Las cuestiones raciales y el Mormonismo/Los negros y el sacerdocio/El levantamiento de la prohibición

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Levantando la prohibición del sacerdocio

Saltar a subtema:

• Temas del Evangelio: "Llevaron a reflexionar sobre las promesas que otros profetas como Brigham Young habían hecho diciendo que los miembros de raza negra iban a recibir un día las bendiciones del sacerdocio y del templo"
• Pregunta: ¿Cómo funciona el proceso revelador en el caso de algo como el levantamiento de la prohibición del sacerdocio?
• Pregunta: ¿Qué obstáculos sociales y culturales se interponían en el camino para poner fin a la prohibición del sacerdocio?
• Question: What circumstances which preceded the 1978 revelation which ended the prieshood ban?
• Question: Were there witnesses to the revelation that ended the priesthood ban?
• Question: What testimonies were offered regarding the revelation that ended the priesthood ban?

Temas del Evangelio: "Llevaron a reflexionar sobre las promesas que otros profetas como Brigham Young habían hecho diciendo que los miembros de raza negra iban a recibir un día las bendiciones del sacerdocio y del templo"

"La raza y el sacerdocio," Temas del Evangelio en LDS.org (2013):

llevaron a reflexionar sobre las promesas que otros profetas como Brigham Young habían hecho diciendo que los miembros de raza negra iban a recibir un día las bendiciones del sacerdocio y del templo. En junio de 1978, después de “pasar muchas horas en la sala superior del Templo [de Salt Lake] suplicando al Señor guía divina”, el Presidente de la Iglesia, Spencer W. Kimball, los consejeros de la Primera Presidencia y los miembros del Quórum de los Doce Apóstoles recibieron una revelación. “Él ha escuchado nuestras oraciones y mediante la revelación ha confirmado que ha llegado el día largamente prometido”, anunció la Primera Presidencia el 8 de junio. La Primera Presidencia declaró que eran “conscientes de las promesas hechas por los profetas y los presidentes de la Iglesia que nos precedieron” que “todos nuestros hermanos que son dignos pueden recibir el sacerdocio”20. La revelación revocó la restricción de ordenación al sacerdocio. También extendió las bendiciones del templo a todos los Santos de los Últimos Días dignos, hombres y mujeres. La declaración de la Primera Presidencia en cuanto a la revelación pasó a formar parte de las Escrituras en el libro de Doctrina y Convenios, como Declaración oficial 2. Plantilla:Read more

Pregunta: ¿Cómo funciona el proceso revelador en el caso de algo como el levantamiento de la prohibición del sacerdocio?

  NEEDS TRANSLATION  

Revelation is a process which generally follows a model in which "man inquires and then God inspires"

In other words, mortals must generally seek guidance before they receive inspiration. God will generally not provide answers to questions which have yet to be asked.

Furthermore, if we are unable to receive and implement an answer regarding a given issue, due to personal limitations or circumstances which would prevent obedience, God will generally refrain from communicating with us about it. This is not due to any limitation or lack of desire on his part, but due to mortal limitations.

God rarely—if ever—uses his prophets as "teletype machines" who mindlessly transmit God's will word for word—he requires his prophets to inquire with some thought as to potential answers (DC 9:7-9). After they seek confirmation, the Lord can gently correct or confirm. A striking Biblical example of this principle comes from King David: He announced to Nathan, the prophet, that he wished to build a temple. Nathan thought this a grand idea, and replied "Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD is with thee." However, despite Nathan's sincere belief that God concurred with David's plan, he later received a revelation which contravened his initial enthusiasm. (See 2 Samuel 7:2-17.) God corrected his prophet and enhanced his imperfect understanding of the divine will.

Viewing revelation as a process often requiring patient preparation helps us understand why the priesthood ban wasn't lifted sooner

Lester Bush points out "three principle factors," while allowing for others, that created obstacles: "...the authority of decades of vigorous and unwavering First Presidency endorsement of the policy; a preconceived and highly literalistic reading of several verses in the Pearl of Great Price; and an ambient culture which was indifferent to, if not supportive of, Mormon attitudes toward blacks."

Pregunta: ¿Qué obstáculos sociales y culturales se interponían en el camino para poner fin a la prohibición del sacerdocio?

  NEEDS TRANSLATION  

Sometimes critics from other Christian faiths excuse beliefs and behaviors in their denominations' pasts, while suggesting a much higher standard should have been met by a community led by revelation

This criticism seems to ignore dynamics manifest in Biblical times in which inspired leaders such as Moses and Paul accepted slavery as part of the cultural norm and even promoted regulations for it (Exodus 21:20-27; Leviticus 25:44-46; Deuteronomy 23:15-16; Ephesians 6:5-9; Philemon 1:8-12; 1 Timothy 6:1; Titus 2:9). While what these leaders faced is not perfectly parallel to those in modern times, these prophets did not receive more socially progressive revelation than modern readers would have expected. It is clear that sometimes less than ideal practices were permitted and upheld because of the "hardness of [Moses's followers'] hearts [Mark 10:5]."

Biblical history is replete with examples of the difficulty of gaining widespread conformity even after a paradigm-shifting revelation has been received

The New Testament apostles debated over how best to transition from preaching the Gospel only to the Jews to accommodating Gentile converts (Acts 15). Despite numerous miraculous manifestations to motivate them, the Israelites had to wander 40 years (Deuteronomy 8:2) to weed out idolatrous beliefs keeping them from inheriting a promised land. Mormon history also has its examples of this type, including the length of time it took the general membership to come into full compliance with the Word of Wisdom and the Manifesto. If a revelation ending the priesthood ban had been received earlier, the Saints might not have accepted it. (Elder Marion D. Hanks is reported to have said "For me it was never that blacks [were unqualified but that] the rest of us had to be brought to a condition of spiritual maturity...to meet the moment of change with grace and goodness.")