Beliefs of Melvin J. Ballard Part 3

Answering questions by doing what you were doing. Johnson deals with 36 commonly asked questions by your LDS friends and neighbors. It's a great resource for Christians want to share their faith with friends and loved ones. Be sure to pick up your copy today at your favorite Christian bookstore viewpoint on Mormonism program and examine the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from a biblical perspective viewpoint when Mormonism is sponsored by Mormonism research ministry since 1979 Mormonism research ministry has been dedicated to equipping the body of Christ with answers regarding the Christian faith in a manner that expresses gentleness and respect.

And now, your host for today's viewpoint on Mormonism so glad to be with us for this additional viewpoint on Mormonism.

I'm your host, Bill McKeever, founder and director Mormonism research ministry and with me today is Eric Johnson. My colleague at MRM we been looking that up every short article that appeared in the church news the church news.com which of course is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

It was a small little short article accompanied with the video titled Pres. Ballard opens up about one thing he wishes he could ask his grandfather.

The title comes from a disappointment that apostle M. Russell Ballard had regarding his grandfather, Melvin J. Ballard, who served as an apostle as well. During his lifetime, and I might mention that Melvin J.

Ballard died in 1939 he was ordained an apostle in 1919 by Hubert J. Grant, who was the seventh president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and I should also mention that Hubert J Grant was the last of the polygamist prophets. He had three wives, although when he became president. Only one of those plural wives was still alive. I found it fascinating because he said it was a great sadness given the fact that he was only a boy when his grandfather served it says in this article that since Pres. Ballard's parents were not active members of the church. He speaking of M.

Russell Ballard never heard his grandfather given address, something which has been, as it says one of the greatest sadness as of his life, but it also mentions that if he had an opportunity to ask his grandfather a question. The one question that's mentioned in this short article is he said I would've wanted to know more about what it meant to be an apostle, which, as we discussed so far in the series seems kind of odd since then. Russell Ballard is been an apostle for quite a long time you think you would already know what it's like to serve in that kind of a capacity with all of the possible questions we've already dealt with two of them. The last two days Lorenzo Snow couplet. We got a chance to talk about that yesterday, the incarnation, but working to talk about today with preexistence is the question I probably would've asked my grandfather had I been in Ballard's shoes of being asked that question is I want to find out about the revelation on Blacks. I want to understand more of what he believed. Back in the days that were the very early days of what it meant to be a latter-day St. leader talking about those of color would you agree though considering what were about to read Eric that the modern church would accuse him Russell Ballard's grandfather Melvin, of believing in folklore because the church now does not take the same position that Ballard's grandfather believed am going to prove that by just citing what he said on the issue of preexistence and how this preexistent life affected those of African heritage. What did he say in a conference message. I might mention of April 1915 found on page 62. He said we know from the doctors that we have received that men and women have existed before coming into this life are countless ages and that we have been developing certain qualities and the reason we are separated and the great classes as the Negro race and the other races on the earth is not a matter of caprice. God did not take three beautiful children yesterday morning and say to one you go to the Negro woman went to another one you go to that Chinese mother and to another, you go down to that beautiful Christian home, in my opinion, there were classes and races and separation into different groups and conditions before we came to this world and all are getting what they are entitled to receive here that's basically what a lot of latter-day St. leaders taught prior to 1978 when the LDS church reversed its position and allowed all worthy male members to hold this important office of priest, but notice what he says we know from the doctrines that we have received so this paragraph ties that idea that this segregation is based on what an individual did in the preexistence and this was not just a folklore that was developed at a certain period of time, but according to Melvin J. Ballard, he saw it as a doctrine when it comes to how we were born. This is been a topic that's been discussed by many other leaders besides Ballard. Let me just give you one Marquis Peterson, who was an apostle of the church in a talk that he gave called race problems as they affect the church that was given on August 27, 1954. This is page 11. With all this in mind, can we account in any other way for the birth of some of the children of God in darkest Africa or in flood ridden China were among the starving hordes of India. While some of the rest of us are born here in the United States. We cannot escape the conclusion that because a performance in our preexistence. Some of us are born as Chinese, some as Japanese, some as Indians, some as Negroes, some as Americans, some as Latter Day Saints. These are rewards and punishments fully in harmony with his established policy in dealing with sinners and saints rewarding all according to their deeds. Now that was a statement from a Mormon apostle Mark E Peterson listen to this statement from M.

Russell Ballard's grandfather Melvin J. Ballard that's included in the book sermons and missionary services of Melvin J. Ballard found on pages 247 and 248. Notice the similarities here now. My brothers and sisters, I would like you to understand that long before you were born into this earth, we were tested and tried in our preexistence and the fact that of the thousands of children born today, a certain portion of them went to the Houten tots of South Africa. Thousands went to the Chinese mother's thousands went to Negro mothers thousands to beautiful white Latter Day Saints mothers. You cannot tell me that the entire group was just designated, marked to go where they did that they were men and women of equal opportunities. There are no infant spirits born they had a being ages before they came into this life. They appear in infant bodies, but they were tested and proven souls. Therefore I say to you that long before we came into this life. All groups and races of men existed as they exist today like attracts like. Now in the 21st century setting. Eric, I'm sure, even many Latter Day Saints would find those comments to be quite offensive.

I wonder if M. Russell Ballard ever had the opportunity to maybe ask his grandfather about what he believed regarding why we have particular races in the world today, but certainly what's being taught here by Melvin J. Ballard is not unusual for that time. When it comes to the priesthood not been given to those of color in the same book. This is what Melvin J. Ballard says why is it in this church. We do not grant the priesthood to the Negroes. It is alleged that the Prophet Joseph said, and I have no reason to dispute it, that it is because of some act committed by them before they came into this life. It is alleged that they were neutral standing neither for Christ nor the devil. But I am convinced it is because of something they did before they came into this life that they have been denied the privilege the races of today are very largely reaping the consequences of a previous life, no bill to me this sounds more like Hinduism and karma and what you did in a previous life will affect you here. That's not what the Bible teaches. Yeah, and I might mention to you that since the Mormon church has come out with the gospel topics essays that deal with these race problems. These questions about race and the reason for the priesthood ban on those of African heritage. They did include this very issue and they tried to denounce any such notion that the reason why we have certain races that it has anything to do with what an individual did in the preexistent life.

Now that's exactly what it seems that Melvin J. Ballard believed in the quote that you just gave seems to prove that and as I said earlier, what he is saying here is not unusual when you look at the teachings of other leaders during that time. Let me give you another example. This is a conference message that Melvin J.

Ballard gave in 1939 so this is a statement that he made. In general conference right before he died because Ballard died in July 1939 he said just as brother George F Richards has indicated that are poor and knighted Negro brethren are suffering the consequences of their sewing at some other time and place. So as certainly, shall we hereafter reap what we are sowing here and now notice it's another reference to a race being punished and I'm sure that's exactly how Melvin J. Ballard looked at it as a punishment because of something. This group of people did prior to their coming into this world as mortal beings of the reason why they were allowed to come in as mortal beings is because even though they were not as valiant and that's the phrase that's been used by LDS leaders during this time. They were not as valiant as others. They did not rebel against God the father or their brother Jesus just one is valiant for the cause of Christ as they could've been.

So they were allowed still to take on human form here on this earth which is absolutely necessary if they hope to eventually go on into eternal progression and have the possibility of entering into the celestial kingdom. Whereas the devil and his angels also being the spirit sons and daughters of God the father, they are denied that opportunity because they have nobodies they were condemned to be spirits and never allowed to have a physical body and thus they never will have that opportunity to be exalted because of that one sin. The point we want to make here is that it seems that Melvin J. Ballard believed just like every other leader that we know of that somehow the reason why we have certain races and different classifications, as they say, is because of something that was done prior to their mortal existence. In other words, these people cannot remember what they did but they are being punished. Nonetheless, because in Mormonism. When we come into mortality from the spirit world any knowledge of what that spirit world was like is completely erased and that is supposed to be true for even Jesus, thank you for listening you would like more information regarding his research ministry. We encourage you to visit our website www.mrm.org you can request a free newsletter Mormonism research. We hope you join us again as we look at another viewpoint is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, also known as the Mormon church is a huge topic of interest among many Bible believing Christians who want to reach their LDS friends and loved ones with the biblical message of hope and grace. If you are a Christian who wants to be better informed about the beliefs of the Mormon people Mormonism research ministry wants to be a resource for you since 1979 Mormonism research ministry has worked hard to clearly articulate Mormon doctrine and history in order to better understand the issues that separate Mormonism from the Christian faith, and MRM.org. You'll find links to hundreds of articles as well as dozens of videos that will effectively educate you on this fascinating topic.

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