Fence Sitter wrote:Morley wrote:I think that Emma believed that Joseph saw and talked to God. However, I think it's hard to always maintain that belief, especially when your husband tells you that God wants you to give him an extra piece of cake for supper. And, oh yeah, that God also wants him to eat some cake at other ladies' dinner tables.
Perhaps in the early years she believed this. But as with all marriages and relationships, her relationship to Joseph evolved over time. It is hard to gauge how much she actually believed in him as a treasure hunter turned prophet at that time. Did she really think he could find treasure in the hills around her fathers house? Was she really convinced that there were gold plates under that cloth? Did she really never take a peak to see what was really there? How did she react when she was pushed aside when Cowdery and Rigdon entered the picture? I tend to think she knew what was going on and was willing to accept it for a variety of reasons, though it is clear she was not always happy with it. As Joseph Smith's fame grew so would the attention on her. I think the simplest explanation about her reactions to polygamy is that it was a line she was not willing to cross because of how it would reflect on her. In the end she totally rejected it and even went so far as to create an illusion of non involvement by her husband, blaming it all on Brigham Young and thereby leaving herself as the widow of a 'true' prophet of God. Painting her as a believing faithful wife ignores much of how she acted when it really counted.
I agree, Fence. This is basically what I was trying to say. You managed to put it a bit more elegantly.