Church Essays on Polygamy

[Rensai]

Joseph was commanded to practice polygamy.

99.9999% of people believe Joseph practiced polygamy. .0001% believe he didn’t, that would be the Community of Christ and the communities of Denver Snuffer, or Remnants.

It’s easy to see where the Spirit and the Power is.

Your logic is flawed, its not a numbers game. Truth is truth. By your logic...

There are about 2 Billion Muslims and only about 15 million Mormons, its easy to see where the spirit and power is. Go join them if you care about numbers.

[Rensai]

If this was so important to God, why didn't the Lord tell him personally? And why the threat of being slayed? Where is agency? Sounds more like the devil made him do it.

Why are we called the Children of Israel? Jacob or Israel had 4 wives. Abraham had 2. Moses had 2. For whatever reason, polygamy is part of the program, but sometimes it’s on and sometimes it’s off.

It is off for us.

This is the Power of God. 1,000 years to write on metal plates, starting from Lehi/Nephi to Mormon/Moroni. Joseph, a young uneducated man, translated the plates to the Book of Mormon. With the Power of God.

Was there no agency during this 1,000 year period? Of course there was, the agency to follow God’s commands.

Joseph did the same thing, he practiced polygamy because it was God’s command. He received the revelation from Christ. An angel had to come to get him to do it. I suspect Joseph didn’t want to cross Emma.

Just like the power to get the Book of Mormon to us, God’s Power still is with the Church. Yes, Brigham was placed in history to keep the Church going.

More slander against Joseph. You should be careful of joining his enemies in that.

Joseph's last words before death on the subject are:

I am the same man, and as innocent as I was fourteen years ago [when charged with polygamy shortly after his marriage to Emma Hale]; and I can prove them all perjurers. (LDS History of the Church 6:410–411; italics added)

If you want to join with the perjurer's that's up to you.

[Rensai]

If this was so important to God, why didn't the Lord tell him personally? And why the threat of being slayed? Where is agency? Sounds more like the devil made him do it.

Why are we called the Children of Israel? Jacob or Israel had 4 wives. Abraham had 2. Moses had 2. For whatever reason, polygamy is part of the program, but sometimes it’s on and sometimes it’s off.

It is off for us.

This is the Power of God. 1,000 years to write on metal plates, starting from Lehi/Nephi to Mormon/Moroni. Joseph, a young uneducated man, translated the plates to the Book of Mormon. With the Power of God.

Was there no agency during this 1,000 year period? Of course there was, the agency to follow God’s commands.

Joseph did the same thing, he practiced polygamy because it was God’s command. He received the revelation from Christ. An angel had to come to get him to do it. I suspect Joseph didn’t want to cross Emma.

Just like the power to get the Book of Mormon to us, God’s Power still is with the Church. Yes, Brigham was placed in history to keep the Church going.

Nowhere did god command any of those guys to practice polygamy. The bible makes it clear, Abraham's polygamy was Sarah's idea. Jacob was tricked into it by his father in law. Nowhere did God command it and he did not command Joseph either.

[Arenera]

If this was so important to God, why didn't the Lord tell him personally? And why the threat of being slayed? Where is agency? Sounds more like the devil made him do it.

Why are we called the Children of Israel? Jacob or Israel had 4 wives. Abraham had 2. Moses had 2. For whatever reason, polygamy is part of the program, but sometimes it’s on and sometimes it’s off.

It is off for us.

This is the Power of God. 1,000 years to write on metal plates, starting from Lehi/Nephi to Mormon/Moroni. Joseph, a young uneducated man, translated the plates to the Book of Mormon. With the Power of God.

Was there no agency during this 1,000 year period? Of course there was, the agency to follow God’s commands.

Joseph did the same thing, he practiced polygamy because it was God’s command. He received the revelation from Christ. An angel had to come to get him to do it. I suspect Joseph didn’t want to cross Emma.

Just like the power to get the Book of Mormon to us, God’s Power still is with the Church. Yes, Brigham was placed in history to keep the Church going.

More slander against Joseph. You should be careful of joining his enemies in that.

Joseph's last words before death on the subject are:

I am the same man, and as innocent as I was fourteen years ago [when charged with polygamy shortly after his marriage to Emma Hale]; and I can prove them all perjurers. (LDS History of the Church 6:410–411; italics added)

If you want to join with the perjurer's that's up to you.

You threaten me? Where does this come from, Remnant teaching?

It was legal in Illinois to practice plural relations as long as you kept it quiet. Polygamy came from God and Joseph implemented it.

Polygamy did not come from BY and his agency to commit an abomination in the sight of the Lord.

What is agency? A person makes a choice. There are consequences to the choices made, whether positive or negative. Does God know what choices we are going to make? Certainly.

What is prophecy? Being able to see the choices that people make and the results. God knows this.

Do you really want to say that God made it possible for us to have the Book of Mormon, but that dang Brigham Young did an agency and messed up the whole Dispensation of the Fulness of Times?

Just like Joseph Smith was there, Brigham Young was there and carried on, including the practice of Polygamy. Certainly God knew that Sidney Rigdon would use his agency and fall away.

You have the Book of Mormon today because of Brigham Young. You don’t have polygamy today because God turned it off, over 100 years ago. It doesn’t matter if you like or dislike polygamy. It does matter if you use your agency to leave the Church and follow a false prophet because you think that Joseph Smith didn’t practice polygamy, because he did.

[Rensai]

If this was so important to God, why didn't the Lord tell him personally? And why the threat of being slayed? Where is agency? Sounds more like the devil made him do it.

Why are we called the Children of Israel? Jacob or Israel had 4 wives. Abraham had 2. Moses had 2. For whatever reason, polygamy is part of the program, but sometimes it’s on and sometimes it’s off.

It is off for us.

This is the Power of God. 1,000 years to write on metal plates, starting from Lehi/Nephi to Mormon/Moroni. Joseph, a young uneducated man, translated the plates to the Book of Mormon. With the Power of God.

Was there no agency during this 1,000 year period? Of course there was, the agency to follow God’s commands.

Joseph did the same thing, he practiced polygamy because it was God’s command. He received the revelation from Christ. An angel had to come to get him to do it. I suspect Joseph didn’t want to cross Emma.

Just like the power to get the Book of Mormon to us, God’s Power still is with the Church. Yes, Brigham was placed in history to keep the Church going.

More slander against Joseph. You should be careful of joining his enemies in that.

Joseph's last words before death on the subject are:

I am the same man, and as innocent as I was fourteen years ago [when charged with polygamy shortly after his marriage to Emma Hale]; and I can prove them all perjurers. (LDS History of the Church 6:410–411; italics added)

If you want to join with the perjurer's that's up to you.

You threaten me? Where does this come from, Remnant teaching?

It was legal in Illinois to practice plural relations as long as you kept it quiet. Polygamy came from God and Joseph implemented it.

Polygamy did not come from BY and his agency to commit an abomination in the sight of the Lord.

What is agency? A person makes a choice. There are consequences to the choices made, whether positive or negative. Does God know what choices we are going to make? Certainly.

What is prophecy? Being able to see the choices that people make and the results. God knows this.

Do you really want to say that God made it possible for us to have the Book of Mormon, but that dang Brigham Young did an agency and messed up the whole Dispensation of the Fulness of Times?

Just like Joseph Smith was there, Brigham Young was there and carried on, including the practice of Polygamy. Certainly God knew that Sidney Rigdon would use his agency and fall away.

You have the Book of Mormon today because of Brigham Young. You don’t have polygamy today because God turned it off, over 100 years ago. It doesn’t matter if you like or dislike polygamy. It does matter if you use your agency to leave the Church and follow a false prophet because you think that Joseph Smith didn’t practice polygamy, because he did.

Let me make this as simple as I can.

1) The Book of Mormon does not depend on Brigham young in any way, that is just plain ridiculous.
2) Joseph denied polygamy in the strongest terms til his dying day. That is indisputable.
3) EVERY supposed wife, every story of his polygamy, all came from Utah years after he was dead. there is ZERO contemporary evidence of polygamy. It is all hearsay and you have to decide if you believe Joseph or the polygamists. You can't have both, Joseph hated polygamy and booted every one he caught doing it from the church. That's a fact. You get to decide if you believe him, or believe them. If you believe them, then you are accusing Joseph of sneaking behind Emma's back, publicly lying, etc.

I have reviewed a lot of evidence on this topic. Many of the stories can be directly proven false, but in the end, it comes down to who you want to believe. Joseph or the polygamists. Why don't you at least consider the idea that Joseph didn't practice polygamy and look at the evidence. There is a book, freely available that has most of it at:

http://restorationbookstore.org/jsfp-index.htm

[Arenera]

Why are we called the Children of Israel? Jacob or Israel had 4 wives. Abraham had 2. Moses had 2. For whatever reason, polygamy is part of the program, but sometimes it’s on and sometimes it’s off.

It is off for us.

This is the Power of God. 1,000 years to write on metal plates, starting from Lehi/Nephi to Mormon/Moroni. Joseph, a young uneducated man, translated the plates to the Book of Mormon. With the Power of God.

Was there no agency during this 1,000 year period? Of course there was, the agency to follow God’s commands.

Joseph did the same thing, he practiced polygamy because it was God’s command. He received the revelation from Christ. An angel had to come to get him to do it. I suspect Joseph didn’t want to cross Emma.

Just like the power to get the Book of Mormon to us, God’s Power still is with the Church. Yes, Brigham was placed in history to keep the Church going.

More slander against Joseph. You should be careful of joining his enemies in that.

Joseph's last words before death on the subject are:

I am the same man, and as innocent as I was fourteen years ago [when charged with polygamy shortly after his marriage to Emma Hale]; and I can prove them all perjurers. (LDS History of the Church 6:410–411; italics added)

If you want to join with the perjurer's that's up to you.

You threaten me? Where does this come from, Remnant teaching?

It was legal in Illinois to practice plural relations as long as you kept it quiet. Polygamy came from God and Joseph implemented it.

Polygamy did not come from BY and his agency to commit an abomination in the sight of the Lord.

What is agency? A person makes a choice. There are consequences to the choices made, whether positive or negative. Does God know what choices we are going to make? Certainly.

What is prophecy? Being able to see the choices that people make and the results. God knows this.

Do you really want to say that God made it possible for us to have the Book of Mormon, but that dang Brigham Young did an agency and messed up the whole Dispensation of the Fulness of Times?

Just like Joseph Smith was there, Brigham Young was there and carried on, including the practice of Polygamy. Certainly God knew that Sidney Rigdon would use his agency and fall away.

You have the Book of Mormon today because of Brigham Young. You don’t have polygamy today because God turned it off, over 100 years ago. It doesn’t matter if you like or dislike polygamy. It does matter if you use your agency to leave the Church and follow a false prophet because you think that Joseph Smith didn’t practice polygamy, because he did.

Let me make this as simple as I can.

1) The Book of Mormon does not depend on Brigham young in any way, that is just plain ridiculous.
2) Joseph denied polygamy in the strongest terms til his dying day. That is indisputable.
3) EVERY supposed wife, every story of his polygamy, all came from Utah years after he was dead. there is ZERO contemporary evidence of polygamy. It is all hearsay and you have to decide if you believe Joseph or the polygamists. You can't have both, Joseph hated polygamy and booted every one he caught doing it from the church. That's a fact. You get to decide if you believe him, or believe them. If you believe them, then you are accusing Joseph of sneaking behind Emma's back, publicly lying, etc.

I have reviewed a lot of evidence on this topic. Many of the stories can be directly proven false, but in the end, it comes down to who you want to believe. Joseph or the polygamists. Why don't you at least consider the idea that Joseph didn't practice polygamy and look at the evidence. There is a book, freely available that has most of it at:

http://restorationbookstore.org/jsfp-index.htm

You have the Book of Mormon, because the Spirit and Power of God was with Brigham Young and the Church after Joseph was killed.

Your logic doesn’t hold. It’s ok if a wife tells her husband to take another wife (Abraham)? It’s ok if a father-in-law tricks a future son-in-law (Jacob)?

No, if having more than one wife at a time was an abomination to God, it always would be. Abraham and Jacob would not be where they were.

If you say that Joseph didn’t practice polygamy, and that polygamy is an abomination to God, then explain the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints?

[Fiannan]

Jacob was tricked into it by his father in law.

DId his father-in-law trick him two more times as he had four wives? He must have been pretty trusting.

[Joel]

Truth is truth.

That's is right. However, truth apparently can be as "fluid" as your beliefs also.



Just be believing something is true and then you have truth.

"God's" truth seems to work the same way

[Rensai]

Jacob was tricked into it by his father in law.

DId his father-in-law trick him two more times as he had four wives? He must have been pretty trusting.

Obviously I was referring to Leah, who Jacob was tricked into marrying. The other 2 wives were Rachel and Leah's handmaiden's that they told Jacob to take in their attempts to one up each other. The point was, the bible makes it clear it was not from God. He didn't command it at all. It also makes it clear that there was constant fighting and the polygamy was not a good thing.

[Arenera]

Jacob was tricked into it by his father in law.

DId his father-in-law trick him two more times as he had four wives? He must have been pretty trusting.

Obviously I was referring to Leah, who Jacob was tricked into marrying. The other 2 wives were Rachel and Leah's handmaiden's that they told Jacob to take in their attempts to one up each other. The point was, the bible makes it clear it was not from God. He didn't command it at all. It also makes it clear that there was constant fighting and the polygamy was not a good thing.

Let me understand the logic. Plural marriage is an abomination. Abraham and Jacob/Israel practiced plural marriage. It was not an abomination for Abraham and Jacob/Israel because it was the women’s idea. Abraham and Jacob/Israel are Gods now, we are not sure about their wives.

This sounds like gender bias to me.

[simpleton]

Joseph Smith a few days before he was killed ... in the "Conspiracy of Nauvoo"

" "They accuse me of polygamy, and of being a false Prophet, and many other things which I do not now remember; but I am no false Prophet; I am no impostor; I have had no dark revelations; I have had no revelations from the devil; I made no revelations; I have got nothing up of myself. The same God that has thus far dictated me and directed me and strengthened me in this work, gave me this revelation and commandment on celestial and plural marriage, and the same God commanded me to obey it. He said to me that unless I accepted it and introduced it, and practiced it, I, together with my people, would be damned and cut off from this time henceforth. And they say if I do so, they will kill me! Oh, what shall I do? If I do not practice it, I shall be damned with my people. If I do teach it, and practice it, and urge it, they say they will kill me, and I know they will. But," said he, "we have got to observe it. It is an eternal principle and was given by way of commandment and not by way of instruction."

Fact is stranger than fiction," and in value they cannot be compared. I respectfully submit the above narrative, which is a true recital of events that actually transpired. The manuscript has been carefully scrutinized by proper authorities who are satisfied of its authenticity and have approved its publication, as an important and accurate item of history connected with the Church.... Horace Cummings.

(Taken from The Contributor, Vol. V, pp. 251-260.)

And then also read the one and only printing of the Nauvoo Expositor... That newspaper was printed by those that explicitly were exposing Joseph Smith's Plural Marriages and were part of that " Conspiracy of Nauvoo" that was organized by approximately 200 Mormons that became like unto Judas of old, and, they swore with one hand on the Bible and the other lifted to heaven to do everything in their power to destroy Joseph.... we all know how that ended ...

But to insist upon Joseph not being "guilty" of plural marriage is ridiculous... there is overwhelming evidence of him being married to other women, and even by his enemies.... In fact that (plural/ celestial marriage) was the catalyst that caused those men that printed the Nauvoo Expositor to turn traitor against Joseph.....
Joseph Smith was a polygamous beyond refute.

[Fiannan]

Jacob was tricked into it by his father in law.

DId his father-in-law trick him two more times as he had four wives? He must have been pretty trusting.

Obviously I was referring to Leah, who Jacob was tricked into marrying. The other 2 wives were Rachel and Leah's handmaiden's that they told Jacob to take in their attempts to one up each other. The point was, the bible makes it clear it was not from God. He didn't command it at all. It also makes it clear that there was constant fighting and the polygamy was not a good thing.

You do not know much about the Mosaic Law, do you?

[Rensai]

Joseph Smith a few days before he was killed ... in the "Conspiracy of Nauvoo"

" "They accuse me of polygamy, and of being a false Prophet, and many other things which I do not now remember; but I am no false Prophet; I am no impostor; I have had no dark revelations; I have had no revelations from the devil; I made no revelations; I have got nothing up of myself. The same God that has thus far dictated me and directed me and strengthened me in this work, gave me this revelation and commandment on celestial and plural marriage, and the same God commanded me to obey it. He said to me that unless I accepted it and introduced it, and practiced it, I, together with my people, would be damned and cut off from this time henceforth. And they say if I do so, they will kill me! Oh, what shall I do? If I do not practice it, I shall be damned with my people. If I do teach it, and practice it, and urge it, they say they will kill me, and I know they will. But," said he, "we have got to observe it. It is an eternal principle and was given by way of commandment and not by way of instruction."

Fact is stranger than fiction," and in value they cannot be compared. I respectfully submit the above narrative, which is a true recital of events that actually transpired. The manuscript has been carefully scrutinized by proper authorities who are satisfied of its authenticity and have approved its publication, as an important and accurate item of history connected with the Church.... Horace Cummings.

(Taken from The Contributor, Vol. V, pp. 251-260.)

And then also read the one and only printing of the Nauvoo Expositor... That newspaper was printed by those that explicitly were exposing Joseph Smith's Plural Marriages and were part of that " Conspiracy of Nauvoo" that was organized by approximately 200 Mormons that became like unto Judas of old, and, they swore with one hand on the Bible and the other lifted to heaven to do everything in their power to destroy Joseph.... we all know how that ended ...

But to insist upon Joseph not being "guilty" of plural marriage is ridiculous... there is overwhelming evidence of him being married to other women, and even by his enemies.... In fact that (plural/ celestial marriage) was the catalyst that caused those men that printed the Nauvoo Expositor to turn traitor against Joseph.....
Joseph Smith was a polygamous beyond refute.

This statement was fabricated by Brigham Young's polygamist society to pull Joseph Smith's name into the pro-polygamy camp. It is a lie. (The Contributor LDS Church was published between 1879 and 1896). Joseph Smith NEVER fell into the polygamy doctrine but preached against it all his life. This came WAY after Joseph was dead and there was no one to refute it.

[Rensai]

Jacob was tricked into it by his father in law.

DId his father-in-law trick him two more times as he had four wives? He must have been pretty trusting.

Obviously I was referring to Leah, who Jacob was tricked into marrying. The other 2 wives were Rachel and Leah's handmaiden's that they told Jacob to take in their attempts to one up each other. The point was, the bible makes it clear it was not from God. He didn't command it at all. It also makes it clear that there was constant fighting and the polygamy was not a good thing.

Let me understand the logic. Plural marriage is an abomination. Abraham and Jacob/Israel practiced plural marriage. It was not an abomination for Abraham and Jacob/Israel because it was the women’s idea. Abraham and Jacob/Israel are Gods now, we are not sure about their wives.

This sounds like gender bias to me.

All I said about Abraham and Jacob was that they were NOT commanded by God to practice polygamy. The bible makes that very clear. I did not say anything about judging them one way or another, but if you look at the results of polygamy in their lives, it was terrible, obviously it was a big mistake.

There are several scriptures speaking against polygamy, and none, except the fake revelation in section 132 to support it. As God already said so plainly in Jacob 2, if you think the scriptures support polygamy then you don't understand them.

[Rensai]

Here's another abominable teaching from Brigham Young on polygamy. How can anyone be dumb enough to go for this stuff?

"The second way in which a wife can be separated from her husband while he continues to be faithful to his God and his priesthood I have not revealed except to a few persons in this church, and a few have received it from Joseph the Prophet as well as myself. If a woman can find a man holding the keys of the priesthood with higher power and authority than her husband, and he is disposed to take her, he can do so, otherwise she has got to remain where she is. In either of these ways of separation you can discover there is no need for a bill of divorcement.

Conference Reports, October 8, 1861 (reported by George D. Watt. Also found in the Journal of James Beck), October 8, 1861.

Brigham put this into practice too and took a couple wives from other men, without divorce, ruining other families, for his own person gratification.

[Rensai]

Jacob was tricked into it by his father in law.

DId his father-in-law trick him two more times as he had four wives? He must have been pretty trusting.

Obviously I was referring to Leah, who Jacob was tricked into marrying. The other 2 wives were Rachel and Leah's handmaiden's that they told Jacob to take in their attempts to one up each other. The point was, the bible makes it clear it was not from God. He didn't command it at all. It also makes it clear that there was constant fighting and the polygamy was not a good thing.

You do not know much about the Mosaic Law, do you?

This is about as good an explanation as any.

The clearest evidence that monogamy is God’s ideal is from Christ’s teaching on marriage in Matt. 19:3–6. In this passage, He cited the Genesis creation account, in particular Gen. 1:27 and 2:24, saying ‘the two will become one flesh’, not more than two.

Another important biblical teaching is the parallel of husband and wife with Christ and the Church in Eph. 5:22–33, which makes sense only with monogamy—Jesus will not have multiple brides.

The 10th Commandment ‘… You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife [singular] …’ (Exodus 20:17) also presupposes the ideal that there is only one wife. Polygamy is expressly forbidden for church elders (1 Tim. 3:2). And this is not just for elders, because Paul also wrote: ‘each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband.’ Paul goes on to explain marital duties in terms that make sense only with one husband to one wife.

The example of godly people is also important. Isaac and Rebekah were monogamous—they are often used as a model in Jewish weddings today. Other examples were Joseph and Asenath, and Moses and Zipporah. And the only survivors of the Flood were four monogamous couples.

Polygamy’s origins and consequences
A very important point to remember is that not everything recorded in the Bible is approved in the Bible. Consider where polygamy originated—first in the line of the murderer Cain, not the line of Seth. The first recorded polygamist was the murderer Lamech (Gen. 4:23–24). Then Esau, who despised his birthright, also caused much grief to his parents by marrying two pagan wives (Gen. 26:34).

God also forbade the kings of Israel to be polygamous (Deut. 17:17). Look at the trouble when they disobeyed, including deadly sibling rivalry between David’s sons from his different wives (2 Samuel 13, 1 Kings 2); and Solomon’s hundreds of wives helped lead Solomon to idolatry (1 Kings 11:1–3). Also, Hannah, Samuel’s mother, was humiliated by her husband Elkanah’s other wife Peninnah (1 Sam. 1:1–7).

What about godly men who were polygamous?
Abraham and Sarah would have been monogamous apart from a low point in their faith when Hagar became a second wife—note how much strife this caused later. Jacob only wanted Rachel, but was tricked into marrying her older sister Leah, and later he took their slave girls at the sisters’ urging, due to the rivalry between the sisters. Jacob was hardly at a spiritual high point at those times, and neither was David when he added Abigail and Ahinoam (1 Sam. 25:42–43).

Why did God seem to allow it, then?
It is more like the case of divorce, which God tolerated for a while under certain conditions because of the hardness of their hearts, but was not the way it was intended from the beginning (Matt. 19:8). But whenever the Mosaic law had provisions for polygamy, it was always the conditional: ‘If he takes another wife to himself …’ (Ex.21:10), never an encouragement. God put a number of obligations of the husband towards the additional wives which would discourage polygamy. In view of the problems it causes, it is no wonder that polygamy was unknown among the Jews after the Babylonian exile, and monogamy was the rule even among the Greeks and Romans by New Testament times.

https://creation.com/does-the-bible-cle ... h-monogamy

Point is, there is plenty of room to understand the scriptures in a way that shows God does not endorse polygamy. But, the reading of Jacob 2 on the other hand, is as plain as can be. If you think the scriptures support polygamy, your're wrong. THAT IS THE WORD OF GOD! It is so plain.

[Arenera]

This is very clear:

For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people

God commanded, Joseph obeyed.

[Rensai]

This is very clear:

For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people

God commanded, Joseph obeyed.

that's wrong.
http://www.defendingjoseph.com/2008/11/ ... ygamy.html

second of all, even if I accepted the flawed interpretation of that verse, I've already shown that there were more men in the church at that time and so there was absolutely no need for polygamy to "raise up seed." Either way, that excuse is obviously wrong. What about the fact that joseph only had children with Emma? Where is the seed from his supposed polygamy?

[Arenera]

This is very clear:

For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people

God commanded, Joseph obeyed.

that's wrong.
http://www.defendingjoseph.com/2008/11/ ... ygamy.html

second of all, even if I accepted the flawed interpretation of that verse, I've already shown that there were more men in the church at that time and so there was absolutely no need for polygamy to "raise up seed." Either way, that excuse is obviously wrong. What about the fact that joseph only had children with Emma? Where is the seed from his supposed polygamy?

Your interpretation is incorrect. Joseph practiced polygamy as has been shown.

[Fiannan]

The 10th Commandment ‘… You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife [singular] …’ (Exodus 20:17) also presupposes the ideal that there is only one wife.

Maybe you should examine how Jews interpret this, not Catholics or their offspring (Protestants). I remember reading an article written by a Jewish woman on polygamy. She noted that the Jewish tradition regarding that (their) scripture is that a man was not allowed to covet a married woman but a single woman could have desires for a married man because he could be open for taking her as a wife as well.

Looked up your source and examined other pages. Interesting picture on many fronts. Did dinosaurs live in the Garden of Eden you recken? Just looking at the picture. https://creation.com/creation-for-kids

[gardener4life]

You know the worry with polygamy is working to death. Right? If you have one wife and kids then they have endless wants and pressure the parents to be endlessly working to give them stuff and for the wife. They will always pressure the man to always be giving them more. Then blame him for not being home more...

So why would anyone want to practice polygamy?

I have concerns that the man would feel like a slave to the woman...and and if there's more women...look at society now? They refuse to take a man that has less than big money per year. So wouldn't more woman on the same man be even more trouble? What do you think? This is a question not stating any doctrine here.

[Fiannan]

You know the worry with polygamy is working to death. Right? If you have one wife and kids then they have endless wants and pressure the parents to be endlessly working to give them stuff and for the wife. They will always pressure the man to always be giving them more. Then blame him for not being home more...

In a modern sense polygamy would involve all people working and sharing responsibilities. The model you speak of only existed in the USA from 1945 - 1965. At all other times women worked in some way that either created wealth or brought wealth in.

So why would anyone want to practice polygamy?

Not for sex, that is for sure. Maybe to build a larger posterity and create a stronger genetic base.

I have concerns that the man would feel like a slave to the woman...and and if there's more women...look at society now? They refuse to take a man that has less than big money per year. So wouldn't more woman on the same man be even more trouble? What do you think? This is a question not stating any doctrine here.

Studies in evolutionary psychology suggest that women are meaner to other women unless there is a male present. A woman alone with a great deal of responsibility will experience less stress if another woman is present.

[iWriteStuff]

You know the worry with polygamy is working to death. Right? If you have one wife and kids then they have endless wants and pressure the parents to be endlessly working to give them stuff and for the wife. They will always pressure the man to always be giving them more. Then blame him for not being home more...

So why would anyone want to practice polygamy?

I have concerns that the man would feel like a slave to the woman...and and if there's more women...look at society now? They refuse to take a man that has less than big money per year. So wouldn't more woman on the same man be even more trouble? What do you think? This is a question not stating any doctrine here.

That's our society now. That wasn't society in Joseph's day, much less in Abraham's day.

What if the "fulness of the everlasting gospel" includes living the law of polygamy?

Not trying to dismiss your concern. I'm currently providing for my own family as well as my brother-in-law's family (moved in last year). Trust me, the demands are real and the pressure even more real. I can't imagine trying to provide for four families.

[Joel]

[sandman45]

If this was so important to God, why didn't the Lord tell him personally? And why the threat of being slayed? Where is agency? Sounds more like the devil made him do it.

Why are we called the Children of Israel? Jacob or Israel had 4 wives. Abraham had 2. Moses had 2. For whatever reason, polygamy is part of the program, but sometimes it’s on and sometimes it’s off.

It is off for us.

This is the Power of God. 1,000 years to write on metal plates, starting from Lehi/Nephi to Mormon/Moroni. Joseph, a young uneducated man, translated the plates to the Book of Mormon. With the Power of God.

Was there no agency during this 1,000 year period? Of course there was, the agency to follow God’s commands.

Joseph did the same thing, he practiced polygamy because it was God’s command. He received the revelation from Christ. An angel had to come to get him to do it. I suspect Joseph didn’t want to cross Emma.

Just like the power to get the Book of Mormon to us, God’s Power still is with the Church. Yes, Brigham was placed in history to keep the Church going.

More slander against Joseph. You should be careful of joining his enemies in that.

Joseph's last words before death on the subject are:

I am the same man, and as innocent as I was fourteen years ago [when charged with polygamy shortly after his marriage to Emma Hale]; and I can prove them all perjurers. (LDS History of the Church 6:410–411; italics added)

If you want to join with the perjurer's that's up to you.

Who added the italics to that quote?