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Is the Church grooming its children to be ready for a reintroduction of plural marriage?
Posted: Sat Dec 28, 2024 12:58 am
by I Have Questions
Candidly explaining Mormonism’s complicated experience with polygamy to adults requires nuance, context and care. Introducing it to children can be even trickier, if not nearly impossible.
But that’s exactly what The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has tried to do as members prepare for a yearlong study of the global faith’s history and its Doctrine and Covenants book of scripture beginning in January.
In mid-December, the church posted online “a revised, illustrated edition of ‘Doctrine and Covenants Stories,’” according to a news release, along with accompanying videos, “40 years after the “original illustrated edition was published.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/teach ... r-AA1wzJJJ
The illustrated chapter on plural marriage begins with church founder Joseph Smith and other Latter-day Saint leaders’ initial reluctance to take additional wives, followed by their ultimate “obedience” to what Smith said was a “commandment from the Lord.”
And that’s the main message: God blesses those who obey, even when it’s hard.
The chapter is already getting plenty of pushback, including some mockery, on social media.
It is “a rather whitewashed version of history complete with cartoon images, as if this was all a fun children’s story,” Abby Maxwell Hansen writes on an Exponent II blog, “instead of systematic and institutionalized sexual abuse of women and girls.”
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, who wrote a book about polygamy, “A House Full of Females: Plural Marriage and Women’s Rights in Early Mormonism, 1835-1870,” praises the church for its attempt to be open with the next generation.
“The good news here is that kids who get this lesson in Primary [children’s Sunday school] won’t grow up surprised when they learn about plural marriage later,” Ulrich writes in an email. “This account reflects how the church has long explained plural marriage to grown-ups.”
But it also is “a story about sex as well as gender,” she states, and “that might make young children (or adults) more susceptible to ‘unrighteous dominion.’ For a very young child (and many adults) it may be hard to distinguish between the voice of a charismatic leader and the voice of God.”
Teaching children that polygamy was God’s idea and promoting the idea that members were right to go along with it against their instincts, is grooming. The Church is mentally conditioning its children to obey male Church leaders no matter what they think, even in matters of marriage and sex.
The Church has learned absolutely nothing from the plethora of child abuse cases perpetrated by men in leadership positions. This latest initiative just helps the predatory males by teaching kids that it’s okay, even if they feel uncomfortable about what their leader is asking them to do. “God blesses those who obey, even when it doesn’t feel right.” I’m staggered that the Church would do such a stupid and dangerous thing.
Re: Is the Church grooming its children to be ready for a reintroduction of plural marriage?
Posted: Sat Dec 28, 2024 5:19 pm
by Moksha
LDS Cartoons Inoculate Children
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRWIX1Rm5KM&t=2s
Rebecca Biblioteca did an excellent job with this.
Re: Is the Church grooming its children to be ready for a reintroduction of plural marriage?
Posted: Tue Dec 31, 2024 6:23 am
by Moksha
"Joseph you must go hog wild with teenagers and other men's wives or that homicidal angel will skewer you!"
Re: Is the Church grooming its children to be ready for a reintroduction of plural marriage?
Posted: Tue Dec 31, 2024 2:20 pm
by Kishkumen
This generated some interest on my Facebook wall. An old acquaintance from the ward of my youth dropped by to complain about the Salt Lake Tribune attacking the LDS Church. I suggested that the mere facts of the case were troubling enough. Ultimately, the defense was, “no one will teach this in Primary anyways.” And that is probably true, but I can’t help but think that aiming this at Primary kids is, at best, a really bad look for a church that has had so many problems with child abuse and gender politics.
Re: Is the Church grooming its children to be ready for a reintroduction of plural marriage?
Posted: Tue Dec 31, 2024 3:33 pm
by drumdude
Perhaps the young 15 year old Mia Maid girls should be taught by the 30 year old Elders Quorum men about Joseph and Fanny. Maybe 1 on 1 without their wives present. You know, so they aren’t shocked when they find out about it later.
Re: Is the Church grooming its children to be ready for a reintroduction of plural marriage?
Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2025 2:27 am
by I Have Questions
drumdude wrote: ↑Tue Dec 31, 2024 3:33 pm
Perhaps the young 15 year old Mia Maid girls should be taught by the 30 year old Elders Quorum men about Joseph and Fanny. Maybe 1 on 1 without their wives present. You know, so they aren’t shocked when they find out about it later.
A 30 years old man teaching a girl in her 15th year that God required Joseph, a 30 year old man, to wed a girl in her 15th year behind his wife’s back, would certainly put plural marriage into some perspective.
Re: Is the Church grooming its children to be ready for a reintroduction of plural marriage?
Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2025 3:51 am
by drumdude
I wonder how the fathers in Mormon wards would feel marrying off their Mia Maid daughters to members of the elders quorum.
Re: Is the Church grooming its children to be ready for a reintroduction of plural marriage?
Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2025 4:17 am
by Dr Exiled
If the Lord commanded ....
Re: Is the Church grooming its children to be ready for a reintroduction of plural marriage?
Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2025 6:45 am
by Dr. Shades
Regarding the guy second from right, why is there a crumpled-up kleenex in his hand?
Re: Is the Church grooming its children to be ready for a reintroduction of plural marriage?
Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2025 5:07 pm
by Marcus
I Have Questions wrote: ↑Wed Jan 01, 2025 2:27 am
drumdude wrote: ↑Tue Dec 31, 2024 3:33 pm
Perhaps the young 15 year old Mia Maid girls should be taught by the 30 year old Elders Quorum men about Joseph and Fanny. Maybe 1 on 1 without their wives present. You know, so they aren’t shocked when they find out about it later.
A 30 years old man teaching a girl in her 15th year that God required Joseph, a 30 year old man, to wed a girl in her 15th year behind his wife’s back, would certainly put plural marriage into some perspective.
I have many LDS relatives with young children who will be taught this Warren Jeffs style of obedience. This topic reminded me, once again, that getting my children out of the LDS cult is the most significant thing I have accomplished. I have a second grandchild on the way now, who will be raised in a home devoid of this Mormon nonsense.