Leonard J. Arrington tells Thomas F. O'Dea that the priesthood ban is "one of the biggest stumbling blocks" for some of the "liberals" in the Church.

Date
Oct 7, 1957
Type
Letter
Source
Leonard J. Arrington
LDS
Hearsay
Direct
Reference

Letter of Leonard J. Arrington to Thomas F. O'Dea, October 7, 1957, Call Number LJAHA 1, Series V, Box 3, Folder 6, Special Collections and Archives, Merrill-Cazier Library, Utah State University

Scribe/Publisher
Merrill-Cazier Library
People
Gaylon Caldwell, Eugene E. Campbell, Leonard J. Arrington, Lowry Nelson, Meredith Wilson, Thomas F. O'Dea
Audience
Thomas F. O'Dea
PDF
Transcription

I thought your chapter on the problem of the intellectual was particularly good. The one problem which seems to disturb many at this particular time, and which you did not mention, was the problem of the Negro and the priesthood. (As you know, he cannot hold the Priesthood which means that he can join the Church but is a kind of second-class member.) People like Meredith Wilson, the president of the University of Oregon; Eugene E. Campbell, of the Histoey Department at B. Y. U.; Gaylon Cal.well, of the Pol. Sci. Dept. at B.Y.U.; and others find this the biggest stumbling-block. Lowry Nelson, as you know, has published a criticism of the Church on this score. I am sure that you are aware of this problem, and I mention it only to emphasize that it is one of the biggest stumbling blocks for some of the "liberals" in the Church.

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