Category: Mormon Polygamy

The truth about Mormon Polygamy

The current LDS church is not following following true mormonism, and is (according to their doctrines/leaders) in a temporary state where they are not following polygamy, which they say is a “eternal” principle. If you look at all the doctrines of the current LDS Church, polygamy is just temporarily not being practiced right now, but their doctrines still teach it is a true principal.
 

Joseph Smith (the founder of mormonism was married to over 30 women, including women who were still married to living husbands (by the way, it is called polyandry, when a women is married to multiple men):

In this chart, you can see the age of the women at the time they were married (and some of them were just 14 years old).
 
Brigham Young the second Mormon prophet taught:
“Now if any of you will deny the plurality of wives, and continue to do so, I promise that you will be damned,” (Journal of Discourses, vol. 3, p. 266). 
He also said:
“The only men who become Gods, even the Sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy,” (Journal of Discourses, vol. 11, p. 269).
 

In 1869 Wilford Woodruff, Mormonism’s future fourth president, taught:

“If we were to do away with polygamy, it would only be one feather in the bird, one ordinance in the Church and kingdom. Do away with that, then we must do away with prophets and Apostles, with revelation and the gifts and graces of the Gospel, and finally give up our religion altogether and turn sectarians and do as the world does, then all would be right. We just can’t do that, for God has commanded us to build up His kingdom and to bear our testimony to the nations of the earth, and we are going to do it, come life or come death. He has told us to do thus, and we shall obey Him in days to come as we have in days past” (Journal of Discourses 13:165 – p.166).

Even as late as 1879, Joseph F. Smith was insisting that plural marriage was essential for LDS exaltation. Speaking at the funeral of William Clayton, Mormonism’s future sixth president, stated:

“This doctrine of eternal union of husband and wife, and of plural marriage, is one of the most important doctrines ever revealed to man in any age of the world. Without it man would come to a full stop; without it we never could be exalted to associate with and become god…” (Journal of Discourses 21:9).

If you don’t think these quotes are accurate, you can look them up for your self on the BYU website (BYU is the Mormon church’s officially sponsored institution), where they cite the Journal of Discourses as scripture:

 
By their own declaration, the only reason that the LDS church stopped polygamy, was because it was against the law, and the USA government finally enforced that law, which you can see in the Mormon official declaration:
 
“Inasmuch as laws have been enacted by Congress forbidding plural marriages, which laws have been pronounced constitutional by the court of last resort, I hereby declare my intention to submit to those laws, and to use my influence with the members of the Church over which I preside to have them do likewise.“
Willford Woodruff, Official Declaration ( http://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/od/1?lang=eng )
Because the Official Declaration only cited the laws of the land as the reason, and not because of God’s commandment, there were many people who simply put them selves outside of the laws of the land (moved to Mexico, etc.), and continued to practice polygamy. This is why the Fundamentalist LDS Church (FLDS) exists, as they continue to practice true mormonism as preached by the Mormon prophets. It seems that the FLDS can still call them selves Mormons, since they practice all that is preached by the Mormon prophets.
 
Even in more modern times, LDS church leaders point out that it they are only temporarily without polygamy:
“Obviously the holy practice [of polygamy] will commence again after the Second Coming of the Son of Man and the ushering in of the millennium.”
Bruce R. McConkie, in the book Mormon Doctrine
If you consider the FLDS under the word “Mormon”, then some Mormon’s do practice polygamy even today, as they follow the words of early mormon prophets, and even LDS mormons accept doctrine that teaches the principle of polygamy, even if they try not to talk about it in public.
 
Joseph Smith is also recorded in Church history lying about his adulterous polygamy.
 
If you’re interested in learning more about the damages of modern day polygamy, please see the site for the non-profit 501(c) (3) called Sound Choices Coalition.