On “Coward Spirits” and Conversion Therapy

I have on occasion met black and even gay people who are members of the LDS (Latter Day Saint) church, commonly referred to as Mormons, after their official religious text; the Book of Mormon. It always surprises me when I encounter black Mormons because of the church’s long history of racial exclusion. As all students of Mormon church history know, the church held a ban on black people holding priesthood positions or getting temple recommends for almost a century and a half. It wasn’t until 1978 that the church received a “Revelation from God” that finally allowed full membership rights for all races. This happened shortly after then-president Jimmy Carter met with Spencer Kimball, the Mormon church prophet at the time. It is rumored that President Carter threatened the church’s tax-exempt status if the church didn’t change its racial policy. The church vehemently denies that there was any such pressure, but the timing of the “revelation” seems suspicious. Priesthood members in our ward were factually told of the threat to the church’s exemption status by our bishop on the Sunday of the official announcement. At the time, the Mormon church was the largest organization in America that held racial exclusion policies affecting black people. Knowing that, I couldn’t understand why any black person would ever join.