{"id":1424,"date":"2014-03-20T16:57:23","date_gmt":"2014-03-20T22:57:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mrm.org\/?p=1424"},"modified":"2025-05-20T17:49:50","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T23:49:50","slug":"elijah-abel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mrm.org\/elijah-abel","title":{"rendered":"The Elijah Abel Controversy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sweeping the past under the rug as something immaterial to the LDS Church today is a strategy that is leaving many people dissatisfied\u2212Mormons included. In an effort to rescue their church from the charge of racism, Mormons like to bring up the earliest black Mormon priesthood-holder, Elijah Abel.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elijah Abel received his ordination as Elder on March 3, 1836. Later he was ordained a member of the Third Quorum of the Seventy. Elijah remained a faithful Mormon all of his life. He was a good friend to the Prophet Joseph Smith, freely gave of his carpentry skills to the building of three LDS temples, and served missions to Canada, New York, and, late in his life, to Ohio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Around 1836 Joseph Smith\u2019s father (Joseph Smith, Sr.) gave Elijah Abel a Patriarchal Blessing that included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cBrother Able, in the name of Jesus Christ I lay my hands upon thy head to bless thee and thou shalt be blessed even forever. I seal upon thee a father\u2019s blessing, because thou art an orphan, for thy father, hath never done his duty toward thee, but the Lord hast had his eye upon thee, and brought thee through straits and thou hast come to be rec[k]oned with the saints of the most High. Thou hast been ordained an Elder and anointed to secure thee against the power of the destroyer\u2026Thy name is written in the Lamb\u2019s book of life. . .Thou shalt be made equal to thy brethren and thy soul be white in eternity and thy robes glittering: thou shalt receive these blessings because of the covenants of thy fathers. Thou shalt save thousands, do much good, and receive all the power that thou needest to accomplish thy mission. These and all the blessings which thou canst desire in righteousness, I seal upon thee, in the name of Jesus, Amen.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

But trying to save the Mormon Church from the charge of racism by using the example of Elijah Abel is fraught with problems. For example, because of his race, Elijah Abel was never granted one blessing that he most deeply desired. According to A Book of Mormons<\/i>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

“Abel had received washings and anointings in the Kirtland Temple in 1836, before the complete endowment ceremonies had been established. Though he acted as proxy in baptisms for the dead in Nauvoo and Salt Lake City, Brigham Young denied his request to be sealed to his wife and family [8 children]: that was a \u2018privilege\u2019 he \u2018could not grant,\u2019 a decision later reaffirmed by President John Taylor\u201d (Richard S. Van Wagoner and Stephen C. Walker, 4).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Elijah Abel moved from Nauvoo, Illinois to Cincinnati, Ohio in 1842. The following June a \u201cTraveling High Council\u201d consisting of three Mormon apostles (John Page, Orson Pratt and Heber Kimball) presided over a conference in which the activities of Elijah were examined. The Council concluded,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cTo conform with the established \u2018duty of the 12\u2026to ordain and send men to their native country Bro Abels [sic] was advised to visit the coloured population. The advice was sanctioned by the conference. Instructions were then given him concerning his mission\u2019\u201d (Newell G. Bringhurst, \u201cElijah Abel and the Changing Status of Blacks Within Mormonism,\u201d Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought<\/i>, Summer 1979, 23).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

As race relations in the Mormon Church continued to deteriorate, the fact of Elijah Abel\u2019s General Authority and priesthood status became increasingly troublesome for Church leadership. In 1879, Mormon leaders gathered to \u201creapprove that the Priesthood was not for the Negro and that Elijah Abel was not to exercise any Priesthood rights\u201d (William Berrett, \u201cThe Church and the Negroid People,\u201d 8).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Third LDS President John Taylor questioned Zebedee Coltrin regarding Elijah Abel\u2019s ordination. Coltrin stated:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cBrother Abel was ordained a seventy because he had labored on the Temple, (it must have been the 2nd Quorum) and when the Prophet Joseph learned of his lineage he was dropped from the Quorum, and another was put in his place. I was one of the first Seven Presidents of the Quorum of the Seventy at the time he was dropped\u2026 In the washing and annointing of Brother Abel at Kirtland, I annointed him and while I had my hands upon his head, I never had such unpleasant feelings in my life. And I said, \u2018I never would again annoint another person who had Negro blood in him unless I was commanded by the Prophet to do so\u2019\u201d (ibid., 10-11).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Moving ahead into the twentieth century, LDS Apostle Joseph Fielding Smith even attempted to deny that Elijah Abel had ever been a priesthood holder. Responding to a private inquiry, Smith claimed that Church historian Andrew Jensen had it wrong when he put Elijah\u2019s ordination to the priesthood in the Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia. Smith suggested that there were two men named Elijah Abel; the historian had confused the \u201cnames and the work done by one man named Abel \u2026 with the name of the Negro who joined the Church in an early day\u201d (Joseph Fielding Smith to Mrs. Floren S. Preece, 18 Jan. 1955, S. George Ellsworth Papers, Utah State University, Logan).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1961, eleventh LDS President Harold B. Lee attempted to clarify the Elijah Abel controversy. He said,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cSome are heralding the fact that there was one of colored blood, Elijah Abel, who was ordained a Seventy in the early days. They go to the Church chronology and find the date of this ordination, and hold that up as saying that we departed from what was started way back, but they forget that also in Church history is another interesting observation. President Joseph F. Smith is quoted in a statement under the date of August 26, 1908, when he referred to Elijah Abel who was ordained a Seventy in the days of the Prophet and to whom was issued a Seventy\u2019s certificate. This ordination, when found out, was declared null and void by the Prophet himself and so likewise by the next three presidents who succeeded the Prophet Joseph. Somehow because of a little lapse, or a little failure to do research properly, some people reach a conclusion that they had wanted to reach and to make it appear as though something had been done way back from which we had departed and which now ought to be set in order\u201d (\u201cDoing the Right Things for the Right Reasons,\u201d April 19, 1961, BYU Speeches of the Year<\/i>, 1961, 7).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Apparently picking up on Lee\u2019s speech, Joseph Fielding Smith reversed his previous denial of Elijah having ever held the priesthood. He wrote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cAccording to the doctrine of the church, the Negro, because of some condition of unfaithfulness in the spirit\u2014or pre-existence, was not valiant and hence was not denied the mortal probation, but was denied the blessing of the Priesthood. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints he has the privilege of baptism, confirmation and membership along with everyone else, as far as this life is concerned\u2026 It is true that elders of the church laid hands on a Negro and blessed him \u2018apparently\u2019 with the Priesthood, but they could not give that which the Lord had denied. It is true that Elijah Abel was so \u2018ordained.\u2019 This was however before the matter had been submitted to the Prophet Joseph Smith. \u2026 It was afterwards that the Prophet Joseph Smith declared that the Negro was not to be ordained.\u201d (Letter from Joseph Fielding Smith to Joseph H. Henderson, April 10, 1963)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Before the 1978 \u201crevelation\u201d that granted full membership rights to black people, Mormon leaders were, in the words of Newell Bringhurst, \u201ctrying to bury the ghost of Elijah Abel once and for all\u201d (Dialogue, 31). Today, many Mormons continue to dig him up in an ill-conceived and futile effort to remove the historic racism that was prevalent in the LDS Church until just 34 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Sweeping the past under the rug as something immaterial to the LDS Church today is a strategy that is leaving many people dissatisfied\u2212Mormons included. In an effort to rescue their church from the charge of racism, Mormons like to bring up the earliest black Mormon priesthood-holder, Elijah Abel. What’s the story behind this man? Find out here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2215,1407],"tags":[87,205],"class_list":["post-1424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mormon-coffee-posts","category-priesthood-and-blacks","tag-black","tag-elijah-abel"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Elijah Abel Controversy - Mormonism Research Ministry<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sweeping the past under the rug as something immaterial to the LDS Church today is a strategy that is leaving many people dissatisfied\u2212Mormons included. 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He received his ordination as Elder on March 3, 1836. Later Elijah was ordained a member of the Third Quorum of the Seventy. In 1838 he went on missions to Canada and New York, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Mormon Coffee Blog (2007-2019)"","block_context":{"text":"Mormon Coffee Blog (2007-2019)","link":"https:\/\/mrm.org\/category\/mormon-coffee-posts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":38706,"url":"https:\/\/mrm.org\/joseph-smith-founder-of-lds-racist-scriptures-and-teachings-part-2","url_meta":{"origin":1424,"position":1},"title":"Joseph Smith Founder of LDS Racist Scriptures and Teachings: Part 2","author":"Lynn K. Wilder","date":"February 10, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"[In honor of Black History Month 2014, each Monday in February Mormon Coffee's blog post will address a topic related to racism in Mormon history. Today guest blogger Lynn Wilder presents Part 2 of the series she began last week.] LDS author Stephen Taggart (Negro Policy: Social and Historical Origins,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Mormon Coffee Blog (2007-2019)"","block_context":{"text":"Mormon Coffee Blog (2007-2019)","link":"https:\/\/mrm.org\/category\/mormon-coffee-posts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14011,"url":"https:\/\/mrm.org\/mormonisms-exclusive-line-of-divine-authority","url_meta":{"origin":1424,"position":2},"title":"Mormonism\u2019s Exclusive Line of Divine Authority","author":"Sharon Lindbloom","date":"July 23, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Last month the LDS Church celebrated the anniversary of the 1978 lifting of the spiritual restrictions placed on black Mormons. Usually referred to as the Priesthood Ban, these restrictions not only disallowed black men from holding the Mormon priesthood, but also kept all black members from participating in LDS temples,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Mormon Coffee Blog (2007-2019)"","block_context":{"text":"Mormon Coffee Blog (2007-2019)","link":"https:\/\/mrm.org\/category\/mormon-coffee-posts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mrm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Priesthood-Line.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mrm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Priesthood-Line.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mrm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Priesthood-Line.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mrm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Priesthood-Line.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mrm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Priesthood-Line.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mrm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Priesthood-Line.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":28473,"url":"https:\/\/mrm.org\/the-elijah-able-history-essay","url_meta":{"origin":1424,"position":3},"title":"The Elijah Able History Essay","author":"Bill McKeever","date":"June 2, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Note:\u00a0The following was originally printed in the April 2020 edition of MRM Update. This is sent out 6 times a year to our financial supporters. To request a free subscription to our bimonthly publication Mormonism Researched, please visit here. Saints: The Standard of Truth, an official history book published in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Priesthood and Blacks"","block_context":{"text":"Priesthood and Blacks","link":"https:\/\/mrm.org\/category\/mormon-theology\/priesthood-and-blacks"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mrm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/elijah_able.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mrm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/elijah_able.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mrm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/elijah_able.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1383,"url":"https:\/\/mrm.org\/malachi-4-5-6","url_meta":{"origin":1424,"position":4},"title":"Malachi 4:5-6: Does this passage refer to Mormon temples?","author":"Eric Johnson","date":"March 11, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"The 2002 LDS booklet titled Preparing to Enter the Holy Temple states:If we would understand both the history and the doctrine of temple work we must understand what the sealing power is. We must envision, at least to a degree, why the keys of authority to employ the sealing power\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Bible Verses"","block_context":{"text":"Bible Verses","link":"https:\/\/mrm.org\/category\/scripture\/bible\/bible-verses"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":882,"url":"https:\/\/mrm.org\/the-church-is-not-all-butterflies-and-cupcakes","url_meta":{"origin":1424,"position":5},"title":"“The Church is not all butterflies and cupcakes.”","author":"Sharon Lindbloom","date":"June 13, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Over this past week the Salt Lake Tribune ran several articles related to the LDS Church, blacks, and the now-defunct priesthood ban. One special report covered the story of Vanna Cox and her sisters. They grew up in the LDS Church very aware of their minority status. The Tribune reports,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Mormon Coffee Blog (2007-2019)"","block_context":{"text":"Mormon Coffee Blog (2007-2019)","link":"https:\/\/mrm.org\/category\/mormon-coffee-posts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mrm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/butterflysoldiers-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrm.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrm.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrm.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrm.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrm.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1424"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/mrm.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1424\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47299,"href":"https:\/\/mrm.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1424\/revisions\/47299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrm.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrm.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrm.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}