It’s no secret that the founder of the LDS Church, Joseph Smith, practiced polygamy.
Joseph had multiple wives; and depending on who you ask, it was either godly or disturbing.
It’s debated, the ages of Joseph’s wives, how much Emma smith knew about it all, etc.
Today, the church has stated that they distinguish themselves as different from the FLDS, a break-off group from the LDS church that wanted to keep the practice of polygamy.
But regardless, it is a known fact that Joseph Smith had multiple wives and practiced polygamy.
The Church tends to take a stance on topics by using a common phrase of “many details are unknown…”
Which, as it translates to many, actually means;
“We know this practice is controversial and actually not a great thing, but we have told our members that it was revelation from God, so we’re going to say that we just don’t know all the things of God so that the fire isn’t under our ass about this.”
“We know it’s bad but we still have to justify it because we told everyone it came from god”
“If we admit this was not a great thing, it ruins Joseph’s credibility as a prophet”
“If Joseph’s credibility as a prophet is gone, the entire church falls.”
The concept of polygamy was practiced by many religious leaders – Warren Jeffs, Brigham young, Samuel Bateman – to name a few.
What is fascinating is that the concept was proclaimed to come from God.
And yet; the LDS Church admits that participants were asked to keep things confidential.
Why keep things confidential, if the commandment is really from god?
What do you have to fear?
The answer is people. The fear of retribution from other people about the concept of polygamy and young marriages.
People like to claim that things were kept confidential because it was a “hard commandment” from the Lord that mortal minds can’t comprehend.
That it was a godly commandment that only God Himself really understood.
So, keep it on the DL from those who “will not understand it.”
In other words; “We know this is not an appropriate thing, but let’s spin it and get people to believe it’s from God. Then we can marry many wives in peace as people slowly accept it.”
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Joseph Smith, the early prophet, is known for creating a “book of revelations” known as the “Doctrine and Covenants.”
It was a book of alleged revelations that the proclaimed prophet Joseph Smith received directly from God Himself; written out for all the members to know, read and study.
One such revelation, regarding the introduction of polygamy and Joseph’s first wife, Emma Smith, was this –
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/132?lang=eng
Emma Smith, Joseph Smith’s first wife.
The one he married before polygamy was introduced.
Told through Joseph Smith’s “revelations” from God that if she refused to accept polygamy, she would be destroyed by God.
But also that if Emma rejected the idea of polygamy, her husband Joseph would be blessed by God for practicing it still; regardless of her feelings about it.
Oh, the classic spiritual coercion and manipulation being under the guise of “godly instruction and revelation.”
Joseph wanted to marry multiple wives.
And when Emma had a problem with it,
He received a “revelation” stating that she will be destroyed by God if she did not comply, or “obey his commandments.”
And many members in the church to this day still believe that the commandment came from god;
and don’t recognize the possibility that it wasn’t from god, but that it was possibly how Joseph controlled Emma to get to the point where he could “marry” multiple women, regardless of how she felt about it.
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/emma-hale-smith?lang=eng
“Ask Gramps” is a pro-LDS source that dives into deeper topics that many active members of the church have questions about.
We have to admit; we admire the way the page does not seem to sugar coat the controversial topics.
And although the LDS church admits on their own sites that Emma may have not known of all of Joseph’s sealings, as does “askgramps,”
The church sides with Joseph;
…claiming he was “reluctant” to practice polygamy and claiming that Joseph was placed in an “agonizing dilemma” when Emma did not consent.
Ironic that Joseph was “reluctant” to practice polygamy,
When it was HE who claimed to have received this revelation from god himself.
How ironic that the church emphasizes that Joseph was placed in an “agonizing dilemma,”
While Emma smith struggled with the pain of her husband taking on multiple other wives.
Ironic that the church site claims that a lot of the marriages were for “eternity alone” and not mortal sex,
But then we see Brigham young, who practiced the SAME concept of polygamy Joseph introduced,
And had multiple children with multiple wives.
https://askgramps.org/did-emma-smith-know-josephs-sealings-other-women/
A lot of active members of the church seem to turn a blind eye to this topic – polygamy.
Brigham young, a successor of Joseph Smith, actively and outwardly practiced polygamy, even more so than Joseph Smith.
Men in the early days of the church loved polygamy so deeply, that the FLDS is a branch broken off from the LDS Church that wanted to keep it going – which later produced the infamous individual of Warren Jeffs.
And yet members of the church today seem to cling to the phrase of “well, we don’t know all things that god knows” and shrug off this complicated past.
https://askgramps.org/did-emma-smith-know-josephs-sealings-other-women/
Some members even make up excuses, say things like “back in the day women needed to be taken care of when their husbands died,” “it was different back then,” “it was just sealings,” “it wasn’t sexual,” “it was normal back then for girls to get married at age 15 or younger.”
Tell that to Brigham young who, as one of Joseph’s successors, married quite a few young ladies and had many, many children with them.
And while it is true that we will never know first-handedly what things were like back then, except from journal entries, historical reports or documentation,
It seems that the LDS church was indeed persecuted by people around them; chased from town to town, etc. due to some of their controversial beliefs.
https://askgramps.org/did-emma-smith-know-josephs-sealings-other-women/
Our hearts break for Emma;
Who once married for love,
and then found herself facing damnation if she did not allow her husband to marry other women.
Who’s husband “married” other women behind her back.
Who’s feelings, according to the church, of which “not much is known.”
But it’s not hard to imagine how she felt; is it?
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Are you sitting here, thinking –
“Well not all the marriages were sexual, and there isn’t a lot of evidence for the claim that Joseph slept with the young girls!”
“A lot of the marriages were sealings, not mortal marriages!”
“It was a hard commandment from God, that’s why they kept it on the down-low!”
“Well, we don’t practice that anymore.”
Then tell me.
• Today, can men still be sealed to more than one wife in heaven? And are women still only allowed to be sealed to one man at a time?
• Today, does the church still teach young women’s lessons to girls as young as 12 about marriage and getting ready to marry a “righteous priesthood holder?”
• Today, does the church admit that when Brigham young practiced the same polygamy that Joseph introduced, he had many children with his young wives?
• Today, does Warren Jeffs remain incarcerated for continuing to practice the very polygamy that Joseph Smith originally introduced?
And tell me…
• If Joseph’s practice of polygamy was a commandment of God that was received through revelation…something that, as the church has stated, was “practiced by many prophets in the Bible;”
Then what is stopping polygamy from making a return in the modern-day age of the church?
The only border to polygamy starting up again today
Is the prophet receiving “revelation.”
While many members want to turn a blind eye to this topic and focus on the positive aspects of the religion so that it doesn’t “rattle their faith,”
Joseph smith did indeed introduce polygamy.
Brigham young slept with his wives and bore children through the same polygamy Joseph smith introduced.
Warren Jeffs and the FLDS branches off from the teachings that stemmed from Joseph himself and the Church.
The act of polygamy was a secretive and dark “commandment” from God that the church’s members practiced and taught;
And staying “we don’t know all things that the Lord knows”
Is merely a justification to turning a blind eye to the possible grooming and abuse of young women in the church.
I mean, after all;
The church today, STILL encourages young marriage.
Still teaches young women’s lessons about getting married
Still grooms it’s little girls for marriage.
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Imagine shaming someone for leaving the church –
Because they don’t agree with how Joseph treated his wife Emma, of him telling her that God will destroy her if she won’t let him marry multiple women, and then married other women behind her back, claiming that it was of God to justify it.
