SNIP Until 1978, the LDS church banned men of African descent from its priesthood... SNIP The LDS church has neither formally apologized for the priesthood ban nor publicly repudiated many of the theories used to justify it for more than 125 years. SNIP ...many blacks perceive the LDS church as racist... ...Rev. O’Neal Dozier told The Palm Beach Post...“The Book of Mormon says the Negro skin is cursed.” ...another Mormon scripture, The Pearl of Great Price, says, “blackness came upon” Cain’s descendants, who were “despised among all people.” SNIP ...Tim Russert noted that Romney was 31 when the priesthood ban...