Quote:
Originally Posted by Tex
1. If there was a doctrine behind the policy, it appears to have been unrevealed to those who persisted it. If BRM is to believed, all doctrinal explanations (including his) for its existence were incorrect.
2. Not sure how you get to this one. The line I highlighted in the SWK manual is extremely vague. I think there was probably a complex set of variables the Lord was working with for lifting the restriction. I suppose I am naive enough to believe that if God wanted his pre-1978 Quorum to get in line earlier, he could've marshalled it.
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As you noted yourself in the other thread, the doctrine vs. policy issue is quite clear: "Later we have hints of McKay himself alluding to asking God, via McMurrin, hero of CG. McKay told him: 'We believe that we have scriptural precedent for withholding the priesthood from the Negro. It is a practice, not a doctrine, and the practice will someday be changed.' (italics in original). (79-80)"
If you truly read, you can see how I "got to that one" - whether you agree with it or not is another story. There is ample evidence to (more than) suggest that the apostles, because of their prejudices, were not ready to accept blacks into the priesthood. You have chosen to accept an alternate, entirely speculative theory, that God has His reasons, which are unknown to us. If that is your position, it is impossible to argue against it, because it's an appeal to authority. You're saying, in essence, that you have no logical basis, and therefore rely on what is unknowable and unproveable.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tex
I think those are critical points to the discussion. I'm open to many possibilities about the origins and existence of the priesthood restriction, provided they don't factor God out of it.
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Those points are not critical to the discussion because I believe either side will accept them as accurate. In fact, I very firmly believe that SWK was inspired by the Holy Ghost in his whole process of consensus-building. I also believe that DOM was inspired to take the issue up, as well. Apparently, it took quite a period of time for the inspiration to break down the existing prejudices.
Likewise, whether or not God told DOM that the time was right, the evidence is that the time was, in fact,
not right. So, again, the argument does not turn on this issue, hence, it is irrelevant to the discussion.