I have enjoyed reading the comments that have been made to my last post — Latter-day Saints examine racial history. I especially enjoyed the expressions of faith in the grace of God.

To clarify, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is built on the foundation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We believe in a restored, not reformed gospel. We believe in living prophets and apostles and our doctrines are derived from an open cannon of continuing revelation from God. Our roots are in Christian teachings, but our doctrine is distinct relative to other Christian traditions because of our open cannon. If there are errors in our practice, those errors are of man.

Our open cannon makes us open for correction or clarifying revelations. It makes our church vibrant and responsive to challenges in our times. We often refer to the church as a “living church”.

We rejoiced in the clarifying revelation in 1978 that extended the priesthood to all worthy males and expanded temple and mission service to all worthy members.

One might wonder why blacks would join a church that once excluded them from full participation equal to their white counterparts.

Perhaps we need to ask the black members of the faith.

Since I am not black, I defer to others to share their testimony of faith.

My dear friend Darius Gray – who joined the church years ago while the restriction was in place – and others tell their story on a recently released video that was shown at the June 8th gathering.

See video on You Tube: Priesthood for Mormon Men of Every Race

The program on June 8th, sponsored by our church, had speakers who acknowledged that we have a ways to go to bring unity to the body of Latter-day Saints. The speakers — white and black –  also acknowledged we have come a long way and the future looks good especially as we focus on Christ and His attonement.

I have confidence Latter-day Saints will find answers and reconciliation because this is the place to be and when God provides the place, He provides understanding. 

Where the spirit rests the welcome table is expanded.

We rejoice in Christ, we love Him and in that knowledge we feel one our brothers and sisters.

Above photos are courtesy of lds.org newsroom.

Related links:

From the lds newsroom: Unity and Gratitude Expressed at 30th Anniversary of Priesthood Revelation

See news stories in conjunction with the celebration posted on blacklds.org: click here

See my review of Blacks in the Scriptures — click here

Tim Townsend’s article on Monday touched on a topic close to my heart, that is: the experience of black members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. To read his story, Black Mormons straddle two worlds on 30th anniversary – click here.

I have to admit, Tim’s story, while balanced and refreshing, was also hard to read. Especially hard for me to read was a comment made by my friend, Latter-day Saint (Mormon) convert, Nekisha Rhodes who says she is “comfortable being uncomfortable” as she struggles to learn more about the heritage of her new-found faith, a heritage that includes a church policy, lifted 30 years ago, prohibiting black male members from the priesthood.

Nekisha sounds much like many African American Latter-day Saints when they candidly express their faith and experience in the church. Catherine Stokes, Latter-day Saint and former assistant director, Office of Health Care Regulation, for the Illinois Department of Public Health, said:

“When I joined the Church, most of my friends and acquaintances thought I had taken leave of my senses. Some early comments were, ‘I thought you were smart until you joined the Mormon Church.’ ‘Are you the only black member they have?’…Are there diverse opinions about race among members of the Church? Of course there are, and they run the spectrum. At the same time, there is a no more welcoming, loving, helping place…The commonality of membership in the Church brings an instant rapport and is a true expression of Christian love.” ( source: church public affairs pamphlet, 5/03, 36876)

While Nekisha’s statement reflects her determined faith and love for her new church home, I doubt many leaders of our church would read Nekisha’s statement and not feel anxiety or wonder how we can help her and others to feel more comfortable.

Have we fallen short?

Nekisha’s and others’ statements are evidence we can do more.

Have we come far in healing our hearts over the last 30 years?

Yes.

But my question is, if we don’t look back, how can we measure how far we have come?

So I appreciate that my church is sponsoring the June 8th commemoration of the priesthood being extended to all worthy males, that opened the priesthood not only to black men, but Temple worship and Temple marriage and mission service to black men and women.

I am also grateful for the pioneering work of Darius Gray and Margaret Young who have produced a film: Nobody Knows: The Untold Story of Black Mormons . It is a sensitive work that examines the black Latter-day Saints’ experience, past and present. Learn more and see the trailer — click here.

Opportunities to look back can help us answer questions about the past. Even more importantly, such moments inspire some searching questions: “what can be the experience of black members of the church going forward?”

The value of studying and celebrating history is in what it portends for the future. It’s no wonder that those who are “uncomfortable” — black and white — want to look back to find reconciliation.

The value of looking back was apparent to me as our city of St. Louis commemorated the 150th anniversary of the Dred Scott decision. The commemoration committee choose to focus not on the infamous Supreme Court decision exclusively, but also on the honorable lives of Dred and Harriet Scott.

I represent my church on the Friends of Dred Scott commemoration committee that recently successfully completed a year-long commemoration with institutions gathered in St. Louis and across the United States giving tribute to two humble itinerant slaves — Dred and Harriet Scott — unsung heroes, who sought to bring about freedom for their posterity by peacefully appealing for justice through the court system. Their faith in the system was dashed by the heavy-handed Supreme Court decision that denied their petition for freedom. The decision further divided the nation and ultimately led to civil war that, while tragic, resulted in uniting the nation on a corrected course, one we are continuing to align ourselves more perfectly with, as Senator Barack Obama has recently acknowledged in his speech: A More Perfect Union.

The year-long Dred Scott 150th commemoration ended with an unprecedented Gala gathering of the community represented by diverse Missouri institutions. The spirit of the evening is one I hope we can capture everyday in every institution and neighborhood. There was no “us and them” mentality, but rather a feeling of goodwill reflected in renewed spirited determination to live our lives as Dred and Harriet did, standing for truth and justice.

Despite such good outcomes resulting from celebrating the past, some would say we need to just move on, stop talking about issues of equality. There seems to be two camps, each camp made-up of whites and blacks and others, in and out of the faith. Those who want to talk and those who don’t.

Paul Sleet, president of the Pagedale branch of the Church in St. Louis, Missouri, quoted in Tim Townsend’s article, acknowledged that within our faith, “people don’t want to talk about it.”

Assuming the best of intentions, those who “don’t want to talk” often believe that by looking back we dredge up old wounds better left untouched. Or that by examining and celebrating ethnicity and equality we are in some way acknowledging differences and thereby we are not being color-blind. Still, others just don’t know how to talk about it.

At an anti-racism workshop I attended the speaker made a statement that has stayed with me and I believe to be true. He said: “race matters until race doesn’t matter.”

Latter-day Saints want to achieve a color-blind community of members, where we esteem each person a brother or sister regardless of ethnicity. Ahmad Corbitt, black church leader and director of the New York Public Affairs Office for the church, is often quoted as saying that our outreach in predominately black communities is NOT about affirmative action, but it is about being Christian, loving our neighbor. He makes a key point about our motivations.

So the question might be asked: Can we talk about the issues without causing the divide to be enlarged or the wounds to be reopened?

I believe we can.

Talking is important to build understanding. But talking about issues of race is not easy for the aforementioned concerns of those who are reticent to talk.

I appreciate the pioneering efforts of Latter-day Saints, Marvin Perkins and Darius Gray, who are working to make the dialog easier. Their four-part DVD presentation –Blacks in the Scriptures – takes us way back to examine issues of race and equality in the scriptures. They are making a difference for some in our community — Latter-day Saints and others — who have longed for a sensitive and Christ-centered focus on issues of race.

As passionate as I am about dialog, I believe talk should inspire action.

In the city of St. Louis we have much work to do — people of all faiths and backgrounds –to bring people together. It begins and ends at the grassroots level within all institutions and families to enlarge our circles of friends to include those who may be different from us.

Faith-based organizations are especially positioned well to bring about change, new attitudes and understanding driven by their doctrines centered in justice and mercy, and as Christians, centered on the atonement. And families are where we find our most important role models.

As our church commemorates June 8th, this is my hope: that the celebrations will open our hearts and minds to new understandings, that we will be better informed about the experiences of our neighbors –our brothers and our sisters — and that we’ll become more capable in our spheres of leadership and influence to be sensitive to others.

Then perhaps Nekisha will say, “I am comfortable, period.”

Above photo is of Latter-day Saints in Ghana, courtesy of Kevin Miller, see more photos at blacklds.org.

Related links:

A Need for Greater Kindness, speech addressing racism, by then, Church President, Gordon B. Hinckley given in April 2006.

Paul Sleet, President of Pagedale branch, of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — blogs about his ministry in Pagedale, Missouri, and shares messages with his flock.

Ahmad Corbitt – New York stake president and public affairs director.

www.blacklds.org — a website in support of black Latter-day Saints

Nekisha Rhodes, St. Louis LDS gospel singer on You Tube singing for St. Louis organization Better Family Life’s Unity Ball.

Blacks in the Scriptures – resource for dialoguing about issues of race and equality in the Church.

Nobody Knows: the Story of Black Mormons — film that takes a sensitive and balanced look at the past and present lives of black Latter-day Saints.

Discover Your Roots Missouri, an African American Family History Conference based in St. Louis, Missouri, sponsored by the Lindell ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other area institutions.

Black History Remembered – an initiative sponsored by the O’Fallon Illinois Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other other organizations to help youth commemorate the history in East St. Louis.

Darius Gray on Utah’s African-American Voices — discusses the Genesis Group, a church-spondored support group for black members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Genesis Group – church-sponsored support group for black LDS.

My Friend Nekisha – my story about friendship that crosses ethnic boundaries.

Alex Boye – black member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Christian singer.

Gladys Knight and the Saints United Voices Choir – grammy award winning choir made-up of diverse Latter-day Saints.

I am inviting my fellow-bloggers, community leaders and the public to a special jubilee (50 years)celebration of the first stake in St. Louis. A stake is comprised of ten congregations or what we call “wards”. Currently there are three stakes in the greater metro area.

The event is this weekend, Sunday, June 1, beginning at 6 p.m — open for viewing of displays, self-guided — and 7 p.m. — presentation.

The location is the St. Louis Missouri South Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — 4511 Butler Hill Road, St. Louis, MO 63128.

In celebration, we will be hosting Dr. Fred E. Woods, Brigham Young University Professor of Religion and Richard L. Evans Chair of Religious Understanding. Dr. Woods, along with area Latter-day Saint historian enthusiast, Tom Farmer, will be presenting the history of the church in St. Louis from 1831 to 2008. Learn more about Dr. Woods — click here.

Dr. Woods comes to St. Louis frequently for research and special presentations. Recently he spoke at the Cardinal Rigali Center. He spoke on one of his favorite topics — interfaith collaboration — and shared the story of faiths united in charity to help a leprosy settlement known as Kaluapapa on the Hawaiian Island of Molokai. See story — click here.

In addition to the St. Louis Church history presentation, there will be displays, music and a gift for the City of St. Louis, –the Honorable Mayor Francis G. Slay will be accepting.

If you would like to attend, please R.S.V.P. by posting a comment and I will save you a seat!

If you are a fellow-blogger or community leader, I would like to introduce you to Dr. Woods, so please note your interest to meet him.

If you have questions, please leave a comment.

I hope to meet you there!

Photo of Dr. Fred E. Woods, professor of religion and holds the Richard L. Evans Chair for Religious Understanding.

Did you feel the earth shake?

I grew up in California, I have felt several earthquakes, so when it hit us last week I knew what it was. But I wondered if my Midwestern native friends knew what hit them. Some thought it was a tornado…maybe some thought the sky was falling. It is a scary thought to think we are not only in for tornadoes in the Midwest, but we live close to an active fault line.

At times like these, emergency preparedness comes to the forefront of our minds.

Are we prepared?

My church takes a special interest in emergency preparedness. We have a website — providentliving.org — with resources that can be used by any church or group.

We are not, by any means, the only church preparing its flock for disaster or those events like loss of job or illness that can set a family back.

Recently Fenton ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints partnered with United Methodist Church and New Hope Fellowship — both in Fenton, Missouri — to host a preparedness fair to help their congregations and the community to become familiar with resources available to the public and civic leaders in times of need.

The event was planned a year in advance, but oddly — or fortuitously — coincided with the recent floods of the area. Patrons of the event took home some 17 FREE flood kits (in buckets) that included clean-up items such as goggles, sponges, cleaners, tarps and gloves.

Our church distributed thousands of additional kits to not only the Fenton area, but also Franklin county, Eureka, Pacific, Valley Park and also the Cape Girardeau area.

Mary Pederson, regional community relations specialist for local stakes of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints observed that each faith brought something unique to the emergency preparedness table. She says:

“One church alone cannot solve all the world’s problems. As we tear down ural and religious barriers to come together for the community, we can help a lot more people in need.”

Churches, in addition to linking with each other, can also link with community resources to support groups like C.E.R.T, encouraging their congregants to recieve emergency response training in support of the community.

Learn more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint’s emergency preparedness and humanitarian relief programs at these links:

Preparedness training

Humanitarian Services

Preparedness resources

Please share what your congregation does for self-reliance and emergency preparedness and what resources are available for the community.

How can we unite in more of our communities to offer relief?

Mitt and Ann Romney are being awarded the Becket Fund’s highest honor, the Canterbury Medal, for their contribution in expanding religious expression in the public square. The Canterbury Medal is awarded annually to someone who has “resolutely refused to render unto Caesar that which is God’s.”They said:

“The governor’s extraordinary speech on the role of religion in political life was an important contribution to religious liberty and the national political discourse during this election season. Both Governor and Mrs. Romney have demonstrated exemplary poise and dignity in the face of all manner of provocations aimed at their faith. For these reasons and more, The Becket Fund is delighted to present the Romneys with the Canterbury Medal at this year’s dinner,” in New York City.

Read more here: Meridian Magazine

Read or listen to audio of Romney’s Freedom in American speech on NPR

I am a Mormon or Latter-day Saint, you can call me either, but I prefer “Latter-day Saint.” I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

There are various groups who borrow a portion of our name. I don’t know if it is correct to call them splinter groups. I don’t know how they were ever a part of us, but they do hijack our lingo and our scriptures.

To clarify, make no mistake, Latter-day Saints are as baffled and horrified as many of you with disturbing reports coming out of Texas of a religious sect.

That many people mistake our faith for groups, like the one in Texas, can be attributed to a couple factors.

First, the press often uses the term “Mormon fundamentalists,” “Mormon sects” or “Mormon s.” These terms are incorrect (link here) as clarified by the Associated Press Style guide, yet many in the media use them.

Second, our church supported plural marriage in the early days of the church. That practice was discontinued over 100 years ago. But the history remains.

Latter-day Saints do not run from our history, we are not ashamed that our early members practiced plural marriage. But we become alarmed if our early practitioners of are compared to the practitioners of in Texas. Fundamentally, the way was practiced by early Latter-day Saints and Christians in biblical times and is practiced by other groups and ures around the world today, can be vastly different from the Texas sect.

Let me try to explain by sharing the roots of our faith first.

Our faith sprung up in the 1830s in the United States, a time of great religious awaking and questioning. There was a great interest and inquiry among early members of our church to return to the historic roots of Christianity, specifically prophets, apostles, the organization Christ established while He was on earth, with its attendant priesthood authority and prophetic guidance as manifested in the Bible.

The earlier Latter-day Saints, and we today, refer to our faith as a “restored gospel”. We are not a reformation, but consider our faith a restoration. We are not protestant or Catholic.

Early adherents of our faith wanted, in every way, to live a gospel closely aligned and patterned after practices in the Bible. Among other practices, they saw a biblical precedence for plural marriage.

As we draw comparisons, here are some things to keep in mind:

as seen today:

Many of the sects making headlines have numerous practices and beliefs, in addition to polygamy, that are far afield from the practices of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

over 100 years ago:

• as practiced by early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, over 100 years ago, was limited – practiced by a minority of the members.
• The practice was monitored for abuses.
• The practice did not degrade women — quite the opposite — or ostracize young men.
• Many of the families were good loving families.
• The practice did not trump “free agency”, a term we use to describe the God-given right we have to choose how we live and practice, or not practice, our faith. In other words, people were not forced to practice polygamy.

What members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe:

• We do NOT believe that plural marriage is the inevitable order of heaven.
• We do NOT we believe that salvation is based on the practice of polygamy.
• We believe salvation is in and through the atonement of Jesus Christ.

My post is inspired by Khalid Hamid’s post, Trying to find my Muslim voice.

Many years ago, while I was a college student, I was hired by a Muslim man to teach English to his daughter. We would studay at the kitchen table. Often while I was in their home the family would gather for prayer, prompted by a chime or clock in their home. The father would apologize for interrupting our studies to answer the call to prayer.

I didn’t mind. In fact, the first time I remember feeling ashamed that I had forgotten to pray that day. I bowed my head and said my prayer in the kitchen, while they knelt in the living room.

This family exemplified the best of devoted Muslims. They exuded goodness and fairness. They were kind to me.

My family in the 90’s lived in Bangkok, Thailand. We lived near a Muslim community. Many Muslims became our friends. Quite often we heard the call to prayer. It was soothing, even calming to know people were taking time from their day to remember God. Many times I would be prompted by the call to say my prayers.

As a Christian, I try to pray often. Life and schedules can get in the way from making time for quiet contemplation and prayer. If I apply Stendahl’s rule #3, I can say that I have “holy envy” for a Muslim’s devotion to God through prayer.

When I hear Muslim call to prayer, it often serves as a reminder to me: Did I remember to pray?

I am grateful for what my Muslim friends teach me about devotion and reverence for God.

Related Links:

A popular song in our church:

“Did you think to pray?”

How Mormons pray

But today is different.

For Latter-day Saints, we gather twice a year to attend General Conference – the first weekends in October and in April — to listen to the words of our church leaders, our worldwide leadership that includes men and women who lead councils of our church and direct the work around the world.

Leaders deliver messages conveying eternal truths applied in the context of our times. I come to the conference with my most vexing questions in mind, my struggles and inquiries, and with a prayerful heart I listen to the talks. Most often I receive answers.

For many Latter-day Saints, General Conference is a special time, — much like Christmas or Easter, also days we reverence and observe – to reflect on the Savior, Jesus Christ.

We gather around the world to over 6000 church buildings, to our televisions and to our computers, anywhere we can find a live broadcast of the proceedings — held in Salt Lake City, Utah — on the web, cable, radio or satellite.

In St. Louis, you can watch or listen the General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints live at 11a.m to 1 p.m. and again at 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at one of our meetinghouses or on: the web, Charter cable public access (Channel 18, if you live in St. Louis, MO), and satellite TV DirecTV channel 373 (KBYU Television). In a few days the audio and video feeds will be archived on lds.org.

Related links:

lds.org

Prophets in the Land Again

Stendahl’s three rules of religious understanding were crafted by Krister Stendahl, a former Lutheran Bishop from Stockholm and emeritus dean of Harvard Divinity School.

There are three:

1) When you want to learn about a religion, ask its adherents, not its enemies.
2) Don’t compare your best with their worst.
3) Leave room for “holy envy” — meaning leave room for true admiration of something in another person’s religious tradition.

People who live by these rules say they not only learn more deeply about another’s faith, but also reflect more deeply on their own. And, best of all, they move beyond greater tolerance to real feelings of love and affection for others.

I would be interested to know how others have governed their dialogues by these rules.

Other links on this topic:

Engaging Without Rancor

Know Your Neighbor.