Lds church History Timeline
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September 26 U.S. President John F. Kennedy speaks in the Salt Lake Tabernacle. He outlines some of his views on politics and government, and praises the Mormons for their development and progress since being a persecuted minority forced to flee to the mountains. He says that when the Mormons prosper, America prospers. October 4 The NAACP abandons plans to picket the Church's 133rd General Conference in exchange for the Church's promise to present a statement on civil rights during the conference. October 6 President Hugh B. Brown reads a statement on civil rights during General Conference. It does not explicitly endorse the Civil Rights movement itself but says that the Church believes in full constitutional rights for all people regardless of race, color, or creed. October 10 Thomas S. Monson is ordained an Apostle. October 22 LOOK magazine includes an article titled “Memo From a Mormon” by a young Latter-day Saint named Jeff Nye who is disgruntled with the black priesthood ban and hopes for a change. The editor's note includes some comments by Elder Joseph Fielding Smith, who insists that the Church does not teach that blacks are inferior beings. He refers to them once as “darkies”, a favorite quote for critics despite the fact that the magazine itself features black people only in one photograph on page 118 (out of 154 pages) where a few are pictured as recipients of charity. November 4 Church leaders break ground for a school in Mexico City called Benemérito de las Américas. December 31 Richard R. Lyman dies. 1964 Elder LaMar Williams visits Nigeria to unsuccessfully renegotiate for missionary visas. The Church releases a film called And Should They Die, dramatizing the execution of church members Rafael Monroy and Vicente Morales during the Mexican Revolution. It plays up the religious martyrdom aspect and ignores other factors. The home teaching program is inaugurated. Under this program, each priesthood holder of teacher rank or above is assigned along with a companion to visit families and individuals within his congregation once a month, to help them with their spiritual and temporal needs. A new Melchizedek Priesthood handbook is published. The scope of church regions, which were formed to coordinate the efforts of several stakes in operating welfare projects, is expanded to include all priesthood-sponsored activities. January 23 Apostle Delbert Stapley writes to Michigan governor and Latter-day Saint George Romney recommending that he give up his support for the Civil Rights movement, believing it to be contrary to God's will. Although Elder Stapley cites scriptures and LDS literature to support his view, he makes it explicitly clear that this is a personal letter and that he is writing in his capacity as a friend, not an apostle. After receiving the letter, Romney increases his support for the Civil Rights movement. May Paul H. Dunn asks President David O. McKay about the black issue and is told that the priesthood ban has never been a doctrine, but always a policy. May 21 As Elder Spencer W. Kimball is touring the South American missions, he meets an enthusiastic eighteen-year-old church building missionary named Fernandez in Rivera, Uruguay. He feels impressed to promise Fernandez blessings beyond his fondest imagination if he remains totally true to the cause. September 14 Wetzel O. “Judge” Whitaker is assigned to make the films to be used in the endowment ceremony. September 15 The BYU Motion Picture Studio is destroyed by fire. October 12 Elder Spencer W. Kimball visits the Church exhibit at the New York World's Fair. He notes with regret the absence of black faces in the murals and wonders whether black members should have been included as guides at the exhibit. November 17-19 The Oakland California Temple, the Church's thirteenth operating temple and the second in California, is dedicated by President David O. McKay. 1965 The policy of assuming that a man's ancestry is eligible for the priesthood unless there is evidence to the contrary is applied to Brazil. Local leaders resolve uncertainties by consulting patriarchal blessings, stake presidents, or the First Presidency. The Church begins publishing manuals with weekly lessons to be used by families around the world. They focus on the practical everyday application of gospel principles learned in church. January 27 Missionaries begin proselytizing in Italy once more after an entire century. June 18 TIME magazine includes an article about the unofficial “LDS” congregations in Nigeria and the Church's inability to obtain visas to visit them. The Nigerian Saints have begun practicing polygamy and established their own leadership hierarchy. June 22 The First Presidency writes a letter to eleven LDS senators and representatives, encouraging them to vote for the Taft-Hartley Act allowing states to outlaw compulsory union membership and thus upholding the principle of free agency. Five of the Democratic senators respond with a joint letter respectfully refusing to comply, citing separation of church and state, their own free agency, and responsibility to their constituents. July At the direct request of President David O. McKay, an article by BYU botanist Bertrand Harrison about organic evolution is reprinted in the Juvenile Instructor. It is one of the most pro-evolution articles ever to appear in a church publication. December The first part of Elder James E. Talmage's 1931 talk, “The Earth and Man”, is reprinted in the Juvenile Instructor. ? Elder LaMar Williams visits Nigeria to renegotiate for visas once more, but is recalled home by a telegram for the First Presidency. Spencer W. Kimball of the Missionary Executive Committee asks him to keep in touch with the Nigerian believers. President Tanner says they do not know why they recalled him, but that they will soon find out. They find out in January of the following year. 1966 The Church builds a more spacious visitors' center on Temple Square, equipped with dioramas and other displays to explain various facets of the gospel. A home-study seminary program is started as a pilot project in the Midwestern United States, for areas without enough LDS students to make a regular daily class feasible. In Saigon, Elder Gordon B. Hinckley dedicates war-torn South Vietnam for the preaching of the gospel. Progressive muckraker Wallace Turner writes a book called The Mormon Establishment to explain the role of George Romney's religion in American life. It focuses mainly on the Church's controversies and peculiarities, especially polygamy, the priesthood ban, and influence on politics, but concludes that the author would not be disappointed to someday discover it is the true Church after all. January The rest of Elder James E. Talmage's 1931 talk, “The Earth and Man”, is reprinted in the Juvenile Instructor. January 1 The Zitácuaro Mexico District, the first district in Mexico, is organized. January 15 Major Kaduna Nzeogwu and other junior Army officers attempt a coup d'etat in Nigeria. This starts a chain of events that leads into the Nigerian-Biafran War, otherwise known as the Nigerian Civil War, which lasts for five years and justifies the earlier decision to put the planned Nigerian Mission on hold. March 21 The annex to the Salt Lake Temple is completed. Spring An independent journal in Mormon studies called Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought is launched by a group of young LDS scholars at Stanford University led by Eugene England and G. Wesley Johnson. July 5 President David O. McKay gives Elder Bruce R. McConkie permission to reprint Mormon Doctrine if he makes corrections to it under the direction of Elder Spencer W. Kimball, but that it still will not be a Church publication. Accounts vary as to whether Elder McConkie seeks this permission or is invited by President McKay. October 6 In a discussion of racially mixed marriages, President David O. McKay expresses the view that people should be urged to marry within their own race for social and psychological reasons, but that they should not be condemned if they fail to do so. October 28 Elder Bruce R. McConkie gives a talk at the University of Utah LDS Institute titled “Are the General Authorities Human?” In it, he pokes fun at himself and the Mormon Doctrine controversy and dispels some misconceptions about the fallibility level of General Authorities. He says that if all the General Authorities perished, the Church would have plenty of members qualified enough to take their place. 1967 The policy of ordaining worthy non-African men to the priesthood without making them prove their ancestry is instituted church-wide. An article by LDS sociologist Armand Mauss titled “Mormonism and the Negro” (not to be confused with the earlier book of the same name) points out the speculative nature of priesthood ban explanations based on the “curse of Cain” or pre-mortal conduct. He concludes that the policy rests on tradition rather than scriptural mandate. Spain passes a religious liberty law, allowing for official recognition of the Church. Four missionaries are sent from other Spanish-speaking missions, including President Gordon B. Hinckley's son Clark. William Tucker, who instigated the widespread apostasy in the French Mission nearly a decade earlier and is now an avowed atheist, dies of acute appendicitis. His bishop, Howard W. Hunter, believes that he was beginning to reconsider his life's path and consider returning to the Church. Critic Wesley P. Walters writes a tract titled “New Light on Mormon Origins”, which challenges the traditional LDS account of Joseph Smith’s events leading to the First Vision by questioning if there really was a religious revival in Palmyra in 1820, as Joseph claimed. This stimulates a host of LDS scholarly activity including the creation of a BYU group that goes back to Palmyra to research the issue. A uniform church year is adopted. Previously some church organizations had commenced their lesson work at the beginning of the local school year while others had used the calendar year. Age groupings are also standardized from one organization to another, enabling teachers in various ward organizations to more closely meet the needs of any given age group. Bishop's youth councils are formed, which bring youth and adult leaders together monthly in each ward to consider the needs of the youth and coordinate activities. Collections of teaching aids formerly maintained by each church organization are consolidated into a single meetinghouse library, and separate teacher training programs sponsored by each auxiliary are combined under a single ward teacher development director. Mary Jane Pulley is called to organize a Seminary at the training school for handicapped people in American Fork, Utah. It is the first Seminary for the handicapped in the Church. Sixty-nine Regional Representatives are appointed to give greater guidance and directions to stake leaders within regions. Under the direction of General Authorities they conduct instruction meetings in their assigned regions to introduce or emphasize the Church's programs and activities. April 21 The Abeno Branch chapel in Osaka, Japan, is dedicated. President Hugh B. Brown speaks at the dedication, deeply moved by the size and quality of the congregation and amazed at the Church's quiet but rapid growth throughout the world. He prophesies that some of those present will live to see the day when there is a Japanese man in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. July 6 Nigerian Federal troops advance in two columns into Biafra, a self-proclaimed republic attempting to secede, marking the official beginning of the Nigerian Civil War. August 14 The Provo Utah Temple, originally known only as the Provo Temple, is announced. It is prompted by a statistic computed that fifty-two percent of all ordinance work is performed in three temples: the Logan Utah Temple, the Manti Utah Temple, and the Salt Lake Temple. August 24 The Ogden Utah Temple, originally known only as the Ogden Temple, is announced. Like the Provo Temple, it is prompted by a statistic computed that fifty-two percent of all ordinance work is performed in three temples: the Logan Utah Temple, the Manti Utah Temple, and the Salt Lake Temple. October 16 Elder Gordon B. Hinckley and Japanese Mission President Adney Komatsu go to the offices of the Osaka International World's Fair to discuss with officials the possibility of a Mormon exhibit at the upcoming Expo '70. The officials tell Elder Hinckley that they will sell space only on the outer perimeters, but he shows little interest in that idea. November 27 Eleven rediscovered pieces of Joseph Smith's papyri, containing the Egyptian funerary document known as the Book of Breathings but incorrectly identified as the Book of the Dead, are given by the Metropolitan Museum to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These are often confused (or deliberately conflated by critics) with the Book of Abraham papyri because they contain the same facsimiles, but they do not match the descriptions of those documents given by Joseph Smith or his contemporaries. 1968 BYU begins conducting travel study programs to Israel. The Church landscapes the Far West Temple site, erects monuments and markers, and preserves the cornerstones. January The Improvement Era showcases the Book of Breathings fragments. Although they are still incorrectly believed to be the Book of the Dead they are clearly described as not being the Book of Abraham. They are also put on display with color reproductions given on request, and scholars are invited to translate them. Despite this, the Church is later frequently accused of trying to keep them a secret. February 28 Losing support because of his opposition to the Vietnam War, George Romney withdraws from the race for the Republican presidential nomination in the United States. April Elders Hinckley, Komatsu, Watanabe, Iami, and building supervisor Marvin Harding agree upon a thousand square meter site for the Church's exhibit at Japan's Expo '70 that is among the Japanese exhibits. May 2 The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve approve the Church's participation in Japan's Expo '70 and allot $300,000 for the project. Fall Dr. Klaus Baer of the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago comments in Dialogue magazine on the speed with which the Church made the Book of Breathings papyri public, and says it is a gratifying contrast to the secrecy with which their previous custodians surrounded them. November 15 The Washington D.C. Temple is announced. December 7 Ground is broken and the site dedicated for the Washington D.C. Temple by President Hugh B. Brown. 1969 Elder Spencer W. Kimball publishes The Miracle of Forgiveness, a book intended to explain the necessity of the atonement and how to effectively utilize it. Though some perceive it as overly judgmental, many others over the years testify that it changes their lives for good. University of Utah student Steven Taggart writes Mormonism's Negro Policy: Social and Historical Origins based on an idea for a Dialogue article, and his family decides to publish it following his untimely death. He proposes that the policy began in Missouri in the 1830s as a way of answering the slavery question among slaveholders. BYU releases “Johnny Lingo”, a short film about a trader in the South Pacific who trades an unheard-of eight counts to marry Mahana, considered even by her father to be the ugliest girl on the island. A few years later his love and respect has made her beautiful. The film becomes a cult classic among American Mormons and is remade into a feature-length version thirty-four years later. The Church releases “Pioneers in Petticoats”, a short film about a rebellious young woman named Abigail in a small nineteenth century Utah town who is called by her father, the bishop, to serve as president of the newly reorganized Retrenchment Society. Though her heart is not in it, she leads the girls through many worthwhile activities and experiences until one night she joins the town's wild crowd for an evening that nearly ends in disaster. The Relief Society social welfare department, Indian student placement program, and youth guidance program are consolidated into the Social Services department. The University of Utah Institute holds an international convention of the LDSSA with over three hundred student leaders in attendance. Church leaders want to strengthen them so they can be beacons in an era of general unrest and confusion among college students. Elder Harold B. Lee is the featured speaker and relates personal experiences of modern miracles which have occurred to him. He concludes with considerable emotion, fervently witnessing to the truth of his convictions, and afterward everyone remains seated in silence for a while to avoid breaking the spirit of the occasion. September 8 On David O. McKay's ninety-sixth birthday, the site is dedicated for the Ogden Utah Temple by Elder Joseph Fielding Smith and Alvin R. Dyer, and ground is broken by President Hugh B. Brown. September 10 The First Presidency discusses the draft of Steven Taggart's original article on Mormonism's Negro Policy. President Hugh B. Brown embraces his “Missouri hypothesis”. September 15 The site is dedicated for the Provo Utah Temple, adjacent to BYU campus, by Elder Joseph Fielding Smith, and ground is broken by President Hugh B. Brown. November 12 Stanford University President Kenneth Spitzer announces that the university will cut off all athletic competitions and other ties with BYU due to the Church's restriction on black men holding the priesthood. December 15 Elder Harold B. Lee persuades Presidents Hugh B. Brown and N. Eldon Tanner to send a letter to bishops and stake presidents re-affirming the Church's stance on the priesthood ban and the belief that it will someday change. It is similar to the 1949 statement but omits a reference to the “curse of Cain” and does not say that all the other children of God must receive their blessings in the holy priesthood before the ban is repealed. President Hugh B. Brown signs the letter with reluctance and only after insisting it include a statement on civil rights. December 25 President Hugh B. Brown tells the Salt Lake Tribune that the priesthood policy will change in the not-too-distant future. He later qualifies this statement as his personal opinion. 1970 The Church's five thousandth ward is organized. Elder Spencer W. Kimball obtains a number of letters exchanged between LaMar Williams and the missionary committee and black correspondents in Nigeria and Ghana. This likely increases his concern about the priesthood ban. Over six million people visit the Church's pavilion at “Expo '70” in Osaka, Japan, making its programs and teachings more widely known in east Asia. The Indian Committee is renamed the Committee for Lamanites and Other Cultures to reflect a broader scope. The British church newspaper, the Millennial Star, is discontinued after 130 years, making it the oldest continuous publication in church history. January 1 The Seoul Korea Military District, the first district in Korea, is organized. As the name indicates, it is primarily for American servicemen. January 6 The president of the Tucson branch of the NAACP requests permission to hold a protest rally at the University of Arizona before the upcoming Arizona-BYU basketball game. January 8 Nine black students, some wearing black wristbands, walk out on the floor of the basketball court during the game between the University of Arizona and BYU. Play stops and they are ushered away by police and security officers. Other demonstrators break a window and scream “Stop the game” but that is the extent of the protest. January 10 The letter to church leaders about the priesthood ban, having become widely known, is publicly released with the signatures of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve. January 13 Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu, of the self-proclaimed Republic of Biafra, leaves his deputy Philip Effiong to surrender to General Yakubu Gowon of the Nigerian federal army, formally ending the Nigerian Civil War. January 18 President David O. McKay dies. At David O. McKay's death, the Church has five hundred stakes, eighty-nine missions, 2,807,456 nominal members, and thirteen temples. January 23 Joseph Fielding Smith becomes the tenth President of the Church. He selects Harold B. Lee and N. Eldon Tanner as his counselors. February President Harold B. Lee and four other apostles with several advisers meet in New York to discuss the protests against the Church. This meeting leads to the formation of the External Communications Department two years later. April 5 BYU runs a full-page ad in the Salt Lake Tribune called “Minorities, Civil Rights, and BYU” to publicize its stand in favor of civil rights for all citizens. April 9 Boyd K. Packer is ordained an Apostle. September Church leaders announce that Monday evenings are set aside for weekly family gatherings, or Family Home Evening, and that no other church activities are to be held on that night. 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