New Beginning: Blacks Giving the Mormon Church a second look..

A New Beginning: Blacks Giving the Mormon Church a second look

Angela Carson used to jump up and frequently yell "Hallelujah!" in church. Now, she sits in the middle pew and sings quietly, with a softer, gentler demeanor.

Carson, a 28-year-old black woman, left her Baptist church in New York last year feeling uninspired and removed from the congregation. She visited many traditional black churches, but she found her new home with the Harlem branch of the Mormon church.

The religious pillars of service and community outreach appealed to Carson, but so did something that may surprise many blacks: the commitment to diversity she saw at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"I was approached by two younger African-American Mormon missionaries, and it made me think about the church in a different way," she said. "So many people have asked me why I joined a racist religion, which makes me sad that people would think this faith teaches hate."

To read more: http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/05/31/faith/zdd38e874d718daa2882574580060d8a2.txt