We believe it was God’s will that blacks not receive the Priesthood

Speak for yourself. I don’t believe that. I think it was all a stupid racist mistake by Brother Brigham, and not the last one he made either. The mistake was compounded by well-meaning but racist apologists who adopted some really insipid theological explanations for the practice, instead of questioning it loudly, as they should have.

Does that make the Church or its leaders racist?

Yes. It’s not even a close question. But they were not bad people in other ways.

It doesn’t make it false, or doesn’t mean the Church isn’t led by Christ, it just means we don’t always follow well or soon enough.

Or even bother to ask!

“Donny Osmond and Steve Young are Mormons,”

For a long time, I thought they were both gay.

but I doubt one will appear in my or anyone elses living room as a result

Unless, of course, that’s where your TV is.

We believe it was God’s will that blacks not receive the Priesthood, without considering HIS reasons were temporary, probably political, likely had to do with the Civil War and the survival of the Church’s fledgling society, and if Church leaders would have seriously sought the Priesthood for those people a hundred years sooner, it likely would have been granted. (Isn’t the Doctrine and Covenants almost entirely answers to requests?) Does that make the Church or its leaders racist? I don’t know. It doesn’t make it false, or doesn’t mean the Church isn’t led by Christ, it just means we don’t always follow well or soon enough.

We reference the Martin Handcart company ad nauseum, (at least to the point it makes me ill), yet can’t acknowledge that the people kept the faith DESPITE the gross errors in judgement by church leaders which cost them so dearly. That just shows the importance of maintaining our own line of communication and revelation to God. Keep the commandments? Yes. Follow my Bishop to hell? I don’t think so.

We don’t understand that “any publicity is good publicity,” and the reasonable, rational, “honest in heart” who see it will be able to discern truth from error and bias, will ask honest questions, and will be led in the right direction by God, who is more powerful than the puny media.

Mormons, especially Utah Mormons, are too insecure, too prone to look for validation from outside themselves. They are quick to say, “Donny Osmond and Steve Young are Mormons,” like that impresses anyone. So are Andy Reid’s indicted boys. So is Mitt Romney who is embarrassing himself with his waffling on issues. I’ll never forget when UCLA went to the NCAA basketball finals and the Church News had a profile on their star player, Kiki Vandeweghe: “Kiki Vadeweghe, a teacher in the Beverly Hills Ward.” Are we so desperate we hold up a 22 year old TEACHER as a model to the youth of the church? How long had it been since he’d attended church?

So, I’m looking forward to the PBS documentary. I’ll probably watch it when I have time. I expect to see an angel or two portrayed in it, but I doubt one will appear in my or anyone elses living room as a result. I do suspect that it will cause people to think, to talk, and maybe get people to actually dialogue with their LDS friends, or more accurately, get their LDS friends to dialogue with them.

If it shakes someone’s faith, all the better. Maybe that will cause them to reestablish the foundations of their testimony. When Mark Hoffman produced the “Salamander Letter,” with its potentially faith-shaking contents, I didn’t care, I just thought, “The Book of Mormon is true, I’ve felt the Spirit, I can ride this one out,” and of course, it was found to be a forgery. I trust the honest in heart will respond the same way to this “documentary.”

I disagree. Bagley does suggest there is evidence BY ordered the killings, but admits there’s no way to know for sure.

Where Bagley “strenuously tries to make the case” is that BY was extensively involved in the cover up.

Jaynee