Janice Bower
Well-known member
At Brigham Young University on 27 August 1954, at the Convention of Teachers of Religion on the College Level, Petersen delivered the speech, "Race Problems—As They Affect the Church".[8][9] The speech outlined the religious underpinnings of racial segregation and supported its continued practice as it related to intermarriage between blacks and whites. Particularly, he reaffirmed the LDS Church's unofficial but prevalent teaching at that time that those with dark skin had been less valiant in their lives before coming to earth.[10][11] He also reiterated the idea that blacks were to be servants to righteous white people after the resurrection, as was the case with Jane Manning James who was sealed to Joseph Smith to be his servant in the next life.[12] Petersen said:
The missionaries gave me a copy of the Book of Mormon with racist teachings.
Joseph Fielding Smith's book Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 1, p. 60:
PRE-EXISTENT LIFE AFFECTS MORTALITY. Notwithstanding that our recollection of former things was taken away, the character of our lives in the spirit world has much to do with our disposition and mentality here in mortal life. The spirit influences the body to a great extent, just as the body in its desires and cravings has an influence on the spirit. The Lord has caused it to be so. Therefore, those who were the noble and great ones in the former world, the Lord foreordained to be his prophets and rulers here, for he knew them before they were born, and through the action of the spirit on the body, he knows they will be likely to serve him here. Environment and many other causes, however, have great influence on the progress and destiny of man, but we must not lose of the fact that the characteristics of the spirit< which were developed through many ages of a former existence play a very important part through mortal life.
Mark E. Petersen - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
The missionaries gave me a copy of the Book of Mormon with racist teachings.
Joseph Fielding Smith's book Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 1, p. 60:
PRE-EXISTENT LIFE AFFECTS MORTALITY. Notwithstanding that our recollection of former things was taken away, the character of our lives in the spirit world has much to do with our disposition and mentality here in mortal life. The spirit influences the body to a great extent, just as the body in its desires and cravings has an influence on the spirit. The Lord has caused it to be so. Therefore, those who were the noble and great ones in the former world, the Lord foreordained to be his prophets and rulers here, for he knew them before they were born, and through the action of the spirit on the body, he knows they will be likely to serve him here. Environment and many other causes, however, have great influence on the progress and destiny of man, but we must not lose of the fact that the characteristics of the spirit< which were developed through many ages of a former existence play a very important part through mortal life.