Mormon Big Love
Those Mormons just crack me up. Seems they have joined forces with a group of other conservative religious folk to convince people that marriage is only meant to be between a man and a woman.
As they try to align themselves with mainstream Christians once again, praying all the while that the mainstream Christians do NOT look in their collective underwear drawer, I would like to remind them that their prophet and founder, Joseph Smith, Jr., believed in marriage between one man and a woman and another woman and another woman and another woman and another woman and another woman….
Of course, that was then. This is NOW, and in today’s Mormon world, there ain’t no polygamy. At least among the mainstream Mormons.
But the Mormons who are living the church the way JOSEPH SMITH and early leaders taught it are STILL practicing polygamy.
Now, you might wonder what the early Church leaders taught about polygamy. Today, I would like to share that with you. I should note that EVERY time I research this stuff, I end up finding out things that surprise me. For example, I NEVER knew that early Church leaders taught that Jesus was married AND a polygamist, too! So there, Dan Brown! You weren’t the first one with the idea!
Now, the quotes follow. (Thanks to www.realmormonhistory.com, where I found most of these.) And to those who would say I took them OUT of context, I say “Good luck putting them INTO context.”
Heber C. Kimball, second councilor to Brigham Young, on how monogamy makes a man wither and dry up:
“I have noticed that a man who has BUT ONE WIFE, and is inclined to that doctrine, soon begins to WITHER AND DRY UP, while a man who goes into PLURALITY looks fresh, YOUNG AND SPRIGHTLY. Why is this? Because God loves that man, and because he honors his word. Some of you may not believe this, but I not only believe it but I also know it. FOR A MAN OF GOD TO BE CONFINED TO ONE WOMAN IS SMALL BUSINESS,… I DO NOT KNOW WHAT WE SHOULD DO IF WE HAD ONLY ONE WIFE APIECE.” (Deseret News, April 22, 1857)
Brigham Young declares monogamy a system established by robbers:
“Monogamy, or restrictions by law to ONE WIFE, IS NO PART OF THE ECONOMY OF HEAVEN AMONG MEN. Such a system was commenced by the founders of the Roman empire….Rome became the mistress of the world, and introduced this order of monogamy wherever her sway was acknowledged. Thus this MONOGAMIC ORDER OF MARRIAGE, so esteemed by modern Christians as a HOLY SACRAMENT and DIVINE INSTITUTION, is nothing but a system established by a SET OF ROBBERS….
“Why do we believe in and practice polygamy? Because the Lord introduced it to his servants in a revelation given to Joseph Smith, and the Lord’s servants have always practised it. ‘And IS THAT RELIGION POPULAR IN HEAVEN?’ IT IS THE ONLY POPULAR RELIGION THERE,…” (The Deseret News, August 6, 1862)
George A. Smith - Monogamists should be ashamed:
“We breathe the free air, we have the best looking men and handsomest women, and if they envy us our position, well they may, for they are a poor, NARROW MINDED, PINCH-BACKED RACE OF MEN, WHO CHAIN THEMSELVES DOWN TO THE LAW OF MONOGAMY AND LIVE ALL THEIR DAYS UNDER THE DOMINION OF ONE WIFE. They ought to be ASHAMED OF SUCH CONDUCT, and the still fouler channel which flows from their practices; and it is not to be wondered at that they should envy those who so much better understand the social relations.” (Deseret News, April 16, 1856)
Brigham Young - Monogamy is the source of prostitution and whoredom:
“Since the founding of the Roman empire monogamy has prevailed more extensively than in times previous to that. The founders of that ancient empire were robbers and women stealers, and made laws favoring monogamy in consequence of the scarcity of women among them, and hence this MONOGAMIC SYSTEM which now prevails throughout Christendom, and which had been so fruitful a source of PROSTITUTION AND WHOREDOM throughout all the Christian monogamic cities of the Old and New World, until rottenness and decay are at the root of their institutions both national and religious.”
(Journal of Discourses, Vol. 11, p. 128)
From the Mormon church paper “millenial star”:
“… THE ONE-WIFE SYSTEM NOT ONLY DEGENERATES THE HUMAN FAMILY, BOTH PHYSICALLY AND INTELLECTUALLY, but it is entirely incompatible with philosophical notions of immortality; IT IS A LURE TO TEMPTATION, AND HAS ALWAYS PROVED A CURSE TO A PEOPLE.” (Millennial Star, Vol. 15, p. 227)
Mormon apostle Orson Pratt explains that the debauched state of Europe is due to monogamy:
“Some of the nations of Europe who believe in the one wife system have actually forbidden a plurality of wives by their laws; and the consequences are that the whole country among them is overrun with the most abomi[na]ble practices? Adulteries and unlawful connections prevail through all their villages, towns, cities, and country places to a most fearful extent.” (The Seer, p. 12)
George Q. Cannon - Monogamy responsible for the decline and fall of the Roman Empire:
“It is a fact worthy of note that the shortest lived nations of which we have record have been monogamic. Rome…was a MONOGAMIC NATION AND THE NUMEROUS EVILS ATTENDING THAT SYSTEM EARLY LAID THE FOUNDATION FOR THAT RUIN WHICH EVENTUALLY OVERTOOK HER.”
(Journal of Discourses, Vol. 13, p. 202)
Apostle Orson Pratt:
“This law of MONOGAMY, or the MONOGAMIC SYSTEM, laid the foundation for prostitution and the evils and diseases of the most revolting nature and character under which modern Christendom groans,…”
(Journal of Discourses, Vol. 13, page 195)
Brigham Young - Adam was a polygamist:
“Now hear it, O inhabitants of the earth, Jew and Gentile, Saint and Sinner! When OUR FATHER ADAM came into the the garden of Eden, he came into it with a celestial body, and brought Eve, ONE OF HIS WIVES WITH HIM.”
(Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1, page 50)
Apostle Orson Hyde on Jesus as a polygamist:
“I discover that some of the Eastern papers represent me as a great blasphemer, because I said, in my lecture on Marriage, at our last Conference, that JESUS CHRIST WAS MARRIED at Cana of Galilee, THAT MARY, MARTHA, AND OTHERS WERE HIS WIVES, AND THAT HE BEGAT CHILDREN.
(Journal of Discourses, Vol. 2, page 210)
Brigham Young, answering critics who claimed polygamy as a relic of barbarism:
“ Yes, one of the relics of Adam, of Enoch, of Noah, of Abraham, of Isaac, of Jacob, of Moses, David, Solomon, the Prophets, OF JESUS, AND HIS APOSTLES.” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 11, page 328)
Brigham Young:
“The Scripture says that He, the LORD, came walking in the Temple, with HIS TRAIN; I do not now who they were, unless HIS WIVES AND CHILDREN;…” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 13, page 309)
Apostle Orson Pratt:
“…it will be seen that the GREAT MESSIAH who was the founder of the Christian religion, WAS A POLYGAMIST, …the MESSIAH chose…by MARRYING MANY honorable WIVES himself, show to all future generations that HE approbated the PLURALITY OF WIVES under the Christian dispensation, as well as under the dispensation in which His Polygamist ancestors lived. “We have now clearly shown that GOD THE FATHER HAD A PLURALITY OF WIVES, one or more being in eternity, by whom He begat our spirits as well as the spirit of Jesus His first Born, and another being upon the earth by whom He begat the tabernacle of Jesus, as his only begotten in this world. We have also proved most clearly that the Son followed the example of his Father, and became the great Bridegroom to whom kings’ daughters and many honorable wives were to be married We have also proved that both God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ inherit THEIR WIVES IN ETERNITY as well as in time;… And then it would be so shocking to the modesty of the very pious ladies of Christendom to see Abraham and his wives, Jacob and his wives, JESUS AND HIS HONORABLE WIVES, all eating occasionally at the same table, and visiting one another, and conversing about their numerous children and their kingdoms. Oh, ye delicate ladies of Christendom how can you endure such a scene as this?… If you do not want your morals corrupted, and your delicate ears shocked, and your pious modesty put to the blush by the society of POLYGAMISTS and their wives, do not venture near the New Earth; for POLYGAMISTS will be honored there, and will be among the chief rulers in that Kingdom.”
(The Seer, page 172)
Brigham Young - To become a god, one must be a polygamist:
“The ONLY MEN WHO BECOME GODS, even the Sons of God, are those WHO ENTER INTO POLYGAMY.”(Journal of Discourses, Vol. 11, page 269)
Well. That kinda says it all.
April 26th, 2006 at 9:52 pm
If I ever need a truly strong emetic to purge some accidentaly ingested poison, I’ll just come back to read these quotes.
Dear Lord!
April 26th, 2006 at 10:37 pm
Yes, that was THEN wasn’t it.
K.
April 26th, 2006 at 11:40 pm
Some people just love to hear themselves don’t they? The scary part is SO many people listened.
April 27th, 2006 at 10:00 am
Wow.. funny… the one thing that I did not know was… the immoral fiber of monogamy.
April 27th, 2006 at 10:00 am
Wow.. funny… the one thing that I did not know was… the immoral fiber of monogamy.
April 27th, 2006 at 10:00 am
Sorry for the double post.. Urg
April 28th, 2006 at 8:26 am
Geez, I had no idea that my monogamous lifestyle was so depraved!
April 28th, 2006 at 8:36 am
Now now come on, Do you really think this was such a hard sell for men. WE get more help around the farm or house we have multiple sex partners and the church loves us for it. I dont see where you are surprised that men figured this out for themselves. Rather clever I think how they made the guy with one wife feel really bad to the point where he had to go out and get a few more to be part of the crowd. Yes it is strange but then so many thing is religion are things we want to control so god must have wanted us to do it this way.
ol bob
April 28th, 2006 at 8:28 pm
These dudes were all smokin weed with the Indians. You can tell by the way they wrote and put words and sentences together. WACKOOOOOOO
The entire Book of Mo and the rest of their crap is nothing but a fairy tale. Kind of like Disneyland. Can hardly wait to see what they come up with downtown at their new plaza (crossroads mall). Jell-o restraunts, covered wagon rides, a seagul merry-go-round, chocolate covered crickets and of course lots of honey things.
April 28th, 2006 at 11:07 pm
I agree with the spirit of the post. We end up finding all sorts of justification for our desires.
As for the religious folk who think marriage is only meant to be between man and women. I’ve had conversation with a few of these relics. The relics I talked to were actually saying that marriage is for the children. It is not about sexual gratification between a man and women. They think the modern society is making way too much of sex. Life matters more than sex. What matters most to these relics is the well being of the children … the continuation of life.
This group of relics is not driven by homophobia. They are driven by concern for kids. Their idea that marriage should be about kids makes since to me.
This group hates polygamy because in polygamous families, the father is still on the prowl for more wives, detracting from care for existing kids. The wives often get caught up in political infighting to the detriment of the kids.
This group doesn’t like gay marriage because such marriages are just about sex. I am not sure why they are up in arms about gay couples with kids. I think they are worried about kids being raised in an environment that is primarily about sex.
I am for gay marriage, but I have to admit that if when we legalize gay marriage, we will also have to legalize polygamy, polyganny and all the various forms of group marriage.
New age communities and pagans are starting to go polygamist. A liberalization of marriage could end up in a situation where a very large number of Americans live in polygamous families within the next 50 years or so. I can understand why the conservative relics are frightened and doing their “defend marriage” bit.
I think what happens with polygamy is that it starts out feeling like a great liberation. It is only after the system progresses for a generation or two that people start seeing the innate problems with the ideas. The New Agers I know who have gone polygamist are still in that feel good liberation stage. The men in these groups seem to be getting more powerful and the women weaker.
April 29th, 2006 at 1:25 pm
Just a shout out - I read your little interview on Lara Zeises’ LJ, and wanted to say hey from another Salt Lake author! I’m looking forward to reading your books.
April 29th, 2006 at 2:48 pm
I had to post again…here’s the thing…and don’t get me wrong I don’t lose sleep over the whole polygamy subject BUT! The LDS church says it does not condone polygamy, does not practice it etc. Fine, fine, fine. What about marriages that end in divorce where the man does not “temple divorce” his first wife and then goes on to marry another woman in the temple. I guess this could include men who are widows even. Women cannot do this, just men (which I do have a problem with). In order for me to remarry in the temple I would have to temple divorce my dead husband…I digress…my point is that even though the LDS is in keeping with the laws of the land about polygamy…our belief system, and how we handle these remarrying situations is actually promoting polygamy. Take that to the bank. Perhaps that is what LDS people mean when they say that polygamy will be practiced in the eternities…all those guys who remarried a schwack of times but never actually got “unsealed”. Hehe.
K.
April 30th, 2006 at 3:40 pm
See??? Kris just pointed out that is what the Mormons are doing! See?! Okay, that made absolutely NO sense, but SEE anyway!
Welcome to fellow SL author Sara! Congrats on your book deal with Little, Brown. Right now, they should be called, Little Green Around the Edges, considering the plagiarism debacle with the young Indian author. (Can’t remember how to spell her name, and too tired to look right now. Sensing a theme?)
April 30th, 2006 at 6:03 pm
I made no sense or you? LOL.
K.
April 30th, 2006 at 7:05 pm
ME! You made perfect sense. Me, I sound like a mad raving lunatic. Or a seriously tired mom. So I’m gonna wait before I expound further….
March 6th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
i have yet to understand how modern day mormons go against polgamy. at one time someone told me old time mormons did this to make more babies, for more souls to take over — they needed women pregant at all times and the one-on-one thing might not do the trick. i also was told once that they did it to “multiply” the members of the church . . . naturally, so to speak. so, my question . . . again . . . how do the modern day mormons pick and choose what is okay and what is to be discarded from j. smith’s teachings? i still find it totally amazing how one man can mold an entire world of folks to his likeing . . . i guess jesus did the same thing. maybe i just need to think it out. BUT, how DO they choose what’s still in and what’s out?? p.s. do they still not like black people?
April 2nd, 2007 at 1:26 pm
All of the pages and words must be read in order understand the speaker and the topic being spoken about. The quotes are taking out of context. The entire speech must be read in order to be understood. It is like taking one verse from the Bible and saying that the whole chapter means that one thing. For instance the last part written here is the whole paragraph
” Now, we as Christians desire to be saved in the kingdom of God. We desire to attain to the possession of all the blessings there are for the most faithful man or people that ever lived upon the face of the earth, even him who is said to be the father of the faithful, Abraham of old. We wish to obtain all that father Abraham obtained. I wish here to say to the Elders of Israel, and to all the members of this Church and kingdom, that it is in the hearts of many of them to wish that the doctrine of polygamy was not taught and practiced by us. It may be hard for many, and especially for the ladies, yet it is no harder for them than it is for the gentlemen. It is the word of the Lord, and I wish to say to you, and all the world, that if you desire with all your hearts to obtain the blessings which Abraham obtained, you will be polygamists at least in your faith, or you will come short of enjoying the salvation and the glory which Abraham has obtained. This is as true as that God lives. You who wish that there were no such thing in existence, if you have in your hearts to say: “We will pass along in the Church without obeying or submitting to it in our faith or believing this order, because, for aught that we know, this community may be broken up yet, and we may have lucrative offices offered to us; we will not, therefore, be polygamists lest we should fail in obtaining some earthly honor, character and office, etc,”-the man that has that in his heart, and will continue to persist in pursuing that policy, will come short of dwelling in the presence of the Father and the Son, in celestial glory. The only men who become Gods, even the Sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy. Others attain unto a glory and may even be permitted to come into the presence of the Father and the Son; but they cannot reign as kings in glory, because they had blessing offered unto them, and they refused to accept them.”
He also said this “If it is wrong for a man to have more than one wife at a time, the Lord will reveal it by and by, and he will put it away that it will not be known in the Church. I did not ask Him for the revelation upon this subject. When that revelation was first read to me by Joseph Smith, I plainly saw the great trials and the abuse of it that would be made by many of the Elders, and the trouble and the persecution that it would bring upon this whole people. But the Lord revealed it, and it was my business to accept it.”"
Read it all here http://www.journalofdiscourses.org/volume-11.
You are simply taking one part of the statement and putting that in quotes saying here is what he said when everything needs to be read and examined.
June 16th, 2007 at 11:01 pm
And yet today most other religions have a much higher ratio of members living a polygamous lifestyle (i.e. more than one sex partner in a lifetime) than mainstream Mormonism.
June 26th, 2007 at 10:49 am
What about polyandry: one wife, more husbands?