Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all
the
living. Gen. 3:20
Have we not all one Father? Did not one God create us? Mal. 3:20
...then both Philip and the (Ethiopian) eunuch went down into the water
and
Philip baptized him... (The eunuch) went on his way rejoicing. (parenthesis
added) Acts 8:38-39
In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas,
Simeon
called Niger... Acts 13:1 [editor's note: 'niger' means 'black']
There can be no doubt that at various times
and to varying degrees, substantial numbers of Christians have been, and
still are guilty of racism
However, they can find no direct Biblical basis for their views. Instead,
they
are forced into denying the universality of the Genesis flood, and
then into
twisting one or two other verses in an attempt to justify their position.
On the other hand, the following quotes from
the Book of Mormon and the
Pearl of Great Price, clearly document that racism is a fundamental
part of the
Mormon creed which is: Blacks are black because they are being punished
byGod. To the Mormon religion, Black is not beautiful, it is a curse!!!
1) (The Lamanites) "...inasmuch as they will not harken unto thy words...the
Lord ...caused the cursing to come upon them... that they might
not be
enticing unto my people, the Lord did cause a skin of blackness
to come upon
them... and because of their cursing... they became an idle people
full of
mischief."
(emphasis added) (Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 5:20-24)
2) "And it came to pass that those Lamanites who had united with the
Nephites
were numbered with Nephites; and their curse was taken from them,
and their skin became white..."
(emphasis added) (Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi 3: 14-15)
3) Lamanites who accept the Mormon gospel "...shall be white and delightsome
people."
(emphasis added) (Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 30:6, pre 1980 edition)
[editor's note: In 1980 and later editions the word 'white' has been changed to 'pure.' Since the original edition contained the word 'white', and this edition was supposedly translated by Joseph Smith directly from the golden tablets which are no longer available for verification, what justification exists for making this change? This is especially true in light of the fact that Joseph Smith claimed to have been told "You must finish this book in 60 days, make no changes in it whatsoever-the first edition must stand forever."
4) "For behold the Lord shall curse the land... and there was a blackness
came
upon all the children of Canaan, that they were despised among all
people."
(Pearl of Great Price, Moses 7:8; see also vs. 9-12)
On March 3, 1836 a black man named Elijah Abel was ordained into the Mormon priesthood. Shortly after this event slave owners in the state of Missouri increased their harassment of those Mormons who continued to live there. Simultaneously, Joseph Smith claimed to have received a revelation from the Lord in the form of an ancient Egyptian papyrus which he translated. This writing became part of Mormon doctrine and is found in the Pearl of Great Price as the Book of Abraham. {Editor's note: Those Egyptologists who have seen the original papyrus claimed to be the Book of Abraham, state that it is nothing more than the account of ancient Egyptian funeral rites. Since there is so much controversay surrounding this particular document, and unlike the Book of Mormon's golden plates which Moroni supposedly took back to heaven with him, the original Book of Abraham is available for examination why doesn't the LDS leadership simply acknowledge that the Book of Abraham is incorrect? The answer of course is obvious. Remember, the leadership of the church will never admit that one of it's past leaders was ever in error, even when the facts clearly prove that to be the case. For our purposes, those portions of the Book of Abraham which are pertinent to the topic under discussion here are as follows:
5) "...Pharoah signifies king by royal blood. Now this king of Egypt
was a
descendant from the loins of Ham and was a partaker of the blood of
the
Canaanites by birth. From this descent sprang all the Egyptians, and
thus
the blood of the Canaanites was preserved in the land...Now, Pharoah
being
of that lineage by which he could not have the right of Priesthood,
notwithstanding the Pharoahs would fain claim it from Noah..."
Pearl of Great Price, Abraham 1:20-27)
Based upon the foregoing, the Mormon priesthood was subsequently denied to blacks between 1836 & 1978.
6) Not only was Cain called to suffer, but because of his wickedness
he became the father of an inferior race. A curse was placed upon him and
that curse has been continued through his lineage and must do so while
time endures. Millions of souls have come into this world cursed with
a black skin... they have been made to feel their inferiority."
(Joseph Fielding Smith, The Way To Perfection p.101-102) emphasis added
7) Blacks are '...cursed with a black skin, the mark of Cain so they
can be
identified as a caste apart."
(Apostle Bruce McConkie)
8) "Those who were less valiant in pre-existence and who thereby had
certain
spiritual restrictions imposed upon them during mortality are known
as the
negroes... The present status of the negro rests purely and simply
on the
foundation of pre-existence. Along with all races and peoples
he is receiving here what he merits as a result of the long pre-mortal
probation in the presence of the Lord."
(Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 527, 1966 ed.) emphasis added
[editor's note: these comments have been altered in post 1978 ed.]
9) There is a reason why one man is born black and with other disadvantages
while another is born white with great advantages. The reason is that
once we had an estate before we came here, and were obedient, more or less
to the laws that were given us there. Those who were faithful in all
things there received greater blessings here and those who were not faithful
receive less... The negro evidently is receiving the reward he merits..."
(Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 1, p., 61 &
66) emphasis added
10 "...the negro race...have been placed under restrictions because
of their
attitude in the world of spirits."
(Joseph Fielding Smith, The Way of Perfection, p. 43)
11) "The gospel message of salvation is not carried affirmatively to
them,
although sometimes negros search out the truth, join the church, and
become
by righteous living heirs of the celestial kingdom."
(Mormon Doctrine, 1966 ed. p. 527)
12) "... the Lord decreed that the children of Cain (blacks) should
not have the
privilege of bearing the priesthood until Abel had posterity who
could have the priesthood and that will be in the far distant future.
When this is accomplished on some other world, then the restrictions
will be removed from the children of Cain who have been true in this 'second'
estate."
(Answer to Gospel Questions, Vol. 2, p. 188, given by Joseph Fielding
Smith in 1958) emphasis added
Inspite of the foregoing doctrinal position,
on June 4, 1978 the Mormon
prophet Spencer Kimball announced that the Lord had shown him that
from that point forward, blacks should no longer be denied ordination as
Mormon priests solely on the basis of race. As was true in the case of
Joseph Smith's original revelation, Kimball's announcement coincided with
events which were adversely affecting the Mormon church. For a period of
time immediately prior to Kimball's declaration, several major Universities,
had announced that until such time as the Mormon church reversed its policy
of racial discrimination, they would no longer take part in athletic events
in which BYU participated. More importantly though, approximately two weeks
prior to Kimball's surprising declaration, President Jimmy Carter
had phoned Kimball and informed him that the IRS was seriously considering
removing the Mormon church's tax exempt status unless changes were made
in their policy of discrimination.
As was true in the case of Smith's declaration, Kimball's announcement had the immediate effect of deflecting some criticism away from the church. However, the important thing for us to remember is that inspite of the fact that the right of the priesthood has been restored to Blacks, the Mormon church still has not renounced or changed their official doctrine. Blacks are still considered as being under the curse of God because of some transgression committed by them in their supposed pre-mortal spiritual existence. The teachings of the Book of Mormon and the Pearl of Great Price remain unchanged on this issue.
On October 24, 1992 the Mormon church's public affairs office issued
the
following statement: "It is morally wrong for any person or group to
deny any
anyone his or her inalienable dignity on the tragic and abhorrent theory
of
racial or cultural superiority." (Church News, p.4) Why then is the
Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints unwilling to admit that the revelations
of its
prophets as late as 1958 were 'morally wrong'?
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united
to his
wife, and they will become one flesh. Gen 2:24
... and the two will become one flesh Eph. 5:31
When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage...
Mk.12:25
Jesus replied, 'The people of this age marry and are given in marriage.
But
those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the
resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage,
and they
can no longer die, for they are like the angels.' Lk. 20:34-36
An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife... Titus 1:6
Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife...
I Tim. 3:2
There can be no doubt that marriage is a divinely
instituted union. In
Eph. 5:22-33, the Apostle Paul uses the ideal relationship between
husband and
wife as an analogy for Christ's relationship to the Church. For all
of Church
history, this relationship has been considered holy, but it has not
been considered necessary for salvation. In fact, Jesus specifically taught
that marriage would not be a part of post-resurrection life. Furthermore,
while openly acknowledging the polygamous relationships of certain Old
Testament kings, (which was in direct violation of Deut. 17:17) no New
Testament teaching condones this practice. In reality ,as can be seen from
the above listed verses, such a relationship would specifically prevent
an individual from holding a leadership position in the Church.
On the other hand, the Mormon church states that only those Mormons who have participated in temple marriage will have the opportunity to advance to the highest degree of salvation and obtain godhood status. Just as interesting though is the fact that their own scriptures contradict each other on the subject of polygamy. Furthermore, while they publicly denounce the practice today, they have not renounced the revelations which instituted the teaching of polygamy into their church. In point of fact, several of their leaders entered into polygamous relationships after the church had supposedly abandoned the practice. The following statements from their own standard works and publications reveal the checkered past of this teaching.
1) "And it came to pass that Riplakish did not do that which was right
in
the sight of the Lord, for he did have many wives and concubines..."
(Book of Mormon, Ether 10:5)
2) "Behold, the Lamanites your brethren, whom you hate because of their
filthiness and the cursing which hath come upon their skins, are more
righteous than you; for they have not forgotten the commandment of
the
Lord, which was given unto our father - that they should have save
it
were one wife, and concubines they should have none..."
(Book of Mormon, Jacob 3:5)
3) "Behold, David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which
thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord."
(Book Of Mormon Jacob 24)
Note that the foregoing verses of the Book of Mormon conflict directly with the following statement found in the Doctrine & Covenants, to wit:
4) "...I, the Lord, justified my servants ...David and Solomon ...as
touching the principle and doctrine of having many wives and concubines...
David's wives and concubines were given unto him by me..."
(Doctrine & Covenants 132: 1, 39)
According to the next two quotes apparently
Joseph Smith did not initially
believe in the practice of polygamy:
5) "Insomuch as this church of Christ has been reproached with the crime
of fornication and polygamy: we declare that we believe that one man should
have one wife; and one woman but one husband, except in case of death,
when either is at liberty to marry again..."
(Doctrine and Covenants Sec. 101, 1835 edition)
6) "Do the Mormons believe in having more wives than one? (Smith answered)
No, not at the same time."
(The Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, as recorded in Elder's
Journal, Vol 1 #2, pp 28-29, 1838) parenthesis added
But by July 1, 1841 Smith was busy teaching the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles the doctrine of Celestial Marriage even though he had not yet claimed to have had a revelation on the topic. (Helen Mar Kimball Whitney, "Helen Mar Kimball's Retrospection About Her Introduction to the Doctrine and Practices of Plural Marriage in Nauvoo at Age 15". A sealed letter to be opened at her death, LDS Archives; see also a letter from George A. Smith, (Joseph Smith's cousin) to Joseph Smith III dated October 9, 1868)
By 1842 rumors were flying around Nauvoo about the
7) "...introduction of principles that would soon be, that the ancient
order of God that was formerly, would again have its rounds, as it was
in the days of old Solomon and David. They had wives and concubines in
abundance, as many as they could support. The secret whispering was, that
the same will eventually be again."
(Oliver H. Olney Journal, p. 5 found in William Robertson Coe Collection,
Beinecke Library,Yale University.)
In the spring of 1842 Joseph Smith approached
Sarah M. Kimball with his
teaching about plural marriage. He told her that God had
8) "...instructed him to teach it with commandment, as the church
could travel no further without the introduction of this principle."
(Andrew Jenson, "The Historical Record: A Monthly Periodical Devoted
Exclusively to Historical Biographical, Chronological, and Statistical
Matters", 9 Vols, 1887'see Vol 6, p. 232 May 1887) emphasis added
On July 12, 1843 Joseph Smith claimed to have
received a revelation about
polygamy. In so doing, he made it clear that the rejection of his new
revelation
would have dire consequences:
9) "Behold I reveal unto you a new and everlasting covenant and
if ye abide
not in that covenant then ye are damned, for no one can reject this
covenant and be permitted to enter my glory."
(Joseph Smith's original revelation of the doctrine of polygamy was
first recorded secretly on July 12, 1843. It was later found in the Doctrine
& Covenants, 132: 3,4, 6,28,61& 62) emphasis added.
CAREFULLY NOTE THAT THIS REVELATION CONCERNED A DOCTRINE WHICH HAD TO BE FOLLOWED IN ORDER TO OBTAIN THE ULTIMATE LEVEL OF MORMON SALVATION; YET, IT WAS NOT PUBLICLY REVEALED UNTIL AUGUST 29, 1852. THAT MEANS THAT FOR 9 YEARS, THE MORMONS WERE HIDING A REVELATION WHICH THEY FELT WAS NECESSARY TO COMPLY WITH IN ORDER TO OBTAIN CELESTIAL GLORY!!!! (Journal of Discourses 1:53 and following)
In 1854 Mormon Apostle Orson Pratt reaffirmed
Smith's view of polygamy's
importance to the Mormon view of exaltation by stating that:
10) "You will clearly perceive from the revelation which God has given
that you can never obtain fullness of glory without being married to
a righteous man for time and for all eternity."
(Orson Pratt, "The Seer", p. 40, 1854) emphasis added
Brigham Young echoed this position on August 19, 1866 when he said:
11) "The only men who become Gods, even the Sons of God, are
those who enter into polygamy."
(Journal of Discourses, Vol 11, p. 269)
Young also taught that:
12) "Plural marriage was the form of marriage lived by God."
(Brigham Young and his Wives, by John Stewart, p. 41)
(What is truly astounding though, is that as of 1866, other official
writings of
the Mormon church still recorded that: "polygamy was a crime..." (Doctrine
and Covenants Sec. 109) )
Mormon Apostle Joseph F. Smith, son of Hyrum
Smith reiterated Brigham
Young's thoughts in 1878 when he said that:
13) "Some people have supposed that the doctrine of plural marriage
was a
sort of superfluity, or non essential to the salvation or exaltation
of
mankind... I want here to enter my solemn protest against this idea,
for
I know it is false"
(Journal of Discourses 20:28, July 7, 1878)
Church President John Taylor, while reacting to the many laws dating back to the Morrill Anti-bigamy Act of July 1, 1862, stated in no uncertain terms that:
14) "Polygamy is a divine institution. It has been handed down
direct from
God. The United States cannot abolish it. No nation on earth can prevent
it... I will defy the United States, I will obey God."
(Salt Lake Tribune, January 6, 1880) emphasis added
Apparently because of the continuing external pressure being felt by the Mormons, on September 27 1886 President John Taylor supposedly...
15) "Asked the Lord if it would not be right under the circumstances
to
discontinue plural marriages, ... (and received) a revelation ...
in which the Lord told him that the principle of plural marriage would
never be overcome." (parenthesis & emphasis added, statement of
Taylor's son as recorded in Abraham H. Cannon Journal, March 29, 1892;
see John Taylor Papers in LDS Archives for typewritten copy of revelation)
Upon Taylor's death in 1887 Mormon Apostle Wilford Woodruff ascended to the first Presidency of the LDS church. During a meeting of the Quorum of the Twelve in December 1888 a discussion concerning the problem which the doctrine of polygamy presented to the territory of Utah's statehood petition was ended by Woodruff's statement that:
16) "The doctrine of plural marriage has come to stay for all time."
(John Henry Smith Journal, December 20, 1888) emphasis added
A few months earlier, at the dedication of the Manti Temple on May 17, 1888 Woodruff again stated that:
17) "...we are not going to stop the practice of plural marriage
until the coming of the son of man."
(John Henry Smith Journal ibid) emphasis added
There can be no doubt that a substantial number
of the church hierarchy
practiced this 'divine calling'. While it is difficult to know for
certain how many wives Joseph Smith had, estimates range from 27 documented
cases (see Andrew Jenson ibid, Vol 6, pp. 233-234) to 84 (see Stanley S.
Ivins Collection, Utah State Historical Society Library, all as recorded
in Richard S. Van Wagoner, "Mormon Polygamy, A History", p. 48, Signature
Books, Salt Lake City, 1989)
The point is, for 47 years, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints
taught that plural marriage was not only a divinely instituted doctrine
which
must be followed in order to obtain the fullness of salvation, but
it was the
form of marriage practiced by God himself.
Why then did Mormon Apostle and Church President Wilford Woodruff issue the following manifesto on September 26, 1890, to wit:
18) "Inasmuch as laws have been enacted by Congress forbidding plural
marriages, ... I hereby declare my intention to submit to those laws...
And now I publicly declare that my advice to the Latter-day Saints is to
refrain from contracting any marriage forbidden by the laws of the land."
The answer of course is that the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
apparently valued statehood for Utah more than their supposedly divine
revelation. It had become clear that Utah would not be granted statehood
until the Mormons had abandoned the practice of polygamy.
On September 27, 1890 the Salt Lake Tribune flatly stated that the...
19) "Manifesto was not intended to be accepted as a command by the President
of the church, but as a little bit of harmless dodging to deceive the
people of the East."
In fact, by September 30, 1890 Woodruff was clearly hedging on his sweeping prohibition of polygamy, for he said:
20) "This Manifesto only refers to future marriages, and does
not affect
past conditions. I did not, could not, and would not promise (the nation)
that you would desert your wives and children. This you cannot do in honor."
(Abraham H. Cannon Journal, October 7, 1890) parenthesis and emphasis added
Joseph F. Smith said the same thing at a meeting of church leaders:
21) "God will not justify you in kicking out your families... We do
not want
you to leave your wives because of the Manifesto." (ibid October 7,1891)
But this official winking at the Woodruff Manifesto
went far beyond the mere condoning of pre-manifesto marriages. According
to the marriage records of
Anthony Ivins in the Utah State Historical Society Library,
22) Mormon apostles Matthias F. Cowley, John W. Taylor, Brigham Young
Jr., George Teasdale, Abraham O. Woodruff, Marriner W. M<erill, John
Henry Smith, Anthon H. Lund, George Q. Cannon, and Joseph F. Smith were
involved in sealing plural marraiges in Mexico, Canada and the United
States after the 1890 Manifesto.
Furthermore, President Wilford Woodruff, John W. Taylor, Brigham Young Jr, Matthias F. Crowley, George Teasdale, Marriner W. Merrill, Abraham H. Cannon and Abraham O. Woodruff were themselves post-manifesto polygamists in that they married additional wives after September 20, 1890. (Wagoner, ibid p. 162.; see also Salt Lake Tribuine, October 8, 1910)
Indeed, the problem of post-manifesto polygamy was so serious that the then current church president Joseph F. Smith, issued a second anti-polygamy manifesto on Sunday April 7, 1904:
23) "Inasmuch as there are numerous reports in circulation that plural
marriages have been entered into contrary to the official declaration of
President Woodruff, ... I Joseph F. Smith ... do hereby affirm and declare
that no such marriages have been solemnized with the sanction, consent,
or knowledge of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints"
(Journal History, April 6, 1904, p. 6 LDS Archives) Editors note:
Ironically, Joseph F. Smith, who became the sixth president of the LDS
church on October 17, 1901 would eventually plead guilty himself to violating
the Utah State anti-polygamy law in 1906!!!
Further proof that even though the Mormon hierarchy made official pronouncements against polygamy they had not truly changed their doctrinal stance concerning the necessity of polygamous marriage is found in the statements of Heber J. Grant 7th president of the LDS church, to wit:
24) "We never believed polygamy was wrong, and never will."
(July 25, 1937 interview in London, as reported in Wagoner, ibid p.
185)
The current teaching that polygamy is wrong
does change the fact that as we saw in the section of this study entitled
'Mormons and Their Prophets' church
officials say that their prophets will never mislead. However, the
foregoing
history of the Mormon doctrine of polygamy/celestial marriage clearly
shows that their prophets have not only contradicted each other and their
own standard works, but they have actively engaged in a campaign to mislead
both government officials and their own followers.
The very fact that polygamy is still practiced
among significant numbers of
Mormons worldwide is further evidence that even though the LDS leadership
publicly denounces the practice, there is a vast difference between words
and deeds. If the leaders of the present day Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints were truly bent upon wiping out the practice of plural
marriage, why don't they simply declare that Joseph Smith's revelation
of July 12, 1843 was in error? Why don't these same leaders state that
the plural marriages entered into by some of their own apostles and
presidents after the Woodruff Manifesto were a violation of God's word?
The answer is quite clear. Like it or not, official LDS doctrine still
requires plural/patriarchal/polygamous marriage for those who wish to attain
the highest level of celestial glory. Like it or not, official LDS doctrine
states that polygamous marriage is the type of marriage practiced by god
himself.
There is one final doctrine of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints which concerns sealing which I will not examine in detail. However,
I
would be remiss to ignore it completely. I mention it in passing simply
to point
out the fact that there are additional teachings about future 'sealings'
which
the Mormons do not want either the general public, or members of their
own church to know much about.
25) "Brigham Young speaks about a time when men will be sealed to
men in a
more solemn ceremony than the one in which women are sealed to men."
(`Isn't One Wife Enough' p.280) emphasis added
26) Brigham Young stated that the sealing of men to men is a "... great
and
glorious doctrine." (Journal of Discourses, Vol 9, p. 269)
The Mormon church portrays an image of idyllic family
life. Through its
media campaigns it paints a picture of truthfulness and integrity.
The officials of the church give the impression that the vast majority
of its members are not
only hard working, fiscally responsible and successful, but productive
and stable members of society. In fact, official documents of the Mormon
church make the following claims:
1) "We are, notwithstanding our weaknesses, the best people in the world...
We are morally clean in every way equal and in many ways superior to
any
other people."
(Joseph Fielding Smith "Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 1 p. 236)
2) "Those who are converted follow a pattern of virtue which exceeds
the
pattern followed by many outside the church"
(Book of Mormon Student Manuel, 1981 edition by the Corporation of
the First Presidency, p. 221)
3) "There are no better people in all the world (Ensign May 88, p. 85)
4) "... on the average (Mormons) are ... just a little better in these
respects (virtues) than most other communities or individuals"
(Gospel Doctrine, p. 413) (parenthesis added)
5) "(T)he Latter Day Saints have stricter notions of virtue, and consider
themselves under greater obligations to refrain, not only from unvirtuous
acts, but from unvirtuious thoughts than any other people under Heaven."
(The Seer, p.29)
6) "The best people are in this territory (ie. Utah)"
(Birgham Journal of Discourses, Vol. 9. p. 154 - parenthesis added)
We are also encouraged to believe that almost all Mormon youth
are so deeply committed to their beliefs that they willingly spend two
years on the mission
field. Remember, according to Brigham Young, the Mormons who live in
Utah, are living in Zion and have, since 1847 been the dominant force behind
everything which transpires there.
Let us examine the facts from 'A' to 'Z'
A) Utah has a population of 1.7 million people, 68% of which are or
claim to be Mormon (conservative estimate). Ninety-five percent (95%) of
the members of
the state legislature claim to be Mormon. (Las Vegas Review Journal,
3/6/88
p. 6c)
B) Utah has a bankruptcy rate 3 times higher than the national average.(Deseret News, 4/3/88, p.A5 also The Salt Lake Tribune 7/19/90, Sec.B p.3)
C) Utah has a home foreclosure rate 4 times higher than the national
average -
4.35% compared to 1.03 percent. (Deseret News, 3/24 & 25/87)
D) Utah leads the nation in the number of mothers who work outside of the home. (Salt Lake Tribune, 8/13/89, p. B1)
E) Utah ranks 48th out of 50 states with per capita income of $10,743 in 1986. (Idaho State Journal, July 19, 1987)
F) The amount of tax money spent per child for public education by the State of Utah is lowest in the nation. (NEA Today, p.8, Nov. 1990)
G) Child murder rate in Utah is 5 times higher than the national average.
(The
Denver Post, Empire Magazine, 11/21/82, p.30)
H) The incidence of sexual child abuse in Utah is 33% higher than national
average. (National Association for the Protection of Children, ibid.)
I).1 Child abuse investigations have doubled in only one year in Utah.
(The Salt
Lake Tribune, April 16, 1990, p. 1B)
.2 Child abuse increased in Utah 170% between 1982 & 1990 (Utah Division of Family services)
.3 Reported incidents of child abuse rose an additional 20% in
1991 (Utah
Division of Family Services - Salt Lake Tribune May 7, 1992, p.A 14)
J) The incidence of rape has increased by 50% in Salt Lake City between 1988 and 1989. (The Daily Herald {a Provo Utah paper}, April 10, 1990, p. B3)
K).1 The indicence of reported rape in the State of Utah itself has increased 30% between 1989 and 1990, giving it the 3rd highest increase in the nation (The Washington Post, March 22, 1991, p. A3)
.2 According to a newspaper article in Utah "Sexual harassment in Utah is high for its population when compared to other states." (Vernal Express, Nov. 13, 1991)
L) Teen suicide rate in Utah is 3.5% higher than national average, second
to that of Minnesota. (ibid)
M) The elderly (age 75+) suicide rate for the nation is 19.2 per 100,000.
For
Utah it is 57 per 100,000 which is surpassed only by that of Nevada.
(Deseret News, 12/29-30/86, p.2B)
N) Adult abuse has escalated 51% in Utah in the past four years says
the state
coordinator for Aging and Adult Services. (Salt Lake Tribune, July
20, 1992
p. B 2 )
O) One third (1/3rd) of all Mormon marriages end in divorce. (Latter
Day
Sentinel, 3/5/88, p.24) Twenty percent (20%) of Mormon women marry
non-
Mormon men. Together, these two figures represent 50% of all Mormon
marriages. This is in spite of the fact that Mormon doctrine states
that
"temple marriage is essential to your salvation." (Deseret News, 4/13/88,
p.A7)
P).1 Salt Lake County's divorce rate is 50% higher than the national
average.
(The Salt Lake Tribune, Jan 11, 1990, Sect. E, p.1, see also Provo
Daily
Hearld, 5/25/94).
.2 The increase in martial instability among Mormons is higher
than for most
other religious groups (Dialogue, Fall 1992, p. 26-27 - note, this
is a Mormon publication)
Q) 70% of Salt Lake County's high school seniors and 35% of the 5th
and 6th
graders have used alcohol, and 4% of the 5th and 6th graders have used
heroin and cocaine. (The Salt Lake Tribune, Jan. 21, 1990, p.B9)
R) A 400% increase in job related accidents has been directly attributed
to the
use of illegal drugs among Utah's citizens. (Ibid)
S) According to the chief of police in Salt Lake City, there are 400
locations
in Salt Lake County alone where illegal drugs are sold openly. (Ibid)
T) The American Medical Association reported in 1986 that Utah ranked
3rd in
the nation in the use of Amphetamines and jumped to 2nd place in 1988.
(Salt
Lake Tribune, 8/31/89, p.B1)
U) The children of Utah are given more of the drug Ritalin than are
those of
any other state. "Utah uses more Ritalin per capita than any place
on
Earth." (The Denver Post wire service, 8/88, The Spotlight, 3/6/89)
V) 50% of all births in Utah are to teenage girls. 7 out of 10 of these
are
illegitimate. (Dallas Morning News, 7/26/83, Salt Lake Tribune, 11/20/81,
p.B9, Ogden Standard Examiner, 12/15/79)
W).1 Coed pregnancy rate at BYU is among the highest of major Colleges
and
Universities in the U.S. (ibid)
.2 "...the increase in premarital sex has been greater among Mormon women than any other religious group." (Provo Hearld, 8/9/91, p.B3)
X) BYU is proudly proclaimed to be the largest privately owned university
in
the nation (owned by Mormon church). Yet, what does it offer its students?
BYU student/faculty ration is 21:1; whereas, the better universities
throughout the nation have a ratio of 16:1, and schools like Stanford are
10:1. Most major universities in the U.S. spend approximately $20,000 per
student per year for educational expenses. BYU spends $8,000. (Salt Lake
Tribune, August 29, 1990)
Y) Utah's prison population increased by 21.3% in 1989; whereas, the
national
average was 12.1%. Utah now ranks fourth in the nation in prison population
increase. (Provo Herald, May 24, 1990)
Z) 68% of all Mormon young people do NOT go out on the mission field.
LDS
Church News, 5/10/87, p.3)