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I have just finished reading a biography of Martin Luther King Junior and have some observations that I would like to share here. Let me start by saying that I was a fairly young child growing up in Northern Utah during the 60s and 70s. I do not remember the civil rights movement ever being mentioned in my home, though I heard did hear some comments about Martin Luther King Junior that were not complimentary, usually referencing his infidelities. Those where the days when the ‘descendants of Cain’ doctrine was preached openly and frequently.
I heard the ‘N’ word frequently growing up, though I don’t remember any black kids in my school until I was a senior in High School when we had one black student. I don’t think that anyone in my extended family would have harmed a black person, or been openly cruel, but I would say that there was a definite air of superiority in the clan. My mother, in particular, detested the Affirmative Action program.
I don’t remember civil rights EVER being mentioned in church. Or even discussed.
I doubt that Mormonism was of any interest at all to Martin Luther King Junior and the civil rights movement.
While I was reading this book, it occurred to me that despite this backdrop of mutual disinterest and dearth of dialogue, the civil rights movement in general and Martin Luther King in particular had a profound impact on the LDS church. My reasoning is that, had these courageous people not taken the steps to bring issues of equality to the forefront, to ask the hard questions, that the ‘revelation’ on blacks and the priesthood would never have occurred. There would have been no driving force and the status quo would have remained.
The civil rights movement occurred in the same era as the Vietnam War and the counter-culture movements of the 60s and 70s. As a backlash to these movements, many white citizens across the country moved hard to the right. I think the same thing happened in the church. This was the era when the business haircut, clean-shaven face and the business suit became an entrenched standard. Gone were the long silver locks and relatively liberal thinking of President McKay and Hugh B. Brown. In came the ultra-conservative businessmen such as President Kimball as church leaders.
So, much of what we experience in LDS culture today, is the direct result of the forces that influenced that era.
The parallel I would like to draw is that there are number of courageous people at the forefront of women’s equality and LGTB equality who are paving paths in a similar manner to the civil rights movement, and I believe, that by raising those questions and facing the fierce winds of opposition now, this process is starting once again. Baby steps have taken place, and I think in the long-term, the church will come to terms with these new societal values.
Just study pres Benson before he became prophet. He was sure that the civil rights movement was a communist plot. If we were to put his words on Mormon.org we would only be converting skinheads. I am shocked at what he said and did – even when his fellow apostles were telling him stop. He didn’t seem to care too much what they thought because he knee he was right. That is at least my impressions from what I have read. As I was reading your post I thought to myself: Yup, and there go the beards.
And immediately after that thought I read:
silentstruggle wrote:This was the era when the business haircut, clean-shaven face and the business suit became an entrenched standard.
I have one other thought, and I haven’t thought much about it other than this just popped in my head. The civil rights and LGBT movements were/are external to the church. The second wave feminist movement was also external but the church appears to have largely “weathered” the movement. There’s also third wave feminism but the agitation (is that the right word
I’m probably missing the mark on that thought. External movements become internal movements and the lines I’m trying to draw get super blurry. Oh well, just a thought.
There’s no question for me that the church is reactionary. I don’t see the end of polygamy (OD1) as anything more than something we had to do to gain statehood and quell the hostility of those who found the practice to be repugnant. I will add that it took a long time for OD1 to come about. Likewise, I believe the civil rights movement did have an affect on the church, but that the church would not have budged (OD2) had they not had the problem of what to do with the Blacks in South America where a temple was being built. Again, a long time coming compared to governmental civil rights changes. A side effect of OD2 is the current phenomenal growth of the church in Africa – probably the only place the church is significantly growing right now. I acquiesce that women’s rights are not as simply equated to such societal pressures, but that is in part because women in Utah already had more civil rights than they did in many other states (such as the right to vote), and that those types of things are of less interest to the church itself. That, then, begs the question of why the church has been so opposed to gay rights. It is for the most part only an American issue (at least in places where the church is established). Nevertheless, I could say that the recent softening of tone on gays themselves (admitting they they have no choice and can’t change) and church support of Utah’s anti-discrimination update are in reaction to general outside pressures. I also believe the movement has made enough of an impact on the younger generations that there will be internal pressure as well – even if it’s only as subtle as the idea that these younger people are going to be bishops and stake presidents and GAs in 20-30 years (unless there’s a TSM out there who becomes bishop at a much younger age). There also is a good comparison to be made between Joseph Smith and Martin Luther King, Jr. – since both did amazing things while being flawed vessels, so to speak. It might interest you to know that the founder of the Black Panthers joined the LDS… LookingHard wrote:Just study pres Benson before he became prophet. He was sure that the civil rights movement was a communist plot. If we were to put his words on Mormon.org we would only be converting skinheads. I am shocked at what he said and did – even when his fellow apostles were telling him stop. He didn’t seem to care too much what they thought because he knee he was right. That is at least my impressions from what I have read.
The joke is that
segregationplayed into the hands of Communism, not gaining Civil Rights, since it was a legitimate “proletarian grievance”. I wonder how many times Pravda used it as anti-American propaganda? It also is interesting how Pres. Benson didn’t talk politics after he was sustained as President. Seriously, if someone read only what he said before then and after then, the conclusion would be that it was two different sources. Sam wrote Quote:It might interest you to know that the founder of the Black Panthers joined the LDS..
If you are referring to Eldridge Cleaver – It might interest you to know that he launched his religious searching from my childhood ward. My ward was super cool, proud even, to have him in our midst. I remember the day he walked in. This tall, lean, black man. Leather coat (dress style, not biker), slacks, clean shaven and friendly. He walked to the 3rd pew and sat he and the elders down with him. He stayed for quite a few months. Always in the halls, shaking hands, chatting. We kids had no idea he was a Black Panther, we just liked to call out his name, “Hey Eldridge.” It was crazy empowerment. The one mighty black guy in the midst of the conservative, all white Mormon ward.
Lots of interesting comments here. Thanks. Ray, yes, I had thought of the flawed container idea. This may be a bit controversial to say, but both Joseph Smith and MLK Jr. led active sex lives. MLK Jr. felt like his life was so stressful that sex was a kind of therapy and that a lot of leaders had done the same thing and semi-successfully rationalized it that way,. Joseph, IMO, created a framework that enabled his behavior and we are paying for the creation of that framework to this day. I know I’m far left on this one.
Regarding the communism issue, Martin Luther King Jr. did associate with people who had communistic leanings and also saw the shortcomings that capitalism held for the poor and oppressed and looked to socialistic values to help correct that. And, remarkable as it may seem, given today’s LDS culture, Joseph Smith was a huge experimenter in communalism/socialism.
mom3 wrote:Sam wrote
Quote:It might interest you to know that the founder of the Black Panthers joined the LDS..
If you are referring to Eldridge Cleaver – It might interest you to know that he launched his religious searching from my childhood ward. My ward was super cool, proud even, to have him in our midst. I remember the day he walked in. This tall, lean, black man. Leather coat (dress style, not biker), slacks, clean shaven and friendly. He walked to the 3rd pew and sat he and the elders down with him. He stayed for quite a few months. Always in the halls, shaking hands, chatting. We kids had no idea he was a Black Panther, we just liked to call out his name, “Hey Eldridge.” It was crazy empowerment. The one mighty black guy in the midst of the conservative, all white Mormon ward.
Yes, that’s the one. I doubt he would have taken much anti-black nonsense from anyone.
SamBee Quote:Yes, that’s the one. I doubt he would have taken much anti-black nonsense from anyone.
Yeah, he was a man who was in full control, no one was his influence. He made his own decisions. As a kid I didn’t understand his legacy, I could only be awed by his persona. And it was awesome.
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