Acts 10 & 11

In our day, many people outside the Church continue to bring up the policy that the Church once held regarding blacks holding the priesthood. They suggest that God would never show prejudice to any group of people. Religous history doesn't support that concept. In the days of Moses, the Levites were seperated and only allowed to perform temple administration.

After the children of Israel returned from Babylon, they married women "of the land" who were not children of Israel. After being chastised by Ezra acknowledged -

"We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.
3 Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of my lord, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law." (Old Testament Ezra 10:2 - 3)

For the people of our day, this may seem quite harsh, unfair, and politically incorrect. But nonetheless, I am sure the Lord had a purpose or reason for the children of Israel to not mix with other nations even though we know he loves all his children. A reason may have been the concern that they may again enter into idolatry, but even so, we do not understand all the ways of the Lord, for -

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Old Testament Isaiah 55:8 - 9)

As Jesus ministered in his day -

"...a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil." (New Testament Matthew 15:22)

The Savior's disciples, knowing she was not Jewish and supposedly unclean said to Him -

"...Send her away; for she crieth after us." (New Testament Matthew 15:23)

The Lord seemed to agree as he explains -

"...I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (New Testament Matthew 15:24)

It becomes clear at that time, that the Savior's mission was but to the sheep of the house of Israel, not to all people. We know that after much pleading by the woman, the Savior answered -

"...O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour." (New Testament Matthew 15:28)

Again we do not necessarily know the mind and will of the Lord on why he did not proselyte to those of other nations. Initial impressions might be that the Savior was prejudice, but you can sense that he still loved the woman.

I think what seems to provide the best example is in the conversion and baptism of Cornelius. Similar to the Church, priesthood, and the blacks, in the days of Peter the gentiles were considered "unclean" and they were not to go in their homes or allow them to be baptized members of the Church. It took a revelation to Cornelius -

"A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.
3 He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.
4 And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.
5 And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter..." (New Testament Acts 10:2 - 5)

About the time the servants of Cornelius were at the place Peter was -

"...Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:
10 And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,
11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:
12 Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.
13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.
14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.
15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven." (New Testament Acts 10:9 - 16)

The Spirit directed Peter to follow Cornelius's servants to his residence. There Peter enters in saying -

"...Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean." (New Testament Acts 10:28)

Upon learning of Cornelius's experience -

"...Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him." (New Testament Acts 10:34 - 35)

After the Holy Ghost fell upon the house of Cornelius, Peter is inspired -

"...Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord." (New Testament Acts 10:47 - 48)

It didn't end there. This revelation from the Lord had to shared with the other apostles for -

"...when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him,
3 Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them." (New Testament Acts 11:2 - 3)

When Peter related his vision and that had happened he said -

"Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?
18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life." (New Testament Acts 11:17 - 18)

The more we search the scriptures, the more we realize that things are not done as man would but as God directs by revelation. In June, 1978, the following official declarations was given by the First Presidency -

To all general and local priesthood officers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout the world:

Dear Brethren:

As we have witnessed the expansion of the work of the Lord over the earth, we have been grateful that people of many nations have responded to the message of the restored gospel, and have joined the Church in ever-increasing numbers. This, in turn, has inspired us with a desire to extend to every worthy member of the Church all of the privileges and blessings which the gospel affords.

Aware of the promises made by the prophets and presidents of the Church who have preceded us that at some time, in God’s eternal plan, all of our brethren who are worthy may receive the priesthood, and witnessing the faithfulness of those from whom the priesthood has been withheld, we have pleaded long and earnestly in behalf of these, our faithful brethren, spending many hours in the Upper Room of the Temple supplicating the Lord for divine guidance.
He has heard our prayers, and by revelation has confirmed that the long-promised day has come when every faithful, worthy man in the Church may receive the holy priesthood, with power to exercise its divine authority, and enjoy with his loved ones every blessing that flows therefrom, including the blessings of the temple. Accordingly, all worthy male members of the Church may be ordained to the priesthood without regard for race or color. Priesthood leaders are instructed to follow the policy of carefully interviewing all candidates for ordination to either the Aaronic or the Melchizedek Priesthood to insure that they meet the established standards for worthiness.

We declare with soberness that the Lord has now made known his will for the blessing of all his children throughout the earth who will hearken to the voice of his authorized servants, and prepare themselves to receive every blessing of the gospel.

Sincerely yours,
Spencer W. Kimball
N. Eldon Tanner
Marion G. Romney

The First Presidency

Again, I do not profess to know the mind and will of the Lord, but I have speculated why at one time the blacks were not allowed to hold the priesthood may have had more to do with the attitudes of caucasion saints than the blacks - maybe much like the Jews and the gentiles. As one studies the great persecution and exodus of the saints during the early years of the Church, maybe, just maybe, that during this period, it may have been just to much to allow the blacks the priesthood with the historically acknowledged prejudices so apparent throughout the United States.