McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, and White Supremacism

There are some who rather vocally ask this question: 

Did Bruce Redd McConkie ever recant the white supremacist ideas in his book, Mormon Doctrine?

I don't like to put sacred things up in public for people to take pot shots at, but this is already out there, and lots of people have already misinterpreted it (and still are doing so, enthusiastically). But the following link is what Elder Bruce R. McConkie, then an Apostle, had to say shortly after the Church announced the policy that is often interpreted too simply as allowing Blacks to participate in the priesthood.

It's a long discussion of what happened, from his point of view, but it gives a lot of helpful background. So I suggest, if this is important to you, that you read from the beginning, and refrain from judging him harshly, at least until you have read the whole thing carefully: 

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/bruce-r-mcconkie/alike-unto-god/

Did he recant? Did he say that the Church recanted? There's a long paragraph that partially answers that question:

We have read these passages and their associated passages for many years. We have seen what the words say and have said to ourselves, “Yes, it says that, but we must read out of it the taking of the gospel and the blessings of the temple to the Negro people, because they are denied certain things.”

It seems to me he is acknowledging the fundamental false assumption that some of the members of the Church were working under. He continues,

There are statements in our literature by the early Brethren which we have interpreted to mean that the Negroes would not receive the priesthood in mortality. I have said the same things, and people write me letters and say, “You said such and such, and how is it now that we do such and such?” And all I can say to that is that it is time disbelieving people repented and got in line and believed in a living, modern prophet.

I don't think he is saying, "limit yourself to what the current prophet says!" It is part of our official doctrine that the living prophet is always able to give new revelation from God, according to our needs, now -- according to the wisdom of the Lord as to what will help us follow His example better. This is the end of the paragraph:

Forget everything that I have said, or what President Brigham Young or President George Q. Cannon or whomsoever has said in days past that is contrary to the present revelation. We spoke with a limited understanding and without the light and knowledge that now has come into the world.

Those who expounded the ideologies that the Black races were inferior were speaking without the full light. 

He talks at fair length about some of the reasons the Lord would have allowed them to speak without the full light. 

I have my own ideas which go a bit beyond what he says, but I'll refrain from talking about most of them here. In fact, I will refrain from most of the things I had thought to say here.

One thing I will note, I grew up in the 1960s and '70s. I can say from personal experience that McConkie's book was nowhere near universally accepted where I grew up. Our bishops and other leaders recommended studying the scriptures instead of commentary, and often specified Mormon Doctrine as an example of commentary that should definitely be given lower priority than the scriptures.

Also. as for the teachings of the Book of Mormon itself, I have found the verse McConkie quoted from first in the speech above, 2nd Nephi 26: 33, to be more representative of what the Book of Mormon teaches about race than interpretations of discussions of skin color as a curse:

... [The Lord] ... inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, ... .

The reason I stop here is that it is a valid concept, necessarily derived from core principles of the Gospel, that individuals must shoulder the ultimate responsibility for their own faith, their own beliefs, their own understanding, and for their own standing before God.

If it is important to you, read the Book of Mormon yourself. I can't do your homework for you. Even if I had the time -- which I don't -- If I spoke too freely here, many people who otherwise might make time to explore questions related to this that are important to themselves might be offended and waste time arguing with what I said instead of investigating for themselves. 

Of more concern, others might be all too ready to accept what I said as the end of the matter, likewise failing to think or investigate, likewise losing an opportunity for spiritual growth.