BrotherofJared wrote:
I got caught off guard about 30 years ago and it bothered me for sometime. I felt I had been intentionally deceived. After some time of mulling it over, I decided to research the issue further. That has been my process ever since. I have yet to find any compelling evidence that cannot be easily explained. Certainly no "scientific" evidence works. Science changes like weather. What we know is fact today becomes a fallacy tomorrow and then there is grabbing evidence that suits your needs but isn't the whole picture.
On the part of Joseph and his many wives. I was surprised that a claim was made that most Mormons didn't know about that. That didn't make sense because it was the number one statement non-Mormons would ask when they found out I was a Mormon, "how many wives do you have?"
Obviously LDS are and have always been aware of the fact that Mormonism has a polygamous history. What people were to varying degrees in the dark about is the historical details of that polygamy, including Joseph Smith's participation. The author of the blog was a clear example of this until she edited her entry in Orwellian-like fashion. What the Church essays have done is opened up some uncomfortable facts that large amounts of Mormons weren't aware of, such as Smith marrying young people or other men's wives. There's still room to go, such as Smith appearing to "make-up" revelations to justify polygamous advances, but we can rest assured that whenever another round opening comes there will be people to claim that Mormons knew this all along.
Regarding scientific knowledge having the capacity to change over time, that's a feature, not a bug. However, you are drastically overstating the degree to which received scientific understanding is upturned. Science over the past century and a half and progressed primarily through refinements, not rejections of previous understanding.
