I have to say I saw this new video by Pastor Jeff and Hello Saints and I didn’t want to watch it. There were probably a few reasons why. I didn’t feel ready to rehash blacks and the priesthood. I know it is the reality of some people, I would really love to live in a world where it was a non-issue. I know the church had a ban on blacks receiving the priesthood. I wish it never happened, but it did. Now it doesn’t. But it did. And you can’t change the, but it did. It will obviously take more forgiveness and love to fully move beyond the past.
I remember one night standing at an ATM in Brownsville, NY. My companion and I must have been the only white people in a 5-mile radius. A man walked up to me and said, “I know you guys.” I said, “OK, who are we?” He then said, “You guys are the ones who won’t let black people in your church.” A little shocked, I replied. “Why would I be standing here if we didn’t?” He looked a little puzzled and said, “That’s a good point.”
Clearly, the church had a history where they didn’t. I have been happy to see the attempts the church has made to make amends for this. I have been happy to see all the good they have done in recent years for black communities around the world. The church is doing much good. And, I think more and more we see our brothers and sisters, not by the color of their skin but rather by the character of their hearts. And their hearts are good.
My son is black. I look at him as just my son. We received him from Utah State Foster Care when he was only a month old. He came straight out of the hospital into our arms. His birth mother was a white woman from Utah, and his birth father was a black man from Georgia. The two of them had hooked up and migrated around Utah County as homeless people. Having each had other children and having had many run-ins with law enforcement, they were on the radar of the system. When his birth mother went into the hospital to give birth, they would not release the baby with her due to her circumstances.
My son noticed from a very young age he was not like the rest of us. There was something different. We have navigated those waters the best we could as parents. We have never tried to hide who he was or where he came from (aside from not disclosing that his birth parents lived very hard lives). But, no matter how much you make the race issue a non-issue it comes up. It comes up in the community, with friends, and even with some family members at times. I remember the first time he said someone said something racist. I was shocked that he even had an idea what that was.
Anyhow, the reason I wanted to write about this was that I did end up watching it. I couldn’t help but be amazed at how beautiful a soul Brother Conlon Bonner is. Wow, what an amazing man. It is worth watching just to hear Colon’s testimony and life story. I don’t know much about the Bonner family other than I have listened to them sing on a few programs and they are divinely talented. But, this was the first time I have been able to really get to know who they are by listening to one of them speak. I can see they are a pretty amazing people.
There was a segment around the [0:24:00] mark where Conlon talks about his personal testimony. He starts to speak from a place of deep passion and conviction, expressing his testimony and how he spiritually has come to know God. It was incredibly beautiful.
There was also a part where he compared the issue surrounding racism as a puzzle. And some pieces you just don’t understand. I don’t know and I don’t understand but the Lord is in control.
Now, I’m not black, and even though I have a son who is black, and I served my mission in a heavily black community, I know it doesn’t make me an authority on the subject. But, at times, rather than feeding racism, I often wish we would do this, don’t feed it. Acknowledge it existed. For whatever reason Satan desires it and God allowed it. But, being truly Christlike, we must all move beyond it. We are all sons and daughters of God.
In the LDS faith, we believe we are all the sons and daughters of God, black and white, bonded and free. We all came from the same eternal family. There were no races in our pre-earth life. We were each sent to Earth to receive a body and to be tested. The testing for each of us is hard. No life is the same. We are each given a unique path with unique challenges. Race, racial, and ethnic experiences appear to be some of those. But, we were all given the same commandments. To love God and Love our Neighbor.
I truly hope we all love our brothers and sisters. No matter who they are or where they come from.