Plural marriage
Plural marriage among Latter-day Saints is a sort of polygamy (more properly called polygyny) formerly practiced by some members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during the Church's 19th century founding days and currently practiced by splinter groups.Its practice among church members substantially subsided after the Church issued a "Manifesto" against the practice in 1890 [1]. However, a few members continued to practice plural marriage privately with the approval of a few Church leaders until a second proclamation was issued by the Church in the early 1900s. Under that proclamation, those who continued to practice it became subject to excommunication from the Church.
The Church continues to forbid the practice under the penalty of excommunication, and Church leaders have asked that groups who do practice it should not be referred to as "Mormons" or "Mormon fundamentalists." (Application of the term Mormon is itself controversial for some.)
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2 The practice of polygyny 3 Joseph Smith's wives 4 Critical views 5 See Also 6 External links 7 References |
In the process of re-translating the Bible, Joseph Smith, Jr, the founder of the Church, prayed about the polygynous practices of biblical figures such as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He claimed to have received a revelation from God regarding plural marriage (see Doctrine and Covenants 132), and a new commandment from God to take more wives. According to some accounts Smith was reluctant to practice polygyny, and did so only because an angel appeared with a drawn sword and told Smith that he would be removed if he continued to disobey the Lord's commandment. In 1842, at Nauvoo, a small pamphlet named The Peace Maker with Joseph Smith as printer expounded Bible verses in support of polygyny. This pamphlet was not well accepted, and Joseph spoke against it, but many believe its real purpose was to open the way for church acceptance of polygyny.
Polygyny was practiced as early as 1833 although the practice was not publicly taught until 1852, some five years after the Mormons came to Utah, and eight years after Smith's death. Smith introduced the doctrine to select individuals, some of whom (such as Brigham Young) were told to take more wives. Some Mormon leaders at the time voiced their objection to the practice and left the Church. Others struggled with their consciences and agreed to the practice only after much prayer. Brigham Young famously said that after the doctrine was communicated to him, he would gladly have traded places with the body in a hearse he saw passing down the street, than embrace this new doctrine. In one instance the first mayor of Nauvoo, John C. Bennett, was excommunicated for the adulterous practice of "spiritual wifery."
Some of those who left or were driven from the Church set out to expose Smith and his alleged corruption. Eventually this antagonism led to Joseph surrendering himself to jail for charges of riot and treason. While imprisoned, a mob rushed the jail and murdered Smith.
Although there is some disagreement as to the precise figure, Joseph Smith was married to about 33 wives during his life. Under the doctrine of plural marriage, the first wife's consent should be given before a man should marry another wife. Joseph Smith's first wife, Emma Hale Smith, was at times opposed to the practice and Joseph may have married some women without Emma knowing beforehand.
Some of Joseph's wives were older women and some of them young, the youngest being Helen Mar Kimball who was 14. Although no evidence exists that Smith had or did not have sexual relations with Helen Mar, it is a practice in modern Polygamist groups to defer sexual relations in such a case. Documentation seems to suggest that the reason for this marriage was to join the Smith and Kimball families into the eternities through the sealing of marriage. Sexual relations would not have been necessary. In fact, it was a surprise to Helen Mar that at one point she could not attend a dance believing the marriage applied to eternity and not this life. If there had been sexual relations, it is unlikely she would have had this confusion. Heber C. Kimball, Helen Mar's father, was a devout Church-member and Church-leader. Though usually viewed as unacceptable in current western culture, and now illegal in most United States jurisdictions, it was not uncommon for women to wed as early as 14 before the 20th century.
About eleven of Smith's wives were also married to other men (usually other Mormon men in good standing and in a few cases acted as a witness in Smith's marriage to his wife) at the time they married Smith. Typically these women continued to live with their first husband, not Smith. There is evidence that Joseph had sexual relations with some of his other wives and may have fathered a few children by one or two of them.
According to sympathizers, Smith, Young and other prominent Church leaders were reluctant to embrace the practice of plural marriage especially given their strict Victorian morals. Some critics contend that Smith at first committed adultery with Fanny Alger, a young maid in the Smith household, and later invented the doctrine of plural marriage to legitimize his immorality.
Some critics argue the LDS Church's current policy against the practice of plural marriage is disingenuous because: plural marriage is still a seminal doctrine to Mormons even if it is not practiced, believed or discussed at Church meetings (Church leaders are discouraged from teaching or discussing polygamy); and in the case of death and infrequently in civil divorce or excommunication, men may be sealed in LDS temples to more than one woman simultaneously while women cannot be sealed to more than one man—devout LDSs consider such sealings as eternal, outlasting mortal life and civil marriages. Except under unusual circumstances, men cannot be sealed to a second wife while the first is still living. Typically a "cancellation of sealing" (unofficially, but commonly called a "temple divorce") must be granted from the First Presidency of the Church. It is unclear what the presumed status of widowers who are re-sealed is after death, if it is not an effective plural marriage.
Origin
The practice of polygyny
Joseph Smith's wives
Polyandry, sexual relations and fathering children
Critical views
See Also
External links
References