Ep 350 | Articles of Faith and Official Declarations 1 & 2, Come Follow Me 2025 (December 8-14)

39 snips

Dec 3, 2025

Dive into the complexities of ongoing revelation with a focus on the 9th Article of Faith. Explore Wilford Woodruff's Official Declaration 1 that ended plural marriage, and the nuanced discussions surrounding Official Declaration 2. The hosts unpack historical perspectives on race and priesthood, including early ordinations and the cultural dynamics that led to the priesthood ban. They also trace the path to lifting the ban in 1978, highlighting influential figures and their efforts. A thought-provoking dialogue encourages open-hearted study of challenging topics.

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INSIGHT

Eyes Open, Hearts Open

Bruce C. Hafen's framework: three ways to handle ambiguity—innocent optimism, pessimism, and eyes-open hearts-open balance.
Bryce Dunford recommends the middle path for interpreting complex church issues.

INSIGHT

Church Disavows Racial Theories

The church's Gospel Topics essay disavows past theories linking race to divine curse and condemns racism.
Bryce emphasizes we should set aside old explanatory theories and accept the church's disavowal.

ANECDOTE

Early Black Priesthood Ordinations

Early church history included black men like Elijah Abel ordained to the priesthood in the 1830s and 1840s.
Historians have tracked shifts after Joseph Smith's era toward withholding ordination.

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→ Detailed Show Notes

→ Timestamps:
(00:00) The 9th Article of Faith explains that the restoration is ongoing.
(04:05) President Woodruff issued Official Declaration 1 in 1890. This Manifesto led to the end of the practice of plural marriage.
(08:59) Elder Bruce C. Hafen invites us to examine ambiguity in the church with open eyes and hearts.
(17:00) The Church today disavows all theories church leaders and members advanced to explain the priesthood and temple restrictions.
(20:21) During an era of great racial division in the United States, the Saints were persecuted for their anti-slavery stance.
(24:57) Joseph Smith ordained Walker Lewis and Elijah Abel to the priesthood. Later, in 1852, President Brigham Young officially announced that black members would no longer be given the priesthood. The power to decide is given to the President of the church in D&C 107.78-80.
(35:50) The 2013 edition of the scriptures adds an insightful paragraph to Official Declaration 2. Church records offer no clear insights into the origins of the priesthood restriction.
(42:39) Three slaves came into the Salt Lake Valley in the first pioneer company. Brigham Young did not segregate congregations or deny membership to African Americans.
(52:27) Brigham Young felt the priesthood restriction would be temporary and that it would be removed at a future time.
(53:47) In 1978 President Spencer W. Kimball received a revelation extending priesthood and temple blessings to all worthy male members of the church.
(56:37) The Warmth of Other Suns, by Isabel Wilkerson, gives accounts of African Americans during the great migration in American history. The Clark family experienced tragic persecution in 1951.
(1:01:12) The Church today unequivocally condemns all racism, past and present, in any form. The love of others should be what characterizes the Latter-day Saints.

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The post Ep 350 | Articles of Faith and Official Declarations 1 & 2, Come Follow Me 2025 (December 8-14) appeared first on LDS Scripture Teachings.