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I was stunned to find that the March 09 Ensign breaks new ground in forthrightness by publishing on the inside front cover a painting of Joseph Smith with Emma. But it's not just Joseph and Emma; there's also least five of his early and later plural wives. There's Sarah Cleveland, Elvira A. Coles, Desdemona Fulmer, Martha Knight, and Eliza R. Snow.

Kudos to the staff of the Ensign for finally painting a picture that more accurately represents Joseph's familial situation in Nauvoo.

Cinepro,

I have not seen the pic yet, but what is the heading? Aren't we looking at Smith and the Relief Society presidency?

Unfortunately, only the 2009.02 issue is online, and it is not .PDF.

We, poor devils in Europe, get everything with a lot of delay.
by the way, the Ensign generally not known in Hungary. It has no H. version. (until now).

ludwigm wrote:Unfortunately, only the 2009.02 issue is online, and it is not .PDF.

We, poor devils in Europe, get everything with a lot of delay.
by the way, the Ensign generally not known in Hungary. It has no H. version. (until now).

Here it is, looks like they have even included a few children with the wives in polyandrous relationships.

The picture is missing from the international version - the Liahona.

Damn, Cinepro, and I thought you might actually be serious. But I thought it would have been strange to put a pic like that (if it actually identified women as wives of Joseph Smith) in the Ensign and then make zero mention of Joseph Smith having plural wives on the official Joseph Smith website. Kind of a funny picture, though, considering.

It is a sweet picture. The faithful husband standing in front of his adoring wives. Look at their faces. The artist perfectly, and probably accidentally, captured the love that these women had for Joseph.

mms wrote:Damn, Cinepro, and I thought you might actually be serious.

That was your first mistake...

As with so many things in the Gospel, the picture is able to be appreciated on many different levels. It's like a Church history parable, where those who look only for "milk" can appreciate it as a visual representation of the original Relief Society meeting. Those who have moved on to "meat" can appreciate it as so much more...perhaps even an early Smith family Family Home Evening?

cinepro is rarely serious, but usually cynical.

Daniel Peterson wrote:cinepro is rarely serious, but usually cynical.

Not only that, but I've been reading some of my posts from the past few years, and it seems I've been unintentionally repeating myself. So I fear I may be cyclical as well.

Cinepro,

You're right, this is a picture that can be appreciated on many different levels.

Emma is the one without a clue that her husband is banging her best friends she has chosen to be her counselors.

On a side note, each of these women signed an affidavit, representing the Relief Society organization that they did not condone, believe in or participate in spiritual wifery of any sort.

This picture will, no doubt, come back to bite - as it should.