Church Essays on Polygamy

[inho]

Who is this "Parker's blog" person (the link in Joel's article title) - what do you suppose his motive is, Rensai? I see the same man writes for the blog By Common Consent, which is frequently linked to on LDSFF.

Benjamin E. Park is an assistant professor in history. He did his PhD at the University of Cambridge. His view is an accurate representation of the scholarly consensus on these things. My understanding is that he is also a believing member of the church.

[inho]

Episode 135: A Blessing, a Confirmation

Join Lindsay as she interviews American historian Ben Park who talks about the exciting and shocking confirmation of Joseph Smith’s polygamy found in a blessing given to Sarah Ann Whitney by Joseph Smith and written in his own hand.

[Rensai]

Many of the polygamist groups only do it because they believe they have to (fear)to be saved in God's Kingdom. That's the only reason we as Mormons entertain it...but we know better and that it's not required to be "saved". So then arrangements should be based on practicality not religious beliefs. And it's ultimately practical for 1 man and 1 woman to pair off. Ya some will get the short end of the stick but statistically it's insignificant to change the best way of doing it.

That is a rather gross over-simplification of what motivates polygamists. As for arrangements in today's society it seems monogamy is destroying us at the demographic level. The future of the LDS Church as an inter-generational institution is at stake. Either polygamy or more of our single sisters arranging meetings with men like this http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... gnate.html may be the only hope.

I know you love the idea of polygamy, but it will never work. In every instance it has been tried it does more harm than good. It is not a solution. Give it up for your own good. Marriage is between one man and one woman period.

[Fiannan]

Many of the polygamist groups only do it because they believe they have to (fear)to be saved in God's Kingdom. That's the only reason we as Mormons entertain it...but we know better and that it's not required to be "saved". So then arrangements should be based on practicality not religious beliefs. And it's ultimately practical for 1 man and 1 woman to pair off. Ya some will get the short end of the stick but statistically it's insignificant to change the best way of doing it.

That is a rather gross over-simplification of what motivates polygamists. As for arrangements in today's society it seems monogamy is destroying us at the demographic level. The future of the LDS Church as an inter-generational institution is at stake. Either polygamy or more of our single sisters arranging meetings with men like this http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... gnate.html may be the only hope.

I know you love the idea of polygamy, but it will never work. In every instance it has been tried it does more harm than good. It is not a solution. Give it up for your own good. Marriage is between one man and one woman period.

I am only married to one woman, although I have had a couple of women in the past more than hint that if I formed a polygamist sect they would want to join.

Don't you think it is a blanket statement to say that polygamy cannot work? It sounds like the comments I see on videos and discussions in which men who ascribe to the MGTOW idea say that marriage itself cannot work. Voltaire thought marriage was exploitive to both men and women, though he offered no positive alternative so that society could continue to reproduce. Ultimately marriage is a business contract and an agreement to share in raising children. I see no reason why three or four individuals could not work out arrangements to the benefit of all parties involved, especially the children.

[Arenera]

From Eliza Snow:

When first plural marriage was suggested to me, … I would not listen to the matter. The idea was repugnant, abhorrent. I was like any other young woman who had beaux and suitors for her hand. I wanted to share a husband with no woman. But I was told it was God’s command, and I went to God and asked God to enlighten me, and he did. I saw and felt that plural marriage was not only right, but that it was the only true manner of living up to the gospels, and I quenched my womanly emotions and entered the order

In Nauvoo I first understood that the practice of plurality of wives was to be introduced into the church. The subject was very repugnant to my feelings — so directly was it in opposition to my educated prepossessions, that it seemed as though all the prejudices of my ancestors for generations past congregated around me. But when I reflected that I was living in the Dispensation of the fulness of times, embracing all other Dispensations, surely Plural Marriage must necessarily be included, and I consoled myself with the idea that it was far in the distance, and beyond the period of my mortal existence. It was not long however, after I received the first intimation, before the announcement reached me that the “set time” had come — that God had commanded his servants to establish the order, by taking additional wives — I knew that God … was speaking. … As I increased in knowledge concerning the principle and design of Plural Marriage, I grew in love with it. …

I was sealed to the Prophet, Joseph Smith, for time and eternity, in accordance with the Celestial Law of Marriage which God has revealed — the ceremony being performed by a servant of the Most High — authorized to officiate in sacred ordinances. This, one of the most important circumstances of my life, I have never had cause to regret.

When married to Joseph, Eliza was pregnant with their child. In a fit a rage, Emma threw Eliza down stairs. Eliza lost the baby.

[Rensai]

From Eliza Snow:

When first plural marriage was suggested to me, … I would not listen to the matter. The idea was repugnant, abhorrent. I was like any other young woman who had beaux and suitors for her hand. I wanted to share a husband with no woman. But I was told it was God’s command, and I went to God and asked God to enlighten me, and he did. I saw and felt that plural marriage was not only right, but that it was the only true manner of living up to the gospels, and I quenched my womanly emotions and entered the order

In Nauvoo I first understood that the practice of plurality of wives was to be introduced into the church. The subject was very repugnant to my feelings — so directly was it in opposition to my educated prepossessions, that it seemed as though all the prejudices of my ancestors for generations past congregated around me. But when I reflected that I was living in the Dispensation of the fulness of times, embracing all other Dispensations, surely Plural Marriage must necessarily be included, and I consoled myself with the idea that it was far in the distance, and beyond the period of my mortal existence. It was not long however, after I received the first intimation, before the announcement reached me that the “set time” had come — that God had commanded his servants to establish the order, by taking additional wives — I knew that God … was speaking. … As I increased in knowledge concerning the principle and design of Plural Marriage, I grew in love with it. …

I was sealed to the Prophet, Joseph Smith, for time and eternity, in accordance with the Celestial Law of Marriage which God has revealed — the ceremony being performed by a servant of the Most High — authorized to officiate in sacred ordinances. This, one of the most important circumstances of my life, I have never had cause to regret.

When married to Joseph, Eliza was pregnant with their child. In a fit a rage, Emma threw Eliza down stairs. Eliza lost the baby.

More lies.

http://restorationbookstore.org/article ... 1/chp9.htm

In an effort to prove that Joseph Smith was the author of polygamy in the Church, members of the LDS Church have proclaimed for over one hundred and fifty years that Eliza R. Snow was one of Joseph's plural wives in Nauvoo—and that Emma Smith in a jealous rage beat Eliza and shoved her down the Mansion House stairs, causing her to give birth prematurely to Joseph's child, who died. This story is false because the Mansion House stairs and hallway are constructed in such a way that the supposed altercation between Emma and Eliza could not have happened the way the story was reported. And even though Eliza lived with the Smiths for a short time at the Homestead, she never lived with them at the Mansion House, and her diary proves that she did not have an altercation with Emma.

[Rensai]

Many of the polygamist groups only do it because they believe they have to (fear)to be saved in God's Kingdom. That's the only reason we as Mormons entertain it...but we know better and that it's not required to be "saved". So then arrangements should be based on practicality not religious beliefs. And it's ultimately practical for 1 man and 1 woman to pair off. Ya some will get the short end of the stick but statistically it's insignificant to change the best way of doing it.

That is a rather gross over-simplification of what motivates polygamists. As for arrangements in today's society it seems monogamy is destroying us at the demographic level. The future of the LDS Church as an inter-generational institution is at stake. Either polygamy or more of our single sisters arranging meetings with men like this http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... gnate.html may be the only hope.

I know you love the idea of polygamy, but it will never work. In every instance it has been tried it does more harm than good. It is not a solution. Give it up for your own good. Marriage is between one man and one woman period.

I am only married to one woman, although I have had a couple of women in the past more than hint that if I formed a polygamist sect they would want to join.

Don't you think it is a blanket statement to say that polygamy cannot work? It sounds like the comments I see on videos and discussions in which men who ascribe to the MGTOW idea say that marriage itself cannot work. Voltaire thought marriage was exploitive to both men and women, though he offered no positive alternative so that society could continue to reproduce. Ultimately marriage is a business contract and an agreement to share in raising children. I see no reason why three or four individuals could not work out arrangements to the benefit of all parties involved, especially the children.

Yes, it is a blanket statement but its from God so I'm sure its right. Polygamy might work for a time, maybe even an entire life on earth for some, though the odds are greatly against it. However, it will NEVER lead to the kind of relationship required for an eternal marriage. That is why God has always forbidden it. If it could lead to an eternal marriage, he would allow it.

[EmmaLee]

Who is this "Parker's blog" person (the link in Joel's article title) - what do you suppose his motive is, Rensai? I see the same man writes for the blog By Common Consent, which is frequently linked to on LDSFF.

Benjamin E. Park is an assistant professor in history. He did his PhD at the University of Cambridge. His view is an accurate representation of the scholarly consensus on these things. My understanding is that he is also a believing member of the church.

The inference being that the LDS Church believes that not only did its founding Prophet, THE Prophet of the last dispensation, Joseph Smith, not get his 1st wife's permission and approval for these other wives, but he intentionally snuck around behind his wife's back to marry and have sex with other women, lying to Emma all the while, correct?

[Arenera]

Who is this "Parker's blog" person (the link in Joel's article title) - what do you suppose his motive is, Rensai? I see the same man writes for the blog By Common Consent, which is frequently linked to on LDSFF.

Benjamin E. Park is an assistant professor in history. He did his PhD at the University of Cambridge. His view is an accurate representation of the scholarly consensus on these things. My understanding is that he is also a believing member of the church.

The inference being that the LDS Church believes that not only did its founding Prophet, THE Prophet of the last dispensation, Joseph Smith, not get his 1st wife's permission and approval for these other wives, but he intentionally snuck around behind his wife's back to marry and have sex with other women, lying to Emma all the while, correct?

God commands. Emma didn’t want anything to do with it. That is a contention point for sure.

[Arenera]

That is a rather gross over-simplification of what motivates polygamists. As for arrangements in today's society it seems monogamy is destroying us at the demographic level. The future of the LDS Church as an inter-generational institution is at stake. Either polygamy or more of our single sisters arranging meetings with men like this http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... gnate.html may be the only hope.

I know you love the idea of polygamy, but it will never work. In every instance it has been tried it does more harm than good. It is not a solution. Give it up for your own good. Marriage is between one man and one woman period.

I am only married to one woman, although I have had a couple of women in the past more than hint that if I formed a polygamist sect they would want to join.

Don't you think it is a blanket statement to say that polygamy cannot work? It sounds like the comments I see on videos and discussions in which men who ascribe to the MGTOW idea say that marriage itself cannot work. Voltaire thought marriage was exploitive to both men and women, though he offered no positive alternative so that society could continue to reproduce. Ultimately marriage is a business contract and an agreement to share in raising children. I see no reason why three or four individuals could not work out arrangements to the benefit of all parties involved, especially the children.

Yes, it is a blanket statement but its from God so I'm sure its right. Polygamy might work for a time, maybe even an entire life on earth for some, though the odds are greatly against it. However, it will NEVER lead to the kind of relationship required for an eternal marriage. That is why God has always forbidden it. If it could lead to an eternal marriage, he would allow it.

“That is why God has always forbidden it.” Incorrecto!

Abraham. Moses. Jacob / Israel.

[inho]

The inference being that the LDS Church believes that not only did its founding Prophet, THE Prophet of the last dispensation, Joseph Smith, not get his 1st wife's permission and approval for these other wives, but he intentionally snuck around behind his wife's back to marry and have sex with other women, lying to Emma all the while, correct?

I did actually talk only about the academic view on the Joseph Smith's polygamy. However, you are right in saying that it is also LDS Church's stance that Emma didn't know of all the marriages. This comes from the essay Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo published in lds.org:

Emma approved, at least for a time, of four of Joseph Smith’s plural marriages in Nauvoo, and she accepted all four of those wives into her household. She may have approved of other marriages as well. But Emma likely did not know about all of Joseph’s sealings. She vacillated in her view of plural marriage, at some points supporting it and at other times denouncing it.

[Rensai]

Who is this "Parker's blog" person (the link in Joel's article title) - what do you suppose his motive is, Rensai? I see the same man writes for the blog By Common Consent, which is frequently linked to on LDSFF.

Benjamin E. Park is an assistant professor in history. He did his PhD at the University of Cambridge. His view is an accurate representation of the scholarly consensus on these things. My understanding is that he is also a believing member of the church.

The inference being that the LDS Church believes that not only did its founding Prophet, THE Prophet of the last dispensation, Joseph Smith, not get his 1st wife's permission and approval for these other wives, but he intentionally snuck around behind his wife's back to marry and have sex with other women, lying to Emma all the while, correct?

Don't buy into the lies. Joseph never had anything to do with polygamy. There is zero contemporary evidence or accounts of Joseph ever practicing it. Just journals and lies from polygamists years after he was gone. He didn't do it, he was a real prophet, not some adulterous scumbag sneaking around behind Emma's back. Many of the lies have already been disproven and the rest are simply hearsay.

As God already said in Jacob 2, those who think polygamy is doctrinal don't understand the scriptures.

23 But the word of God burdens me because of your grosser crimes. For behold, thus saith the Lord: This people begin to wax in iniquity; they understand not the scriptures, for they seek to excuse themselves in committing whoredoms, because of the things which were written concerning David, and Solomon his son.

Brigham and the polygamists did the same as these wicked nephites, seeking to justify many wives, and they have been caught lying so many times in their attempts to drag Joseph into it that they have zero credibility. They all signed a statement and swore that Joseph had nothing to do with any polygamy... until years later in Utah, when suddenly they needed to use his credibility to convince the women to go along with that crap so they started lying and getting women to claim they were married to Joseph, altering his journal and other records, etc. Just ignore it all and keep faith. Joseph was a real prophet, he never committed adultery or polygamy, which is the same thing, and he never ever taught it, but always spoke strongly against it. Its the scriptures and Joseph against Brigham and the polygamists. It shouldn't be a hard choice.

[Lizzy60]

Who is this "Parker's blog" person (the link in Joel's article title) - what do you suppose his motive is, Rensai? I see the same man writes for the blog By Common Consent, which is frequently linked to on LDSFF.

Benjamin E. Park is an assistant professor in history. He did his PhD at the University of Cambridge. His view is an accurate representation of the scholarly consensus on these things. My understanding is that he is also a believing member of the church.

The inference being that the LDS Church believes that not only did its founding Prophet, THE Prophet of the last dispensation, Joseph Smith, not get his 1st wife's permission and approval for these other wives, but he intentionally snuck around behind his wife's back to marry and have sex with other women, lying to Emma all the while, correct?

Don't buy into the lies. Joseph never had anything to do with polygamy. There is zero contemporary evidence or accounts of Joseph ever practicing it. Just journals and lies from polygamists years after he was gone. He didn't do it, he was a real prophet, not some adulterous scumbag sneaking around behind Emma's back. Many of the lies have already been disproven and the rest are simply hearsay.

As God already said in Jacob 2, those who think polygamy is doctrinal don't understand the scriptures.

23 But the word of God burdens me because of your grosser crimes. For behold, thus saith the Lord: This people begin to wax in iniquity; they understand not the scriptures, for they seek to excuse themselves in committing whoredoms, because of the things which were written concerning David, and Solomon his son.

Brigham and the polygamists did the same as these wicked nephites, seeking to justify many wives, and they have been caught lying so many times in their attempts to drag Joseph into it that they have zero credibility. They all signed a statement and swore that Joseph had nothing to do with any polygamy... until years later in Utah, when suddenly they needed to use his credibility to convince the women to go along with that crap so they started lying and getting women to claim they were married to Joseph, altering his journal and other records, etc. Just ignore it all and keep faith. Joseph was a real prophet, he never committed adultery or polygamy, which is the same thing, and he never ever taught it, but always spoke strongly against it. Its the scriptures and Joseph against Brigham and the polygamists. It shouldn't be a hard choice.

So what can a person do about every teacher in the church -- Seminary, Institute, ward Sunday School, etc, being instructed by the Prophets, Seers, and Revelators to teach from the Gospel Essays when students are questioning polygamy, backs and PH and the other sensitive topics?

This is a conundrum for those who don't believe Joseph was a polygamist (and I personally know one prominent 70 who doesn't believe he ever had more than one wife).

[Arenera]

Who is this "Parker's blog" person (the link in Joel's article title) - what do you suppose his motive is, Rensai? I see the same man writes for the blog By Common Consent, which is frequently linked to on LDSFF.

Benjamin E. Park is an assistant professor in history. He did his PhD at the University of Cambridge. His view is an accurate representation of the scholarly consensus on these things. My understanding is that he is also a believing member of the church.

The inference being that the LDS Church believes that not only did its founding Prophet, THE Prophet of the last dispensation, Joseph Smith, not get his 1st wife's permission and approval for these other wives, but he intentionally snuck around behind his wife's back to marry and have sex with other women, lying to Emma all the while, correct?

Don't buy into the lies. Joseph never had anything to do with polygamy. There is zero contemporary evidence or accounts of Joseph ever practicing it. Just journals and lies from polygamists years after he was gone. He didn't do it, he was a real prophet, not some adulterous scumbag sneaking around behind Emma's back. Many of the lies have already been disproven and the rest are simply hearsay.

As God already said in Jacob 2, those who think polygamy is doctrinal don't understand the scriptures.

23 But the word of God burdens me because of your grosser crimes. For behold, thus saith the Lord: This people begin to wax in iniquity; they understand not the scriptures, for they seek to excuse themselves in committing whoredoms, because of the things which were written concerning David, and Solomon his son.

Brigham and the polygamists did the same as these wicked nephites, seeking to justify many wives, and they have been caught lying so many times in their attempts to drag Joseph into it that they have zero credibility. They all signed a statement and swore that Joseph had nothing to do with any polygamy... until years later in Utah, when suddenly they needed to use his credibility to convince the women to go along with that crap so they started lying and getting women to claim they were married to Joseph, altering his journal and other records, etc. Just ignore it all and keep faith. Joseph was a real prophet, he never committed adultery or polygamy, which is the same thing, and he never ever taught it, but always spoke strongly against it. Its the scriptures and Joseph against Brigham and the polygamists. It shouldn't be a hard choice.

Joseph was a real prophet, and he did what the Lord commanded. As did BY and the others.

[Fiannan]

Brigham and the polygamists did the same as these wicked nephites, seeking to justify many wives, and they have been caught lying so many times in their attempts to drag Joseph into it that they have zero credibility. They all signed a statement and swore that Joseph had nothing to do with any polygamy... until years later in Utah, when suddenly they needed to use his credibility to convince the women to go along with that crap so they started lying and getting women to claim they were married to Joseph, altering his journal and other records, etc. Just ignore it all and keep faith. Joseph was a real prophet, he never committed adultery or polygamy, which is the same thing, and he never ever taught it, but always spoke strongly against it. Its the scriptures and Joseph against Brigham and the polygamists. It shouldn't be a hard choice.

[Fiannan]

Yes, it is a blanket statement but its from God so I'm sure its right. Polygamy might work for a time, maybe even an entire life on earth for some, though the odds are greatly against it. However, it will NEVER lead to the kind of relationship required for an eternal marriage. That is why God has always forbidden it. If it could lead to an eternal marriage, he would allow it.

I doubt you have any sort of research to back that up.

Also, judging from how many men and women are having affairs today, or how many women are accessing porn, becoming bisexual, or how many men see their internet connection as a mistress, or how many people are shunning the idea of marriage we can see just how lovely societal monogamy really is.

Also, keep in mind the Jews suspended polygamy in Europe because they were afraid of how the Christians would persecute them for it.

Ironic note, the people who rule society since Roman times live a different form of morality than the masses. The Catholic Church, which created the norms for Christianity, always turned a blind eye to the elite and their marriages that almost always involved mistresses or Hollywood-style abuse. Heck, it was for maintaining power, and also not dealing with their own issues of little boys. No wonder Islam had such an easy time converting north Africa and the Middle East from Christianity to Islam. At least in Islam the elite were expected to marry the women they wanted for companionship in addition to their wives.

[PressingForward]

The church has admitted that Brother Joseph was a polygamist, why argue over it,

[gardener4life]

From Eliza Snow:

When first plural marriage was suggested to me, … I would not listen to the matter. The idea was repugnant, abhorrent. I was like any other young woman who had beaux and suitors for her hand. I wanted to share a husband with no woman. But I was told it was God’s command, and I went to God and asked God to enlighten me, and he did. I saw and felt that plural marriage was not only right, but that it was the only true manner of living up to the gospels, and I quenched my womanly emotions and entered the order

In Nauvoo I first understood that the practice of plurality of wives was to be introduced into the church. The subject was very repugnant to my feelings — so directly was it in opposition to my educated prepossessions, that it seemed as though all the prejudices of my ancestors for generations past congregated around me. But when I reflected that I was living in the Dispensation of the fulness of times, embracing all other Dispensations, surely Plural Marriage must necessarily be included, and I consoled myself with the idea that it was far in the distance, and beyond the period of my mortal existence. It was not long however, after I received the first intimation, before the announcement reached me that the “set time” had come — that God had commanded his servants to establish the order, by taking additional wives — I knew that God … was speaking. … As I increased in knowledge concerning the principle and design of Plural Marriage, I grew in love with it. …

I was sealed to the Prophet, Joseph Smith, for time and eternity, in accordance with the Celestial Law of Marriage which God has revealed — the ceremony being performed by a servant of the Most High — authorized to officiate in sacred ordinances. This, one of the most important circumstances of my life, I have never had cause to regret.

When married to Joseph, Eliza was pregnant with their child. In a fit a rage, Emma threw Eliza down stairs. Eliza lost the baby.

More lies.

http://restorationbookstore.org/article ... 1/chp9.htm

In an effort to prove that Joseph Smith was the author of polygamy in the Church, members of the LDS Church have proclaimed for over one hundred and fifty years that Eliza R. Snow was one of Joseph's plural wives in Nauvoo—and that Emma Smith in a jealous rage beat Eliza and shoved her down the Mansion House stairs, causing her to give birth prematurely to Joseph's child, who died. This story is false because the Mansion House stairs and hallway are constructed in such a way that the supposed altercation between Emma and Eliza could not have happened the way the story was reported. And even though Eliza lived with the Smiths for a short time at the Homestead, she never lived with them at the Mansion House, and her diary proves that she did not have an altercation with Emma.

I'd also seen and looked at the story of Emma throwing another woman down the stairs pregnant. It is completely false and the guy that came up with that story was known for his creativity and trying to get people to attack the church.

[Rensai]

Did you know Brigham once bragged about being the author or section 132 to the Vice President of the united states?

BRIGHAM TOLD VICE PRESIDENT OF U.S. THAT SECTION 132 CAME THROUGH HIM, NOT JOSEPH. Just before Schuyler Colfax became Vice President of the U.S. under Grant, he had a conversation with Brigham, on June 17, 1865. Colfax reported Brigham brought up the subject of polygamy and stated, “... the revelations of the Doctrine and Covenants declared for monogamy, but that polygamy was a later revelation commanded by God to him and a few others, and permitted and advised to the rest of the church” (see Schuyler Colfax’s Journal, quoted in The Western Galaxy, Vol. I, p. 247). Key points—Brigham evidently told the Vice President:
• Revelations in Utah LDS D&C produced during Joseph’s lifetime and still in use 21 years after his death (in 1865) “declared for monogamy.”
• Polygamy “was a later revelation” (received AFTER Joseph’s death and AFTER reception of the revelations printed in D&Cs still in use in 1865--21 years after Joseph’s death). This makes sense when it is realized that although Brigham disclosed the polygamy revelation in 1852, it was not added to the D&C as Section 132 until 1876.
• Polygamy revelation (Section 132) was not given to Joseph but “to him [Brigham]”

Brigham Young further collaborated the above statement in 1869 during an interview with Illinois United States Senator Lyman Trumbull when he said: “As to our institution, we know we are right, and polygamy which you object to, was not originally a part of our system, but was adopted by us as a necessity, after we came here [to Utah].” (Alta California.)

Or that a comprehensive analysis using Stylometry shows that Brigham is the author of 132?

It is her conclusion that “Brigham Young wrote Section 132 and rewrote the major portion of the report on the King Follett sermon” (p. 315).

https://www.dropbox.com/s/sdqf2jfwp26wq ... e.pdf?dl=0

Did you know there are numerous testimonies and examples of Brigham tampering with Joseph's history and diaries?

Richard S. Van Wagoner in "The Making of a Mormon Myth: The 1844 Transfiguration of Brigham Young," Dialogue, Vol. 28, No. 4, Winter 1995, (pp.2–3) states:
The Twelve’s nineteenth-century propaganda mill was so adroit that few outside Brigham Young’s inner circle were aware of the behind-the-scenes alterations that were seamlessly stitched into church history. Charles Wesley Wandell, an assistant church historian who later left the church, was aghast at these emendations. Commenting on the many changes made in the historical work as it was being serialized, Wandell noted in his diary:
"I notice the interpolations because having been employed in the Historian’s office at Nauvoo by Doctor [Willard] Richards, and employed, too, in 1845, in compiling this very autobiography, I know that after Joseph’s death his memoir was “doctored” to suit the new order of things, and this, too, by the direct order of Brigham Young to Doctor Richards and systematically by Richards."

More than a dozen references to Brigham Young’s involvement in transposing the written history may be found in the post-martyrdom record first published in book form in 1902 as History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For example, an 1 April 1845 citation records Young saying: “I commenced revising the History of Joseph Smith at Brother Richard’s office: Elder Heber C. Kimball and George A. Smith were with me.”

That this revision, or censorship, of the official history came from Brigham Young is evidenced by an 11 July 1856 reference in Wilford Woodruff’s diary. Apostle Woodruff, working in the church historian’s office, questioned Young respecting a “piece of History on Book E-1 page 1681-2 concerning Hyrum leading this Church & tracing the Aaronic Priesthood.” Young advised, “it was not essential to be inserted in the History & had better be omitted.” Woodruff then queried him about “Josephs words on South Carolina” (see D&C 87; 130:12-13) which had recently been published in the Deseret News . Young said he “wished it not published.” Years later Elder Charles W. Penrose, a member of the First Presidency, admitted that after Joseph Smith’s death some changes were made in the official record “for prudential reasons.”

Because of the many scribes used to pen Joseph's works and because of the credibility problem of the LDS historians of the post-Joseph era, it is most difficult to be sure of the authenticity of this alleged revelation. And if we cannot be sure of its authenticity, how can we use it as proof that Joseph both taught and practiced polygamy?

Here is a fairly recent example found in the Joseph Smith papers project.

Evening at home and walked up and down the street with my scribe. gave
inst[r]uction to try those who were preaching teaching or practicing the doctrin of
plurality of wives. on this Law. Joseph forbids it. and the practice ther[e]of— No
man shall have but one wife.

The edited version was changed to say (modifications in red):
Evening at home and walked up and down the street with my scribe. gave
inst[r]uction to try those who were preaching teaching or practicing the doctrin of
plurality of wives. on this law for according to the law i hold the keys of this power
in the last days, for there is never but one on earth at a time on whom the power?
and the keys are conferred ­ and I have continually said Joseph forbids it. and the
practice ther[e]of No man shall have but one wife at a time unless the Lord
directs otherwise.

Look how they edited to say exactly the opposite of what he actually said.

They claimed polygamy was to raise up seed because there were more women than men, but the census shows the truth. There were vastly more men in Utah in those days, as there were in all frontier areas.

“The United States census records from 1850 to 1940, and all available Church records, uniformly show a preponderance of males in Utah, and in the Church. Indeed, the excess in Utah has usually been larger than for the whole United State... there was no surplus of women.”
- Apostle John A. Widstoe, Apostle, Evidences and Reconciliations, pp. 390-392
“But then the proportion of the sexes in Utah would not, at present, admit of an extensive practice of plural marriage. When the census was taken five years ago, there were 143,963 souls in Utah Territory, not counting untaxed Indians. In this number there was an excess of 5,055 males over females. This does not have the appearance of permitting an extensive practice of plural marriage...”
- Juvenile Instructor, v. 20, p. 133

More than enough men for every woman to have her own husband with men to spare. Multiple couples living monogamy produces more children than a polygamous couple will per woman. So much for that oft repeated lie.

Of course, Joseph himself specifically goes against the church's claimed reason for polygamy since he NEVER produced a single child with anyone but Emma. What then would have been the benefit of his supposed polygamy?

Now lets look at the fruits of polygamy. In Jacob 2, the lord utterly condemns polygamy and says its because:

31 For behold, I, the Lord, have seen the sorrow, and heard the mourning of the daughters of my people in the land of Jerusalem, yea, and in all the lands of my people, because of the wickedness and abominations of their husbands.

32 And I will not suffer, saith the Lord of Hosts, that the cries of the fair daughters of this people, which I have led out of the land of Jerusalem, shall come up unto me against the men of my people, saith the Lord of Hosts.

God sure seems to care about his daughters in that era, but I guess not so much in the early church?

“It would be quite impossible, with any regard to propriety, to relate all the horrible results of this disgraceful system.... Marriages have been contracted between the nearest of relatives; and old men tottering on the brink of the grave have been united to little girls scarcely in their teens; while unnatural alliances of every description, which in any other community would be regarded with disgust and abhorrence, are here entered into in the name of God....
“It is quite a common thing in Utah for a man to marry two and even three sisters... I know also another man who married a widow with several children; and when one of the girls had grown into her teens he insisted on marrying her also, having first by some means won her affections. The mother, however, was much opposed to this marriage, and finally gave up her husband entirely to her daughter; and to this very day the daughter bears children to her stepfather, living as wife in the same house with her mother!”
- T.B.H. Stenhouse, former polygamist wife, Tell It All: The Story of a Life's Experience in Mormonism: An Autobography, 1874, pp. 468-469

Lets see how happy Brigham's wives were.

“It is the duty of the first wife to regard her husband not with a selfish devotion... she must regard her husband with indifference, and with no other feeling than that of reverence, for love we regard as a false sentiment; a feeling which should have no existence in polygamy... we believe in the good old custom by which marriages should be arranged by the parents of the young people.”

- Zina Huntington, wife of Prophet Brigham Young, New York World, November 17, 1869, as cited in The Lion of the Lord, pp. 229-230

Wow, that sure sounds like a loving relationship that will really endure and build an eternal marriage.

“Now for my proposition; it is more particularly for my sisters, as it is frequently happening that women say they are unhappy. Men will say, ‘My wife, though a most excellent woman, has not seen a happy day since I took my second wife; No, not a happy day for a year,' says one; and another has not seen a happy day for five years. It is said that women are tied down and abused: that they are misused and have not he liberty they ought to have; that many of them are wading through a perfect flood of tears, because of the conduct of some men together with their own folly.
“I wish my own women to understand that what I am going to say is for them as well as others, and I want those who are here to tell their sisters, yes, all the women of this community, and then write it back to the States, and do as you please with it. I am going to give you from this time to the 6th day of October next, for reflection, that you may determine whether you wish to stay with your husbands or not, and then I am going to set every woman at liberty and say to them, No go your way, my women with the rest, go your way. And my wives have got to do one of two things; either round up their shoulders to endure the afflictions of this world, and live their religion, or they may leave, for I will not have them about me. I will go into heaven alone, rather than have scratching and fighting around me. I will set all at liberty. ‘What, first wife too?' Yes, I will liberate you all....
“I wish my women, and brother Kimball's and brother Grant's to leave, and every woman in this Territory, or else say in their hearts that they will embrace the Gospel – the whole of it.... say to your wives, ‘Take all that I have and be set at liberty; but if you stay with me you shall comply with the law of God, and that too without any murmuring and whining. You must fulfill the law of God in every respect, and round up your shoulders to walk up to the mark without any grunting.' Now recollect that two weeks from tomorrow I am going to set you at liberty. But the first wife will say, ‘It is hard, for I have lived with my husband twenty years, or thirty, and have raised a family of children for him, and it is a great trial to me for him to have more women;' then I say it is time that you gave him up to other women who will bear children. If my wife had borne me all the children that she ever would bare, the celestial law would teach me to take young women that would have children....
“Sisters, I am not joking, I do not throw out my proposition to banter your feelings, to see whether you will leave your husbands, all or any of you. But I do know that there is no cessation to the everlasting whining of many of the women in this Territory; I am satisfied that this is the case. And if the women will turn from the commandments of God and continue to despise the order of heaven, I will pray that the curse of the Almighty may be close to their heels, and that it may be following them all day long....
“Prepare yourselves for two weeks from tomorrow; and I will tell you now, that if you will tarry with your husbands, after I have set you free, you must bow down to it, and submit yourselves to the celestial law. You may go where you please, after two weeks from tomorrow; but, remember, that I will not hear any more of this whining.”

- Prophet Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, v. 4, pp. 55-57, also printed in the Deseret News, v. 6, pp. 235-236

“When James Hunter took his second wife, the first who had accompanied the couple to the Endowment House for the ceremony could not sleep and walked the floor all night as she thought of her husband lying in the arms of his bride...
“A person brought up in a polygamist household... told this story: ‘There is one real tragedy in polygamy that I can remember. One evening a man brought home a second wife. It was winter and the first wife was very upset. That night she climbed onto the roof and froze to death.'”

- Isn't One Wife Enough?, by Kimball Young, pp. 147-148

Ok, I could spend all day with quotes about the horrors of polygamy, I think I've made the point. The fruits of polygamy are BAD.

1) It was never necessary, the church has always had enough men around.
2) It did NOT produce more children, but rather less.
3) It does not make those who accept it happy, but miserable.
4) There is no actual evidence Joseph ever did it, just hearsay and doctored up records. No children, no public statements by him, etc.
5) The scriptures forbid it, it hurts God's daughters, not once in scripture has he ever commanded it. He has allowed them to try it a few times, but it has never worked out well.
6) It goes completely against God's laws:
God's laws ALWAYS build on each other, to guide us towards the straight and narrow. If the lowest law forbids adultery, the higher law forbids even lusting after someone other than your spouse, then if there is another higher law than that, it would build upon those two, not completely reverse it and say go shopping for more wives. Lesser laws are like training wheels, they help us build the discipline to live the higher laws. They are not just arbitrary and they do not go against the higher laws.
7) There is no DNA evidence at all of Joseph having any other children with any of his supposed wives.
8) In the temple lot case, the judge felt that the polygamists were liars, even though many of them testified in person about their supposed marriages to Joseph.

[Arenera]

If Joseph didn't practice polygamy and command others to do so, then why did the Spirit and the Power continue with Brigham Young? Could not God have given power to Sidney Rigdon or William Smith to continue the church?

Since God did condone the practice of polygamy, commanded Joseph to practice it and the others involved, the Spirit and the Power stayed with the Church and with Brigham Young and the others.

That is as straight forward as it gets.

[MMbelieve]

If Joseph didn't practice polygamy and command others to do so, then why did the Spirit and the Power continue with Brigham Young? Could not God have given power to Sidney Rigdon or William Smith to continue the church?

Since God did condone the practice of polygamy, commanded Joseph to practice it and the others involved, the Spirit and the Power stayed with the Church and with Brigham Young and the others.

That is as straight forward as it gets.

Where is the posterity of Joseph and his plural wives? If polygamy is a good and ordained practice for raising seed then Joseph's legacy of a hundred children would stand well for it but he actually lost a lot of children with Emma and had none with anyone else.

I don't get it.
I read the post above yours and it's AMAZING that some people can ignore this and not see the actual evil and bad fruits of polygamy. IT GOES AGAINST WOMEN

Is God a mean person who degrades women like the world does?

Your term "power" seems misplaced or mistated. I do not think of a prophet as having a power given to him that then can be taken away from him according to his following the rules or not. A prophet is a leader who receives guidance for a large group of people so God doesn't have to go to every single person individually. It's order and prophets are great and everything but they are not "powerful".

Didn't Brigham Young say he wasn't a prophet like Joseph and never received revelation...? This could be an answer to your statement about losing "power".

[MMbelieve]

Did you know Brigham once bragged about being the author or section 132 to the Vice President of the united states?

BRIGHAM TOLD VICE PRESIDENT OF U.S. THAT SECTION 132 CAME THROUGH HIM, NOT JOSEPH. Just before Schuyler Colfax became Vice President of the U.S. under Grant, he had a conversation with Brigham, on June 17, 1865. Colfax reported Brigham brought up the subject of polygamy and stated, “... the revelations of the Doctrine and Covenants declared for monogamy, but that polygamy was a later revelation commanded by God to him and a few others, and permitted and advised to the rest of the church” (see Schuyler Colfax’s Journal, quoted in The Western Galaxy, Vol. I, p. 247). Key points—Brigham evidently told the Vice President:
• Revelations in Utah LDS D&C produced during Joseph’s lifetime and still in use 21 years after his death (in 1865) “declared for monogamy.”
• Polygamy “was a later revelation” (received AFTER Joseph’s death and AFTER reception of the revelations printed in D&Cs still in use in 1865--21 years after Joseph’s death). This makes sense when it is realized that although Brigham disclosed the polygamy revelation in 1852, it was not added to the D&C as Section 132 until 1876.
• Polygamy revelation (Section 132) was not given to Joseph but “to him [Brigham]”

Brigham Young further collaborated the above statement in 1869 during an interview with Illinois United States Senator Lyman Trumbull when he said: “As to our institution, we know we are right, and polygamy which you object to, was not originally a part of our system, but was adopted by us as a necessity, after we came here [to Utah].” (Alta California.)

Or that a comprehensive analysis using Stylometry shows that Brigham is the author of 132?

It is her conclusion that “Brigham Young wrote Section 132 and rewrote the major portion of the report on the King Follett sermon” (p. 315).

https://www.dropbox.com/s/sdqf2jfwp26wq ... e.pdf?dl=0

Did you know there are numerous testimonies and examples of Brigham tampering with Joseph's history and diaries?

Richard S. Van Wagoner in "The Making of a Mormon Myth: The 1844 Transfiguration of Brigham Young," Dialogue, Vol. 28, No. 4, Winter 1995, (pp.2–3) states:
The Twelve’s nineteenth-century propaganda mill was so adroit that few outside Brigham Young’s inner circle were aware of the behind-the-scenes alterations that were seamlessly stitched into church history. Charles Wesley Wandell, an assistant church historian who later left the church, was aghast at these emendations. Commenting on the many changes made in the historical work as it was being serialized, Wandell noted in his diary:
"I notice the interpolations because having been employed in the Historian’s office at Nauvoo by Doctor [Willard] Richards, and employed, too, in 1845, in compiling this very autobiography, I know that after Joseph’s death his memoir was “doctored” to suit the new order of things, and this, too, by the direct order of Brigham Young to Doctor Richards and systematically by Richards."

More than a dozen references to Brigham Young’s involvement in transposing the written history may be found in the post-martyrdom record first published in book form in 1902 as History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For example, an 1 April 1845 citation records Young saying: “I commenced revising the History of Joseph Smith at Brother Richard’s office: Elder Heber C. Kimball and George A. Smith were with me.”

That this revision, or censorship, of the official history came from Brigham Young is evidenced by an 11 July 1856 reference in Wilford Woodruff’s diary. Apostle Woodruff, working in the church historian’s office, questioned Young respecting a “piece of History on Book E-1 page 1681-2 concerning Hyrum leading this Church & tracing the Aaronic Priesthood.” Young advised, “it was not essential to be inserted in the History & had better be omitted.” Woodruff then queried him about “Josephs words on South Carolina” (see D&C 87; 130:12-13) which had recently been published in the Deseret News . Young said he “wished it not published.” Years later Elder Charles W. Penrose, a member of the First Presidency, admitted that after Joseph Smith’s death some changes were made in the official record “for prudential reasons.”

Because of the many scribes used to pen Joseph's works and because of the credibility problem of the LDS historians of the post-Joseph era, it is most difficult to be sure of the authenticity of this alleged revelation. And if we cannot be sure of its authenticity, how can we use it as proof that Joseph both taught and practiced polygamy?

Here is a fairly recent example found in the Joseph Smith papers project.

Evening at home and walked up and down the street with my scribe. gave
inst[r]uction to try those who were preaching teaching or practicing the doctrin of
plurality of wives. on this Law. Joseph forbids it. and the practice ther[e]of— No
man shall have but one wife.

The edited version was changed to say (modifications in red):
Evening at home and walked up and down the street with my scribe. gave
inst[r]uction to try those who were preaching teaching or practicing the doctrin of
plurality of wives. on this law for according to the law i hold the keys of this power
in the last days, for there is never but one on earth at a time on whom the power?
and the keys are conferred ­ and I have continually said Joseph forbids it. and the
practice ther[e]of No man shall have but one wife at a time unless the Lord
directs otherwise.

Look how they edited to say exactly the opposite of what he actually said.

They claimed polygamy was to raise up seed because there were more women than men, but the census shows the truth. There were vastly more men in Utah in those days, as there were in all frontier areas.

“The United States census records from 1850 to 1940, and all available Church records, uniformly show a preponderance of males in Utah, and in the Church. Indeed, the excess in Utah has usually been larger than for the whole United State... there was no surplus of women.”
- Apostle John A. Widstoe, Apostle, Evidences and Reconciliations, pp. 390-392
“But then the proportion of the sexes in Utah would not, at present, admit of an extensive practice of plural marriage. When the census was taken five years ago, there were 143,963 souls in Utah Territory, not counting untaxed Indians. In this number there was an excess of 5,055 males over females. This does not have the appearance of permitting an extensive practice of plural marriage...”
- Juvenile Instructor, v. 20, p. 133

More than enough men for every woman to have her own husband with men to spare. Multiple couples living monogamy produces more children than a polygamous couple will per woman. So much for that oft repeated lie.

Of course, Joseph himself specifically goes against the church's claimed reason for polygamy since he NEVER produced a single child with anyone but Emma. What then would have been the benefit of his supposed polygamy?

Now lets look at the fruits of polygamy. In Jacob 2, the lord utterly condemns polygamy and says its because:

31 For behold, I, the Lord, have seen the sorrow, and heard the mourning of the daughters of my people in the land of Jerusalem, yea, and in all the lands of my people, because of the wickedness and abominations of their husbands.

32 And I will not suffer, saith the Lord of Hosts, that the cries of the fair daughters of this people, which I have led out of the land of Jerusalem, shall come up unto me against the men of my people, saith the Lord of Hosts.

God sure seems to care about his daughters in that era, but I guess not so much in the early church?

“It would be quite impossible, with any regard to propriety, to relate all the horrible results of this disgraceful system.... Marriages have been contracted between the nearest of relatives; and old men tottering on the brink of the grave have been united to little girls scarcely in their teens; while unnatural alliances of every description, which in any other community would be regarded with disgust and abhorrence, are here entered into in the name of God....
“It is quite a common thing in Utah for a man to marry two and even three sisters... I know also another man who married a widow with several children; and when one of the girls had grown into her teens he insisted on marrying her also, having first by some means won her affections. The mother, however, was much opposed to this marriage, and finally gave up her husband entirely to her daughter; and to this very day the daughter bears children to her stepfather, living as wife in the same house with her mother!”
- T.B.H. Stenhouse, former polygamist wife, Tell It All: The Story of a Life's Experience in Mormonism: An Autobography, 1874, pp. 468-469

Lets see how happy Brigham's wives were.

“It is the duty of the first wife to regard her husband not with a selfish devotion... she must regard her husband with indifference, and with no other feeling than that of reverence, for love we regard as a false sentiment; a feeling which should have no existence in polygamy... we believe in the good old custom by which marriages should be arranged by the parents of the young people.”

- Zina Huntington, wife of Prophet Brigham Young, New York World, November 17, 1869, as cited in The Lion of the Lord, pp. 229-230

Wow, that sure sounds like a loving relationship that will really endure and build an eternal marriage.

“Now for my proposition; it is more particularly for my sisters, as it is frequently happening that women say they are unhappy. Men will say, ‘My wife, though a most excellent woman, has not seen a happy day since I took my second wife; No, not a happy day for a year,' says one; and another has not seen a happy day for five years. It is said that women are tied down and abused: that they are misused and have not he liberty they ought to have; that many of them are wading through a perfect flood of tears, because of the conduct of some men together with their own folly.
“I wish my own women to understand that what I am going to say is for them as well as others, and I want those who are here to tell their sisters, yes, all the women of this community, and then write it back to the States, and do as you please with it. I am going to give you from this time to the 6th day of October next, for reflection, that you may determine whether you wish to stay with your husbands or not, and then I am going to set every woman at liberty and say to them, No go your way, my women with the rest, go your way. And my wives have got to do one of two things; either round up their shoulders to endure the afflictions of this world, and live their religion, or they may leave, for I will not have them about me. I will go into heaven alone, rather than have scratching and fighting around me. I will set all at liberty. ‘What, first wife too?' Yes, I will liberate you all....
“I wish my women, and brother Kimball's and brother Grant's to leave, and every woman in this Territory, or else say in their hearts that they will embrace the Gospel – the whole of it.... say to your wives, ‘Take all that I have and be set at liberty; but if you stay with me you shall comply with the law of God, and that too without any murmuring and whining. You must fulfill the law of God in every respect, and round up your shoulders to walk up to the mark without any grunting.' Now recollect that two weeks from tomorrow I am going to set you at liberty. But the first wife will say, ‘It is hard, for I have lived with my husband twenty years, or thirty, and have raised a family of children for him, and it is a great trial to me for him to have more women;' then I say it is time that you gave him up to other women who will bear children. If my wife had borne me all the children that she ever would bare, the celestial law would teach me to take young women that would have children....
“Sisters, I am not joking, I do not throw out my proposition to banter your feelings, to see whether you will leave your husbands, all or any of you. But I do know that there is no cessation to the everlasting whining of many of the women in this Territory; I am satisfied that this is the case. And if the women will turn from the commandments of God and continue to despise the order of heaven, I will pray that the curse of the Almighty may be close to their heels, and that it may be following them all day long....
“Prepare yourselves for two weeks from tomorrow; and I will tell you now, that if you will tarry with your husbands, after I have set you free, you must bow down to it, and submit yourselves to the celestial law. You may go where you please, after two weeks from tomorrow; but, remember, that I will not hear any more of this whining.”

- Prophet Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, v. 4, pp. 55-57, also printed in the Deseret News, v. 6, pp. 235-236

“When James Hunter took his second wife, the first who had accompanied the couple to the Endowment House for the ceremony could not sleep and walked the floor all night as she thought of her husband lying in the arms of his bride...
“A person brought up in a polygamist household... told this story: ‘There is one real tragedy in polygamy that I can remember. One evening a man brought home a second wife. It was winter and the first wife was very upset. That night she climbed onto the roof and froze to death.'”

- Isn't One Wife Enough?, by Kimball Young, pp. 147-148

Ok, I could spend all day with quotes about the horrors of polygamy, I think I've made the point. The fruits of polygamy are BAD.

1) It was never necessary, the church has always had enough men around.
2) It did NOT produce more children, but rather less.
3) It does not make those who accept it happy, but miserable.
4) There is no actual evidence Joseph ever did it, just hearsay and doctored up records. No children, no public statements by him, etc.
5) The scriptures forbid it, it hurts God's daughters, not once in scripture has he ever commanded it. He has allowed them to try it a few times, but it has never worked out well.
6) It goes completely against God's laws:
God's laws ALWAYS build on each other, to guide us towards the straight and narrow. If the lowest law forbids adultery, the higher law forbids even lusting after someone other than your spouse, then if there is another higher law than that, it would build upon those two, not completely reverse it and say go shopping for more wives. Lesser laws are like training wheels, they help us build the discipline to live the higher laws. They are not just arbitrary and they do not go against the higher laws.
7) There is no DNA evidence at all of Joseph having any other children with any of his supposed wives.
8) In the temple lot case, the judge felt that the polygamists were liars, even though many of them testified in person about their supposed marriages to Joseph.

The statement from Brigham Young towards the women is incredibly wrong. He acted like he was God himself like he had the power or control over all women to "release" them or force them to bow down...my oh my.

If that happened today, I would hope every single woman would stand up and walk out and leave all the men to themselves. Ideally, the good men would leave with their wife. Incredibly degrading and suffocating!! It upsets me. If i was there in that time period I would have have absolutely lost it and been the worst or most bitter member in all of Utah. It's prison. It's wrong, It's abusive and controlling and certainly unrighteous.

How can people dismiss this? How does any man actually endorse this treatment and domination? I'm not sure any man who believes in the hurt or mistreatment of women is fit for any degree of glory in the next life.

I'm sad for the women of the early church who suffered due to polygamy. And of course the men who actually followed other men and not the sanctity of the marriage they had with their wife...I don't get it.

[Chip]

Brigham and the polygamists did the same as these wicked nephites, seeking to justify many wives, and they have been caught lying so many times in their attempts to drag Joseph into it that they have zero credibility. They all signed a statement and swore that Joseph had nothing to do with any polygamy... until years later in Utah, when suddenly they needed to use his credibility to convince the women to go along with that crap so they started lying and getting women to claim they were married to Joseph, altering his journal and other records, etc. Just ignore it all and keep faith. Joseph was a real prophet, he never committed adultery or polygamy, which is the same thing, and he never ever taught it, but always spoke strongly against it. Its the scriptures and Joseph against Brigham and the polygamists. It shouldn't be a hard choice.

Yes, a clear reading of Jacob 2 completely nails the case shut against the possibility of polygamy. It's hard for me to believe that Joseph Smith had nothing to do with it. However, it is interesting that the angel told him that his name would be had for good and evil among all people. Consider that God would not take away his agency and force him to do evil. That others had falsely painted him as a supporter of polygamy, though very unlikely to me, would rationalize what the angel said.

[Fiannan]

They claimed polygamy was to raise up seed because there were more women than men, but the census shows the truth. There were vastly more men in Utah in those days, as there were in all frontier areas.

Well, that is like saying that a woman having a hard time finding a man to date and marry should move to the Castro Street area of San Francisco as there are lots more men there than women.

You see, I doubt LDS women at that time were keen on marrying outlaws, miners, soldiers or cowboys.

[Fiannan]

If that happened today, I would hope every single woman would stand up and walk out and leave all the men to themselves. Ideally, the good men would leave with their wife. Incredibly degrading and suffocating!! It upsets me. If i was there in that time period I would have have absolutely lost it and been the worst or most bitter member in all of Utah. It's prison. It's wrong, It's abusive and controlling and certainly unrighteous.

How many times do people tell teenagers if they don't like it where they are at now then maybe they could get a job, move out and pay their own bills? I doubt one woman got up because the majority of the women probably knew of at least one back-biting woman who made life miserable for her husband or other wives. The guilty parties might have reflected on their attitudes and repented.