Devil's Representation
Church President John Taylor taught that God preserved the 'curse of Cain' through Noah's flood so 'the devil should have a representation upon the earth.'
Audio coming soon
The Quote
“Why is it, in fact, that we should have a devil? Why did not the Lord kill him long ago?… He needed the devil and a great many of those who do his bidding just to keep men straight, that we may learn to place our dependence upon God, and trust in Him, and to observe his laws and keep his commandments. When he destroyed the inhabitants of the antediluvian world, he suffered a descendant of Cain to come through the flood in order that he might be properly represented upon the earth.” — John Taylor, JoD 22:304 (August 28, 1881)
Lyrics
[Intro]
(Slow Hammond organ, establishing somber tone)
[Verse 1]
Sunday morning, Provo Stake
August, eighteen eighty-one
The prophet stood for heaven's sake
To teach what God had done
He spoke of spirits before this life
Who cried out to their Lord
"Must we take bodies stained with strife?"
God answered with the sword
[Chorus]
The devil needs representation
God designed it so, the prophet said
One chosen race, one darker nation
The curse of Cain preserved through Ham's own bed
"Why did it pass through the flood?" he asked
Then gave an answer cold
The devil needs representation
That's what the prophet told
[Verse 2]
Not whispered in a quiet room
Not theory, not debate
He preached beneath the August moon
Before the Provo stake
"Suffered a descendant of Cain
To come through the flood"
God preserved the curse, he did explain
To keep Satan's mark in blood
[Bridge]
Two thousand thirteen
The essay finally came
"We disavow" the theories
But won't speak the prophet's name
The devil's representation
Now "theories of the past"
But for a century of separation
Those theories held fast
[Final Chorus]
The devil had representation
For one hundred years and more
Black saints bore the condemnation
Of what their prophet swore
Now disavowed, now forgotten
The words are hard to find
But in the Journal they stay written
For those who seek to find
[Outro]
(Organ fading)
"The devil should have representation upon the earth"
(Silence)
Historical Context
The Setting: August 28, 1881 — Provo Stake Conference. John Taylor was serving as President of the Church.
The Speaker: John Taylor — Third President of the LDS Church (1880-1887). He died in hiding from federal marshals enforcing anti-polygamy laws.
The Theological Claim: Taylor taught that God deliberately preserved the “curse of Cain” through Noah’s flood specifically so “the devil should have a representation upon the earth.” This presents Black people as divinely designated representatives of Satan.
The Modern Disavowal
“Today, the Church disavows the theories advanced in the past that black skin is a sign of divine disfavor or curse…” — “Race and the Priesthood” Gospel Topics Essay, 2013
Addressing Apologetic Responses
“Speaking as a man”
Delivered as Church President at an official Stake Conference. Published in the Journal of Discourses. Used “he” referring to God’s intentional action.
“Out of context”
The full context makes it worse. Taylor is explaining WHY God preserved the curse through the flood — as divine design.
“Church has disavowed it”
The 2013 essay never mentions John Taylor by name or addresses this specific teaching about “devil’s representation.”
Let the prophets speak for themselves.