Comments by "" (@DannyAGray) on "The Mormon Settlers of Rural Arizona 🇺🇸" video.
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@Yindsey your comment has a lot to unpack, so I'll try to be accurate and efficient:
1. There is no clear understanding of why BY instituted the ban on blacks. However, several factors should be considered. BY was pressured by missionaries returning from Southern states into believing that this was a regular tenant of Christianity (which, by the way, it was at the time; however southern baptists really leaned into it). BY also placed the ban on 1858 - a decade before Jim Crow - potentially in response to the escalating tension in the country. That said, there is no clear answer, and no one condones his ban. If the church were persuaded by society, the ban would have been lifted sooner than it was; however, it was lifted when the leaders received proper input from the Lord, not the world.
2. I'm aware that the church was, at one time, strict about caffeine. Elder Bruce R. McKonkie, in his book Mormon Doctrine (first edition), stated that drinking Coca-Cola disqualifies a member from a temple recommend. Some things to consider, here, are that Elder McKonkie was NOT authorized by the First Presidency to write this book, and he later recanted many of his own statements and beliefs. However, this was still the catalyst for the larger campaign by members against caffeine, and it still lingers with us today for some members.
3. The church does not teach that polygamy is a requirement to become a god. Yes, this was, at one time, an interpretation of a statement from BY. However, the broader context of that statement clearly demonstrates that members ought to be ready to accept whatever challenge God has for them - not necessarily that it is required. I can find the exact quote for you if it helps. In any case, while some may engage in polygamy in the next life, we really don't know how those relationships will work out. What if those who were engaged in it in this life no longer want it? I doubt they will be forced into it, and there is no church doctrine arguing that they would be.
4. As the understanding of medicine grows, so does our understanding that some forms of pot are actually needed. Therefore, instead of punishing members whose doctors prescribe them this drug, the policy was clarified.
5. The doctrine of sexuality has not changed. We still rightly don't have bishops marrying off gay couples, nor are they married in temples. And if one is living a homosexual lifestyle, it still violates the standard by which members are expected to live. However, just like LITERALLY ALL THE REST OF SOCIETY, the church is constantly working to find a balance on how to navigate our neighbors who do live this way, which we see as a violation of God's will and design. While the doctrine is the same, policies change to help find a balance in accordance with the Lord's commandment to love one another.
I can see how one such as yourself might say that these are changes brought on by the pressures of society, however I see them more as the church refining itself, its understanding of the Lord's will, and its own connection with the world around it.
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