This particular teaching of the LDS Church is one of the three main reasons I left the Mormon Church.
In order to believe in Mormonism, the acceptance of man living with God before the earth was created is a must. They teach that mankind was created spiritually through a sexual union between God and one of his billions of wives. Your behavior in the pre-existence determined which family you’re born into, where and when you would live your mortal life and what color of skin you’d have here. If you had anything less than stellar behavior there, the chances of you being born “white and delightsome” here were slim to nothing.
I was taught in countless Sacrament Meetings, Primary, MIA classes and LDS Seminary that my black curly hair, dark brown eyes and olive skin was proof I hadn’t been valiant. I always wondered what the millions of other people must’ve done to deserve being born in Africa or China. In the end my biggest question was why God suddenly liked my family in June of 1978 when we hadn’t changed anything in our behavior. Kimball’s revelation was the first time I started questioning the leadership.
