D&C 24:15

And in whatsoever place you shall enter, and they receive you not in my name, he shall leave a cursing instead of a blessing, by casting off the dust of your feet against them as a testimony and cleansing your feet by the wayside.

This verse is evidence of the fact that Joseph and the church would learn "precept by precept" before it (the church) would fully understand it's purpose to gather together the family of man.

This verse is probably consistent with the air of persecution felt in the early church. They were bombarded constantly and had just cause to have ill feelings towards those whose deeds were certainly evil. Religion has the ability to bring out the best and the worst in humans. Tarring and feathering someone who threatens your own religious beliefs is warped thinking on so many levels. Mankind often sets aside the teachings of Jesus in favor of the "angry God of the Old Testament."

Religion often is more a set of beliefs rather than a set of values that guide your behavior. It is best when the beliefs are coupled with teachings that guide us to be loving and compassionate human beings.

Here is a quote from "The Little Purple Book"  (Mormon Women for Ethical Government) page 31: 

"We believe that only kindness, empathy, and pure love can adequately enlarge our souls, strip us of hypocrisy, and help us become reconciled to Jesus Christ and to one another."

That is the behavior that we would expect of a disciple of Jesus Christ.