For decades, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has taught that black people are "inferior" and "cursed" by God because of something sinister that blacks did before they were born.
"And [God] had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity," according to a bizarre passage from the Book of Mormon. "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 not 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."
Shades of the Salem, Massachusetts witch trials of 1692.
So where are the tough questions for Romney from black Republicans? Did they fold up their tents and go into hiding, hoping this religious controversy blows over? They should hold Romney's feet to the fire instead of giving him a free pass. Many blacks view the Mormon church as racist and the African-Americans who make up only one percent of the six million Mormans in the United States are hard-pressed to convince critics otherwise.
"Right now is a great opportunity for the church to say, 'Let's clear the air once and for all,'" Darron Smith, co-editor of the book "Black and Mormon," told USA Today. "But they won't do it. And that's going to put reasonable doubt in people's minds about Romney and the Church."
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