The RLDS Quorum of Twelve discusses whether or not Blacks should be ordained to the priesthood. They reach an impasse and send the question to RLDS President Joseph Smith III. Joseph III receives a revelation allowing blacks to be baptized. The LDS church follows suit 122 years later.
[On This Day in Mormon History, http://onthisdayinmormonhistory.blogspot.com]
that is nuts... 122 years later they allowed it... The Bible teaches that when confronting a brother or evaluating truth, we are not to ignore but to engage, test, and discern. Jesus said:
ReplyDeleteo Matthew 18:15–17: “If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault... But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more... and if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church...”
· Discernment is central to biblical faith:
o 1 John 4:1: “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”
o 1 Thessalonians 5:21: “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”
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· Jesus never taught avoidance of contrary views but instead called for truth to stand on its own (John 18:20). Paul commended the Bereans in Acts 17:11 for searching the Scriptures daily to see whether things were true. Truth is never afraid of being tested.
· The LDS use of 2 Nephi 28:30 ("line upon line, precept upon precept") is often interpreted to justify secrecy or partial knowledge. But this verse is not a license to suppress truth — God calls for full light.
· If a faith discourages testing, inquiry, or exposure to dissent, it fails the scriptural test of truth. God commands: “Judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24) — not blind obedience.· The LDS Church teaches that eternal marriage must be performed in a Mormon temple by proper priesthood authority to be valid in the afterlife. However, the Bible presents marriage as a covenant made before God — not dependent on any ceremony or religious authority.
· Genesis 2:24 affirms: "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." There is no requirement of a formal rite or temple.
· Malachi 2:14 describes marriage as "the wife of thy covenant," again focusing on the spiritual bond rather than a ceremonial ordinance.
· Hebrews 13:4 adds: *"Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled..."
· Matthew 22:30 clearly teaches that marriage does not carry into the resurrection: "For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven."
· The Bible's view is that marriage is a sacred but earthly commitment — a covenantal union of faithfulness and love that reflects Christ’s relationship with the Church. It is not tied to priestly mediation, ritual, or temple ceremony, nor does it extend into eternal life as the LDS doctrine of sealing teaches.
· Matthew 22:29–30 contradicts the LDS belief in eternal marriage:
"Jesus answered and said unto them, 'Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like the angels of God in heaven.'"
· Genealogy and Temple Work: LDS emphasis on genealogy and temple ordinances for the dead is challenged by verses like:
o Titus 3:9: "But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies... for they are unprofitable and vain."
o 1 Timothy 1:4: *"Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies..."
o James 1:27 contrasts sharply with temple work for the dead by defining true religion as caring for the living:
"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."
o LDS temple work is heavily focused on ordinances for the dead, such as baptisms and sealings, often taking priority in member activity over direct acts of compassion or service to the living as emphasized in scripture.
o John 2:19–21 and Revelation 21:22 clarify that Jesus and God themselves are the true temple:
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