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Cover image via LDS.org.
Few aspects of Joseph Smith’s life have been scrutinized more in recent years than his personal practice of polygamy.
Some readers’ first exposure to Joseph Smith’s practice of polygamy comes from reading sensational headlines. Exaggerations and assumptions fill internet discussions, podcasts, and newspaper articles, so it is hard to know where to go for accurate information.
The temptation by some authors to fill in historical gaps often results in distortions that stir up emotions and create tantalizing soundbites that, even if largely fictional, may generate unnecessary fear and confusion.
Polygamy is part of the collective Mormon past that many struggle to understand. Current members have no cultural or religious basis to situate plural marriage. Members in pioneer Nauvoo shared that same struggle. When Benjamin Johnson first heard of it, he recalled: “If a thunderbolt had fallen at my feet I could hardly have been more shocked or amazed.”
Early Mormon polygamy is a historical puzzle that can at best be awkwardly reconstructed from fragmentary recollections. But it is apparent from reminiscences that those who practiced it were convinced it represented a religious practice instituted by God.
Church Historian Matt Grow noted that the more complicated the history, the more nuanced conclusions should be. Mormon polygamy was undoubtedly complicated, warranting provisional conclusions.
In this interview, Daniel C. Peterson of the Interpreter Foundation interviews Brian and Laura Hales about the most common questions asked about Joseph Smith’s practice of polygamy.
Join us for this candid discussion about what can and cannot be known about Joseph Smith’s practice of polygamy.
This episode is a joint production of LDS Perspectives and the Interpreter Foundation.
Nadine AndertonMay 24, 2017
I agree with Bets. In my case, most of my ancestors on both sides of my family descended from the earliest days of the Church. Many practiced polygamy and I am descended from a few second wives. Like Bets, I grew up in an environment where all of this was common knowledge. I was amazed to discover recently that this is now such a surprise. Due to the rapid growth of the Church where investigators have not been taught that part of Church history? It comes down to this, ultimately, does it not - do you have a testimony that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that he was the prophet through whom the true Church of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth? It is my testimony that both are true,
BetsMay 24, 2017
There were many informative moments in this podcast and there were a few ideas I question. Having been converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Saints in the mid 1960s I can say that there was no attempt to suppress information about the practice of plural wives. It was discussed openly and not just about Brigham Young. We knew Joseph Smith had plural wives and many missionaries came from families were it was practiced prior to the manifesto. A couple of years later, while working for what is now called the Family History Center, I had the privilege of seeing Joseph Smith's family group sheet. There many women who chose to be sealed to Joseph after his death. In fact, the brethren had to put a stop to the practice for obvious reasons. These women apparently found nothing objectionable in the prospect of practicing plural marriage in the eternities. I do agree that it was never mentioned as a prerequisite of salvation. My husband's family had plural marriages on both his father's and mother's lines, with many stories from that time having been handed down through the family. None of this was ever hidden and those who were not aware of our polygamous heritage were woefully ignorant of church history. The most cursory study of our past reveals the practice and how could we not be aware of what the rest of the world knew so well? Some of our most spiritual leaders, both men and women, descended from these marriages. I think it is high time we stopped feeling as if it is something we need to make excuses for. It was part of our heritage and not a shameful part.