Plural Marriage

[azazel420]

Recently become interested in plural marriage is it's taught doctrinally within the LDS church. There seems to be some confusing inconsistencies within the scriptures as to the topic. Start with the Book of Mormon, Book of Jacob Chapter 2:

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.

Now this passage clearly paints plural marriage as an abomination before God. I know that people point to verse 30 as a justification where god says he will occasionally call upon his people to "bring up seed". Let's contrast Jacob 2 with D&C 132:

1 Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you my servant Joseph, that inasmuch as you have inquired of my hand to know and understand wherein I, the Lord, justified my servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as also Moses, David and Solomon, my servants, as touching the principle and doctrine of their having many wives and concubines—

2 Behold, and lo, I am the Lord thy God, and will answer thee as touching this matter.

3 Therefore, prepare thy heart to receive and obey the instructions which I am about to give unto you; for all those who have this law revealed unto them must obey the same.

4 For behold, I reveal unto you a new and an everlasting covenant; and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned; for no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory.

5 For all who will have a blessing at my hands shall abide the law which was appointed for that blessing, and the conditions thereof, as were instituted from before the foundation of the world.

6 And as pertaining to the new and everlasting covenant, it was instituted for the fulness of my glory; and he that receiveth a fulness thereof must and shall abide the law, or he shall be damned, saith the Lord God.

This passage stands to justify the practice of plural marriage as a new and everlasting covenant and states that no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into the glory of God. Even if we assume this covenant is only taken under special circumstances (which seems inconsistent) we are left with the problem of David and Solomon. The book of Jacob condemns the plural wives of David and Solomon while D&C 132 justifies the plural wives of David and Solomon.

This is a pretty confusing inconsistency, are David and Solomon condemned or justified for plural marriage?

[Hemidakota]

Are you a member of the church?

[HiJolly]

What does the Bible say about the wives of Saul, and David? I suggest you look that up, too.

HiJolly

[NormalMormon]

Are you a member of the church?

Does it matter?

[Hemidakota]

At this point - yes.

[MarginOfError]

I'll rely on the peanut gallery for help, because at this point, I'm just too lazy to look up references. Also, I have a really great summary of plural marriage at home, but since I"m not there I can't look it up right now.

After reviewing every reference I could find to plural marriage, I found that it's righteous practice always seemed to fall under three constraints

1) it was commanded of God

2) it was administered by a prophet

3) it was always maintained within God's covenant people.

In David's case, he did nothing wrong until Bath-sheba (taking another man's wife, and taking the wife without the authorization of the prophet--at the time, Nathan).

In Solomon's case, he started taking wives outside of the covenant. It was those wives from outside the covenant that had him in violation of the principle.

There are references in Doctrine and Covenants and in the Book of Mormon that help clarify, and a ton of stuff in the Old Testament that you can sift through. Perhaps sometime when I get home I'll type up all my notes.

[azazel420]

Are you a member of the church?

Technically yes, I was raised/baptized in the LDS church and as far as their records are concerned I'm a member. Ive had fairly recent limited contact with the church (home teachers come by occasionally). I don't adhere to any christian belief system.

Thanks to MarginOfError for the helpful response. The wording in Jacob is problematic as it doesn't mention covenant breaking but simply says they took many wives. If someone could point me to specific verses/chapters within the scriptures (bible or otherwise) on the topic of plural marriage would be appreciated.

[HiJolly]

The wording in Jacob is problematic as it doesn't mention covenant breaking but simply says they took many wives. If someone could point me to specific verses/chapters within the scriptures (bible or otherwise) on the topic of plural marriage would be appreciated.

Yesterday, I attended a ward in our Stake that has really been struggling. Two members passed away unexpectedly in the last month; most members have meager financial resources; Many moved to that area because of limited budgets due to handicapped family members; increased gas/diesel expenses has caused much disruption of commuting to work/school; it goes on and on.

The Bishop's wife spoke concerning how obedience to the commandments brings blessings Doctrine and Covenants 130 and then the Bishop spoke about how most of the troubles could be better addressed/dealt with if those who struggled would take more care and effort in personal prayer and personal scripture study. He said we all need to WORK at our prayers. He is exactly right.

I bring this up because you are asking people to do the 'work' for you. If you want to know what's up, you must be willing to do the research yourself. I know, I've been there. There is no other way. (yikes!)

In my previous post, I gave you sufficient information so that you could look up what I was referring to, yourself. I encourage you to do the work. It will make all the difference, in the end.

HiJolly

[Hemidakota]

Same basic understanding on how Joseph Smith received this revelation by John A. Widtsoe, "Joseph Smith ;Seeker after Truth, Prophet of God";

Plural Marriage

Moral purity is required of all Latter-day Saints. Men must be as clean as women, and both must be free from any violation of the moral law. That is the requirement of all marriages performed under the authority of the restored gospel in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Church solemnizes two kinds of marriages: first, those that unite husband and wife for the duration of mortal life; second, those that continue the family relationship after death, in the hereafter. The latter are known as eternal or celestial sealings or marriages.

Faithful members of the Church hope to enjoy celestial marriage. They wish to be wedded for time and eternity, that is, to continue their wedded associations forever. To be able to do this is one of the happiest privileges of Church membership. Such marriages, properly called sealings, must be performed in the temples, whenever they exist.

Several approaches to eternal marriage may be made. Two living persons may be sealed to each other for time and eternity. A living man may be sealed for eternity to a dead woman or a living woman to a dead man. Two dead persons may be sealed to each other for eternity. It is also possible, though the Church does not now permit it, to seal two living persons for eternity only, with no association on earth.

Further, under a divine command to the Prophet Joseph Smith, it was possible for one man to be sealed to more than one woman for time and for eternity. 1 This sealing of husbands and wives is one of the important rituals of temple service. It is an earth ordinance since there is no marriage or giving in marriage in heaven.

The remarkable and soul-stirring doctrine of eternal or celestial marriage came as the result of a question presented to the Lord, as to how the early patriarch, Abraham, was justified in having more than one wife. In the revealed answer came also the principle of plural marriage among the Latter-day Saints. By another divine command to Wilford Woodruff, a successor to Joseph Smith, this order of marriage was withdrawn in 1890. Since that time the Church has not sanctioned plural marriages. Anyone who enters into it now is married unlawfully by persons who have no authority, and is excommunicated from the Church.

Nevertheless, almost the first question asked by strangers to the Church is about the practice of plural marriage in the early days of the Church. The young people of the Church likewise ask why the Lord authorized his Church to practise a principle obnoxious to many in the world.

In the absence of the revealed answer to the question, it may be suggested that the philosophy of the Church implies an answer.

Those who live faithfully to the Lord's commandments may receive the sealing blessings of the gospel. They are then wedded for time and for all eternity. They and their children are then the ones who in the eternal ages will constitute eternal families, and will increase in the eternal years toward the very likeness of God. It becomes therefore a priceless privilege to be born into such a family, sealed for eternal existence in the holy temples of God. The waiting spirits destined to come on earth, and understanding the vast meaning of the gospel, perhaps asked, perhaps pleaded to come through such a worthy lineage, even if the man, the coming father, had to assume the responsibility of a plural household. Perhaps in that manner came the practice on earth of plural marriage. Moreover, the practice is Biblical. It is in line with the fundamental gospel doctrine of eternal progression, and provides for the use of man's free agency. Thus the practice of plural marriage takes its place with the spiritual gifts of the gospel.

Looked upon in this light it becomes a glorious privilege of begetting bodies for the waiting spirits.

It is granted that this or any other explanation carries along with it many unanswerable questions. Certainly, however, plural marriage did not come because of economic or social reasons as some have suggested.

The principle and the practice came to the Prophet through revelation from the Lord. Its practice was always permissive. Plural wives could be taken only under severe restrictions and upon the recommendation of bishops, stake presidents, General Authorities, and finally by the President of the Church. The man who entered plural marriage must be fitted in every way for this holy privilege.

The divine purpose of plural marriage, since the Lord has not explained it, is but dimly understood by man.

That Joseph Smith actually was the person who introduced plural marriage into the Church and that he practiced it himself are amply proved by existing facts.

The revelation known as D&C 132 in the Doctrine and Covenants, which contains the doctrine of celestial marriage and also the permission to practice plural marriage, was dictated to his scribe, William Clayton, by Joseph Smith on July 12, 1843, a year before the martyrdom of the Prophet. It had been received by the Prophet some years before and taught to many, but was not reduced to writing until 1843. 2

The evidence seems clear that the revelation on plural marriage was received by the Prophet as early as 1831. A sermon delivered by Joseph F. Smith, then a counselor in the First Presidency, later the President of the Church, was reported as follows:

Here the speaker said, perhaps for the first time in public, that the women who entered into plural marriage with the Prophet Joseph Smith were shown to him and named to him as early as 1831, and some of them were given in marriage to him as early as that date, although it was not then prudent, under the circumstances, to make these facts public. And when the Lord showed those women to Joseph some of them were not even acquainted with the Church much less him. God knew their hearts, as is proved by the fact that they have been true and faithful through all the trying vicissitudes through which they have passed, and that too in the face of a frowning world; they have endured it all, and are today examples of womanhood and purity. 3

It seems that Fannie Alger was one of Joseph's first plural wives. She lived many years after the Prophet's death and never denied her relationship to him. 4 There were other noble, pure women who gave like testimonies.

William Clayton lived as an honorable citizen of the highest character. On December 4, 1879, thirty-six years after the revelation was written he died. He never wavered in his simple declaration that the revelation as now found in the Doctrine and Covenants was dictated to him, sentence by sentence, by the Prophet. He adds that "after the whole was written, Joseph asked me to read it through, slowly and carefully, which I did, and he pronounced it correct." 5

On the day the revelation was written, or the day after, Joseph C. Kingsbury was asked to make a copy of it. This copy was carefully compared with the original by Bishop Newel K. Whitney and preserved by him. Elder Kingsbury, of unblemished character and reputation, lived fifty-five years after this event (he died October 5, 1898), and always bore solemn testimony to the written origin of the revelation in 1843 through the lips of the Prophet. In further corroboration of the claim that the revelation came from the lips of the Prophet are the statements of numerous men and women, then living, who either saw the revelation or heard it read. In fact, the document was read to the high council and presidency of the stake of Nauvoo 6 on August 12, 1843, a month after it had been reduced to written form on July 12, 1843. 7 Many of the council members testified that the revelation was read at that time. 8

In 1886, President Smith of the Reorganized Church attempted to secure from Leonard Soby, estranged from the Church, but a member in 1843 of the Nauvoo high council, a statement to the effect that the revelation was not read at the said high council meeting. This Soby refused to do, but volunteered to testify that the revelation was actually read at that meeting in his hearing. 9

A number of men, who in their lives proved themselves honest, have testified that they actually performed the ceremonies that united Joseph Smith to plural wives. Among these were Joseph B. Noble, Hyrum Smith, James Adams, Newel K. Whitney, Willard Richards, and others. 10 Several of these men lived long after the Prophet's death and always declared that they officiated in marrying the Prophet to a plural wife, giving place, date, and the witnesses present.

Many of the women who were thus sealed to Joseph Smith lived long after his death. They declared that they lived with the Prophet as his wives. 11 These women were of unblemished character, gentle and lovely in their lives, who understood this to be a righteous principle as revealed to their Prophet-husband. They always spoke with loving respect of their martyr-husband and they substantiated in detail the statements of those who performed the ceremonies.

Many of the elders in Nauvoo entered into plural marriage under the authority of Joseph Smith while he was living, as certified to by the men and their wives. Among these were William Clayton, Orson Hyde, Hyrum Smith, John Smith, Erastus Snow, Lyman Wight, James J. Strang, Gladden Bishop, William Smith, Heber C. Kimball, and Brigham Young. 12 These men and their wives who survived the Prophet made affidavits of their marriages in Joseph's day in answer to the charge by enemies of the Church that plural marriage was not instituted nor practised, neither authorized by the Prophet. These men and women who assisted in the sealings or were sealed to plural wives, were good citizens, so well-known over such long periods of time that their concordant declarations cannot be gainsaid.

The Nauvoo Temple records, which are in the possession of the Church, likewise furnish evidence that Joseph Smith practised plural marriage. Before the completion of the temple, sealings were usually performed in dedicated rooms in the home of the Prophet. When the temple was dedicated in 1846 for such ceremonies, the plural marriages of Joseph were given temple sanction, and where the original marriages were for time only, they were often later performed as sealings made to continue through eternity. 13

This was done within a year and a half of the assassination of the Prophet. Later, many more received plural wives in the Nauvoo Temple. It is utterly improbable, if not impossible, that such a new doctrine could have been conceived and carried out immediately by the men who succeeded the Prophet. There would have been a serious resentment among those who entered the temple if the teachings of the Prophet had been violated. Such criticism would have overflowed to the outside.

After the death of the Prophet, women applied for the privilege of being sealed to him for eternity. They felt no doubt that in the eternal ages they would share the companionship of the Prophet. They wanted to share eternity with the man whom they revered as one chosen of God to open the last dispensation of the gospel on earth. To these requests, assent was often given. Such action by women who lived in the days of the Prophet implies a belief in plural marriage. These women, who were not in any sense earthly wives of the Prophet, have been counted by uninformed or antagonistic writers as wives of the Prophet. 14

Women no longer living, whether in Joseph's day or later, have also been sealed to the Prophet for eternity. The request for such unions has usually come from relatives or friends who would have their loved ones share eternity with the Prophet rather than with anyone else. Unscrupulous and unreliable writers have even added such marriages to the list of Joseph's wives.

Another kind of celestial marriage seems to have been practised in the early days of plural marriage. It has not been practised since Nauvoo days, for it is under Church prohibition. Zealous women, some of them married as well as unmarried, loving the cause of the restored gospel, considered their condition in the hereafter and asked that they might be sealed to the Prophet for eternity. They were not to be his wives on earth, in mortality, but only after death, in the eternities. Such marriages led to much misunderstanding by those not of the Church and unfamiliar with its doctrines and practices. To them marriage meant only association on earth. Therefore any ceremony uniting a married woman, for example, to Joseph Smith for eternity seemed adulterous to such people. Yet in any day, in our day, there may be women who prefer to spend eternity with another than their husband on earth.

Such cases, if any, and they must have been few in number, gave enemies of the Church occasion to fan the flaming hatred against the Latter-day Saints. The full truth was not told. Enemies made the most of untruth. They found it difficult to believe that the Church rests on truth and virtue.

The existing literature dealing with plural marriage in Nauvoo in the day of Joseph Smith is voluminous. Many affidavits on the subject are in the Church Historian's Office in Salt Lake City. Many of the books and newspaper and magazine articles on the subject are found there also. 15

A clinching proof that the Prophet had taught plural marriage is found in his journal under date of October 5, 1843. He writes:

Gave instructions to try those persons who were preaching, teaching, or practicing, the doctrine of plurality of wives; 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 its keys are conferred; and I have constantly said no man shall have but one wife at a time, unless the Lord directs otherwise. 16

The careful study of all available information leads to but one conclusion. Joseph Smith received the revelation in question and practised plural marriage. This issue is not one of doctrine but of history. No honest student can declare the host of witnesses, hundreds of them, from Nauvoo days, Mormon and non-Mormon of various residence, pursuit, and temperament to have united in lying about the matter. The evidence is confirmed by those who place the introduction of plural marriage on others, for they seek feeble, unworthy shelter in the statement that Joseph Smith did practise plural marriage but later repented of it. 17 That is throwing dust in the eyes of seekers after truth.

The case is clear. Authentic history says that plural marriage originated with Joseph Smith, the Prophet. So it did. The apparent denials by Church leaders in early Nauvoo days that the Church practised plural marriage were correct. At that time, the Church members as a whole had not heard the revelation nor had they been given an opportunity to accept it. But many of the leaders knew of it and were polygamists under Joseph's authority.

The chaotic conditions of the years immediately following the Prophet's death delayed the formal presentation of the revelation to the whole Church. That explains the statement of 1838 in answer to a question whether the Mormons believed in having more than one wife. The principle of plural marriage had not at that time been presented to the Church. 18

Soon after the Church was established in the Great Salt Lake region, at the conference in 1852, the doctrine of celestial and plural marriage was accepted by the Church as a whole. During the intervening years, however, it was taught and practised.

References:

Doctrine and Covenants 132:61-62.

History of the Church, vol. 5, p. 501; Andrew Jenson, Historical Record, pp. 224-226.

Journal History, February 17, 1882; Deseret News, February 17, 1882.

Andrew Jenson, Historical Record, pp. 233, 942.

Ibid., pp. 225-226.

Ibid., p. 227.

George Q. Cannon, Life of Joseph Smith, p. 412.

George Q. Cannon, op. cit., p. 413; Andrew Jenson, Historical Record, p. 227.

Journal History, January 6, 1886, p. 4; Deseret Evening News, January 6, 1886.

Andrew Jenson, op. cit., pp. 221-233.

Ibid., pp. 233, 240.

There can be no question about the matter since the written records are so extensive as to places, dates, and witnesses. See the records in the Historian's Office, L.D.S. Church Office Building, Salt Lake City, Utah, also the Nauvoo Temple Records.

See Nauvoo Temple Records.

Nauvoo Temple Records.

For a fairly condensed but complete discussion consult Andrew Jenson, op. cit., pp. 219-236; Joseph Fielding Smith, Blood Atonement and the Origin of Plural Marriage, pp. 67-94; Women's Exponent, volumes 13 and 14; Deseret News, especially in 1886.

History of the Church, vol. 6, p. 46.

Saints Herald, vol. 1, pp. 9, 26, 27.

Elder's Journal, vol, 1, p. 3.

[Hemidakota]

Church links on the same subject: 25 out of 78 articles concerning this topic:

The Newel K. Whitney Family

in Ensign Dec. 1978 by D. Michael Quinn

... join it by baptism. The experiences of plural marriage make the analogy even closer. The Whitney ... recorded a revelation to the Whitneys on plural marriage. "My husband revealed these things to ... eternity of marriage and the nature of plural marriage, and Newel asked to have his own copy, ...

Chap. 31 (The Quest for Self-Sufficiency) - Chap. 35 (The Church at the Turn of the Century)

in Church History in the Fulness of Times

...for indictments of men involved in plural marriage 1875 George ... media campaign against the practice of plural marriage. In spite of intense persecution, the Church ... presidents as well.^6 The Practice of Plural Marriage A large part of the persecution experienced...

The Return of Oliver Cowdery

in The Disciple as Witness: Essays on Latter-day Saint History and Doctrine in Honor of Richard Lloyd Anderson

... practice of plural marriage among the Saints ... the imprudence of plural marriage as a "public ... of the plural-marriage doctrine. ...

Parley P. Pratt and the Pacific Mission: Mormon Publishing in "That Very Questionable Part of the Civilized World"

in Mormons, Scripture, and the Ancient World: Studies in Honor of John L. Sorenson by Davis Bitton

...broadside defense of plural marriage in July 1852, one ... public announcement of plural marriage was not made in Salt ... the doctrine of plural marriage without admitting...

What Are People Asking about Us?

in Conference Report, October 1998 by Gordon B. Hinckley

...on the part of some of those practicing plural marriage. I wish to state categorically that this ... our members are found to be practicing plural marriage, they are excommunicated, the most serious ... prophet Wilford Woodruff that the practice of plural marriage should be discontinued, which means that...

A "Magnificent and Enduring Monument"

in Ensign Mar. 1993 by Don L. Searle

...punish Church members for the practice of plural marriage was passed in 1862. 5 In the early 1870s ... stripped those who practiced or believed in plural marriage of the right to vote, disfranchising both ... educational, and economic affairs in Utah, but plural marriage was the rallying point for mass support...

What Are People Asking about Us?

in Ensign Nov. 1998 by Gordon B. Hinckley

...on the part of some of those practicing plural marriage. I wish to state categorically that this ... our members are found to be practicing plural marriage, they are excommunicated, the most serious ... prophet Wilford Woodruff that the practice of plural marriage should be discontinued, which means that...

Wilford Woodruff to Joseph F. Smith

in Presidents of the Church Student Manual

... persecution for practicing plural marriage (Feb. 1886). 80 ... 83 The Manifesto ending plural marriage (Official Declaration 1) was written ...plural marriage but also prohibited those who did so from... laws not only made it unlawful to practice

Section 131-138, Official Declarations 1 and 2

in Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual

...known. The Prophet knew the Lord's will on plural marriage within the new and everlasting covenant ... comprising the remaining verses, deals with plural marriage. The doctrine of celestial marriage remains in force; the practice of plural marriage was abandoned by the acceptance by the ...

Great-Grandfather's Family

in Ensign Feb. 1977 by Davis Bitton

...father, was for some the institution of plural marriage. Starting during Joseph Smith's own lifetime ... until its official announcement in 1852, plural marriage brought a powerful new challenge to the ...plural marriage for most meant even more fatherly absence... nineteenth-century marriages. Obviously

Chapters 15-17: Jacob, Enos, Jarom, Omni, Words of Mormon

in Book of Mormon Student Manual

...Ensign, Nov. 1975, p. 76). Jacob 2:23-30. Plural Marriage Jacob made it clear that the Lord did ... want the Nephites to practice any form of plural marriage. He taught that monogamy was the law unless ... Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints practiced plural marriage, the Lord commanded it. Jacob 3:1-10. ...

America’s Young Mother of the Year

in Ensign Oct. 1972 by Eleanor Knowles

...Mormons were now preaching and practicing plural marriage, this seemed like a direct threat to them ... of the legislation aimed at suppressing plural marriage. Actually, however, the Saints could take ...plural marriage, and resulted in many Mormon Democrats ... the Church of continuing the practice of

3. Do Latter-day Saints believe in the Bible and biblical Christianity?

in Latter-day Christianity: 10 Basic Issues by Robert L. Millet, Noel B. Reynolds

...Alma 6:6). Even plural marriage (see D&C 132...

Doctrine and Covenants Times at a Glance, Chart 3: Section 138 and Official Declarations 1 and 2

in Ensign Sept. 2005

...resulting from persecution of those practicing plural marriage. Official Declaration 2. June 1, 1978 ...

Truth Prevailing: The Significance of the Nineteenth-Century LDS Experience in Britain

in Ensign July 1987 by Douglas F. Tobler

...chapel groups. The public announcement of plural marriage in Utah in 1852 confirmed earlier rumors ... years. On the one hand, the specter of plural marriage created a negative image in the public ...

Nineteenth-Century Break-offs

in Ensign Sept. 1979 by Russell R. Rich

... crowned king in 1850, began practicing plural marriage, and was fatally wounded on 16 June 1856 ... fundamentalist; usually they preach and practice plural marriage, sometimes secretly, and claim that the...

Historical Perspective

in Ensign Oct. 1995 by Glen M. Leonard

...crusade against the Church's practice of plural marriage. This drive attracted nationwide attention ... This resulted in a series of laws against plural marriage passed by the U.S. Congress between 1862...

Images of an Era: Finding Peace

in Ensign Aug. 1999

.... 29 Aug. 1852: Public announcement of plural marriage made, Salt Lake City. 5 May 1855: Endowment ... revelation discontinuing the practice of plural marriage. 6 Apr. 1893: Salt Lake Temple, 40 years...

A Woman's World in Lehi's Jerusalem

in Glimpses of Lehi's Jerusalem by JoAnn H. Seely, David R. Seely, John W. Welch

... Several instances of plural marriage are mentioned early ... recorded instance of plural marriage outside the royal ...

Joseph Smith to John Taylor

in Presidents of the Church Student Manual

...substantial persecution for its practice of plural marriage. President Young insisted that only the ... passed the Edmunds Act, which declared plural marriage illegal (16 Feb. 1882). ... exile because of persecutions for plural marriage (1 Feb. 1885). ...

The Nobility of Failure

in BYU Speeches 1999 by R. Lanier Britsch - 29 June 1999

...made public its doctrine and practice of plural marriage. Word of this announcement arrived in Calcutta ... success was the then-accepted doctrine of plural marriage. A second great problem was the refusal...

The Early Years of Brigham Young

in BYU Speeches 1973 by S. Dilworth Young - 11 October 1973

...artificial respiration was used many years ago. Plural Marriage During that period the Prophet Joseph ... Smith taught Brigham Young the doctrine of plural marriage. I'd like you young folks to know that ...

"Something Extraordinary"

in Ensign Mar. 1992 by Sheri L. Dew

...because of the Latter-day Saints' practice of plural marriage. When in 1887, with the passage of a U.S. Congressional act against plural marriage, Utah women lost the right to vote (a right...

The Five Sons of Jared and Charity Pratt

in Ensign Oct. 1979 by R. Steven Pratt

...Charity had come to help them. 12 In Nauvoo, plural marriage was another challenge to the family. Parley ... involvement, they used the teaching of plural marriage as a method of self-defense, accusing the...

Finding Peace in the Tops of the Mountains

in Ensign Aug. 1999 by Paul H. Peterson

...practices, and especially the practice of plural marriage. To them, all such systems and practices ... 1890, declaring an end to the practice of plural marriage. By the 1880s and 1890s, it was clear that...

[Hemidakota]

Church links on the same subject: 25 out of 78 articles concerning this topic:

The Newel K. Whitney Family

in Ensign Dec. 1978 by D. Michael Quinn

... join it by baptism. The experiences of plural marriage make the analogy even closer. The Whitney ... recorded a revelation to the Whitneys on plural marriage. "My husband revealed these things to ... eternity of marriage and the nature of plural marriage, and Newel asked to have his own copy, ...

Chap. 31 (The Quest for Self-Sufficiency) - Chap. 35 (The Church at the Turn of the Century)

in Church History in the Fulness of Times

...for indictments of men involved in plural marriage 1875 George ... media campaign against the practice of plural marriage. In spite of intense persecution, the Church ... presidents as well.^6 The Practice of Plural Marriage A large part of the persecution experienced...

The Return of Oliver Cowdery

in The Disciple as Witness: Essays on Latter-day Saint History and Doctrine in Honor of Richard Lloyd Anderson

... practice of plural marriage among the Saints ... the imprudence of plural marriage as a "public ... of the plural-marriage doctrine. ...

Parley P. Pratt and the Pacific Mission: Mormon Publishing in "That Very Questionable Part of the Civilized World"

in Mormons, Scripture, and the Ancient World: Studies in Honor of John L. Sorenson by Davis Bitton

...broadside defense of plural marriage in July 1852, one ... public announcement of plural marriage was not made in Salt ... the doctrine of plural marriage without admitting...

What Are People Asking about Us?

in Conference Report, October 1998 by Gordon B. Hinckley

...on the part of some of those practicing plural marriage. I wish to state categorically that this ... our members are found to be practicing plural marriage, they are excommunicated, the most serious ... prophet Wilford Woodruff that the practice of plural marriage should be discontinued, which means that...

A "Magnificent and Enduring Monument"

in Ensign Mar. 1993 by Don L. Searle

...punish Church members for the practice of plural marriage was passed in 1862. 5 In the early 1870s ... stripped those who practiced or believed in plural marriage of the right to vote, disfranchising both ... educational, and economic affairs in Utah, but plural marriage was the rallying point for mass support...

What Are People Asking about Us?

in Ensign Nov. 1998 by Gordon B. Hinckley

...on the part of some of those practicing plural marriage. I wish to state categorically that this ... our members are found to be practicing plural marriage, they are excommunicated, the most serious ... prophet Wilford Woodruff that the practice of plural marriage should be discontinued, which means that...

Wilford Woodruff to Joseph F. Smith

in Presidents of the Church Student Manual

... persecution for practicing plural marriage (Feb. 1886). 80 ... 83 The Manifesto ending plural marriage (Official Declaration 1) was written ...plural marriage but also prohibited those who did so from... laws not only made it unlawful to practice

Section 131-138, Official Declarations 1 and 2

in Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual

...known. The Prophet knew the Lord's will on plural marriage within the new and everlasting covenant ... comprising the remaining verses, deals with plural marriage. The doctrine of celestial marriage remains in force; the practice of plural marriage was abandoned by the acceptance by the ...

Great-Grandfather's Family

in Ensign Feb. 1977 by Davis Bitton

...father, was for some the institution of plural marriage. Starting during Joseph Smith's own lifetime ... until its official announcement in 1852, plural marriage brought a powerful new challenge to the ...plural marriage for most meant even more fatherly absence... nineteenth-century marriages. Obviously

Chapters 15-17: Jacob, Enos, Jarom, Omni, Words of Mormon

in Book of Mormon Student Manual

...Ensign, Nov. 1975, p. 76). Jacob 2:23-30. Plural Marriage Jacob made it clear that the Lord did ... want the Nephites to practice any form of plural marriage. He taught that monogamy was the law unless ... Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints practiced plural marriage, the Lord commanded it. Jacob 3:1-10. ...

America’s Young Mother of the Year

in Ensign Oct. 1972 by Eleanor Knowles

...Mormons were now preaching and practicing plural marriage, this seemed like a direct threat to them ... of the legislation aimed at suppressing plural marriage. Actually, however, the Saints could take ...plural marriage, and resulted in many Mormon Democrats ... the Church of continuing the practice of

3. Do Latter-day Saints believe in the Bible and biblical Christianity?

in Latter-day Christianity: 10 Basic Issues by Robert L. Millet, Noel B. Reynolds

...Alma 6:6). Even plural marriage (see D&C 132...

Doctrine and Covenants Times at a Glance, Chart 3: Section 138 and Official Declarations 1 and 2

in Ensign Sept. 2005

...resulting from persecution of those practicing plural marriage. Official Declaration 2. June 1, 1978 ...

Truth Prevailing: The Significance of the Nineteenth-Century LDS Experience in Britain

in Ensign July 1987 by Douglas F. Tobler

...chapel groups. The public announcement of plural marriage in Utah in 1852 confirmed earlier rumors ... years. On the one hand, the specter of plural marriage created a negative image in the public ...

Nineteenth-Century Break-offs

in Ensign Sept. 1979 by Russell R. Rich

... crowned king in 1850, began practicing plural marriage, and was fatally wounded on 16 June 1856 ... fundamentalist; usually they preach and practice plural marriage, sometimes secretly, and claim that the...

Historical Perspective

in Ensign Oct. 1995 by Glen M. Leonard

...crusade against the Church's practice of plural marriage. This drive attracted nationwide attention ... This resulted in a series of laws against plural marriage passed by the U.S. Congress between 1862...

Images of an Era: Finding Peace

in Ensign Aug. 1999

.... 29 Aug. 1852: Public announcement of plural marriage made, Salt Lake City. 5 May 1855: Endowment ... revelation discontinuing the practice of plural marriage. 6 Apr. 1893: Salt Lake Temple, 40 years...

A Woman's World in Lehi's Jerusalem

in Glimpses of Lehi's Jerusalem by JoAnn H. Seely, David R. Seely, John W. Welch

... Several instances of plural marriage are mentioned early ... recorded instance of plural marriage outside the royal ...

Joseph Smith to John Taylor

in Presidents of the Church Student Manual

...substantial persecution for its practice of plural marriage. President Young insisted that only the ... passed the Edmunds Act, which declared plural marriage illegal (16 Feb. 1882). ... exile because of persecutions for plural marriage (1 Feb. 1885). ...

The Nobility of Failure

in BYU Speeches 1999 by R. Lanier Britsch - 29 June 1999

...made public its doctrine and practice of plural marriage. Word of this announcement arrived in Calcutta ... success was the then-accepted doctrine of plural marriage. A second great problem was the refusal...

The Early Years of Brigham Young

in BYU Speeches 1973 by S. Dilworth Young - 11 October 1973

...artificial respiration was used many years ago. Plural Marriage During that period the Prophet Joseph ... Smith taught Brigham Young the doctrine of plural marriage. I'd like you young folks to know that ...

"Something Extraordinary"

in Ensign Mar. 1992 by Sheri L. Dew

...because of the Latter-day Saints' practice of plural marriage. When in 1887, with the passage of a U.S. Congressional act against plural marriage, Utah women lost the right to vote (a right...

The Five Sons of Jared and Charity Pratt

in Ensign Oct. 1979 by R. Steven Pratt

...Charity had come to help them. 12 In Nauvoo, plural marriage was another challenge to the family. Parley ... involvement, they used the teaching of plural marriage as a method of self-defense, accusing the...

Finding Peace in the Tops of the Mountains

in Ensign Aug. 1999 by Paul H. Peterson

...practices, and especially the practice of plural marriage. To them, all such systems and practices ... 1890, declaring an end to the practice of plural marriage. By the 1880s and 1890s, it was clear that...

[Dale]

Deut. 17 allows a king to have some wives, some horses, and some gold. It has been misread as forbidding all polygamy by kings. It did prevent a king from multiplying to much of each category to themselves. David and Solomon when they started out having wives were seemingly justified according to the Torah. But when they got greedy they violated the Torah so their polygamy or their having many wives and concubines became abominable to the Lord.

D.&C.132 and Jacob 2 might be dealing with two different subjects. The subjects may not contradict. If polygamy is so abominable under one circumstance then why not under all circumstances? Why would they not like the nephites be pro-hibited from practicing polygamy from the start? Yet so many Old Testament patriarchs that had many wives. Issac is the only one on the list who is thought by many to be a monogamist. If he was a polygamist the Bible says nothing about that.

I recall some of my answer from an LDS website on polygamy issues. I can't recall the website name. They had an article on the popularly listed contradiction. I modified the answer i recall with a few of my own thoughts. But i credit them with the original answer.

----------

I am not LDS, but Community of Christ/RLDS. We take the anti-polygamy view. We do not accept D.&C. 132 as scripture. We have felt Jacob 2 and D.&C.132 in conflict. But i find my anti-polygamy views does not prevent me from tinkering with answers to the reputed scriptural contradiction. I am not sure it is as clearly contradictory as i thought. Jacob 2 i feel has to be reconciled with Deut.17 toleration of a king having his wives. Whether that polygamy was condoned by God, or tolerated like divorce would be a point of difference i hold with D.&C. 132.

When a polygamist has no law forbidding their polygamy they are not guilty of adultury. It is only when the Lord forbids a practice is the person guilty of breaking law. And only in the Book of Mormon, and New Testament was any polygamy forbidden at all. The issue is could or would the the Lord ever release men of God from the later put in place pro-hibitions? If D.&C. 132 were true then earlier pro-hibitions would have been removed from men of God.

Edited June 30, 2008 by Dale

[MarginOfError]

Okay, I typed up my notes, and I have a three page .pdf I can send at some point. I'll get that done as soon as I can.

[Hemidakota]

I have 43-page article concerning Plural Marriage...lol

[MarginOfError]

43 pages is far more detail and thought than should ever be put into any topic if you ask me. I just can't stand to focus on some...hey look, a butterfly.

[Hemidakota]

I concur...I rather strive to get to the point in less than 20,000 words.

[VisionOfLehi]

38 David also received many wives and concubines, and also Solomon and Moses my servants, as also many others of my servants, from the beginning of creation until this time; and in nothing did they sin save in those things which they received not of me.

39 David’s wives and concubines were given unto him of me, by the hand of Nathan, my servant, and others of the prophets who had the keys of this power; and in none of these things did he sin against me save in the case of Uriah and his wife; and, therefore he hath fallen from his exaltation, and received his portion; and he shall not inherit them out of the world, for I gave them unto another, saith the Lord.

Doctrine and Covenants 132

Does not speak about Solomon more than mentioning he had many wives. However, I get the feeling that he was not righteous with this Law, and thus it was abominable.

[MrNirom]

I think it is important to point out.. we still practice polygamy today.. but not in the same way the early saints practiced it.

If a man marries a woman in the temple for all eternity (sealed).. and she dies. He can take another and be sealed to her for all time and eternity. Now he has two wives. If the 2nd dies.. he can also marry again and be sealed to her... now having 3.

We do not practice polygamy where we are married to two or more breathing, living women at the same time.

[john doe]

We do not practice polygamy where we are married to two or more breathing, living women at the same time.

And why would any sane man want to do that?

[Guest User-Removed]

Are you a member of the church?

Hemi...excellent question...seeing how the post your responded to is almost verbatim taken from anti LDS websites.

I'm always amazed at how folks who claim to hav had little to no contact with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints...are somehow "instant Doctrinal Experts"...

Maybe the OP might care to explain what the "420" means in his SN?????

[Guest User-Removed]

Does it matter?

This is where I call "wolves in sheeps clothing"...Folks come on sites like this and others...pretending to be "good mormons"...or "good mormons seeking sincere answers to sincere questions"...when in reality they are simply here to ask leading questions...that they know only lead to confusing answers.

A friend of mine once said folks like this are nothing more than "Answers looking for questions"...

When someone with a solid testimony questions the carcinogenic motives of these type of folks...they are usually met with rebukes by other so-called "good mormons" who are more interested in soothing the savaged soul of the wolf in sheeps clothing...than they are the serious brother or sister who is truly struggling.

OH..and then you have the "Athiest...Anti...and Apostate" posse...and the chorus of "so-called good mormons"...who defend these folks at all cost by comparing them to the Sons of Mosiah ....

NOW...talk about codswallop...

[MrNirom]

And why would any sane man want to do that?

In this day and age.. I don't know!

[DigitalShadow]

This is where I call "wolves in sheeps clothing"

He asked an honest question, got honest answers and is considering them, isn't that one of the main goals of having a forum like this?

[Islander]

He asked an honest question, got honest answers and is considering them, isn't that one of the main goals of having a forum like this?

That was not an honest question. That was a well rehearsed, extensively debated and highly contentious argument. I have been looking at these forums long enough to spot a "copy and paste job" from somebody whose ONLY intention is mto bait people into a debate.

When I have a question I research the issue on my own. I read the available sources and information and I make up my mind about it without going to a place where ALL would have to go to the SAME sources I just visited in order to engage. He is citing dozens of sources in the post. Whether he actually read and research them all is a different story.

In summary; plural marriage is a subject and doctrine that IS NO LONGER taught in the church. Marriage and divorce and marriage is not polygamy. Otherwise 50% of the US population has to be considered polygamist. The subject has no baring in our current lives, is not relevant to living the Gospel and the covenants of the kingdom as they have been revealed for us now in these last days.

We should just move on to a more constructive and spiritually edifying subject.

[DigitalShadow]

That was not an honest question. That was a well rehearsed, extensively debated and highly contentious argument. I have been looking at these forums long enough to spot a "copy and paste job" from somebody whose ONLY intention is mto bait people into a debate.

When I have a question I research the issue on my own. I read the available sources and information and I make up my mind about it without going to a place where ALL would have to go to the SAME sources I just visited in order to engage. He is citing dozens of sources in the post. Whether he actually read and research them all is a different story.

In summary; plural marriage is a subject and doctrine that IS NO LONGER taught in the church. Marriage and divorce and marriage is not polygamy. Otherwise 50% of the US population has to be considered polygamist. The subject has no baring in our current lives, is not relevant to living the Gospel and the covenants of the kingdom as they have been revealed for us now in these last days.

We should just move on to a more constructive and spiritually edifying subject.

I'm no stranger to forums either, and I would think that if the OP were a troll, he would be continuing to further the debate, rather than thanking people for their responses that differ from his original opinion. As far as I can tell, the only trolls here are the ones who insist on calling him a "wolf in sheeps clothing."

I agree that this thread has served its purpose and we don't need to dwell on it, but that includes speculation on the OP's motives.