For me, this is an embarrassing question to answer, because I used to be racist. I was born and raised Mormon in Cottonwood, Arizona, USA. I served a mission and was sealed to my wife in the Mesa Arizona temple. I have seen the good that Mormons do in helping the poor and needy but racism is still alive and well within the LDS church. Seven years ago my wife and I decided to leave Mormonism when we began to study the doctrines that Joseph Smith originally proclaimed. I wish I could say that I left the Mormon church because of the racist teachings of Joseph Smith, but that would not be true. My upbringing taught me to think of myself as being superior in God's eyes because of my very white skin, and because of my Mormon heritage. The first time I was taught racist views was when I began reading the Book of Mormon. It claims to tell the history of the American Indians.  It speaks of the two sons (Laman and Lemuel) of a Jewish prophet named Lehi. Laman, Lemuel and their descendants (the Lamanites, i.e. American Indians), being cursed with a dark skin because of their unrighteousness. The story I read is found in 2 Nephi 5:21 -23: 

“And he had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like unto a flint: wherefore, as they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that they might be enticing unto my people the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them. And thus saith the Lord God: I will cause that they shall be loathsome unto thy people, save they shall repent of their iniquities. And cursed shall be the seed of him that mixeth with their seed; for they shall be cursed with the same cursing. And the Lord spake it, and it was done.”

This was the first time that I associated dark skin with being a curse from God. From that point on, I viewed myself as being very righteous because of my skin color. To me, every person that had dark skin was unrighteous, or cursed for their father's transgressions. I later learned from my father that such thinking was incorrect. He told me that people cannot be cursed for the actions taken by their fathers. That would make God unfair. He told me that the reason why American Indians have a darker color of skin was because of some unworthy action in the pre-existence. Therefore, they were cursed because of their own unrighteousness, not because of the actions of their fathers. My father's teachings made me feel better about their curse and feel even more proud about my own white skin color. I knew that I must have been an exceedingly righteous follower of God in the pre-existence.  I know that I am using some Mormon concepts that some may not understand, so let me explain. Mormons believe that before we came to the earth we lived with God in heaven. We were the literal spirit (not the physical, bodily) offspring of God. We were born to our heavenly mother and father through sexual intercourse and received spirit bodies as the result of their unions. God wanted us to become gods, but we could not become gods without receiving physical bodies. God devised a plan in which he would create a world and new physical bodies for us. The plan also required the need for a savior. Two of God's spirit sons, Jesus and Lucifer, wanted to be the savior. Lucifer's plan of salvation was rejected and Jesus' plan was accepted. Lucifer then rebelled against God and convinced one third of God's sons and daughters to join his cause. The resulting war between Lucifer's followers and Jesus' followers caused Lucifer and his followers to be cast out of heaven, never to receive physical bodies or future godhood.

My father's teaching, that men were cursed because of something they did wrong or bad in the pre-existence, is in harmony with teachings from LDS prophets and apostles. Joseph Fielding Smith, tenth prophet and president of the Mormon church, taught: “There is a reason why one man is born black and with other disadvantages, while another is born white with great advantages. The reason is that we once had an estate before we came here, and were obedient; more or less, to the laws that were given us there” (Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 1 p. 61). LDS Apostle, Bruce R. McConkie, taught in his first edition of Mormon Doctrine, “Those who were less valiant in pre-existence and who thereby had certain spiritual restrictions imposed on them during mortality are known to us as the negroes. Such spirits are sent to the earth through the lineage of Cain, the mark put upon him for his rebellion against God and his murder of Abel being a black skin” (pp. 476-477). Joseph Fielding Smith explained this concept in great detail: “Not only was Cain called upon to suffer, but because of wickedness he became the father of an inferior race. A curse was placed upon him and that curse has been continued through his lineage and must do so while time endures. Millions of souls have come into this world cursed with a black skin and have been denied the privilege of Priesthood and the fullness of the blessings of the Gospel. These are the descendants of Cain” (The Way to Perfection, p. 101).

Regrettably, the first prophet of the LDS church, Joseph Smith, believed in his superiority over black people through his teachings. “Are the Mormons abolitionists? No, unless delivering the people from priestcraft, and the priests from the power of Satan, should be considered abolition. But we do not believe in setting the negroes free” (History of the Church, Vol. 3, p. 29).  Joseph, on another occasion said, “Had I anything to do with the negro, I would confine them by strict law to their own species, and put them on a national equalization” (History of the Church, Vol. 5, pp. 217-218). Clearly, Joseph believed in his own superiority over Negroes.

Brigham Young, second prophet of the LDS church, also showed his contempt for blacks in a statement he made concerning the curse of God, “Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 10, page 110). So what does this mean to the LDS church today? Haven't they given the priesthood to the blacks and removed the curse? The answer is: they have removed part of the curse and kept part of the curse. The priesthood has been given to Negroes, but Mormons have not removed their belief that dark skin is a curse from God. The best hope that current Mormon doctrine can provide to dark-skinned people is the idea from The Book of Mormon teaching:

“And it came to pass that those Lamanites who had united with the Nephites were numbered among the Nephites; and their curse was taken from them, and their skin became white like unto the Nephites” (3rd Nephi 2:14-15). Thus, as the Lamanites (the American Indians) repented, their curse was removed, and their skin turned white. Yet, the LDS “curse” (i.e. racism) remains a viable part of their belief system. I am grateful to have discovered the errors of Mormonism and found the hope contained within the true gospel of Jesus Christ. The Bible has helped me know that there really isn't a pre-existence, and has taught me the error of my racist past by showing me that all are equal in God's sight. “Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all” (Colossians 3:11). I pray for my Mormon neighbors that they will begin to see that color of skin is not an indication of character in past lives or current lives, and that they may know the hope and equality that is found in the Biblical Jesus.

PUBLISHED BY

"African ExMormon Foundation" P.O.Box 1187, Monrovia, Liberia, West Africa
Contact: dggbee@africanexmormons.com' or tel. number: +231-6430996;+231-77430996 or andy@concernedchristians.org.