Professional Documents
Culture Documents
My dear brothers and sisters: There are some events that persist in almost everyone’s
memory. If you were living at the time of the assassination of President John F.
Kennedy, you remember where you were and what you were doing when you heard
that terrible news. The same is true of the shocking attacks on what we call 9/11.
For Latter-day Saints who were adults at that time, the 1978 revelation on the
I.
The news reached me on a telephone that seldom rang. My two sons and I were
working in the yard of a mountain home we built as a place of retreat from my heavy
between missions. The oldest had returned three weeks earlier, and the youngest
was preparing to leave a year later. The earth was caving onto our driveway from a
steep slope, and we were trying to stabilize the hillside. We were in the midst of this
project, shovels in hand, when the phone rang inside the house. I knew it must be
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important. Only a small number of people had that telephone number, and all had
The caller was Elder Boyd K. Packer. He told me about the revelation on the
priesthood, which was just being announced. We exchanged expressions of joy, and
I walked back to the hillside. I sat down on the pile of dirt we had been moving and
beckoned to my sons. As I told them that all worthy male members of the Church
could now be ordained to the priesthood, I wept for joy. That is the scene etched in
Why was the revelation on the priesthood such an occasion of joy? As a young man
studying and working in the legal profession, I lived in the Midwest and the East for
I observed the pain and frustration experienced by those who suffered these
restrictions and those who criticized them and sought for reasons. I studied the
reasons then being given and could not feel confirmation of the truth of any of them.
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As part of my prayerful study, I learned that, in general, the Lord rarely gives reasons
loyal to our prophetic leaders and to pray—as promised from the beginning of these
restrictions—that the day would come when all would enjoy the blessings of
priesthood and temple. Now, on June 8, 1978, that day had come, and I wept for
joy.
Many Latter-day Saints felt joy at this news. The numbers of valiant and faithful
members of African descent who had accepted the gospel despite the restriction was
then very small. Therefore, most of those who rejoiced were Anglo-Americans like
me, who felt the pain of black brothers and sisters and longed for their relief. Among
those who also wept for joy at the priesthood revelation were Dr. Russell M. Nelson
these men had lived outside the somewhat isolated environment of the Mountain
West for more than a total of 40 years. They had also witnessed the pain of this
II.
When we consider what has happened in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints and in the lives of its members since 1978, we all have cause for celebration.
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Institutionally, the Church reacted swiftly to the revelation on the priesthood.
Ordinations and temple recommends came immediately. The reasons that had been
disavowed. Institutional policies or practices that could have inhibited the full
In contrast, changes in the hearts and practices of individual members did not come
suddenly and universally. Some accepted the effects of the revelation immediately
and gracefully. Some accepted gradually. But some, in their personal lives,
continued the attitudes of racism that have been painful to so many throughout the
world, including the past 40 years. Others have wanted to look back, concentrating
attention on re-examining the past, including seeking reasons for the now-outdated
restrictions.
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However, most in the Church, including its senior leadership, have concentrated on
the opportunities of the future rather than the disappointments of the past. They have
trusted the wisdom and timing of the Lord and accepted the directions of His prophet.
In doing so, we have realized the eternal significance of God’s prophetic teaching
that “one being is as precious in his sight as the other” (Jacob 2:21). In doing so, we
have received new impetus to fulfill the command that we are to teach the everlasting
gospel unto all—to “all nations, kindreds, tongues and people” (D&C 42:58).
III.
To concern ourselves with what has not been revealed or with past explanations by
those who were operating with limited understanding can only result in speculation
and frustration. To all who have such concerns, we extend our love and this special
invitation. Let us all look forward in the unity of our faith and trust in the Lord’s
promise that “he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness;
and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and
As we look to the future, one of the most important effects of the revelation on the
priesthood is its Divine call to abandon attitudes of prejudice against any group of
God’s children. Racism is probably the most familiar source of prejudice today, and
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we are all called to repent of that. But throughout history many groups of God’s
As servants of God who have the knowledge and responsibilities of His great plan
Russell M. Nelson said following our recent meeting with the national officers of
remember that it is not prejudice for the Church to insist on certain rules in
furtherance of the Lord’s requirement of worthiness to enter a temple. The Lord has
to enjoy sacred blessings. Any attempt to erase divine requirements for eternal life
and eternal families would be like trying to establish Satan’s plan that “all would be
saved.” We mortals already rejected Satan’s plan in our premortal lives. We chose
the plan of our Heavenly Father, which provides the freedom to choose and keep the
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President Russell M. Nelson, Press Conference with the NAACP, May 17, 2018.
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eternal covenants and commandments that apply equally to all. The equality of God
is not equal outcomes for all, but equal opportunity for all.
IV.
appreciation for our marvelous members of African descent, especially our African-
American members, who have persisted in faith and faithfulness through a difficult
attention on the glorious post-1978 effects of that revelation in blessing the children
of God all over the world. As our prophetic leaders declared at that time:
“[T]he Lord has now made known His will for the blessing of all His
children throughout the earth who will hearken to the voice of His authorized
Now temples are being built in many nations for the blessing of God’s children on
both sides of the veil. On earth and in heaven, we rejoice together. This is essential
to our preparation for the Second Coming of Him who declared through a Book of
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Doctrine and Covenants, Official Declaration 2, First Presidency letter, June 8, 1978.
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Mormon prophet that “he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his
salvation” (2 Nephi 26:24), and who declared through a modern prophet that “if ye
We now invite you to join us in a program of messages and music that share the joy
felt all over the world as more and more of God’s children enjoy the blessings of the