He that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; ~Galatians 6:8
Contents
Introduction
This is what the D&C says about polygamy (note the date):
16 Wherefore, it is lawful that he should have ONE WIFE, and they twain shall be ONE FLESH, and all this that the earth might answer the end of its creation; (D&C 49, 1831)
This is what the D&C used to say:
In 1876, SECTION 101 from the 1835 edition (and subsequent printings) WAS REMOVED. Section 101 was a “Statement on Marriage” as adopted by an 1835 conference of the church, and contained the following text:
Inasmuch as THIS Church of Christ has been reproached with the crime of FORNICATION and POLYGAMY, we declare that we believe that one man should have ONE WIFE
This section was removed because it had been superseded by section 132 of the modern LDS edition, recorded in 1843, which contains a revelation received by Joseph Smith on eternal marriage and plural marriage, the origin of the principles of which the LDS Church traces to as early as 1831. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctrine_and_Covenants#1876_Edition)
This is what the Book of Mormon says about polygamy:
27 Wherefore my brethren hear me and hearken to the word of the Lord for there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife and concubines he shall have none. (Jacob 2)
The greater context reads thus:
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.
24 Behold, David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord.
25 Wherefore, thus saith the Lord, I have led this people forth out of the land of Jerusalem, by the power of mine arm, that I might raise up unto me a righteous branch from the fruit of the loins of Joseph.
26 Wherefore, I the Lord God will not suffer that this people shall do like unto them of old.
27 Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you have save it be ONE WIFE; and concubines he shall have none;
28 For I, the Lord God, delight in the chastity of women. And whoredoms are an abomination before me; thus saith the Lord of Hosts.
29 Wherefore, this people shall keep my commandments, saith the Lord of Hosts, or cursed be the land for their sakes.
30 For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things.
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.
33 For they shall not lead away captive the daughters of my people because of their tenderness save I shall visit them with a sore curse even unto destruction for they shall not commit whoredoms like unto them of old saith the Lord of Hosts.
34 And now behold, my brethren, ye know that these commandments were given to our father, Lehi; wherefore, ye have known them before; and ye have come unto great condemnation; for ye have done these things which ye ought not to have done. (Jacob 2)
Note that God is mindful of how polygamy affects children, particularly daughters. He is mindful that tender feelings are tied to chastity. Only in rare circumstances will God “command” its practice to “raise up seed.” Joseph did not raise any seed through any of his polygamous marriages.
Indeed, he married many women who were:
- Already married
- Already married to faithful Mormon men
- Already sealed to their faithful Mormon husbands
- Already able to have children by their faithful Mormon husbands
- Already had children by their faithful Mormon husbands
This is what the Bible says about polygamy:
- Bishops: the husband of one wife –1 Tim. 3:2
- Elders: the husband of one wife –Titus 1:6
- Deacons: the husband of one wife –1 Tim. 3:12
The Mormon Church has finally acknowledged that Joseph’s polygamous marriages were sexual and to women who were already married (polyandry):
For a Church-approved work to state that polygamy involved “conjugal relations” and use the term polyandry is landmark. (The Joseph Smith Papers, Journals, Volume 2: December 1841–April 1843)
Here is a comment by one of the sons of Joseph Smith:
“April 24, 1863, President Smith wrote a letter to Elder Charles Derry, first foreign missionary of the Reorganized Church, then in England. This is a mingling of public and private sentiment, but of interest in studying the character of the man. It is as follow:”
“There is a crisis approaching in Utah affairs. Brigham and Wells and Taylor are under bonds to answer in the United States courts for polygamy contrary to the statute prohibiting the practice in the territories” (Herman C. Smith, ed., Journal of History, RLDS, Vol. 12, No. 1, Jan. 1919, p. 7).
“Happy am I (me thinks) who have never seen the full and fatal effects of the doctrine you and I so much deprecate, except under the influence of what mellowing features time and distance intervene. Nevertheless, enough has been refracted through intellectual sources to create and foster a complete and never to be eradicated loathing of its defenders and propagators, and intense hatred of the thing itself. My earliest inclinations were against it; and the testimonies of the gospel have clasped and manacled the hideousness of its evil upon my heart of hearts. And may God so order it that you and I may long stand as shoulder to shoulder in the great fight of light and truth as against darkness and error, to the final overthrow of the doctrine of polygamy and all its adjuncts, amen.” (p. 8)
In everything, there must be two or more witnesses, of which there are none for the type of polygamy Joseph Smith implemented.
For Polygamy Deniers
[Centre Place, “Joseph Smith and Polygamy,” YouTube, Apr 5, 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM6O0md1Dfg]
[Brian Hales, “Denver Snuffer: Polygamy Reductionist and Non-Transparencyist,” YouTube, Oct 10, 2020; see also pdf: Denying the Undeniable]
[Brian Hales, “Truth will Make Us Free: A Response to Rob Fotheringham, Whitney Horning, and Denver Snuffer,” YouTube, Dec 14, 2022]
Who Knew Joseph Practiced Polygamy
Mormons Subject to Joe
Mormons are subjects to Joseph Smith in life and death because he invented their “priesthood,” which binds them to him—not The Lord Jesus.
7 And verily I say unto you, that the conditions of this law are these: ALL COVENANTS, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections, associations, or expectations, that are not made and entered into and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, OF HIM WHO IS ANOINTED, both as well for time and for all eternity, and that too most holy, by revelation and commandment THROUGH THE MEDIUM OF MINE ANOINTED, whom I have appointed on the earth to hold this power (and I have appointed unto my servant JOSEPH TO HOLD THIS POWER in the LAST DAYS, and there is NEVER BUT ONE ON THE EARTH at a time on whom this power and the keys of this priesthood are conferred), are of no efficacy, virtue, or force in and after the resurrection from the dead; for all contracts that are not made unto this end have an end when men are dead.
44 I reveal it unto you, my servant JOSEPH, THEN SHALL YOU HAVE POWER, by the power of my Holy Priesthood, to TAKE HER and GIVE HER unto him that hath not committed adultery but hath been faithful; for HE SHALL BE MADE RULER OVER MANY.
48 And again, verily I say unto you, my servant JOSEPH, that whatsoever YOU [Joe] give on earth, and to whomsoever YOU [Joe]
52 let mine handmaid, Emma Smith, receive all those that have been given unto my servant Joseph
53 I give unto my servant JOSEPH that he shall be made RULER OVER MANY THINGS;
54 Emma Smith, to abide and cleave unto my servant JOSEPH and to none else. But if she will not abide this commandment SHE SHALL BE DESTROYED
55 I will bless him and multiply him and give unto him [JOE] an hundred-fold in this world, of fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, houses and lands, WIVES and children, and crowns of eternal lives in the eternal worlds.
56 let mine handmaid forgive my servant JOSEPH HIS TRESPASSES; and THEN SHALL SHE BE FORGIVEN HER TRESPASSES
60 Let no one, therefore, set on my servant JOSEPH; FOR I WILL JUSTIFY HIM; (D&C 132)
Also
- http://wivesofjosephsmith.org
- Joseph Smith’s Polygamy Spoliation [i.e., the deliberate destruction of evidence]
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Joseph_Smith%27s_wives