Polygamy

The practice of marrying multiple spouses at the same time. (When a man marries more than one woman at the same time, it is called polygeny; if a woman is married to more than one man, it is called polyandry.) Characterized in the nineteenth century as one of the “twin relics of barbarism” (the other being slavery), polygamy became prevalent among members of the LDS Church (popularly referred to as Mormons). Also called plural marriage or “spiritual wifery” and sometimes referred to as “celestial marriage,” “eternal marriage,” the “new and everlasting covenant of marriage,” or “the principle,” this repugnant practice typifies the perfect description of the word abominable: engaging in or celebrating something false and disapproved of by God as a religious sacrament. Polygamy is a practice that is plainly and forcefully condemned by the Lord. Listen to me and hearken to the Lord’s word: No man among you is to have more than one wife — and he is not to have any concubines (Jacob 2:7 CE). It is never to be viewed as a divine commandment to “raise up seed” unto God. The practice was vehemently denounced (often and publicly; not just in isolated instances) by Joseph Smith, Jr. and Hyrum Smith while they were alive.¹

The most often discussed issue in Mormon history is polygamy. It is in the center of on-going controversy and continues to be publicly debated. A library of conflicting material has been written to imagine how it started. Therefore, polygamy is a useful topic to illustrate the challenge of reconstructing accurate history. Mormons who followed Brigham Young were told that Joseph Smith introduced polygamy and intended to have it continue. Splinter groups from followers of Young likewise attribute its introduction and necessity to Joseph Smith. The RLDS rejected this idea. They trusted Smith’s widow, Emma Smith, who denied that Joseph ever practiced polygamy. The renamed Community of Christ has, in recent years, begun to concede the point that polygamy was Joseph Smith’s creation.²

There’s ample proof to satisfy anyone that’s willing to look at it that Brigham Young introduced polygamy and certainly practiced it in a form that differed from what was going on while Joseph Smith was alive. Polygamy was not and is not a moral practice. Brigham Young endorsed it, he defended it, he practiced it, and he produced offspring with a lot of women.³ The American public has been more than willing to accept a version of Joseph Smith that was contrived by critics. Ironically, it is the modern believers in Mormonism who attribute greater dishonesty and misconduct to him than did his enemies. When the largest congregation of the many churches of Mormonism (the Latter-day Saints headquartered in Salt Lake City) embraced polygamy, they attributed their abominable practice to Joseph. That LDS claim has become increasingly doubtful over time. Once Brigham Young and the largest Mormon following adopted polygamy, they generated written evidence to vindicate their claim that plural wives was an essential component to Mormonism. The evidence they generated fills volumes. Young’s propaganda (and that of those associated with him) is all most historians need to lay blame onto Joseph for their practice.

However, considering only Joseph’s public statements, it is clear he rejected and condemned polygamy and considered it adulterous and sinful.⁴ The LDS Church under Brigham Young taught that denying the plurality of wives was damnable and that entering into polygamy was a requirement to “become Gods, even the Sons of God”; today they deny this was ever a teaching.⁵ After Joseph’s death, Emma defended his character and said the same thing about Joseph’s virtue as Joseph had said when he was alive. Denver Snuffer has stated, “I don’t think a corrupt fountain can bring forth good water. And I think Joseph was a good fountain, a pure one that brought forth things lovely, virtuous, and of good report. LDS history — because they want to claim authority through Joseph Smith, that there was this continuity because Brigham Young succeeded him, and Brigham Young could not have been a corrupt deviator who innovated and adopted an adulterous practice that Joseph Smith had condemned — they have to turn Joseph into a liar in order to rescue authority they want to claim through Brigham Young. I don’t think Brigham Young deserves to have a life raft thrown at him at the expense of the character of Joseph Smith.”⁶

Referring to the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants, CI (Section 101, “Marriage”), Joseph affirmed it was his belief that: Inasmuch as this church of Christ has been reproached with the crime of fornication, and polygamy; we declare that we believe that one man should have one wife; and one woman, but one husband, except in the case of death, when either is at liberty to marry again. As editor of the Times and Seasons, Joseph disavowed polygamy and stated the foregoing verse was “the only rule allowed by the church.”⁷ He repeated that same position again the following month.⁸ In 1844, Joseph and Hyrum announced the excommunication of Hiram Brown for “preaching Polygamy, and other false and corrupt doctrines, in the county of Lapeer, state of Michigan.”⁹ Hyrum Smith, with Joseph’s approval, published a statement denying plural wives or polygamy, explaining all such teaching was false doctrine: “… some of your elders say, that a man having a certain priesthood, may have as many wives as he pleases, and that doctrine is taught here: I say unto you that that man teaches false doctrine, for there is no such doctrine taught here; neither is there any such thing practiced here.”¹⁰ Joseph and Hyrum continued to fight against the rumors, but the secrets abounded.¹¹

In a very strong, unambiguous published statement, Joseph answered questions about rumors in Nauvoo, specifically about polygamy and a secretive, underground spiritual wife system: “We very frequently receive letters from elders and individuals abroad, inquiring of us whether certain statements that they hear, and have written to them, are true: some pertaining to John C. Bennet[t]’s spiritual wife system; others in regard to immoral conduct, practiced by individuals, and sanctioned by the church; and as it is impossible for us to answer all of them, we take this opportunity of answering them all, once for all. In the first place, we cannot but express our surprise that any elder or priest who has been in Nauvoo, and has had an opportunity of hearing the principles of truth advanced, should for one moment give credence to the idea that anything like iniquity is practiced, much less taught or sanctioned, by the authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We are the more surprised, since every species of iniquity is spoken against, and exposed publicly at the stand, and every means made use of that possibly can be, to suppress vice, both religious and civil; not only so, but every species of iniquity has frequently been exposed in the Times and Seasons, and its practicers and advocates held up to the world as corrupt men that ought to be avoided….We have in our midst corrupt men, (and let no man be astonished at this for ‘the net shall gather in of every kind, good and bad’); these corrupt men circulate corrupt principles… There are other men who are corrupt and sensual, and who teach corrupt principles for the sake of gratifying their sensual appetites, at the expense and ruin of virtue and innocence. Such men ought to be avoided as pests to society, and be frowned down upon with contempt by every virtuous man and woman….If any man writes to you, or preaches to you, doctrines contrary to the Bible, the Book of Mormon, or the book of Doctrine and Covenants, set him down as an imposter [sic]. You need not write to us to know what you are to do with such men; you have the authority with you. Try them by the principles contained in the acknowledged word of God; if they preach, or teach, or practice contrary to that, disfellowship them; cut them off from among you as useless and dangerous branches.”¹²

The basis for much of the claim for authority for plural marriage is the purported revelation contained in Section 132 of the Doctrine and Covenants (first printed in the 1876 edition), the chronology and provenance of which is still ambiguous and uncertain and whose internal inconsistencies contradict a single, consistent, trustworthy narrative.¹³

“No matter how much you may respect Brigham Young, no matter how much you may admire the pioneers in all that they went through, and no matter how much you may respect the sacrifices that were made by good women who were trying to obey God, and put their hearts on an altar, they failed and were condemned. The faithful followers have earned my respect for what they did. They have preserved enough for us to go on. But the men who led were responsible for their errors and they will be held to account for those errors. Women followed these errant men in faith, obeyed and sustained them to lead, did what they could to support their men, raised their children in righteousness as they understood it. As has been so often the case, men apostatize from their responsibility and women remained true and faithful to theirs. Mothers were mothers still, even under that pernicious system. But it needs to come to an end. It must end in order for something ever so much better to finally return. If it does not, those who hold to it will not be numbered among the Family of God when it is restored.”¹⁴ One should be careful what they choose to believe about the Prophet Joseph Smith and the practice of polygamy. Do not choose “the fables designed to excuse adultery and whoredom as if it were approved by God.”¹⁵

“There are many families living in plural marriage who are eager to repent. There are many in plural marriages who have been re-baptized. If already in a plural marriage, do not take another wife, and do not abandon any wife you presently have. The children should be taught to end this practice. We should not judge these families but help them end this practice.”¹⁶ See also aboMINATION; MARRIAGE.