Polygamy in the Mormon Church

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(open in New Window to retain this web page)</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Write me:  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000CC" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Me"><U>e-mail</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id118.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Video The Mormon Theology"><U>Video </U></A> Exposing the Mormon church</div> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=370 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="086f0f03.jpg"> <div> <I>Polygamy in the Mormon Church</I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> On this page, I wish to show</div> <div> 1.     The comparison of Joseph Smith, Muhammad, and David Koresh!</div> <div> 2.     The number of wives Joseph 'accumulated'!</div> <div> 3.     How Joseph used his self proclaimed title as 'prophet' to seduce other men's wives and daughters!</div> <div> 4.     Mormon teachings that Polygamy is essential for salvation and exaltation as Gods</div> <div> 5.     Political reasons why the Mormon church abandoned polygamy! </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><U>Comparing the Koran with Journal of Discourses</U></B></div> <bR> <div> Let's compare the "prophet" Joseph Smith with the "prophet" Muhammad. You tell me if there is any comparison between the two?</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>If Joseph Smith wants your wife (or money), you must give her to him!</B></div> <div> <B>Journal of Discourses</B></div> <div> <B>(Vol 2. pp. 13-14)</B></div> <div> "What would a man of God say, who felt it aright, when <B>Joseph asked</B> him for his money? He would say 'Yes, and I wish I had more to help to build the kingdom of God.' <B><U>Or if he came and said, 'I want your wife</U></B>?' O YES, he would say, Here she is, there are plenty more'...Did the prophet Joseph Smith want <B>every</B> mans wife he asked for? He did not,...  If such a man of God should come to me and say "<B>I want your </B>gold and silver, or your <B><U>wives</U></B>,' <B>I should say, Here they are</B>, I wish I had more to give you, <U>Take all I have got</U>'"  (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 2, pp. 13-14)</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Compare with:</div> <div> <B>MUHAMMAD TAKES HIS STEP SONS WIFE!</B></div> <div> <B>(Koran - Sura 33:36-38)</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> Muslim scholar and statesman Ali Dashti gives a list of 22 women in Muhammad's life. 16 were wives, 2 were slaves or concubines, 4 were not wives nor slaves but devout Muslim women who “gave” themselves to satisfy Muhammad's sexual desires.  Muhammad married a seven-year-old (who moved in with him when she was ten), Ayisha. His seventh wife was his ex-daughter-in-law. Interestingly, Sura 4:3 limits the number of wives to four, and in Sura 4:31 marriage to one's daughter-in-law was prohibited. But in Sura 33:36-40, Muhammad was conveniently given a new revelation from God that ordered Zeyd, Muhammad's adopted son, to divorce his wife so Muhammad could marry her by God's command.  </div> <bR> <div> [<B>al-Ahzab 33:36</B>] And it becometh not a believing man or a believing woman<U>, when Allah and His messenger have decided an affair (for them), that they should (after that) claim any say in their affair</U>; and whoso is rebellious to Allah and His messenger, he verily goeth astray in error manifest.</div> <bR> <div> [<B>37</B>] And when thou saidst unto him on whom Allah hath conferred favour and thou hast conferred favour: Keep thy wife to thyself, and fear Allah. And thou didst hide in thy mind that which Allah was to bring to light, and thou didst fear mankind whereas Allah hath a better right that thou shouldst fear Him. <B><U>So when Zeyd had performed that necessary formality (of divorce) from her, We gave her unto thee (Muhammad) in marriage</U></B><U>,</U> so that (henceforth) there <U>may be no sin for believers in respect of wives of their adopted sons, when the latter have performed the necessary formality (of release) from them. The commandment of Allah must be fulfilled</U>.</div> <bR> <div> [<B>38</B>] There is <U>no reproach for the Prophet</U> in that which Allah maketh his due. That was Allah's way with those who passed away of old - and the commandment of Allah is certain destiny -</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>One More, David Koresh!</B></div> <div> David Koresh of Waco Texas, with the Branch Davidian Cult, was also doing the same as Joseph Smith and Muhammad. When a man that was in his cult married a woman, David was to have the first night's sexual encounter with the virgin wife! Like Joseph Smith, David had "spiritual" wives.  If the Davidian cult had survived, it would no doubt, one day, have become as big a cult as the Muslim or Mormon religion! Using scripture with his own twisted perversions of the truth, as David Koresh was known for his photographic memory and ability to quote entire scriptural passages, this cult had an appearance of godliness to the followers who were willing to die (and many did) for this faith. David Koresh would become a martyr and hero of the faith to the surviving followers and may still become so if any of the survivors should continue the movement!</div> <bR> <div> <I>In the late 1980s Koresh began practicing polygamy, which he characterized as taking spiritual wives.</I> "<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><I>Branch Davidians" Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2000. </I>© 1993-1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Using the gospel for their own personal gain to satisfy their sexual desires, these men have perverted the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><U>How many Wives did Joseph Smith have?</U></B></div> <bR> <div> The following is from the book "<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.utlm.org/booklist/titles/mormonismshadoworreality_ub001.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.utlm.org/booklist/titles/morm"><U>Mormonism, Shadow or Reality</U></A></FONT>" by Jerald & Sandra Tanner  1972 Edition, Midern Microfilm Company, Box 1884, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110</div> <div> Andrew Jensen, who was the Assistant Mormon Church Historian, listed 27 women who were married to Joseph Smith (Historical Record, pages 233-234). The Mormon author John J. Stewart, however, states that Joseph Smith may have married 36 or even 48 wives.</div> <div> Fawn M. Brodie includes a list of 48 women who may have been married to Joseph Smith (No Man Knows My History, page 434-465) Stanley S. Ivans was considered to be one of the great authorities on Mormon polygamy. (The Mormon Establishment, page 187) At one time he stated that the number of Joseph Smith's wives can only be guessed at, but might have gone as high as 60 or more. Before his death, Stanley S. Ivans prepared a list of <B>84</B> women that may have been married to Joseph Smith during his lifetime!</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><U>Did Joseph Smith ever ask for, or take another man's wife?</U></B></div> <bR> <div> "Joseph Smith finally demanded the wives of all the twelve apostles that were at home then in Nauvoo... Vilate Kimball, the first <U>wife of Herbert C. Kimball</U>, ...loved her husband, and he, ...loved her, hence a reluctance to comply with the Lord's demand that Vilate should be consecrated ... they thought the command of the Lord must be obeyed on some way, and a proxy way suggested itself to their minds. They had a <U>young daughter only getting out of girlhood</U>, and the father apologizing to the prophet for his wife's reluctance to comply with his desires, stating, however, that the act must be right or it would not be counseled -- the abject slave of a father asked Joseph Simth if his daughter wouldn't do as well as his wife. Joseph replied that she would do just as well, and the Lord would accept her instead. The half ripe bud of womanhood was delivered over to the prophet." (Mormon Portraits, 1886. pp. 70-72)  This testimony was also written in the book The Life of Herbert C. Kimball by Mormon Apostle Orson F. Whitney pages 333-335.</div> <bR> <div> John D. Lee, records that Joseph Smith took <U>J.B. Jacob's wife</U> while Mr. Jacobs was absent. (Confessions of John d. Lee p. 132)</div> <div> Stanley S. Ivan's list of Joseph's wives, includes the <U>wife of David Sessions</U>, Patty, whom Joseph also took to be his own 8 years before David's death (Joseph Smith and polygamy p. 44)</div> <div> Lucinda Pendleton Morgan Harris <U>wife of George Harris</U>. (Nauvoo Temple sealing record and Historical Record p 233) Prior to marrying George Harris, she was married to <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000CC" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="id26_footnote_on_masonic_murders.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Freemasonry and Shriners"><U>William Morgan</U></A></FONT>, whom the Masonic Lodge conspired against and murdered for writing a book exposing the rituals of the Masonic Lodge. These rituals, are similar to the <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000CC" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="id235.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mormon Endowment and Freemasonry"><U>Mormon Endowment</U></A></FONT>.</div> <div> Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner, <U>wife of Adam Lightner</U> wrote she was married to Joseph Smith in the Masonic Hall and again in the Nauvoo Temple (Affidavit of Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner "No man knows My History, P. 444)</div> <div> Augusta Adams Cobb, <U>wife of Henry Cobb</U>. She converted to Mormonism left her husband and married Young in 1843. Four years later, in 1847, Henry Cobb divorced her. (Lion of the Lord pp.192-194)</div> <div> The above list numbers 5 recorded adulterous affairs where Joseph took another man's wife, and one in which he took a child "as proxy" instead of the man's wife! In addition to the list above, we have the well documented attempts by Jospeh Smith, to seduce Sarah Pratt, wife of Orson Pratt, Martha Brotherton and Nancy Rigdon. (<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Mormonism, Shadow or Reality by Jerald & Sandra Tanner pp, 219-223</FONT>)</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><U> Polygamy required for Mormon Salvation</U></B></div> <bR> <div> In the book <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.utlm.org/booklist/titles/mormonismshadoworreality_ub001.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.utlm.org/booklist/titles/morm"><U>Mormonism, Shadow or Reality</U></A></FONT>" by Jerald & Sandra Tanner there is a list of Mormon documents that show the importance of polygamy for the salvation and exaltation of Mormon believers! Here are some:</div> <div> George Q. Cannon wrote "..<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="MS Reference Sans Serif" >.if I had not obeyed that command of God, concearning plural marriage, I believe that I would have been damned</FONT>." (<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Journal of Discourses, Vol. 23, page 278</FONT>)</div> <div> Brigham Young wrote "<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="MS Reference Sans Serif" >The only men who become Gods, even the Sons of God, are those who enter Polygamy</FONT>" (<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Journal of Discourses, Vol. 11, page 269</FONT>)</div> <div> Orson Pratt wrote "<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="MS Reference Sans Serif" >All men and women who oppose the revelation which God has given in relation to polygamy will find themselves in darkness, the spirit of God will withdraw from them the very moment of their opposition to that principle, until they will finally go down to hell and be damned</FONT>" (<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Journal of Discourses, Vol. 17, pp 224-225</FONT>)</div> <div> According to the words of Orson Pratt and George Cannon, every current day Mormon that does not practice polygamy is in darkness and will be damned to hell! </div> <div> Orson Pratt was to "reap what he sowed" in joining Joseph in this heresy, when Joseph Smith attempted to seduce his wife, Sarah, and make her one of his wives! As Sarah Pratt testified, Joseph said to her "<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Sister Pratt, the Lord has given you to me as one of my spiritual wives</FONT>." (<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >History of the saints, by John Bennett, 1842, pp. 226-232</FONT>) When Sarah told Orson of Joseph's attempted seduction, Orson became so troubled, that he considered suicide! </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><U>Political reasons for ceasing the practice of Polygamy</U></B></div> <bR> <div> <I>From   "Utah" Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2000. </I>© 1993-1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.</div> <div> Since 1849 Utahans had repeatedly petitioned the U.S. Congress for statehood. Congress consistently refused. At <B>the heart of this refusal to grant statehood was </B><B>polygyny</B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="MS Reference Sans Serif" > (<U>the specific term for marriage with more than one wife</U>)</FONT>; in fact, above and beyond withholding statehood, Congress took direct action to abolish the practice of polygyny among <B><U>the Mormons</U></B>. In 1862 Congress passed a federal antibigamy law, and in the 1870s and 1880s more laws implemented the earlier act and made the prosecution of polygynists easier. Federal agents descended on Utah searching for “cohabs,” as polygynous Mormons were called. Many cohabs, a group that constituted between 20 and 30 percent of the families in Utah, were fined and sent to jail, especially during the years following the passage of the so-called Edmunds Bill of 1882, which was the most aggressive antipolygyny act. In addition, the church leadership was forced into hiding and about 12,000 Mormons were prohibited from voting under the terms of the Edmunds Bill because they refused to promise not to take more than one wife. <B>Finally, in 1890, the church leadership issued a manifesto advising church members to abstain from polygyny.</B></div> <div> Abandoning the polygyny doctrine removed the major obstacle to Utah’s statehood. Prospects for statehood brightened after the dissolution of the People’s Party in 1891. Thereafter, Mormons affiliated themselves with either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party. The gentile-dominated Liberal Party was also dissolved two years later.</div> <div> Following the passage of an enabling act by the U.S. Congress in 1894, a convention met in Salt Lake City in March 1895 to write a constitution for the new state. The enabling act <B>required that the Utah constitution outlaw polygamy</B>; it was the only state constitution to do so. The constitution gave the vote to women. Utah was the fourth state to do so. The constitution was approved by the voters in the fall of 1895, and on January 4, 1896, Utah was officially admitted to the Union as the 45th state. Two days later, Heber M. Wells, who had been elected the previous year, was inaugurated as the state’s first governor.</div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="MS Reference Sans Serif" >Even after statehood the polygyny issue did not die immediately. A polygynist, Brigham Roberts, was prevented from taking his seat in the United States House of Representatives after his election in 1898. Reed Smoot, a Mormon leader elected U.S. senator in 1903, also had his right to a seat in the Senate challenged, but he retained his place after a three-year investigation.  </FONT><I>Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2000. </I>© 1993-1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.</div> <div> <B>Polygamy</B>, form of marriage in which a person has more than one mate. The practice of polygamy includes polyandry, or marriage with more than one husband, as well as <B>polygyny</B><U>, the specific term for marriage with more than one wife</U>.  Polygyny has been widely practiced at various times in many societies throughout the world, and it <B>is still common in Muslim countries</B> and some parts of Africa. <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><I>"Polygamy" Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2000. </I>© 1993-1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.</FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> To read the complete history of the formation of the Mormon religion through Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, this web page has some eye opening information of their bloody origin as described by a Mormon couple who were seeking the truth about their own faith! <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="id276.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Our Mormon Trail"><U>Our Mormon Trail</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <div> To return to the place on the Mormon page where you linked to this page, click here <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="id47_polygamy_in_the_mormon_church.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mormon"><U>Mormon</U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>