Interested in LDS, but I'm in an interracial marriage.

[luseskruw]

Hello everyone,

I am an Irish-Italian man who is married to a Japanese woman. I am interested in checking out an LDS church, but I have read online that LDS used to discourage interracial marriages in the past, but I'm not sure of the situation anymore. Can anyone shed some light on the topic? I'm thinking of moving to Utah.

Anyway, my question is, if I go to an LDS church with my wife, will we get a few odd looks/feel uncomfortable? Will the LDS community be accepting of us?

Thank you very much for reading.

[The East Wind]

Every LDS church I have been in (which is about 30) has always had several interracial marriages. It is celebrated in the church now a days.

You would be welcomed and loved!

[Connie561]

We have four mixed face couples in our ward. In a lot of states it was against the law to marry out of your face in the 1950 or 1960's. The church encourages obeying the law of the land.

[Connie561]

We have four mixed face couples in our ward. In a lot of states it was against the law to marry out of your race in the 1950 or 1960's. The church encourages obeying the law of the land.

[abijah`]

you wont have a problem.

the comments made by church leaders in the past largely had to do with whites marrying blacks anyway. this was more or less the cultural norm at the time period.

[ori]

Echoing others, you should be fine. You will also be hard pressed to find it cautioned against on the church’s website. If you do find it cautioned against, it will probably be in some very, very old material from decades ago.

[nightlight]

Hello everyone,

I am an Irish-Italian man who is married to a Japanese woman. I am interested in checking out an LDS church, but I have read online that LDS used to discourage interracial marriages in the past, but I'm not sure of the situation anymore. Can anyone shed some light on the topic? I'm thinking of moving to Utah.

Anyway, my question is, if I go to an LDS church with my wife, will we get a few odd looks/feel uncomfortable? Will the LDS community be accepting of us?

Thank you very much for reading.

Our asian member of the 12 is married to a white woman....you'll be fine.

What got you interested in the church?

[Rick Grimes]

You would be most welcome!!

The church never had a formal policy against interracial marriages. Rather, they cautioned people about the obstacles they would face in society and how their children might struggle with their identity, but it was never a command and it was done out of concern for all involved.

[Zathura]

Hello everyone,

I am an Irish-Italian man who is married to a Japanese woman. I am interested in checking out an LDS church, but I have read online that LDS used to discourage interracial marriages in the past, but I'm not sure of the situation anymore. Can anyone shed some light on the topic? I'm thinking of moving to Utah.

Anyway, my question is, if I go to an LDS church with my wife, will we get a few odd looks/feel uncomfortable? Will the LDS community be accepting of us?

Thank you very much for reading.

Nah, tons of interracial marriages among Utah Mormons.Pretty common!

[BruceRGilbert]

The overriding criteria with respect to this marriage resides in the question of whether or not you cherish and are devoted to one another. If you are, then, by all means, you should present yourselves and have an opportunity to retain each other throughout time and all eternity.

[Durzan]

Twas the cultural norm at the time, and the church was cautioning members against interracial marriages in the early to mid 20th century because the law of the land in some states forbade it. Nowadays it's common and even subtly encouraged in some instances.

With that being said, however, there are some other reasons why the Church might've cautioned against it in the past. Sickle Cell Anemia and other genetic disorders were up until relatively recently thought to appear in greater quantities among children of mixed race.

And two individuals from different races would likely carry significantly different cultural traditions and world views. Differences in culture can add additional conflict, misunderstandings, and strife in a marriage if the couple isn't careful and open-minded, but its nothing that can't usually be worked through. If these challenges are overcome, then it would only strengthen the bond between husband and wife.

In the past, many of these issues could've caused a lot of additional problems. Genetic Disorders weren't understood nearly as well as they are now and couldn't easily be treated, and cultures were quite a bit more isolated than they are now in the Information/Digital Age. As such, these issues and concerns have become far less prevalent over time.

[Silas]

Hello everyone,

I am an Irish-Italian man who is married to a Japanese woman. I am interested in checking out an LDS church, but I have read online that LDS used to discourage interracial marriages in the past, but I'm not sure of the situation anymore. Can anyone shed some light on the topic? I'm thinking of moving to Utah.

Anyway, my question is, if I go to an LDS church with my wife, will we get a few odd looks/feel uncomfortable? Will the LDS community be accepting of us?

Thank you very much for reading.

Even when the church did discourage those marriages it was for very practical reasons. Ie couples from different backgrounds face different challenges and therefore may be more likely to end up divorcing. It wasn’t something that was forbidden or considered immoral.

No one will even notice much less make you feel uncomfortable. You will be welcome.

[Phantom]

I live in a very traditional Mormon area in Utah. Most couples in our ward, I would say, are of mixed races. No issues here.

[mudflap]

my bishop is Japanese, while his wife is Chinese. Their girls are so cute!

[marc]

Hello everyone,

I am an Irish-Italian man who is married to a Japanese woman. I am interested in checking out an LDS church, but I have read online that LDS used to discourage interracial marriages in the past, but I'm not sure of the situation anymore. Can anyone shed some light on the topic? I'm thinking of moving to Utah.

Anyway, my question is, if I go to an LDS church with my wife, will we get a few odd looks/feel uncomfortable? Will the LDS community be accepting of us?

Thank you very much for reading.

I'm Mexican and my wife is Welsh. Welcome to the club! If you came to my home ward, you'd be very welcome!

[Thinker]

Hello everyone,

I am an Irish-Italian man who is married to a Japanese woman. I am interested in checking out an LDS church, but I have read online that LDS used to discourage interracial marriages in the past, but I'm not sure of the situation anymore. Can anyone shed some light on the topic? I'm thinking of moving to Utah.

Anyway, my question is, if I go to an LDS church with my wife, will we get a few odd looks/feel uncomfortable? Will the LDS community be accepting of us?

Thank you very much for reading.

It depends on the area in Utah. Salt Lake City is quite diverse, but smaller outside towns can be more racially prejudice. A child of the Relief Society President in a ward in a small town called my child “stupid Mexican” and I heard other more subtle racist comments in church.

It really depends on the area. Visit a few places before settling.

[Original_Intent]

I think even in the past, the counsel was usually given that marriage has enough difficulties, and that adding big cultural differences was going to make it more difficult. Nowadays that advice isn't given, and I see plenty of mixed race couples around. I think there are always individuals that are going to be jerks, sadly, both in and out of the church.

[tdj]

Hello everyone,

I am an Irish-Italian man who is married to a Japanese woman. I am interested in checking out an LDS church, but I have read online that LDS used to discourage interracial marriages in the past, but I'm not sure of the situation anymore. Can anyone shed some light on the topic? I'm thinking of moving to Utah.

Anyway, my question is, if I go to an LDS church with my wife, will we get a few odd looks/feel uncomfortable? Will the LDS community be accepting of us?

Thank you very much for reading.

You'll be just fine in that regard. I've been in church for 5 yrs and have yet to hear a single disparaging word against the subject.

[scottja]

I'm Swiss, German, Welsh, Irish and I married a Japanese gal. People around here thinks wife and kids are either Mexican or Filipino. Church community here is very diverse and comfortable.

[Juliet]

My bishop was African and his wife Russian.

[darknesstolight]

We have four mixed face couples in our ward. In a lot of states it was against the law to marry out of your face in the 1950 or 1960's. The church encourages obeying the law of the land.

But the Church discouraged interracial marriages in the past not because they were forced to do so in order to honor the law, but because they Church taught institutional racism for much of its history. Until fairly recently and you still find a large segment of members of the Church today, the Church taught that white people were superior to dark people and that those of African descent, specifically, were here on Earth to be servants to the white people. The Church taught, as a matter of doctrine, that interracial marriages were wrong.

Today the Church has denounced these racist practices and philosophies and while most Church members embrace this change as a good thing, you will find many who still justify the racism, deny the racism, or who feel that the institutional racism of the Church was God's plan for us and that we have apostatized today due to reversing our racist beliefs.

D2L

[Rick Grimes]

We have four mixed face couples in our ward. In a lot of states it was against the law to marry out of your face in the 1950 or 1960's. The church encourages obeying the law of the land.

But the Church discouraged interracial marriages in the past not because they were forced to do so in order to honor the law, but because they Church taught institutional racism for much of its history. Until fairly recently and you still find a large segment of members of the Church today, the Church taught that white people were superior to dark people and that those of African descent, specifically, were here on Earth to be servants to the white people. The Church taught, as a matter of doctrine, that interracial marriages were wrong.

Today the Church has denounced these racist practices and philosophies and while most Church members embrace this change as a good thing, you will find many who still justify the racism, deny the racism, or who feel that the institutional racism of the Church was God's plan for us and that we have apostatized today due to reversing our racist beliefs.

D2L

Not true at all.^ it's like you did a copy and paste job from an anti website.

[John Tavner]

Hello everyone,

I am an Irish-Italian man who is married to a Japanese woman. I am interested in checking out an LDS church, but I have read online that LDS used to discourage interracial marriages in the past, but I'm not sure of the situation anymore. Can anyone shed some light on the topic? I'm thinking of moving to Utah.

Anyway, my question is, if I go to an LDS church with my wife, will we get a few odd looks/feel uncomfortable? Will the LDS community be accepting of us?

Thank you very much for reading.

If you do go to Utah there is a Japanese ward in Sugarhouse area. THere are a lot of mixed marriages there - You won't get judged going there for sure.

[Zathura]

We have four mixed face couples in our ward. In a lot of states it was against the law to marry out of your face in the 1950 or 1960's. The church encourages obeying the law of the land.

But the Church discouraged interracial marriages in the past not because they were forced to do so in order to honor the law, but because they Church taught institutional racism for much of its history. Until fairly recently and you still find a large segment of members of the Church today, the Church taught that white people were superior to dark people and that those of African descent, specifically, were here on Earth to be servants to the white people. The Church taught, as a matter of doctrine, that interracial marriages were wrong.

Today the Church has denounced these racist practices and philosophies and while most Church members embrace this change as a good thing, you will find many who still justify the racism, deny the racism, or who feel that the institutional racism of the Church was God's plan for us and that we have apostatized today due to reversing our racist beliefs.

D2L

Not true at all.^ it's like you did a copy and paste job from an anti website.

McConkie and Fielding Smith taught that "negroes" were less valiant in the pre-earth life(Mormon Doctrine 1966, removed 13 years later). They taught that the negroes were an inferior race(The Way to Perfection, by Joseph Fielding Smith, Genealogical Society of Utah, 1935, pp. 101-102).. Both of these teachings are disavowed by the church today. Explicitly disavowed.

Do members still believe this? Some do, I've personally seen it multiple times in my own wards and on this very forum.

Negroes should stay in Africa where they belong, and Muslims should stay in Muslim countries. The United Nations are facilitating the spread of disease and violence around the world.

To make it seem like this is widespread though is dishonest, and that's the ONLY thing you can criticize that post for.

Here is the church president teaching that black skin is a sign if disfavour.

"You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild, and seemingly deprived of nearly all the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind . . . Cain slew his brother. Cain might have been killed, and that would have put a termination to that line of human beings. This was not to be, and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat nose and black skin." (Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p. 290).

Here is the church president teaching that a white person who marries a black person should be put to death, citing " The law of God"

“Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so. The nations of the earth have transgressed every law that God has given, they have changed the ordinances and broken every covenant made with the fathers, and they are like a hungry man that dreameth that he eateth, and he awaketh and behold he is empty.”
– Prophet Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, v. 10, p. 110

Here is the church disavowing "theories advanced in the past", or in other words, what was taught above ^

'"The church disavows the theories advanced in the past that black skin is a sign of divine disfavour or curse, or that it reflects actions in a premortal life; that mixed-race marriages are a sin; or that blacks or people of any other race or ethnicity are inferior in any way to anyone else," the statement read. "Church leaders today unequivocally condemn all racism, past and present, in any form.""

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/stu ... g=eng&_r=1

So are you going to apologize for falsely claiming what he posted wasn't true, even though I've just proved every point of his?

Who am I kidding, you aren't going to apologize. You're gonna go run to fairmormon and copy their weak apologist defense and cite government laws(which is adorable because they were cool with breaking the law by taking dozens of wives for themselves in spite of it being illegal) You're going to try to defend your defense of racism and somehow claim that this is copied and pasted from an anti-mormon website when in reality I literally read through the entire journal of discourses in my (unfinished)attempt to read every talk by every President of the Church.

It's so much easier to just accept what actually happened and move on rather than doing gymnastics to bend and move and twist the truth to appear all pretty and sweet. You can just assume I already know what you're gonna say and just not respond, cool? Cool.

[Zathura]

Better to be honest with people(The reason the church has made official statements on this topic) rather than let them be surprised and feel betrayed when they encounter the racism that actually did exist in the Church.

Racism did exist, like it did throughout the country at that time. Luckily we have come a long way and the Church wholeheartedly disavows past teachings.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/stu ... g=eng&_r=1

Today, the Church disavows the theories advanced in the past that black skin is a sign of divine disfavor or curse, or that it reflects unrighteous actions in a premortal life; that mixed-race marriages are a sin; or that blacks or people of any other race or ethnicity are inferior in any way to anyone else. Church leaders today unequivocally condemn all racism, past and present, in any form.24