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Married 33 women.

Married 11 under the age of 20.

Married 11 women married to other men.

Married 2 girls aged 14.

1835 D&C, section 101:4:

Inasmuch as this Church of Christ has been reproached with the crime of fornication and polygamy, we declare that we believe that one man should have one wife, and one woman but one husband, except in the case of death, when either is at liberty to marry again.

You know... I knew this organization was founded on lies when I was 15. I remember clearly being in Sunday School and shocked to find out early Mormon leaders were polygamous. My jaw hit the ground. I don't know what it was that kept me hanging around other than a suffocating familial influence. I should've stood my ground earlier regarding my Mormon family. I admire young adults who have the intestinal fortitude to risk everything to reject an out and out implausibility like Mormonism.

That takes a lot of character. Good for those people who reject, early on, the truth claims of a bunch of lecherous men who slummed around in the guise of religious piety.

- VRDRC

Putting on my apologist hat, if you read the quote, there is no lie. He never says he is not committing adultery or polygamy. He says "we believe one man should have one wife.." Nowhere does he say he practices what he believes.

DarkHelmet wrote:

Inasmuch as this Church of Christ has been reproached with the crime of fornication and polygamy, we declare that we believe that one man should have one wife, and one woman but one husband, except in the case of death, when either is at liberty to marry again.

Putting on my apologist hat, if you read the quote, there is no lie. He never says he is not committing adultery or polygamy. He says "we believe one man should have one wife.." Nowhere does he say he practices what he believes.

True. But then we have this quote:

...What a thing it is for a man to be accused of committing adultery, and having seven wives, when I can only find one. I am the same man, and as innocent as I was fourteen years ago; and I can prove them all perjurers. (History of the Church, vol 6, p. 411)

(Joseph Smith made this statement preaching from the stand to the Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo on Sunday May 26, 1844. At the time he had secretly taken over 25 plural wives.)

This has confused me. I wonder why he "received" the 1835 D&C 101:4 in the first place. Why make any comments about polygamy at all? Did part of him recognize that he was drawn to the idea early on and so he came up with these verses along with what was in Book of Mormon to try to force himself not to go there and then he eventually just gave in?

As I recall, the apologetic response to that 1835 Book of Commandments thing is that Joseph Smith wasn't responsible for putting it in there. Apparently it was written by Oliver Cowdery or others and voted in by the members. Still, Joseph Smith let it stand, and thereby approved it. I don't accept the apologetic argument that Joseph Smith isn't responsible for his violation of the church's own published stance vis a vis polygamy.

Two affidavits, signed by numerous witnesses, were printed in the October 1st 1842 Times and Seasons newspaper. At that date, the Editor in Chief of the Times and Seasons was Joseph Smith, Jr.

The first of these two affidavits, referencing D&C 101 ('CI' in Roman numerals) (1835 edition), reads as follows:

"All legal contracts of marriage made before a person is baptized into this church, should be held sacred and fulfilled. Inasmuch as this church of Christ has been reproached with the crime of fornication, and polygamy: we declare that we believe, that one man should have one wife; and one woman, but one husband, except in case of death, when either is at liberty to marry again...We have given the above rule of marriage as the only one practiced in this church, to show that Dr. J. C. Bennett's 'secret wife system' is a matter of his own manufacture; and further to disabuse the public ear, and shew that the said Bennett and his misanthropic friend Origen Bachelor, are perpetrating a foul and infamous slander upon an innocent people, and need but be known to be hated and despise. In support of this position, we present the following certificates:-We the undersigned members of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and residents of the city of Nauvoo, persons of families do hereby certify and declare that we know of no other rule or system of marriage than the one published from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants (section CI, 1835 edition), and we give this certificate to show that Dr. J. C. Bennett's "secret wife system" is a creature of his own make as we know of no such society in this place nor never did."

This affidavit was signed by the following witnesses:

S. Bennett
N. K. Whitney
George Miller
Albert Pettey
Alpheus Cutler
Elias Higbee
Reynolds Cahoon
John Taylor
Wilson Law
E. Robinson
W. Woodruff
Aaron Johnson

The second affidavit, also referencing D&C 101 (1835 edition), reads as follows:

"We the undersigned members of the ladies' relief society, and married females do certify and declare that we know of no system of marriage being practiced in the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints save the one contained in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and we give this certificate to the public to show that J. C. Bennett's "secret wife system" is a disclosure of his own make."

This second affidavit was signed by the following witnesses:

Emma Smith, President
Elizabeth Ann Whitney, Counsellor
Sarah M. Cleveland, Counsellor
Eliza R. Snow, Secretary
Mary C. Miller
Catharine Pettey
Lois Cutler
Sarah Higbee
Thirza Cahoon
Phebe Woodruff
Ann Hunter
Leonora Taylor
Jane Law
Sarah Hillman
Sophia R. Marks
Rosannah Marks
Polly Z. Johnson
Angeline Robinson;
Abigail Works

At the time these affidavits were printed, Eliza R. Snow (4th signatory of the 2nd affidavit) had been married as a plural wife to Joseph Smith since June, earlier that year. Elizabeth Ann Whitney (2nd signatory of the 2nd affidavit) was the mother of 17-year-old Sarah Ann Whitney who had been married to Joseph Smith in July of 1842 and was present at that ceremony. The man who performed that plural marriage ceremony was her father, Bishop Newel K. Whitney (2nd signatory of the 1st affidavit).

As Editor-in-Chief, Joseph Smith was solely responsible for the content published in his paper, including these false affidavits.

ONLINE REFERENCES:
D&C Section 101, 1835 Edition (NOTE that 101 is printed in Roman numerals as 'CI')
Times and Seasons Archive, October 1st Edition

(this is a slight modification of my original post, here)

beefcalf wrote:...

Thanks for this beefcalf. I've been doing a lot of reading on polygamy/polyandry lately, and the more I learn the uglier it gets.

Madison54 wrote:True. But then we have this quote:

...What a thing it is for a man to be accused of committing adultery, and having seven wives, when I can only find one. I am the same man, and as innocent as I was fourteen years ago; and I can prove them all perjurers. (History of the Church, vol 6, p. 411)

(Joseph Smith made this statement preaching from the stand to the Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo on Sunday May 26, 1844. At the time he had secretly taken over 25 plural wives.)

Could be then that Joseph Smith did not regard sealing marriages the same as having many wives. Joseph new that the Mormons were spiritually lost and fallen and were not making it. He sealed up his friends to take them as his back load with him. How many men were sealed to Joseph? Any record of this like there is with Brigham's dominion, building his AMWAY in the sky were the men owed him yearly tribute for being adopted to him?

Joseph said he was the same boy he was fourteen years before and that he could prove it. What did he mean by that? What proof would that be? That he kept himself for just one wife? Funny that there is no proof otherwise. Just Oliver Cowdery who was judged a liar by the Church. Perhaps it was Oliver that chased off Fanny. She never said. And Oliver would have never had the least reason to come back to the Church if he was privy to a con.

When Joseph went off to Carthage he said he had a conscience void of offense toward God or man. And that he was innocent. I believe him.

I know his words and they never betray a lecherous duplicity. It just wont add up. All the glorious work he did counts with me. I do not trust the journals of old wive's tales either. Thank you very much.
None of them had a great life and bitterness is spiteful memory.

beefcalf wrote:Two affidavits, signed by numerous witnesses, were printed in the October 1st 1842 Times and Seasons newspaper. At that date, the Editor in Chief of the Times and Seasons was Joseph Smith, Jr.

The first of these two affidavits, referencing D&C 101 ('CI' in Roman numerals) (1835 edition), reads as follows:

"All legal contracts of marriage made before a person is baptized into this church, should be held sacred and fulfilled. Inasmuch as this church of Christ has been reproached with the crime of fornication, and polygamy: we declare that we believe, that one man should have one wife; and one woman, but one husband, except in case of death, when either is at liberty to marry again...We have given the above rule of marriage as the only one practiced in this church, to show that Dr. J. C. Bennett's 'secret wife system' is a matter of his own manufacture; and further to disabuse the public ear, and shew that the said Bennett and his misanthropic friend Origen Bachelor, are perpetrating a foul and infamous slander upon an innocent people, and need but be known to be hated and despise. In support of this position, we present the following certificates:-We the undersigned members of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and residents of the city of Nauvoo, persons of families do hereby certify and declare that we know of no other rule or system of marriage than the one published from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants (section CI, 1835 edition), and we give this certificate to show that Dr. J. C. Bennett's "secret wife system" is a creature of his own make as we know of no such society in this place nor never did."

This affidavit was signed by the following witnesses:

S. Bennett
N. K. Whitney
George Miller
Albert Pettey
Alpheus Cutler
Elias Higbee
Reynolds Cahoon
John Taylor
Wilson Law
E. Robinson
W. Woodruff
Aaron Johnson

The second affidavit, also referencing D&C 101 (1835 edition), reads as follows:

"We the undersigned members of the ladies' relief society, and married females do certify and declare that we know of no system of marriage being practiced in the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints save the one contained in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and we give this certificate to the public to show that J. C. Bennett's "secret wife system" is a disclosure of his own make."

This second affidavit was signed by the following witnesses:

Emma Smith, President
Elizabeth Ann Whitney, Counsellor
Sarah M. Cleveland, Counsellor
Eliza R. Snow, Secretary
Mary C. Miller
Catharine Pettey
Lois Cutler
Sarah Higbee
Thirza Cahoon
Phebe Woodruff
Ann Hunter
Leonora Taylor
Jane Law
Sarah Hillman
Sophia R. Marks
Rosannah Marks
Polly Z. Johnson
Angeline Robinson;
Abigail Works

At the time these affidavits were printed, Eliza R. Snow (4th signatory of the 2nd affidavit) had been married as a plural wife to Joseph Smith since June, earlier that year. Elizabeth Ann Whitney (2nd signatory of the 2nd affidavit) was the mother of 17-year-old Sarah Ann Whitney who had been married to Joseph Smith in July of 1842 and was present at that ceremony. The man who performed that plural marriage ceremony was her father, Bishop Newel K. Whitney (2nd signatory of the 1st affidavit).

As Editor-in-Chief, Joseph Smith was solely responsible for the content published in his paper, including these false affidavits.

ONLINE REFERENCES:
D&C Section 101, 1835 Edition (NOTE that 101 is printed in Roman numerals as 'CI')
Times and Seasons Archive, October 1st Edition

(this is a slight modification of my original post, here)

I'm looking forward to the apologetic strands of "there's no evidence of signatures" or "they were unreliable witnesses" or....

But what about the Book of Mormon witnesses...well...that's different...