Q. Why did Eldridge Cleaver, the most famous member of the "Black Panthers" later in life become a Black Mormon (a Member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)?

A. Because he discovered it was the best thing for his people.

Eldridge Cleaver was one of the first members of the Black Pather Party; a radical pro-Marxist Black Nationalist group founded in Oakland, California, in the mid-1960s by Bobby Seale and Huey Lewis. Cleaver soon joined, and became the "Minister of Information". He is the one who spoke to the Press.

Although few in numbers, the Black Panthers gained a lot of media attention during the late sixties into the mid-70s. They were involved in a number of shoot-outs with Oakland Police. They also conducted charity breakfasts and other charitable activities in the black community. Eventually, chapters of the Black Panther Party were formed in most major cities in the U.S.

While in prison, Cleaver wrote Soul on Ice ; a commentary on prison life and racism in America. It became an international bestseller and basically the "manifesto" of the Black Nationalist movement in America and abroad. He also ran for President of the United States in the Black Panther Party. He got comparatively few votes, but much press.

Cleaver got into a shoot-out with Oakland police in 1969 in which one Black Panther and one Oakland police officer was killed. The Panthers said it was self-defence. Oakland police said otherwise. In any case, Cleaver was formed to flee to Algeria; a socialist-state with close ties to Marxist states. Cleaver was "wined and dined" by many Communist and Socialist states; including the Soviet Union and Cuba.

However, while in these countries Cleaver began to see that they were not "worker's paradises" as he had been led to believe. He saw that the bone-crushing poverty. He saw that the leaders of the nation lived in luxery while the rest were poor. He saw that they had no freedom of speech whatsoever. They were....for all practical purposes.... slaves.

Cleaver became disillusioned with Maxism-Leninism. He later describes that one night while in Cuba he looked up to the Moon, and saw the faces of Marx and Mao Tse-Tung and Castro and all his "heros" appearing, and then fading away. At that night, he remembered the sermons of his Baptist grandfather; a minister. That night, he got on his knees and asked Jesus to become His Lord and Savior. He lost faith in his false "gods", and accepted Jesus.

After he became a born-again Christian many Evangelical Christian ministries "wined and dined" him; just like the Communists did. All wanted a "piece" of him. He was world-famous. He was offered a ministry of his own on television. He would make MILLIONS, and share it, of course, with his Evangelical Christian backers.

He declined!

He told them that he was not interested in becoming rich and famous as a preacher; on television or off. He was interested in his people. Specifically, he was worried about the millions of young African-American men in prisons. What would happen to them? He was once "one" of them. He started a prison-ministry.

During this time he also lost faith in the "social agenda" of the Demoratic Party of the U.S. He saw more and more African-Americans being born in poverty, living in poverty, and dying in poverty. He saw the Democratic Party's "welfare state" as a means of "controlling" blacks; keeping them down by placating them with "forced poverty" via welfare. He decided to become a Republican.

As a Republican he was (as always) asked to speak. The Republicans "wined and dined" him; just as the Communists had, or the Evangelicals had. The Moonies had several anti-Communist organizations, and Cleaver was asked to speak at these. The Moonies wanted him to become a Moonie. He studied it, but never joined.

While speaking with a Moonie anti-Communist organization Cleaver met Cleon Skousen; former FBI agent, former Chief of Police of Salt Lake City, popular Mormon writer, and founder of the Freeman Institute(now called the National Center for Constitutional Studies); an organization which tries to educate the public about what the Constitution means. Skousen asked Cleaver to speak at a few Freeman Institute meetings. The two become friends.

Over the next few years Cleaver met other Mormons. As a Black Panther he had derided the Mormons as "white racists" who hated blacks. He saw otherwise. Over the years he began to study the doctrines of the Mormon Church; especially those concerning the family. The Mormons did not "wine and dine" him as the others had. They did not offer him his own "ministry"; nor great sums of money. Cleaver began to see something "different" in the Mormons.

Cleaver eventually became convinced that it wasn't "social programs" that would save his people from poverty. It wasn't even the Republican offer of "self-help". He began to see that the "key" was strong families; led by righteous men who ruled those families in righteousness. He got to know many Mormon families, and saw this for himself.

In 1980 Cleaver asked to be baptized into the Mormon Church (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). But, he was still on probation, and was told that nobody on probation could be baptized. Cleaver waited until 1984, and then was baptized into the Church. He became a Mormon.

Over the next few years Cleaver's activity in the Mormon Church was not consistent, but he always referred to himself as a "Mormon and a Christian". He died in 1989.

There have been Black Mormons since 1832; only 2 years after the Church was founded. Black males were not ordained to the Priesthood in the Mormon Church until 1978; which has led many to believe that the Church was, or still is, a "white racist" organization.

Nothing could be further from the truth!

The Prophet Joseph Smith (1805-1844) was a great advocate for the rights of black people. He may have inspired Abraham Lincoln; who was a young man in Illinois at the same time Joseph Smith ran for President and wanted to set blacks free (1843).

The TRUTH about Mormons and Black Folks is contained in the following article:

Black Mormons & The Priesthood-ban: Frequently Asked Questions.  http://www.angelfire.com/mo2/blackmormon/index.html

Please read it! You're read AMAZING things! It is about 15 pages online; in two parts.

Why would a Black Panther become a Black Mormon? Read for yourselves.....