We haven't really discussed the ban....

[JohnnyLingo]

Pretty much. I just wanted to be sure that his version of "discriminatory" was what I thought it was.

Now I know.

[fusnik11]

Originally Posted by JohnnyLingo

True enough. Though to be honest, I was anticipating Seattle attaching all sorts of negativity to the phrase. Negativity which I feel is undeserved and overly PC.

I love it, the irony of it all. You feign ignorance, only to show your true intention.

Good show ninja, good show.

[JohnnyLingo]

I'm glad I could entertain you, fussy.

[Mormon Red Death]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

this is why some find it frustrating that the current prophets and apostles say nothing on the subject.

good thing that we have message boards so people can actually talk about it.

has anyone ever attended a church meeting in which this subject was tackled in a substantive way?

That would never happen because as soon as someone would take the view of steelblue or homeboy they would be pounced on and considered heretics by the others. Then somebody would invariably say "we shouldn't have these discussions because they don't pertain to our salvation" or something like that.

Very sad but true nonetheless

[JohnnyLingo]

Then somebody would invariably say "we shouldn't have these discussions because they don't pertain to our salvation" or something like that.

Just to be clear, do you believe discussions like this pertain to our salvation?

[stonewallperry]

Originally Posted by OhioBlue

I'll offer my opinion to this lively discussion--I don't know if the Church made a mistake or not. I don't know a lot of things that are in the mind of God. I do know that considering any group of God's children to be of any less worth than another group is not the way of Christ. And I do believe that it's erroneous for LDS to assume that just because of our beliefs, we are or were immune to the kinds of judgments and attitudes underlying racism. Maybe the ban wasn't lifted until the rest of us LDS were mostly ready. Maybe it was a misguided policy to begin with that God allowed to continue as part of his larger purposes. Or any number of other things.

Bottom line is, I just don't know. And for me, this is one of the many questions on the list that I plan on taking with me when I die, right up next to questions about sex/gender, attraction, and how tWhit ever stole 9 of 10 from the Lord's Anointed Program. Essentially, the only question left for each of us to answer is how comfortable we are with uncertainty, or whether we prefer to rely on human reasoning to provide us a quicker answer.

This is the very best post on the subject to date.

[Mormon Red Death]

Originally Posted by JohnnyLingo

Just to be clear, do you believe discussions like this pertain to our salvation?

yes they help me understand how god works with man. To me that is paramount to my salvation

[JohnnyLingo]

So if we don't understand completely how God works with man, we're damned?

[Mormon Red Death]

Originally Posted by JohnnyLingo

So if we don't understand completely how God works with man, we're damned?

Come on Lingo you know I didn't say that. Trying to understand how God works with man is part of my salvation.

[fusnik11]

Originally Posted by JohnnyLingo

So if we don't understand completely how God works with man, we're damned?

I am pretty sure he didn't say that, but you already know that don't you?

I think it is important to discuss for a few reasons:

a. It's important to understand the doctrine/policy of the church. How do I know, or anybody for that matter, that I want to be part of something if I don't understand the dealings of the church. We are instructed to ask but a nice broad answer on certain subjects, directed from the church, would go a long way.

b. It demonstrates the infallibility of men, which is important for the simple fact that it teaches the general membership how important it is to know what is important for you personally. It takes the emphasis off of the church and onto the individual.

c. It shows the relationship between heaven and earth and how being open to discussion can sometimes open the lines of communication between the celestial and the temporal.