In  going through the LDS Ensign Magazine articles  and  LDS Church  News, I came across two pictures, the size of  the  whole page, one with two white hands holding a black hand entitled "No More  Strangers and Foreigners" by Sue Campbell Clark and  Robert Good  and  the other Mother Teresa laying  hands  of  children's heads:  "As we walked into the orphanage with Mother Teresa,  the children quickly gathered around her." Indeed strange  bedfellows for Mormons, what is their message these days to LDS members  and no  lamenting which is surprising. They are so  conditioned  that they  will  swallow  just about anything even if  it  is totally contrary to their own teaching. Mother Teresa is a "Christian" if you equate Catholicism as the historical Christian church. She is presented  as  a Catholic icon who will  probably  join Catholic Saints when the waiting period is over, although she was a Catholic  in  name only. It shows the seeds of ecumenism  are  planted into  Mormon minds so they can bridge the gap to  generic  Christianity, which is pluralism.

While  on the subject of Mother Teresa in an article in  the Journal  for Scientific Study of Religion the lead  article  was: "Was Mother Teresa Maximizing Her Utility? An idiographic  Application  of  Rational  Choice Theory. "It builds on  the  work  of Laurance  Iannaccone, who has been pushing the "rational  choice" theory  of religion for some time.. The idea is to "approach  God as  a commodity" and to understand that religious  believers  are
"consumers"  rationally  calculating  their  "investment"  in   a "product"  such  as  salvation supplied  by  "entrepreneurs"  who establish religious "firms."..

Considering  Mother  Teresa "as the owner  of  a  successful religious firm," it becomes obvious that Missionaries of  Charity order  "produces a product mix of charity linked  with  spiritual
awareness  and  Christian  salvation." The  "product  mix"  helps explain her "entrepreneurial success." "On the one hand,  fostering  nearness  to God, Mother Teresa  sold  traditional Catholic products  -  the sacraments, the condemnation  of  abortion,  and reverence  for Church authority. On the other hand, with  charity as her chief commodity, the simultaneously marketed a sideline of nonsectarian humanitarian values - the obligation to help others, a  recognition of the sacredness of all life - that  appealed  to liberal, non-Catholic consumers.

Back  to the Mormons: On another page in the same magazine, the black hand embraced by two white Mormon hands  does not fit their theology either.  Mormonism  Researched edited  by Bill McKeever, Second Quarter 1998 wrote in the  "Seed of  Cain"  (excerpt from article: "According  the  LDS  President Harold  B.  Lee: ".. Lucifer, a son of God in  the  spirit  world before the earth was formed, proposed a plan under which  mortals would  be saved without glory and honor of God. The plan  of  our Savior,  Jehovah,  was to give to each the right  to choose  for himself  the course he would travel in earth life and all was  to be done to the honor and glory of God our Heavenly Father" (Stand Ye  In Holy Places, p.219) When Lucifer's plan was  rejected,  he rebelled  against his brother [Jesus] and father and persuaded  a third  of God's spirit children to join him. Led by  Michael  the archangel,  the  remaining spirit children of God would  join  in what  is  known as the "war in heaven". Lucifer  would  lose  and become  known as Satan; his followers then became demons. Both would be cast out of heaven.
"Unfortunately  this battle had casualties of another  sort. According to LDS Apostle Bruce McConkie, some of those who fought on God's side "were more valiant than others- Those who were less valiant  in pre-existence and who thereby had  certain  spiritual restrictions  imposed upon them during mortality are known to  us as the Negroes. Such spirits are sent to earth through the  lineage of Cain, the mark put upon him for his rebellion against  God and  his murder of Abel.. The present status of the  Negro  rests purely  and  simply on the foundation of pre-existence"  (Mormon Doctrine, op. 527, 1966 ed.)

"According  to Brigham Young, Joseph Smith classified  these people  as  "The seed of Cain. Young said the "Joseph  Smith  had declared that the Negroes were not neutral in heaven for all  the spirits took sides, but `the posterity of Cain are black  because he  (Cain)  committed murder. He killed Abel and God set  a  mark upon his posterity." (The Improvement Era, Joseph Fielding Smith, p.  105).. The mark of a black skin would be of great  importance to the LDS member for it would be the telltale sign as to who was and  who was not qualified for celestial exaltation. In his  book "The Church and the Negro, "Assistant church historian John  Lund
wrote, "It marked Cain as the father of the Negroid race. It also acted  as  a sign of protection for Cain and set his  seed  apart from  the rest of Adam's children so there would be no  intermarriage." ..

"In  a  speech entitled "Race Problems as  they  Affect  the Church, LDS Apostle Mark E. Petersen [said]: "If I were to  marry a Negro woman and have children by her, my children would all  be cursed  as  to the priesthood.. " Another  LDS,  President  John Taylor stated that it was God's plan to allow the "seed of  Cain" to  remain  on the earth in order for the devil  to properly represented. (see Journal of Discourses 22:304)..

"It  isn't difficult to understand why many would look  upon the  LDS  Church as a racist organization.  However,  Latter-day Saints  reject such a notion since, in their minds,  the leaders merely  reflecting what they erroneously thought was the will  of God... Mormons were taught that even though Blacks could never be exalted and become Gods, they could enter the celestial kingdom.. Peteron said, "If that Negro is faithful all his days, he can and will enter the celestial kingdom. He will go there as a  servant, but he will get a celestial resurrection." Slavery revisited?
"Would  those  of African heritage be  forever  banned  from holding  the  LDS  Priesthood? Apparently not.  LDS  leaders  did anticipate a day when the ban would eventually be lifted. However such  hopes did not support the change that came about  in  1978. John  Lund wrote, "There are two sublime stipulations  that  will have to be met before the Negroes will be allowed to possess  the Priesthood, even if they are worthy.. First, all of Adam's  children  will have to resurrect and secondly, the seed of Abel  must first have an opportunity to possess the Priesthood" (The  Church and The Negro, pp.109-110). As Lund noted, "These events will not
occur until sometime after the millennium. It would be unwise  to say,  Negroes  will receive the Priesthood  during  their  mortal existence." How does the leadership get all this? New revelations which  is questioned no further. Mormons will tell you,  they  do not  question what their leadership comes up with. They turn off their brain and leave it to the leadership. (For the whole  article write to Mormonism Research Ministry PO Box 20705, El  Cajon, California)