There are plenty of other things that the church can improve on – why take on a practice that is no longer relevant?

I appreciate the above quote because it correctly identifies the start of the serious racism in the church with Brigham Young, not Joseph Smith

2 Nephi 5: 21
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 not be enticing unto my people, the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them.

Alma 3: 6
And the skins of the Lamanites were dark, according to the mark which was set upon their fathers, which was a curse upon them because of their transgression and their rebellion against their brethren, who consisted of Nephi, Jacob and Joseph, and Sam, who were just and holy men.

2 Nephi 30: 6 …their scales of darkness shall begin to fall from their eyes; and many generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a white and a delightsome people.

3 Nephi 2:15
And their curse was taken from them, and their skin became white like unto the Nephites.

Jacob 3: 5, 8-9
5. Behold, the Lamanites your brethren, whom ye hate because of their filthiness and the cursing which hath come upon their skins, are more righteous than you; for they have not forgotten the commandment of the Lord, which was given unto our father—that they should have save it were one wife, and concubines they should have none, and there should not be whoredoms committed among them.
8. O my brethren, I fear that unless ye shall repent of your sins that their skins will be whiter than yours, when ye shall be brought with them before the throne of God.
9. Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you, which is the word of God, that ye revile no more against them because of the darkness of their skins; neither shall ye revile against them because of their filthiness; but ye shall remember your own filthiness, and remember that their filthiness came because of their fathers.

Moses 7:22
And Enoch also beheld the residue of the people which were the sons of Adam; and they were a mixture of all the seed of Adam save it was the seed of Cain, for the seed of Cain were black, and had not place among them.

Abraham 1:21-24,27
21. Now this king of Egypt was a descendant from the loins of Ham, and was a partaker of the blood of the Canaanites by birth.
22. From this descent sprang all the Egyptians, and thus the blood of the Canaanites was preserved in the land.
23. The land of Egypt being first discovered by a woman, who was the daughter of Ham, and the daughter of Egyptus, which in the Chaldean signifies Egypt, which signifies that which is forbidden;
24. When this woman discovered the land it was under water, who afterward settled her sons in it; and thus, from Ham, sprang that race which preserved the curse in the land.
27. Now, Pharaoh being of that lineage by which he could not have the right of Priesthood, notwithstanding the Pharaohs would fain claim it from Noah, through Ham, therefore my father was led away by their idolatry;

“There is a lot of folklore and misinformation about black members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“This will help: http://blacksinthescriptures.com/in-the-news/

Study the Scriptures, pray and fast, seeking and listening to the Holy Spirit. . .”

He is right about folklore and misinformation about black members of the CoJCoLDS, but fails to mention that the misinformation comes from the LDS church itself. The sad thing is that the most so-called “anti-Mormon” publications are the church’s own: The Book of Mormon, the Book of Abraham (especially the Book of Abraham), the Journal of Discourses, B.H. Roberts’ History of the Church, and virtually any lesson manual. Mormons are their own worst enemies and their own publications are evidence of how demonstrably false it is.