The American Spectator

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In Memoriam

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Of course, the LDS Church is not alone in its offensive beliefs about blacks -- the Southern Baptist Convention didn't apologize for its affinity for slavery until 1995, nearly 20 years after the LDS ban was lifted. Critics of the LDS church usually don't mention that the Mormon community has made great strides in the African-American community as well as on the African continent, enough so that Hinckley was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and in 1997 was the first LDS leader to address that group.

The LDS church has struggled for acceptance among both the religious -- Smith's teachings were heretical to most mainstream Christians -- and the secular -- Smith did not have the luxury of thousands of years buffering his claims and thus they are more susceptible to modern scrutiny. Bi-annual conferences held by the church in Salt Lake City routinely attract hordes of protesters who label the church a cult and sometimes resort to offensive tactics.

"We are not a weird people," Hinckley told Wallace during his 1996 interview. "The more people come to know us, the better they will understand us."

AND YET, MANY people still don't understand, or are troubled by members of Hinckley's faith. Their suspicion of the religion has consistently haunted Mitt Romney in his quest for the Oval Office. One poll conducted last summer found that as many as 43 percent of Americans would not vote for a Mormon president. We don't know what this figure would have been like prior to Hinckley's dedication to forge ties across racial, religious, and international boundaries.

As Monson, Hinckley's lyrical replacement, said on Saturday, Hinckley "was an island of calm in a sea of storm." His optimism, stalwartness, and missionary zeal have helped solidify the church's place as a major world religion. He laid the groundwork for a continued dialogue between Mormons and their non-Mormon, "Gentile" neighbors. It remains to be seen whether this conversation will continue.

topics:
Education, Harry Reid, Religion, Africa