South Sea Blacks

I think the whole reason why there was such a push in the 50s-70s to call the polynesians ‘lamanites’ was it meant they could have the priesthood and avoided alienating another continent.

No-one would be able to question their right to the priesthood if they were the descendants of father Lehi.

Very interesting. Do you have a link to read more?

Edit: actually, what’s google for:

http://www.blacklds.org/priesthood

http://www.blacklds.org/history

“Melanesian “Blacks” are Given Priesthood

Under the direction of David O. McKay, Melanesian blacks are defined as from a different linage and not under the priesthood ban. The first Figians receive the priesthood in 1958 while the Negritos of the Philippines were given it earlier. (Armand Mauss, Neither White nor Black, Signature Books, pg. 152)”

To be honest, reading that history page, with its long list of ridiculous contradictions and prejudices made me ashamed of my membership.

In the same way we’ve denounced Brigham Young’s Adam-God theory, I hope that one day we’ll denounce the Black priesthood/endowment policy as a non-doctrinal, un-inspired mistake of a policy.

I wonder whether, in years to come, we’ll be having the same conversation about gay members.

I feel a little bit sick.

Yes, I would agree with you that the move to change the ban started with him. Although I’m glad they were able to find an exception for this group of people early on, there’s something uncomfortable about it being linked to lineage still – seems to confirm the misguided belief that African Blacks were blocked because of their hereditary.

I still find it sad that it took us so long.

It does sound more like a corporation when you hear things like that.

Yes, and there are other things too. How do you do away with this kind of thing without losing some of the membership? I know some people would say “good riddance”, but it’s more complex than that. Remember some of these people will take their children, others are good people saddled with stupid views etc etc.

Normally this is a minor issue, but South Sea folk are disproportionately represented in the church. Polynesians though practically southern European in appearance, obviously have some Melanesian input in their ancestry, yet extremely remote African origins. More remote than ours perhaps.

(By the way, if anyone wants me to explain the difference between Melanesians and Polynesians, I can, but it’s a long story. Fijians probably fit midway between the two groups… Melanesians with a Polynesian culture…)

Thanks for the original post and replies. I didn’t know anything about the Fijians or Philipinos and their priesthood history.

I think in the future we will be as ashamed about our position on gays as we are now about blacks.

I’m mentioning it because I’ve long wondered about this question.

These are the darkest people in the world in some cases, but not African. In fact, they are part Homo Denisova. Black people were in Papua New Guinea and Australia before people reached Europe or the Americas.

Presumably Tamils (dark people from South India) were ignored because even today the church is small in India. (Okay, not Pacific, but probably from the same prehistoric stock)

I would soooooooo love to have some documentation for that. I am guessing that any minutes from that meeting were burned, ashes blended with cement, then poured in the foundation of the church office building.

Here is the quote from the Kimball biography

For example, in 1948, during the George Albert Smith administration, missionaries in the Philippines did not know how to handle natives of a group called “Negritos,” who had black skin but no known African ancestry. The First Presidency authorized ordination, saying descent from black Africans was the disqualifying factor, not skin color or other racial characteristics.

Edward Kimball, Lengthen Your Stride, 200. The Kimball footnote states, “While in the Philippines to dedicate the land for proselytizing, Joseph Fielding Smith observed native peoples who appeared to be negroid. Despite this, he said in the dedicatory prayer, ‘I bless the native inhabitants both black and white with the blessings of the gospel and the priesthood—Amen.’ When asked about this, he responded upset, ‘That is what the Lord required me to do.’ He confirmed several years later that the event occurred and said, ‘I would not want it to be supposed that I gave the priesthood to negroes.’” (emphasis in original.)