Devil's Representation
In 1881, LDS Church President John Taylor explained why God preserved the 'curse of Cain' through Noah's flood: 'Because it was necessary that the devil should have a representation upon the earth.' In 2013, the Church quietly disavowed these 'theories' - without naming the prophet who taught them.
The following documents racist teachings that caused real harm to Black Latter-day Saints for over a century. These views are presented for historical accountability, not endorsement. We recognize this content may be painful, especially for those whose families were affected.
The Quote
“And after the flood we are told that the curse that had been pronounced upon Cain was continued through Ham’s wife, as he had married a wife of that seed. And why did it pass through the flood? Because it was necessary that the devil should have a representation upon the earth as well as God.” — John Taylor, JoD 22:304 (August 28, 1881)
Lyrics
[Intro]
(Slow Hammond organ, somber)
[Verse 1]
Sunday afternoon in Provo
August, eighteen eighty-one
The prophet rose to tell them
What their God had done
He spoke of Noah's flood
And why the curse survived
"Why did it pass through the water?"
Then the answer he supplied
[Chorus]
The devil needs representation
That's what the prophet told
God designed it, God required it
A people bought and sold
The curse of Cain through Ham's own wife
Preserved by heaven's hand
The devil needs representation
So sayeth the promised land
[Verse 2]
"It was necessary," said the prophet
Speaking plain and speaking clear
Not whispered, not in private
But for every soul to hear
Published in the Journal
For the faithful to receive
The devil needs his people
That's what you're supposed to believe
[Chorus]
[Bridge]
(Tempo slows, choir enters soft)
Two thousand thirteen
An essay finally came
"We disavow the theories"
But they never spoke his name
The devil's representation
Now just "theories of the past"
But for ninety-seven years
Those theories held fast
[Final Chorus]
(Full choir, organ swelling)
The devil had representation
For ninety-seven years they bore the ban
No priesthood, no temple, no promised land
That's what they told the children of God
"Why did it last so long?" we ask
The prophets never told
God's children called the devil's own
By the man who claimed to speak for God
[Outro]
(Organ fading, spoken)
"Because it was necessary that the devil
should have a representation upon the earth"
(Silence)
Historical Context
The Setting: August 28, 1881 — Sunday afternoon, 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 Aftermath:
- 1978 (97 years later): Official Declaration 2 ends priesthood/temple ban
- 2013: “Race and the Priesthood” essay disavows the teaching as “theories advanced in the past” — without naming Taylor
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
Lyric-to-Source Mapping
| Lyric | Source | Type |
|---|---|---|
| “Sunday afternoon in Provo / August, eighteen eighty-one” | JoD 22:297 (sermon header) | Historical |
| “Why did it pass through the water?” | JoD 22:304 (“And why did it pass through the flood?”) | Quote |
| “The devil needs representation” | JoD 22:304 (“the devil should have a representation upon the earth”) | Quote |
| “God designed it, God required it” | JoD 22:304 (“it was necessary”) | Paraphrase |
| “The curse of Cain through Ham’s own wife” | JoD 22:304 (“continued through Ham’s wife”) | Quote |
| “It was necessary” | JoD 22:304 | Quote |
| “Speaking plain and speaking clear” | JoD 22:312 (“God expects me to talk plainly”) | Paraphrase |
| “Two thousand thirteen / An essay finally came” | 2013 Gospel Topics Essay | Historical |
| “We disavow the theories” | 2013 Essay | Quote |
| “For ninety-seven years” | 1881-1978 (97 years) | Historical |
| “No priesthood, no temple, no promised land” | Historical priesthood/temple ban | Historical |
| “Because it was necessary that the devil should have a representation upon the earth” | JoD 22:304 | Quote |
Addressing Apologetic Responses
“Speaking as a man”
Delivered as Church President at an official Stake Conference. Published in the Journal of Discourses. Taylor explicitly claimed divine authority: “God expects me to talk plainly. I have not come here to daub you with untempered mortar, but I tell you the truth” (JoD 22:312).
“Everyone was racist back then”
This wasn’t cultural prejudice — it was claiming God designed it. There’s a vast difference between “I think Black people are inferior” (ignorance) and “God deliberately preserved the curse through the flood so the devil would have representation on earth” (divine architecture). Taylor made God the author of racism.
Abolitionists existed. By 1881, the 13th Amendment was 16 years old. Quakers and many Christians had opposed slavery on theological grounds for decades. Moral clarity was available — the prophet just didn’t have it.
This was also MORE extreme than the culture. Calling Black people “the devil’s representation on earth” wasn’t standard American racism. Taylor took cultural prejudice and gave it cosmic justification.
The defense proves the critique: if prophets are “products of their time,” they don’t transcend culture — they baptize it. So what’s prophetic guidance worth?
“Out of context”
The full context makes it worse. Taylor is explaining WHY God preserved the curse through the flood — as divine design. He asked the question himself: “And why did it pass through the flood?” Then answered: “Because it was necessary that the devil should have a representation upon the earth.”
“Church has disavowed it”
The 2013 essay never mentions John Taylor by name, never quotes this teaching, and never explains how a prophet could be this catastrophically wrong while claiming to speak for God. “Theories advanced in the past” is passive voice that avoids accountability.
Let the prophets speak for themselves.