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Combating racial prejudice
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Contents
Removing racial prejudice
Summary: Church leaders have consistently invited Latter-day Saints to do away with racial prejudice.
Russell M. Nelson
The Creator of us all calls on each of us to abandon attitudes of prejudice against any group of God’s children. Any of us who has prejudice toward another race needs to repent! . . .
We need to foster our faith in the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man.
We need to foster a fundamental respect for the human dignity of every human soul, regardless of their color, creed, or cause.
And we need to work tirelessly to build bridges of understanding rather than creating walls of segregation.[1]
God does not love one race more than another. His doctrine on this matter is clear. He invites all to come unto Him, “black and white, bond and free, male and female.”
I assure you that your standing before God is not determined by the color of your skin. Favor or disfavor with God is dependent upon your devotion to God and His commandments and not the color of your skin.
I grieve that our Black brothers and sisters the world over are enduring the pains of racism and prejudice. Today I call upon our members everywhere to lead out in abandoning attitudes and actions of prejudice. I plead with you to promote respect for all of God’s children.[2]
Dallin H. Oaks
In public actions and in our personal attitudes, we have had racism and related grievances. In a persuasive personal essay, the Reverend Theresa A. Dear of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has reminded us that “racism thrives on hatred, oppression, collusion, passivity, indifference and silence.”11 As citizens and as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we must do better to help root out racism. . . .
The hostilities and illegalities felt among different ethnicities in other nations should not be felt in the United States. This country should be better in eliminating racism not only against Black Americans, who were most visible in the recent protests, but also against Latinos, Asians, and other groups. This nation’s history of racism is not a happy one, and we must do better.[3]
Quentin L. Cook
With our all-inclusive doctrine, we can be an oasis of unity and celebrate diversity. Unity and diversity are not opposites. We can achieve greater unity as we foster an atmosphere of inclusion and respect for diversity. During the period I served in the San Francisco California Stake presidency, we had Spanish-, Tongan-, Samoan-, Tagalog-, and Mandarin-language-speaking congregations. Our English-speaking wards were composed of people from many racial and cultural backgrounds. There was love, righteousness, and unity. . . .
The Savior’s ministry and message have consistently declared all races and colors are children of God. We are all brothers and sisters.[4]
Gary E. Stevenson
As followers of Jesus Christ, we are dismayed when we hear of how children of God are mistreated based on their race. We have been heartbroken to hear of recent attacks on people who are Black, Asian, Latino, or of any other group. Prejudice, racial tension, or violence should never have any place in our neighborhoods, communities, or within the Church.[5]
Notes
- ↑ "President Nelson Shares Social Post about Racism and Calls for Respect for Human Dignity," Newsroom.ChurchofJesusChrist.org, 1 June 2020
- ↑ "Let God Prevail," October 2020 general conference
- ↑ "Love Your Enemies," October 2020 general conference
- ↑ "Hearts Knit in Righteousness and Unity," October 2020 general conference
- ↑ "Hearts Knit Together," April 2021 general conference