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Show The National Enterprise , November 17, 1976 Page eleven Wilfred P. LTtren, a Tulsa petroleum engineer, will soon join Flynn Energy Corporation (OTC 3.625, 4.125) as the corporate vice president. According to the president of Flynn Energy, Don M. Flynn, Mr. Uhren has over 18 years business experience in virtually all phases of the oil and gas industry, both domestic and international, and with majors and independents. Uhren spent 12 years with Sinclair Oil Corporation and Atlantic Richfield Company in various technical and management positions at subsidiary levels and the corporate headquarters in New York City. After a two year executive association with a diversified private enterprise in Oklahoma City, he joined Petro-Lewi- s Corporation in Denver, where, five the during past years, he has had responsibility for limited partnerships sales, producing property acquisitions and joint ventures. Most recently he was the vice president in charge of land, legal and gas marketing. Aaron Brothers Corporation (OTC 5.75, 6.50) has named Martin Goodside senior vice president. His 17 year association with Aaron Brothers has been in the positions of manager of the Burbank Art Mart, vice president, and director of retail marketing. Mr. Goodside is also a member of the board of Aaron Brothers. In his capacity, he will collaborate as an assistant to Len Aaron, president, and serve as director of retail merchandising and be responsible for coordination of retail advertising. Aaron Brothers Corporation operates 35 Art Marts throughout California, Arizona, and Nevada. Alan K. Stagg has been appointed to the posts of senior vice president of Gulf Energy Corporation (OTC .18, .23) and of Coal-Incorporated, a Gulf X subsidiary. Russell II. Greene, a vice president of Coal-X- , has also been named a vice president of Gulf Energy Corporation. The Plains Baptist Church seems to have made the right decision last Sunday. Im not sure what their new will mean over the long term, but committee screening we are told that they will now admit blacks. Anything short of this will clearly be indefensible. Jimmy Carter had said just before the election that he would resign from a country club practicing discrimination. The Plains Baptist Church belonged to God on the other hand. He was only a member and didnt control it. The implication seems to be that God discriminated against blacks last week but next week and from now on He wont. When you think about it, that's pretty big news. Ive been thinking about all this for the last few days and I must say that I am not able to see any significant difference between discrimination in the local country club or the local church. The local country club always appears worse. . .rich people saying they don't want to associate with Blacks or Jew's, etc. But in a more incurable sense I think that church discrimination is really worse. Despite the fact that Gods true church" in Plains has finally taken a step towards equality, I can think of a few other of His true churches" that havent. To be specific let me talk about what people in Utah refer to as "The Church." The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints the Mormons. You may or may not realize it, but Mormons will not let Blacks into the priesthood. I might add that w'omen cant get in either but thats another day and another subject. Anyway, if you are a Mormon male, you want and someday expect to be admitted to the priesthood. If you are Black, forget it. Ever sec any Mormon missionaries in black Africa. Blacks are welcome in the church, but they cant have the big prize. Now most Mormons can look you right in the eye and tell you that they have nothing against Blacks. And I might add that they really think they are telling the truth. The priesthood (wouldnt you know) is controlled by God. Mormons arent telling blacks that they cant join the In other words," a Mormon will tell priesthood. God is. you, dont tell me its not fair, tell God." The assumption is that God is a perfectly fair creature and He must have His reason for practicing what would appear to be petty racism. Well, its hard to deal with this kind of approach. Its not enough to convince a Mormon that he is wrong, but one also has to change the thinking of his God who might not even exist. Ive had Mormons tell me that if the priesthood is true" then they are simply following Gods instruction. Who can argue with that? If it is false" then they are simply denying the Black man a false" priesthood. Why would he care? But the problem runs deeper than that. As you probably know, the Mormons are an aggressive and growing church. Their young men and often women spend about tw'o years of their life on missions." They hard sell their church and they get results. One could assume that the eventual goal is that of converting the entire w'orld. As they get more converts in more areas, they will get more problems. Its easy for them in Salt Lake. There are very few Blacks. But one must keep in mind that if you have even a single drop of Black bloodin you (what ever that means), you can not hold the priesthood. As 1 say, in Salt Lake they can live in their world of contradiction. There is very little chance that their lilly white daughter will marry a Black man. But what if more Black people moved to our city? Would they allow their children to date the Black children knowing what could happen? Its a question that most of them dont but some day. . . have to face at this time When you come right down to it their policy has to change or they will have to become more overtly racist as more and more Blacks move into this area. Nothing, I suppose, could be much worse for a Mormon than having his children marry a Black. No doubt that there arc some people who would argue that human sacrifice in the name of religion isnt killing. I wouldnt. Nor would I say that discrimination in the name of religion isnt simple bigotry. Thats what it is and thats all there is to it. And the irony, I might add, is that the evidence seems to suggest that all human life began in the tropics hundreds of thousands of years ago. The best bet seems to be that all human life wras originally Black. White skin is simply an adaptation to northern climate. So that the real kicker is that no one is worthy of the priesthood. We all have black blood in us. Some progress perhaps in Plains. A long way to go in Utah. The Prince Column by John Prince Partner, Prince, Iangheinrich & Greer. |