How Well the Mormon Church Teaches About Polygamy

[_Fence Sitter]

As Fence Sitter asks, Have you checked the children? I haven't, so I can't say, but I have heard it said that women in P marriages tend to have less children per head than if they were in a monogamous marriage.....which wouldn't seem to raise up seed any faster.

Ironically "Where are the children?" is often used as a 'defense' of Joesph Smith's practice of polygamy because to date DNA results have not shown any children of Joseph Smith outside of Emma. It is pretty much a poor apologetic argument that is designed to pacify the uninformed faithful, the reasoning being that if there are not children from these other women then Joseph Smith's polygamy could not just have been about sex. In an attempt to focus the issue on the seedier side of polygamy, the apologetic argument is also presenting damming evidence that Joseph Smith did not follow his own revelation (God's commandment's) when it came to his own practice of polygamy. Not only did he not raise up more seed, he married women who were not virgins, some of who were currently married to other men, and without the consent of Emma (to the extent of openly lying to Emma about his actions). All issues the manual seems to overlook when presenting polygamy and Joseph Smith, issues which would probably get an early morning seminary teacher released were he/she to present them in class.

As a side note it is interesting that at both the beginning and ending of the Church's polygamy practices it openly lied to both members and non members about practicing polygamy.

[_RockSlider]

I don't think the Church does a good job on this issue. I think we can do better, and am working toward seeing that we do.

This is excellent. I appreciate this stance.

x2

[_3sheets2thewind]

"And it does say that the Joseph Smith was living the principal. Now the teacher can take that information and give more information about the wives and their testimonies. As you can now see, consig's daughter must have missed this lesson."
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And you are sure this particular seminary teacher gave that information to the students and discussed it?

simple deduction then would say that it is not the LDS Church but rather individuals. It is evident that the LDS Church admits that Joseph Smith was living polygamy in 1842.

[_harmony]

simple deduction then would say that it is not the LDS Church but rather individuals. It is evident that the LDS Church admits that Joseph Smith was living polygamy in 1842.

But not when Fanny was living it.

[_Themis]

simple deduction then would say that it is not the LDS Church but rather individuals. It is evident that the LDS Church admits that Joseph Smith was living polygamy in 1842.

If you can get them to talk about it they will admit it. The problem is not really individuals but the church. If they did a much better job of teaching it then you would not see so much of all different incorrect ideas of what was going on in regards to polygamy.

[_Themis]

Funny, I never heard the last part of this "spiel" growing up but I did know that Joseph Smith was plurally married. Probably in part because I had read D&C 132.

Many of us knew Joseph was practicing polygamy, although almost none would have known the dirty details unless we gathered the information outside of church materials. I find it interesting that you never heard of this excuse before just like you have never been asked about masturbation in a worthiness interview. I suspect someone is not being totally honest or has a selective memory. Lets hope it's the ladder.

[_DarkHelmet]

simple deduction then would say that it is not the LDS Church but rather individuals. It is evident that the LDS Church admits that Joseph Smith was living polygamy in 1842.

But not when Fanny was living it.

Actually the church does admit, in their official canon, that Joseph Smith started polygamy in 1831.

[_ludwigm]

On this page: LDS.org/churchhistory/presidents/leaders.jsp we can find a lot of data.
From G. A. Smith to T. S. Monson, under "Significant Events" there is an entry "Marriage: (name, date)", and it is repeated in "historical summary" part.

In case of Joseph Smith, only Emma Hale is mentioned. The other 30-40 are not.

From Brigham Young to Heber J. Grant there are no such items.
Apparenty, for polygamists, marriage is not a significant event.


In "Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith" we can read:

the following list is provided to summarize some of the milestones in his life that have most immediate relationship to his teachings. This summary omits some important events in his personal life, including his marriages (plural marriage was being practiced in the Church at that time)

OK, I must correct myself:

For polygamists, marriage is important but not significant.

[_Buffalo]

Consig,

I am a seminary graduate, RM, attended BYU for 7 years and I never learned that Joseph Smith was married to 34 women.

I did learn the standad spiel that polygamy was only practiced by a few and that it was a necessity because there were more women than men.

The Church can obviously do a much better job educating and being honest to its members about the past.

I've heard that in an 80's version of the missionary manual, in the section about resolving doubts, the answer they were supposed to give about polygamy was the typical BS - because there were so many widows in need of husbands.

[_Buffalo]

I don't think the Church does a good job on this issue. I think we can do better, and am working toward seeing that we do.

Respec'!