Sounds to me like Mrs. McCain has some notions of discrimination against the Mormon faith. I wonder how much of her discrimination is in her son John. It almost makes a person wonder just how much bias against religions he might have if one basis his mothers' words on his beliefs. After all, a mother probably has a considerable amount of influence on her children.

I'm finding it hard to get this one off my tongue, but, um, I agree with Willard on this one. Weird. Anyway, she's 95. She remembers WWI, prohibition, and the Great Depression. For the majority of her life, Mormons didn't allow black people at the pulpit. I'd be wary of them, too. I still think they're a little strange.

I continue to see non-LDS view points ostensibly claiming authoritative explanations of what Mormons believe. But when I read what they write I shake my head and wonder what planet some of these people come from. If you want to know what Mormons believe go to the Church to find out. If it did not come from an official Church organ it almost always is wrong. Less than 5% of what I read is accurate. So if you have already made up your mind to hate us, at least hate us for what we really believe and not some of this made up nonsense.

Old lady McCain is just a belligerent nut that will say anything to try and get her son elected. I respect McCain for serving our country, but his Mom needs to check her facts before she opens it again on national TV.

The correct date is 1978, not 1988.

Mormon Apostle and apologist, Bruce R. McConkie, (1915-1985) touched on the black issue in his book "Mormon Doctrine:" "...this is the standard LDS guide to church doctrine, found in nearly every active Mormon household." He wrote in an early edition of his book about the repercussions on earth of a war in heaven:

"Of the two-thirds who followed Christ, however, some were more valiant than others....Those who were less valiant in pre-existence and who thereby had certain spiritual restrictions imposed upon them during mortality are known to us as the negroes. Such spirits are sent to earth through the lineage of Cain, the mark put upon him for his rebellion against God and his murder of Abel being a black skin. (Moses 5:16-41; 12:22) Noah's son Ham married Egyptus, a descendant of Cain, thus preserving the negro lineage through the flood. (Abraham 1:20-27) Negroes in this life are denied the priesthood; under no circumstances can they hold this delegation of authority from the Almighty. ...The present status of the negro rests purely and simply on the foundation of pre-existence....The negroes are not equal with other races where the receipt of certain spiritual blessings are concerned, particularly the priesthood and the temple blessings that flow there from."

Brigham Young, who led many of the Mormons to Salt Lake City, UT wrote:

Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African Race? If the White man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so.

Cain slew his brother. . . and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat nose and black skin.

You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild, and seemingly deprived of nearly all the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind. The first man that committed the odious crime of killing one of his brethren will be cursed the longest of any one of the children of Adam. Cain slew his brother. Cain might have been killed, and that would have put a termination to that line of human beings. This was not to be, and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat nose and black skin. Trace mankind down to after the flood, and then another curse is pronounced upon the same race--that they should be the 'servant of servants;' and they will be, until that curse is removed."

The Church teaches that God will not do for us what we can do for ourselves. That means we are charged with working many of these issues out to the best of our ability and when we have done the best we can, we take our conclusions and decisions to the Lord in prayer for confirmation. Sometimes, maybe a lot of times, we get it wrong. But it is only through our effort and persistence that we discover what God wants us to do. This is the process even the general authorities employ. If we strive to get close to and stay in harmony with the the Holy Spirit can we know. One thing the general authorities stress is staying faithful to the end. When they say this I have seen them be more humble than at maybe any other time. I think they know just how hard it is. Certainly more than most of mere mortals.

McCain knows and loves Mormons because the Mormons in Arizona have helped him get elected many times. A lot of people in Arizona share his mother's wrong-headed viewpoints concerning Mormons but do not openly voice them as she did. These like-minded folks are simply bigots. Nothing more and nothing less.

The news media in Phoenix helps out each sweeps week by sending reporters up to Colorado City AZ to breathlessly tell us, for the 10th time, about the nutcakes there who practice polygamy while quietly slandering Mormons who do not.

Just a response to the earlier comment about Bruce R. McConkie's "Mormon Doctrine" being a standard source in all LDS homes. Wrong. This book is considered out-dated by members of the Church and hasn't been used as a source for Mormon doctrine for many years. Even in its heyday it was considered to contain inaccuracies and be too "hard-line" for typical members of the church.

A little understanding can sure ruin a good mad. I suppose that is what missionary work does. It ruins a good mad. It is hard to hate someone when you take the time to seek out correct information about them before drawing conclusions. It doesn't mean you will agree with them but, maybe, you just won't hate them quite so much.