Free Republic

...if Mitt Romney becomes the...nominee...Critics of Mormonism could well attack the LDS Church's racially-exclusionary past, while its defenders could charge prejudice against the...contemporary LDS Church. The current controversy was sparked when the Washington Post published statements attributed to Randy Bott, a professor at LDS Church-owned Brigham Young University, repeating..."folk doctrine"...once offered to explain the ban... In a nutshell, the folk doctrine alleged that blacks were "cursed" by choices made in a pre-mortal confrontation, known among Mormons as the "war in heaven."... The Washington Post article provoked a strong reaction in Mormon circles...The president of Genesis, a support group for black...

The popular BYU religion professor who last month ignited a public controversy over the views of the LDS Church in regard to blacks and its priesthood -- drawing a sharp rebuke from the church -- is retiring in June with plans to serve a mission. Randy Bott's son confirmed to the Herald on Wednesday that Bott, a religion professor, was retiring and planned to serve. This has been his father's plan for at least the last year, he said. In a Washington Post article in February about Mitt Romney's presidential candidacy, Bott was quoted by reporter Jason Horowitz as saying...

BYU students have many options when they choose classes to fulfill 14 required religion credits. Options range from classes that study world religions to Church history, temples, living prophets, and even missionary preparation. Missionary preparation is a two-credit class, in which students learn skills that will help them if they decide to serve a full-time mission, as well as be a member missionary for the rest of their lives. "Our program is a support to the training that the Missionary Training Center gives," said Brent L. Top, chair of the Church History and Doctrine Department at BYU. "The Missionary Training...