"They love to point to, 'Well, now we have blacks in the priesthood,' " said Timothy Oliver, of Santaquin, who stood near Temple Square in Salt Lake City on Sunday with a sign that stated "No blacks allowed before 1978. Why?" Oliver was one of about 10 demonstrators who positioned themselves in the area as church members gathered in the Salt Lake Tabernacle to celebrate the anniversary.

"What they're doing actually is using the presence of blacks to grease their skids for proselytizing," Oliver said. "They made a politically expedient change of policy, but they haven't changed the doctrine."

Bill McKeever stood outside the northwest corner of Temple Square with a sign advertising the Web site www.seedofcain.com, referring to the scriptural text that was previously used to justify the priesthood ban because dark skin was thought to be a curse on the offspring of Cain, the biblical son of Adam.

"If the Mormon leadership expects their people to repent when they sin, the Mormon Church as a corporation should repent when [it sins]," McKeever said. "If there needs to be an apology, there should be one."

- Erin Alberty