Polynesians. The counsel has been wise. You may say again, "Well, I know of exceptions." I do, too, and they've been very successful marriages. I know some of them. You might even say, "I can show you local Church leaders or perhaps even general leaders who have married out of their race." I say, "Yes--exceptions." Then I would remind you of that Relief Society woman's near-scriptural statement, "We'd like to follow the rule first, and then we'll take care of the exceptions."

Goodness gracious.

[Indy Coug]

Was it an honest acknowledgement 33 years ago that society made it very difficult for inter-racial marriages?

[New Mexican Disaster]

Was it an honest acknowledgement 33 years ago that society made it very difficult for inter-racial marriages?

It might have been if that was what he said, but I sure don't see society in there anywhere.

[TripletDaddy]

Was it an honest acknowledgement 33 years ago that society made it very difficult for inter-racial marriages?

In 1977? That is some serious apologetics.

Brown v Board of Education. Civil Rights Act. Both in previous decades.

As SeattleUte has said, "why were the Mormons the last to know?"

I would be more curious to learn what other groups were still preaching marital racial segregation in 1977. My guess is that it isn't great company.

[Goatnapper'96]

In 1977? That is some serious apologetics.

Brown v Board of Education. Civil Rights Act. Both in previous decades.

As SeattleUte has said, "why were the Mormons the last to know?"

I would be more curious to learn what other groups were still preaching marital racial segregation in 1977. My guess is that it isn't great company.

Perhaps because the leaders of the LDS Church are disproportionately:

1.) Old
2.) Homogenaeous from the same geographical area.
3.) Conservative and believe previous leaders were God's spokespeople.


I know this isn't rocket science but when your leadership is > 80 and from the same principal demographic this is what you frequently get on such societal issues.

[bluegoose]

Has the LDS Church ever come out and said that interracial marriages are O.k.?

My parents are older and have always taught me that interracial marriages are wrong, but I was was born after 1978, so for most of my life I've never heard much for or against it.

Is there any stance on this subject in the Church?

Yes, the church has openly debunked this teaching.

If they have, they might want to consider revising the YM manuals, because there is still is a section included in the marriage lesson encouraging YM to marry within their own race.

Compare the results of the vote with the following statement by President Spencer W. Kimball. Have a young man read it.

“We recommend that people marry those who are of the same racial background generally, and of somewhat the same economic and social and educational background (some of those are not an absolute necessity, but preferred), and above all, the same religious background, without question” (“Marriage and Divorce,” in 1976 Devotional Speeches of the Year [Provo: Brigham Young University Press, 1977], p. 144).

[RC Vikings]

"We've always counseled in the Church for our Mexican members to marry Mexicans, our Japanese members to marry Japanese, our Caucasians to marry Caucasians, our Polynesian members to marry Polynesians. The counsel has been wise.

He could have been a little more specific. Now if he would have said "Lilly white Idaho born should be careful when marrying a fiery high strung Latino because there will be days you will ask yourself what the hell have I done". Now that would have been wise counsel.

[TripletDaddy]

If they have, they might want to consider revising the YM manuals, because there is still is a section included in the marriage lesson encouraging YM to marry within their own race.

Was it an honest acknowledgement 34 years ago that society made it very difficult for inter-racial marriages, marrying people that don't have as much money as you have, marrying someone that isn't as smart as you, or someone that comes from a less desirable neighborhood as yours?