Church Leader: This Race Has A Special Gene That Makes Them More Spiritual

On the LDS.org, in the gospel topics article, Race and the Priesthood, we learn,

“Church leaders today unequivocally condemn all racism, past and present, in any form.”

Racism is defined as

“a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race”

Speaking to the Saints in Tanzania, Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve said,

“I think that the people here have an extra gene in their DNA. That their extra gene in their DNA is a spiritual gene, that many other people in the world don’t have.”

 

Was his comment off the cuff and just meant as a lighthearted praise of the people with no serious scientific or spiritual seriousness to his remarks?

Does he really feel that the people of Tanzania are spiritually superior to other people in the world?

Does that fit the definition of “racism”?

What would have been the response if he had said this to a group of saints in Utah?

 

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