When You Served Your Mission Did You Inform About Polygamy?

[_Moniker]

This is from the cult thread. Apparently Rcrocket and Coggins are surprised that I was told by missionaries that the only wife Joseph had was Emma. Now, I didn't pursue this with the missionaries (one in person and a few online) because I sense there was some discomfort with my questioning. I also wasn't even sure that they knew. So, I didn't pursue my line of inquiry because I didn't want to be offensive or let them in on something they may not be aware of.

So, when you served your mission did all investigators ask you about Joseph Smith's other wives?

Why not?

If they did ask what was the response you would offer?

[_rcrocket]

This is from the cult thread. Apparently Rcrocket and Coggins are surprised that I was told by missionaries that the only wife Joseph had was Emma. Now, I didn't pursue this with the missionaries (one in person and a few online) because I sense there was some discomfort with my questioning. I also wasn't even sure that they knew. So, I didn't pursue my line of inquiry because I didn't want to be offensive or let them in on something they may not be aware of.

So, when you served your mission did all investigators ask you about Joseph Smith's other wives?

Why not?

If they did ask what was the response you would offer?

I frequently did. But, I went to Illinois and frequently taught members of the Reorganized Church (baptized the last of a family of 8) where proof of Joseph Smith's polygamy was an integral part of the discussions.

[_Jason Bourne]

This is from the cult thread. Apparently Rcrocket and Coggins are surprised that I was told by missionaries that the only wife Joseph had was Emma. Now, I didn't pursue this with the missionaries (one in person and a few online) because I sense there was some discomfort with my questioning. I also wasn't even sure that they knew. So, I didn't pursue my line of inquiry because I didn't want to be offensive or let them in on something they may not be aware of.

First, I served fro 79-81.

I knew about polygamy, knew Joseph Smith practiced it, did not know a thing about polyandry, did not know about Fanny Alger, did not know that there were some very young wives, did not know how it was rolled out and the subterfuge that surrounded it.

So, when you served your mission did all investigators ask you about Joseph Smith's other wives?

Some did and some did not.

Why not?

I do not know why some did not. I did not offer it up.

If they did ask what was the response you would offer?

Typical response was God commanded it as part of the restoration, to raise up righteous seed, and then did away with it after 50 years.

[_The Nehor]

Everyone I baptized knew about polygamy. I believe (but am not sure) that they brought it up each time. I never taught that Emma was Joseph's only wife. I generally taught them as much or as little as they wanted to know up to my knowledge at that time of course.

[_beastie]

I served in France from 79-81. Few people knew anything about the Mormon church and we rarely taught beyond an introduction. I did not know Joseph Smith had more than one wife at that time, the only wife I ever heard about was Emma. I knew Emma detested polygamy and actually believed that the first wife had to give her permission (what a naïve fool I was) so, that was that. Joseph Smith introduced polygamy and would have practiced it had Emma given her permission, but she didn't, case closed. I knew that women were *sealed* to Joseph Smith but was under the impression these were sealings done after his death.

Most french people knew nothing about Mormonism and didn't want to know anything about Mormonism, either, so I don't recall being asked about polygamy with one exception. We tracted out a man who was a college professor, with some sort of background in religious studies. He was very friendly and invited us in, and asked which group we were from. When we told him we were Mormon, he began laughing and said, oh, that's the church started by that philanderer, Joseph Smith. We were shocked and informed him he had his facts wrong. He assured us that Joseph Smith had lots of female companionship, so to speak, but didn't press it with us. We left, shocked and dismayed that he believed such vicious anti-mormon lies.

I was a member of the church for well over a decade before I found out that Joseph Smith had plural wives in every sense of the word, and I found it out from Mormon Enigma, Emma Hale Smith, a book I accidentally happened on in the public library.

[_Dr. Shades]

No, I didn't inform about polygamy, although it made me extremely uncomfortable to not do so. We were expected to stick to the lesson plan as closely as possible, and as an obedient little missionary, I followed along. Can't risk losing the Spirit, you know.

I still feel bad about it to this day. Like I was deceiving in a way, telling a lie by omission.

[_Tidejwe]

Everyone I baptized knew about polygamy. I believe (but am not sure) that they brought it up each time. I never taught that Emma was Joseph's only wife. I generally taught them as much or as little as they wanted to know up to my knowledge at that time of course.

Me too. I was pretty open about it when people brought it up. I once had to do a big lesson with a bunch of members in one of the wards because they all wanted to know about it and I knew more than most people in the whole country.

[_Scottie]

I was a member of the church for well over a decade before I found out that Joseph Smith had plural wives in every sense of the word, and I found it out from Mormon Enigma, Emma Hale Smith, a book I accidentally happened on in the public library.

Was this the beginning of the end for you?

[_beastie]

Was this the beginning of the end for you?

Yes, it was. That book began a process that lasted several years. I was so shocked and stunned by the information in the book I could barely process it, so read it immediately over again. My sister and mother also read the book and were equally shocked and stunned, even though they remained in the church, for different reasons, at the end. We were all converts - my oldest sister converted first, 1974, after being tracted out by sister missionaries. She then introduced me to the church, and I was baptized in 1976. I worked on another sister, who was baptized about a year later, and we all worked on our parents, who were baptized two years after me. None of us knew anything about Joseph Smith' polygamy, and were all shocked to discover the truth. This was all prior to the internet, and living back east, we don't have access to Mormon topic research, so this book was really our first opportunity to know the truth. I was so shocked and had such difficulty processing it (obviously I knew about BY and polygamy in general, so what was shocking wasn't polygamy per se, but rather Joseph Smith' deception and marrying other men's wives) that I talked to other members of my ward about it, and none of them knew about it, either, with one exception, possibly two.

So I began studying church history in general to find out what ELSE I didn't know about, and of course found a LOT. All of this combined to create doubt and anxiety in my mind, which I tried to resolve, for a long time, by praying to God to let me know Joseph Smith was a true prophet, or the church was true (the only prayer I had answered affirmatively as a convert was "is the Book of Mormon the word of God?"). I never received any answer to those prayers, and finally decided the silence WAS the answer. But it was a long and painful journey. So I can't say I lost faith over Joseph Smith' polygamy, but it certainly did START the process.

[_SatanWasSetUp]

I didn't serve a mission, but I imagine a missionary would never want to volunteer this information. It wouldn't be part of the sales pitch, but if I was a missionary trainer I would make it part of my "overcoming objections" training. I would prepare them to respond to people who brought it up, but the missionaries themselves should never bring it up.