DarkHelmet wrote:Those manuals were written in 1981, so it was apparently still the opinion of the church in 1981 that interracial marriage was "repugnant to most normal-minded people."
When you use quote marks you should quote the material and not what you think it means.
In 1981 racism was stronger then it is now (thought it still exists obviously). Differences in racial background usually (but not always) include(d) some difference in upbringing, values, etc. A different culture.
The interesting thing about this statement is how at odds it was with marriage during polygamy. Women didn't have to marry "their kind."
And this quote is also clear that they do not "have to". It is something to take into consideration though. If I were to date a, let's say, Korean girl who was raised in Korea and has spent only a short time in America there would almost certainly be massive differences in our perceptions of how marriage, family life, child-rearing, and the like should all be done. I would be wise to not marry her until we saw eye to eye on many of those things.
A girl from the poorest family in the area could move into Brigham Young's mansion if she caught his eye. Joseph Smith sent his white missionaries out to marry the Lamanite girls. Was Joseph Smith from the same economic background as Emma Smith?
Hence "generally".