Mormonism and Science

I grew up in the church, my family converted when I was young, probably around 4yrs old, I stayed very active in the church until I was in my teens and started getting that good old, Mormon guilt for my 'many sins I was committing' as a 16yr old girl. Anyways, I haven't been back to a church in 10 years now and am studying Biology in college. I am reviewing materials about the epidermis (skin) layers and was going over the cells within the epi. There are melanocytes, they are a cells that produce a pigment called melanin, this melanin is spread throughout to protect the nucleus of the superficial skin cells. Now onto my thoughts, sorry I was just giving background.

For some reason today it made me think of when I was a kid growing up, I was told that people that weren't white, where descendents of biblical people (I no longer remember who exactly but I think the laminites?) that were cursed for their misdeads against god, and their ancestors are still brown/black to remind them of that curse. Like what..... Looking at science it makes sense, the purpose of these melanocytes is to protect our delicate DNA, and where there is more sun, people have evolved to produce more melanin and visa versa but like that makes so much sense and I am mortified that I grew up thinking that all people of color were cursed and where I didn't think they were all bad people, I believed that they needed to be reminded that their ancestors were and that's why they weren't white.

I don't believe that anymore and haven't for a long time since I started college years ago and left the church but I am truly mortified that I once did, it probably didn't help that I was homeschooled and Mormon but the fact that I grew up in an insanely white state really pushed that narrative. I just kinda wonder if that was a local ward/branch experience I had or if more people were taught that too and how you realized it was a bunch of bull shit.