How Well the Mormon Church Teaches About Polygamy

[_Buffalo]

(I asked if she had ever read section 132. She said no, and if she did, she probably wouldn't understand it anyway. Although I think she would understand more than she thinks, is her position that different from many active LDS?)


All the Best!

--Consiglieri

Why hasn't she read section 132 and why didn't you cover it during a family home evening? Much could have been solved by doing this.

I still haven't read all of the D&C. I think a lot of people shy away from it because it's not necessarily faith promoting. I did read D&C 132 as a kid and was shocked by it. It seemed pretty obvious that Joseph made it up to cover his ass with Emma. I buried that thought down deep, though.

[_Buffalo]

I did a couple of years of seminary and served a mission. I did know that Joseph had plural wives, but only because I happened to read section 132 when I was a teenager. I didn't find out about his "marriages" to married women or young girls until the Warren Jeffs story broke.

[_consiglieri]

Why hasn't she read section 132 and why didn't you cover it during a family home evening? Much could have been solved by doing this.

Why is your first response to blame me for the Church's failure to teach this principle to my daughter?

And so you know, from age seven on, my daughter was raised in Utah 800-miles away from me, by my ex-wife and her second husband, with whom my ex-wife had a two-year affair before I finally filed for divorce.

All the Best!

--Consiglieri

[_harmony]

And so you know, from age seven on, my daughter was raised in Utah 800-miles away from me, by my ex-wife and her second husband, with whom my ex-wife had a two-year affair before I finally filed for divorce.

Well, for goodness sake's, consiglieri, surely you lectured her about church doctrines, plural marriage, and the need for her to joyously look forward to it in the CK, on the occasions you saw her. Nothing else would be quite as important.

*wink*

[_Fence Sitter]

I was visited by my home teacher last night along with his wife. He is Elders Quorum president, and both are life long members. I like them a lot and normally I avoid any issues that might be problematic. We talked quite a bit about Nauvoo and how they sent some of their girls there for EFY. They also visited Nauvoo and did the tours both of the Church property and the RLDS (Community of Christ?). They were aware that Emma had not followed BY to Utah and that Emma did not get along with him. They also were aware that Joseph Smith had more than one wife but when I asked them to just throw out a number for how many wives he had, both were in single digits. They were quite surprised when I mentioned Bushman's figure of 28-33 and that they could verify most of them on the LDS genealogy site.

I have asked this question of a dozen or so members over the last year or so, not one of them has provided a number above 13, most were in single digits and some were completely unaware that he was involved in polygamy at all. I wonder if they all failed to listen to their seminary teachers, or read some manual, or were poorly instructed by their parents.

[_consiglieri]

I would like to add I appreciate the comment from Professor Peterson. I do not know how much pull he has with the religion department, though I understand in the past he has written for Church manuals.

I wish him well in his efforts to help the Church teach better and more fully this aspect of Church history. I will continue to do my part in my more limited sphere of influence.

Little fish, little pond.

All the Best!

--Consiglieri

[_consiglieri]

*wink*

I appreciate your immediate comprehension of the situation, harmony.

All the Best!

--Consiglieri

[_why me]

Why hasn't she read section 132 and why didn't you cover it during a family home evening? Much could have been solved by doing this.

Why is your first response to blame me for the Church's failure to teach this principle to my daughter?

And so you know, from age seven on, my daughter was raised in Utah 800-miles away from me, by my ex-wife and her second husband, with whom my ex-wife had a two-year affair before I finally filed for divorce.

All the Best!

--Consiglieri

Polygamy is in the seminary manual. It states that polygamy started with Joseph Smith and that he took plural wives. Where was the LDS church hiding it? Now should it have more detail? If all the chapters were full of specifice details we would have a manual of 1,000 pages and nothing would be taught.

I stated that your daughter missed that class where polygamy was discussed (or the teacher ignored it due to time pressure).

[_Nevo]

Polygamy is in the seminary manual. It states that polygamy started with Joseph Smith and that he took plural wives.

Does it? The manual that I looked at never states that Joseph Smith practiced plural marriage. Instead, it affirms that "a number of Latter-day Saints practiced plural marriage in Nauvoo." It might be assumed that Joseph was one of them, but the manual never actually comes out and says so.

[_why me]

Polygamy is in the seminary manual. It states that polygamy started with Joseph Smith and that he took plural wives.

Does it? The manual that I looked at never states that Joseph Smith practiced plural marriage. Instead, it affirms that "a number of Latter-day Saints practiced plural marriage in Nauvoo." It might be assumed that Joseph was one of them, but the manual never actually comes out and says so.

Yes, it does.

Doctrine and Covenants 124. The threefold
mission of the Church is to proclaim the gospel,
perfect the Saints, and redeem the dead.

President Joseph F. Smith, who was then a counselor in the
First Presidency, wrote that the “principle of plural marriage
was first revealed to Joseph Smith in 1831, but being forbidden
to make it public, or to teach it as a doctrine of the Gospel, at
that time, he confided the facts to only a very few of his
intimate associates” (in “Plural Marriage,” in Andrew Jenson,
comp., Historical Record, 9 vols. [1882–90], 6:219). The Prophet
taught the principle privately, and by 1841–42 he and several
trusted Church members were living it (see Church History in
the Fulness of Times, p. 256). Section 132 was recorded in 1843,
but the Church did not announce the doctrine of plural
marriage publically until 1852.

http://seminary.LDS.org/manuals/doctrin ... -dc132.asp


Doctrine and Covenants 132:34–40, 45–48, 61–66 . Plural marriage is forbidden unless the Lord commands it through His prophet. (40–45 minutes)

Note: Avoid sensationalism and speculation when talking about plural marriage. Sometimes teachers speculate that plural marriage will be a requirement for all who enter the celestial kingdom. We have no knowledge that plural marriage will be a requirement for exaltation.

Write on the board Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Joseph Smith, and Brigham Young. Tell students that they can ask 10 yes-or-no questions to determine what these prophets had in common that relates to Doctrine and Covenants 132 . (They all practiced plural marriage.)

It is covered in the Nauvoo period of the teacher's manual. Now of course, the teacher has much leeway in what to teach about the practice. But certainly where it mentions that it began with a revelation to Joseph Smith, much could be taught. I suppose Consig's daughter missed seminary.