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Someone on the MAD board asked the question if we offend our early Mormon forebearers if we speak out against polygamists. That is an
intriguing question. Personally, I have thought of polygamy as a thorn in the side of Mormons, which should be extracted and discarded,
rather than clung to as a sacred principle kept under wraps. To me is would be best to be like the Phoenix and rise from the ashes of polygamy.
Criticism of these modern-day polygamists somehow seems cathartic.

What is your opinion?

moksha wrote:What is your opinion?

Sometimes our forebears deserve to be offended.

I don't personally have any polygamist ancestors but my DH does... I am 100% certain his ancestors would be thrilled that there is such outrage today at the practice. They found it despicable and cruel.

My DH's ancestor's journal is one of the saddest, heart wrenching thing one could ever read. Basically she died of a "broken heart," suffering to a point her heart and soul could not take the pain.

She engaged in the practice believing she was doing God's will, only to discover it was too much to bear. After her husband took a second wife, she did her best to make it work, and pass the "Ibrahim test" but her sorrow was too much, her depression overcame her, she died as a young woman filled with an overwhelming pain that God would ask her to participate in such a horrific practice.

If she is looking down from another sphere, I am certain she is rejoicing as the practice is being shown for what it is... a cruel, ungodly, unholy, degrading animalistic form of partnering instigated by egocentric men who wanted a harem of young virgins.

:-)

~dancer~

truth dancer wrote:I don't personally have any polygamist ancestors but my DH does... I am 100% certain his ancestors would be thrilled that there is such outrage today at the practice. They found it despicable and cruel.

My DH's ancestor's journal is one of the saddest, heart wrenching thing one could ever read. Basically she died of a "broken heart," suffering to a point her heart and soul could not take the pain.

She engaged in the practice believing she was doing God's will, only to discover it was too much to bear. After her husband took a second wife, she did her best to make it work, and pass the "Ibrahim test" but her sorrow was too much, her depression overcame her, she died as a young woman filled with an overwhelming pain that God would ask her to participate in such a horrific practice.

If she is looking down from another sphere, I am certain she is rejoicing as the practice is being shown for what it is... a cruel, ungodly, unholy, degrading animalistic form of partnering instigated by egocentric men who wanted a harem of young virgins.

:-)

~dancer~

This is a heartbreaking story, and I'm sure there are many like it that need to be told.

What angers me most about polygamy is the only reason it was instituted was for a cover up of Joseph Smith infidelities.

Legally and by definition, any child born outside of a legal marriage, is known as a bastard.

How far back does your bastard line go?

I was always puzzled by the stance of many on MAD who felt that speaking out against plural marriage would equate to denigrating the pioneer women who practiced it.

I don't really see how this could be the case. The women who faithfully practiced plural marriage during the early days of the Church did so out of blind faith. They honestly felt that this practice was God's will.

I don't see how arguing that this practice was not God's will negates their faithfulness in any way. I admire these women. However, I abhor the practice.

I never understood why this was a contradiction.

liz3564 wrote:I was always puzzled by the stance of many on MAD who felt that speaking out against plural marriage would equate to denigrating the pioneer women who practiced it.

I don't really see how this could be the case. The women who faithfully practiced plural marriage during the early days of the Church did so out of blind faith. They honestly felt that this practice was God's will.

I don't see how arguing that this practice was not God's will negates their faithfulness in any way. I admire these women. However, I abhor the practice.

I never understood why this was a contradiction.

They were gullible and duped by a man desperate to cover his tracks. They weren't the first; they weren't the last. The sad part is that they didn't see through it.

My opinion?

They're dead. So they can't get offended. And even if they could, that's their problem, not mine.

Coercive polygamy is a horrible thing and if some corpse from my family wants to take umbrage at me saying that. . . well, they can just rot.

sunstoned wrote:

What angers me most about polygamy is the only reason it was instituted was for a cover up of Joseph Smith infidelities.

As of yet I don't think there is solid evidence of these infidelities? There are a lot of claims, he said she said, and rumors. I don't believe that the DNA evidence that was being sought after has given any evidence to prove your claim? If so let me know. We know that Josephs wife Emma was even pregnant while Joseph was martyred so obvsiously if he was having fun on the side there would no doubt be many children to prove your claim. We know that Joseph denied having polygamist wives, we know that all of the evidence was taken to court and a non biased judged said it is obvious he had only one. We also know that the Utah Church has been in the business of changing history since the day they left for Salt Lake, still doing it today just go see their new movie about Emma Smith, anyone that knows the history will see it. Go to their visitors center and watch the film on Joseph Smith and you'll see that they have Joseph ordaining Brigham Young as the next prophet, anyone who knows the history knows this never happened. Yet people still believe what they Utah Church says. It's interesting isn't it.



RockHeaded

RockHeaded wrote:

sunstoned wrote:

What angers me most about polygamy is the only reason it was instituted was for a cover up of Joseph Smith infidelities.

As of yet I don't think there is solid evidence of these infidelities? There are a lot of claims, he said she said, and rumors. I don't believe that the DNA evidence that was being sought after has given any evidence to prove your claim? If so let me know. We know that Josephs wife Emma was even pregnant while Joseph was martyred so obvsiously if he was having fun on the side there would no doubt be many children to prove your claim. We know that Joseph denied having polygamist wives, we know that all of the evidence was taken to court and a non biased judged said it is obvious he had only one. We also know that the Utah Church has been in the business of changing history since the day they left for Salt Lake, still doing it today just go see their new movie about Emma Smith, anyone that knows the history will see it. Go to their visitors center and watch the film on Joseph Smith and you'll see that they have Joseph ordaining Brigham Young as the next prophet, anyone who knows the history knows this never happened. Yet people still believe what they Utah Church says. It's interesting isn't it.



RockHeaded

Considering your post was punctuated poorly I am guessing you are inbred. Care to share what branch of the fraud of Mormonism you hail from?

And yes, it is interesting, specifically to those who study control and mass delusions.