The Myth of Evil Brigham Young

[_Bob Loblaw]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zina_D._H._Young

[_son of Ishmael]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zina_D._H._Young

Thanks. The article states that she was sealed to Joesph Smith first. So was she also sealed to BY I wonder?

[_Madison54]

I see this as a plus for Brigham, at least it should be in the eyes of the LDS. If it wasn't for Brigham, the church would not have survived. There's little doubt in my mind that had Joseph lived another 20-30 years, he would have destroyed the church, or at the very least it would be a much smaller and less influential church.

The church probably would have survived but definitely not the way it does today. Brigham held it together with an iron fist. Smith wasn't disciplined enough for that.

I agree with this (and the other posts so far).

I feel that you can tell a lot by how the saints seemed to have felt about these two men. Say what you want about Joseph Smith, but the people loved him. He was charismatic and personable and also a whole lot more fun to be around than BY (at least that's my impression). The saints feared BY. He seemed to be a tyrant.

Just study the Reformation period (starting in 1856) and how BY insisted all the members be re-baptized, etc.

If I had to choose to have one as my leader or go to lunch with one of them, I'd choose Joseph Smith over Brigham Young.

I also believe that much of what we have to deal with today in the church came from leaders later than BY. Like the emphasis placed on temple attendance and the WofW.

[_son of Ishmael]

Say what you want about Joseph Smith, but the people loved him. He was charismatic and personable and also a whole lot more fun to be around that BY (at least that's my impression)...

I will agree with this. I'll bet he was fun to hang around with, drink beer and listen to him spread his BS. Unless he had the hots for your wife.

I could just see him standing out in front of the Nauvoo house with his friends with a beer in his hand.

Joesph: "Hey watch this... Hi Brother Hyde how is your "wife" doing? (everyone else snickers)

[_Stormy Waters]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zina_D._H._Young

Thanks. The article states that she was sealed to Joesph Smith first. So was she also sealed to BY I wonder?

She was sealed to Brigham 'for time.' I'm not sure what the justification is for being sealed 'for time' to a woman that was already married. Many of Joseph Smiths widows were sealed 'for time' to either Brigham Young, or Heber C. Kimbal.

[_son of Ishmael]

She was sealed to Brigham 'for time.' I'm not sure what the justification is for being sealed 'for time' to a woman that was already married. Many of Joseph Smiths widows were sealed 'for time' to either Brigham Young, or Heber C. Kimbal.

Funny I went on the new family search website and they only show him married to 14 women and Zina was not one of them. When I went to the ordinances tab it shows that he was sealed to the 14 women but it does not show the details (dates locations etc). You would think they would know when BY got married. Why would they not show his other wives?

[_Stormy Waters]

Funny I went on the new family search website and they only show him married to 14 women and Zina was not one of them. When I went to the ordinances tab it shows that he was sealed to the 14 women but it does not show the details (dates locations etc). You would think they would know when BY got married. Why would they not show his other wives?

It is odd that it is unlisted as I don't think anyone disputes it. From an article by FAIR
http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/polyandry.pdf

Zina came one step closer to realizing her divine potential when she, at the age of 20, became the eternal marital companion of Joseph on October 27, 1841. She was one of the first instances of this type of marriage. Henry stood as an official witness when Zina was later resealed to Joseph in 1846, with Brigham Young standing as proxy. Similar to Joseph’s marriage to Zina’s sister, Presendia, where Heber C. Kimball assumed matters of temporal welfare after Joseph’s death, so it also was in this case with Brigham Young assuming the role of time-only caretaker as he was sealed to Zina for time only in this same ceremony. Henry, while undoubtedly heart broken, went on to faithfully serve in the Church despite what seems impossible circumstances from a detached modern-day perspective.

The way they try to spin the details is quite amusing.

[_son of Ishmael]

It is odd that it is unlisted as I don't think anyone disputes it. From an article by FAIR
http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/polyandry.pdf

Zina came one step closer to realizing her divine potential when she, at the age of 20, became the eternal marital companion of Joseph on October 27, 1841. She was one of the first instances of this type of marriage. Henry stood as an official witness when Zina was later resealed to Joseph in 1846, with Brigham Young standing as proxy. Similar to Joseph’s marriage to Zina’s sister, Presendia, where Heber C. Kimball assumed matters of temporal welfare after Joseph’s death, so it also was in this case with Brigham Young assuming the role of time-only caretaker as he was sealed to Zina for time only in this same ceremony. Henry, while undoubtedly heart broken, went on to faithfully serve in the Church despite what seems impossible circumstances from a detached modern-day perspective.

The way they try to spin the details is quite amusing.

"Henry, while undoubtedly heart broken, went on to faithfully serve in the Church despite what seems impossible circumstances from a detached modern-day perspective

Yeah becuase from an attached 19th century perspective it all makes perfect sense.

[_Stormy Waters]

"Henry, while undoubtedly heart broken, went on to faithfully serve in the Church despite what seems impossible circumstances from a detached modern-day perspective

Yeah becuase from an attached 19th century perspective it all makes perfect sense.

It's a nice little attempt to shift the blame to the reader if he's bothered by it.

[_Bob Loblaw]

Yeah becuase from an attached 19th century perspective it all makes perfect sense.

Everyone knows that 19th century Americans were much more liberal and tolerant of wife-swapping than people are today.