Five Possible Reactions to Joseph Smith?????s Polygamy

[_Tim]

The LDS church has recently taken a big step in respect to the life of Joseph Smith by publicly admitting that Joseph Smith had up to 40 wives, that some of his wives were married to other men, and that some of his wives were as young 14 years old. The Church's essays on these things at times strain credulity in offering a faith-promoting narrative and occasionally distort the evidence to favor Smith. But nonetheless, the Church should be congratulated for taking this first big step in accepting the basic facts.

A friend asked me what this could mean in terms of accepting Joseph Smith as a prophet. I have seen 5 general reactions that I think are possible for the institutional Church to adopt as it moves forward. They are listed in here in order of trust in Joseph Smith.

1) So What. If God commanded him to do it, it doesn't matter what he did. Any action ordained by God is righteous and Joseph was ordered to do all of these things. (This was the Church's stance toward Smith while Brigham Young was Prophet of the Church and of the polygamous Mormon sects of today.)

2) No Sex. Joseph married these women and it looks creepy but he didn't have earthly sex with them, his carnal knowledge is in Eternity only. It was Brigham Young who brought sex into polygamy. Implicit in this reaction is that if Smith was having sex with girls 20 years younger than himself or married it other men, it would be a problem. (The Church will try this as long as it can but the historical record doesn't bear it out. The Church is already in conflict on this by simultaneously saying that the purpose of polygamy was to raise up a righteous seed.)

3) He Was a Fallen Prophet. Joseph eventually fell into sin and abused his position and power as prophet. We hope he repented before his death but the good things he gave us still stand and are useful for pursuing God. (This is the stance of the Henderickites who own the Temple Lot in Independence, MO. They maintain the Book of Mormon and the general church structure and mode of worship established by Smith.)

4) No Religion Is True, So Stick With What You Know. This has become popular among the so-called "Pastoral Mormon Apologists" like Adam Miller and Teryl Givens. They don't outright say it like that but that's the heart of their argument. If you're comfortable remain comfortable and we'll just slowly reform the things we don't like. (The Community of Christ, formerly the RLDS, largely took up this and stance #3 in the last 15-20 years. They are now practically indistinguishable from the Mainline Protestant Denominations. Liberal zeitgeist seems to be the greatest source of inspiration and instruction).

5) Repentance. Fully acknowledging the sins of Joseph Smith and the institutional Church's fault in promoting Joseph Smith and his teachings followed up by a massive and painful reformation. (This was what the stance the non-Mormon Worldwide Church of God took toward their founder in the late '90s.)

Each of these positions carry risk and most certainly a loss of membership. I think we can look at November 2014 as a watershed moment in the history of Mormonism.

[_Tim]

and then there is option #6 which the LDS church is most likely to use

6) Waffle. Teach 1-4 based on the necessity of the occasion and bounce between them fluidly regardless of the consistency or compatibility between them.

[_Quasimodo]

7) Apostasy. "The Church admits that Joseph Smith had up to 40 wives, that some of his wives were married to other men, and that some of his wives were as young 14 years old?

Holy crap! I'm outta here."

[_mentalgymnast]

7) Apostasy. "The Church admits that Joseph Smith had up to 40 wives, that some of his wives were married to other men, and that some of his wives were as young 14 years old?

Holy crap! I'm outta here."

8) Remaining open and learning more. Take the ball and run with it. Keep learning. Remain open minded to plausibility, possibilities, and probabilities. The stakes are high. Staying on the boat isn't a bad choice.

Jumping the boat limits the range of possibilities that one might entertain.

Regards,
MG

[_Quasimodo]

7) Apostasy. "The Church admits that Joseph Smith had up to 40 wives, that some of his wives were married to other men, and that some of his wives were as young 14 years old?

Holy crap! I'm outta here."

8) Remaining open and learning more. Take the ball and run with it. Keep learning. Remain open minded to plausibility, possibilities, and probabilities. The stakes are high. Staying on the boat isn't a bad choice.

Jumping the boat limits the range of possibilities that one might entertain.

Regards,
MG

MG, I admire your faith despite the overwhelming negative evidence that is now admitted by the LDS Church.

If the boat has hit a reef and is sinking, it might be time to think about putting on that life jacket and jumping.

Boats sink. Religions pass away. Look up the Shakers.

[_sock puppet]

7) Apostasy. "The Church admits that Joseph Smith had up to 40 wives, that some of his wives were married to other men, and that some of his wives were as young 14 years old?

Holy crap! I'm outta here."

Oh, #7 is the rational response to the Church's 150 year plus lie by omission.

[_mentalgymnast]

If the boat has hit a reef and is sinking, it might be time to think about putting on that life jacket and jumping.

A more appropriate comparison might be to think of the boat coming in contact with a shoal/sandbar. Tugs are usually called in to remove a ship from that impediment. Sometimes the hull is damaged and needs repair...but the boat typically can get back on its way. The tugs help shift the boat back and forth and help it wriggle out of a precarious position.

Hmmm...to complete this analogy to the state of Mormonism today we'd have to attach a cross comparison to the tugs. What might that be?

Boats sink. Religions pass away. Look up the Shakers.

But not all boats sink. Catholicism is still afloat. Islam is going strong. Yada, Yada, Yada. In my mind each of these "boats" has important cargo they're carrying and each freight line has its own specialty/purpose. Mormonism...The CofJCofLDS...looks to be part of that flotilla that survives into the future.

The Shakers' boat sunk. Lot's of other religions have been little blips on the radar. The LDS Church is a player in the maritime scene...the marketplace of religious thought/choice.

I think #8 is a viable choice.

Regards,
MG

[_Aristotle Smith]

and then there is option #6 which the LDS church is most likely to use

6) Waffle. Teach 1-4 based on the necessity of the occasion and bounce between them fluidly regardless of the consistency or compatibility between them.

Then there is the variation on #6: stick your head in the sand, change the subject, cry anti-Mormon, get offended, change the subject, refuse to think about it, change the subject again, etc.

[_Tim]

Then there is the variation on #6: stick your head in the sand, change the subject, cry anti-Mormon, get offended, change the subject, refuse to think about it, change the subject again, etc.

I think they've been doing that for about 90 years and finally figured out that it doesn't work anymore. Those days are now over.

[_Tim the Enchanter]

Then there is the variation on #6: stick your head in the sand, change the subject, cry anti-Mormon, get offended, change the subject, refuse to think about it, change the subject again, etc.

I think they've been doing that for about 90 years and finally figured out that it doesn't work anymore. Those days are now over.

I don't know. I think a fair number of them still have this mindset.