6/29/17. Today s Take-aways. Plural Marriage. When did Joseph first learn about plural marriage? What was his reaction?

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1 6/29/17 Today s Take-aways Plural Marriage Scott Woodward Rel. 225 Summer 2017 Why is plural marriage still such a challenging topic today? What is the doctrine and history behind Joseph Smith s introduction and practice of plural marriage? What, if any, are the implications of plural marriage in our day? Sex + Religion = Easy Anti-Mormon Target Sex Religion Plural Marriage 20 Questions 1. When did Joseph first learn about plural marriage? What were the circumstances? 2. What was the Lord s doctrinal explanation for plural marriage? 3. Who was Joseph s first plural wife? How did that go? 4. Why was there such a long period between his 2nd wife and his 3rd wife? 5. How many wives does Joseph eventually have? 6. What about polyandry? Why were some of Joseph s plural wives already married to other men? 7. Did Joseph have sex with any of his other wives? If so, are they re any children from those other wives? 8. How did he propose to his various wives? Did he have a consistent pattern of proposing? 9. How did Emma Smith feel about plural marriage? 10. Why did Joseph marry some women without Emma knowing about it? 11. Why did Joseph marry a 14 year old girl? 12. How does the concept of dynastic connections relate to plural marriage? 13. Is plural marriage going to be a requirement for exaltation? 14. Are those who were married in a plural marriage situation in this life going to be with their spouse in the next life? 15. Why can men still be sealed to more than one wife today (if the first wife is deceased), but women can t be sealed to more than one husband under the same circumstances? 16. In the next life, will a man be with his first wife who has died and his second wife to whom he was later sealed? If so, what if the 1st wife doesn t want that? 17. Are there any secrets about polygamy that if Church members knew, they would definitely leave the Church? 18. What are the most trustworthy resources out there for me to study more about plural marriage? 19. What questions do you have? 20.??? When did Joseph first learn about plural marriage? What was his reaction? 1

2 Orson Pratt Quorum of the Twelve (History of the Church, 5:xxxi-xxxii) Lyman Johnson, who was very familiar with Joseph at this early date, Joseph living at his father's house, told me himself that Joseph had made known to him as early as 1831, that plural marriage was a correct principle. Joseph declared to Lyman that God had revealed it to him, but that the time had not come to teach or practice it in the Church, but that the time would come. Timeline of Joseph s Plural Marriages Records D&C ? = Joseph first learns the principles of plural marriage by revelation. Lucy Walker said that Joseph had his doubts about it for he debated it in his own mind. Eliza R. Snow said Joseph was afraid to promulgate it. Lucy Walker Smith (in Andrew Jenson, Plural Marriage, Historical Record 6 (July 1887): ) Eliza R. Snow Smith (Quoted in J. J. J., Two Prophets Widows: A Visit to the Relicts of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, St. Louis Globe-Democrat, August 18, 1887, 6/E) Eliza R. Snow Smith (Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow, p.68-70) It was [in a] private interview [with my brother Lorenzo Snow] that the Prophet Joseph unbosomed his heart, and described the trying mental ordeal he experienced in overcoming the repugnance of his feelings, the natural result of the force of education and social custom, relative to the introduction of plural marriage. Eliza R. Snow Smith (Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow, p.68-70) He knew the voice of God he knew the commandment of the Almighty to him was to go forward to set the example, and establish Celestial plural marriage. He knew that he had not only his own prejudices and prepossessions to combat and to overcome, but those of the whole Christian world stared him in the face; but God, who is above all, had given the commandment, and He must be obeyed. 2

3 Eliza R. Snow Smith (Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow, p.68-70) Yet the Prophet hesitated and deferred from time to time, until an angel of God stood by him with a drawn sword, and told him that, unless he moved forward and established plural marriage, his Priesthood would be taken from him and he should be destroyed! This testimony he not only bore to my brother, but also to others. (Address at Brigham Young University, April 14, 1905, typescript, BYU) An angel came to him [Joseph Smith] and the last time he came with a drawn sword in his hand and told Joseph if he did not go into that principle, he would slay him. Joseph said he talked to him soberly about it, and told him it was an abomination and quoted scripture to him. He said in the Book of Mormon it was an abomination. [Joseph said,] The angel came to me three times between the years of 1834 and 1842 and said I was to obey that principle or he would slay me. Erastus Snow (Quoted in A. Karl Larson and Katherine Miles Larson, Diary of Charles Lowell Walker, 2 vols. (Logan: Utah State University Press, 1980), 2:611) Erastus Snow reported that the angel accused the Prophet of being neglectful in the discharges of his duties and spoke of Joseph having to plead on his knees before the Angel for his Life. Benjamin F. Johnson Joseph s Close Friend (Benjamin F. Johnson, My Life s Review 1st ed. (Independence, Missouri: Zion s Printing & Publishing Co., 1947 (rpt., Mesa, Ariz.: 21st Century Printing, 1992), Joseph waited until an angel with a drawn sword stood before him and declared that if he longer delayed fulfilling that command he would slay him. Helen Mar Kimball Smith (Helen Mar Kimball Whitney, Why We Practice Plural Marriage (Salt Lake City: Juvenile Instructor Office, 1884), 53; also Jeni Broberg Holzapfel and Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, eds., A Woman s View: Helen Mar Whitney s Reminiscences of Early Church History (Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Religious Studies Center, 1997), 142) Had it not been for the fear of [God s] displeasure, Joseph would have shrunk from the undertaking and would have continued silent, as he did for years, until an angel of the Lord threatened to slay him if he did not reveal and establish this celestial principle. Joseph put off the dreaded day as long as he dared. What was the Lord s doctrinal explanation for plural marriage? 3

4 Why Plural Marriage? 1. D&C 132:34-36, D&C 132:40, D&C 132:63 4. D&C 132:16-20, 63 Why Plural Marriage? 1. D&C 132:34-36, D&C 132:40, D&C 132:63 4. D&C 132:16-20, To Test and Try the Saints (as Abraham) D&C 132:34-36, John Taylor Quorum of Twelve (in B. H. Roberts, Life of John Taylor, p ) I had always entertained strict ideas of virtue, and I felt as a married man that this was an appalling thing to do. The idea of going and asking a young lady to be married to me when I had already a wife! It was a thing calculated to stir up feelings from the innermost depths of the human soul. I had always entertained the strictest regard of chastity. Hence, nothing but a knowledge of God, and the revelations of God, and the truth of them, could have induced me to embrace such a principle as this. Similarities? Ø It s only right when God commands it through His prophet. Ø It looks wrong from an outsider s perspective. It offends our sensitivities. Ø It brings loyalties into conflict (loyalty to Sarah vs. loyalty to God) Ø It requires one s love of God to transcend one s love of all else. Ø It requires us to trust God!!! Still an Abrahamic Test? Plural marriage still tests our trust in God and his prophet just as it did the original saints. 4

5 Why Plural Marriage? 1. To test and try the saints (as Abraham) 2. D&C 132:40, D&C 132:63 4. D&C 132:16-20, 63 Benjamin F. Johnson Joseph s Close Friend (in Dean R. Zimmerman, I Knew the Prophets: An Analysis of the Letter of Benjamin F. Johnson to George F. Gibbs (Bountiful, Utah: Horizon, 1976), 37 38) In 1835 at Kirtland I learned from my Sisters Husband, Lyman R. Sherman, who was close to the Prophet, and received it from him. That the ancient order of plural marriage was again to be practiced by the Church. Helen Mar Kimball Smith (Plural Marriage as Taught by the Prophet Joseph: A Reply to Joseph Smith [III], Editor of the Lamoni Iowa Herald, (Salt Lake City: Juvenile Instructor Office, 1882), 11) [In 1841 Joseph] astonished his hearers by preaching on the restoration of all things, and said that as it was anciently with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, so it would be again, etc. Why Plural Marriage? 1. To test and try the saints (as Abraham) 2. As part of restoring all things. 3. D&C 132:63 (see also vs. 30, 34, 37) 4. D&C 132:16-20, 63 Jacob 2:27, 30 For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife. For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things. Family of Joseph F. Smith 5

6 Why Plural Marriage? 1. To test and try the saints (as Abraham) 2. As part of restoring all things. 3. To multiply and replenish 4. D&C 132:16-20, 63 Why Plural Marriage? 1. To test and try the saints (as Abraham) 2. As part of restoring all things 3. To multiply and replenish 4. For the exaltation of all faithful women Timeline of Joseph s Plural Marriages Records D&C 132 Who was Joseph s first plural wife? How did that go? ? = Joseph first learns the principles of plural marriage by revelation. = ? Joseph marries his first plural wife, Fanny Alger. Why? Joseph said, The angel came to me three times between the years of 1834 and 1842 and said I was to obey that principle or he would slay me. Timeline of Joseph s Plural Marriages Records D&C ? = Joseph first learns the principles of plural marriage by revelation. = ? Joseph marries his first plural wife, Fanny Alger. (Address at Brigham Young University, April 14, 1905, typescript, BYU) 6

7 Who is Fanny Alger? Fanny was a 19 or 20 year old housemaid in the Smith home in Kirtland. Emma was very fond of her. When did Joseph marry Fanny? Sometime between 1834 and 1836 Who performed the marriage? Levi Hancock, Fanny s uncle. He gave her to Joseph, repeating the ceremony as Joseph repeated to him (Levi Ward Hancock, Autobiography with Additions in 1896 by Mosiah Hancock, 63). What happened next? William E. McLellin (Stan Larson and Samuel J. Passey, eds., The William E. McLellin Papers, (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2007), ) In an 1872 letter from William McLellin to Joseph Smith, III, McLellin recalled details of an 1847 conversation with Emma Smith where Emma acknowledged that in the spring of 1836 she missed Joseph and Fanny Alger. She went to the barn and saw him and Fanny in the barn together alone. She looked through a crack and saw the transaction!!! She told me this story too was verily true. Note: In another letter 3 years later he clarified that Emma said she saw the sealing take place in a barn on the hay mow through the crack in the door. From JosephSmithsPolygamy.org It is obvious Emma did not believe the ceremony was valid and concluded the relationship was adulterous. Ironically, Oliver Cowdery, who Joseph summoned to diffuse the situation, sided with Emma, discounting the validity of the polygamous marriage and later referring to it as a dirty, nasty, filthy scrape. Oliver s vitriol may have been intensified due to his frustrations from recent leadership changes that diminished his overall importance. As a consequence of the discovery, Emma immediately turned Fanny out of the house. Oliver Cowdery (Letter to Warren A. Cowdery, January 21, 1838) I did not fail to affirm that what I had said was strictly true. A dirty, nasty, filthy scrape [ affair overwritten] of his and Fanny Alger s was talked over in which I strictly declared that I had never deviated from the truth on the matter. Edward Partridge read the following letter at Oliver Cowdery s Disciplinary Council in Far West, Missouri, To the Bishop and Council of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints in Missouri. I do hereby prefer the following charges against President Oliver Cowdery. 1st, For stiring up the enemy to persecute the brethren by urging on vexatious Lawsuits and thus distressing the inocent. 2nd, For seeking to destroying the character of President Joseph Smith jr, by falsly insinuating that he was guilty of adultry &c. 3rd For treating the Church with contempt by not attending meetings. 4th. For virtually denying the faith by declaring that he would not be governed by any ecclesiastical authority nor Revelation whatever in his temporal affairs Following the Prophet s counsel, the Alger family left for Missouri in September 1836 accompanied by Fanny. Two months later in Wayne County, Indiana, she married nonmember Solomon Custer. She remained apart from the saints for the rest of her life. Late in life she reportedly rebuffed questions about her relationship with Joseph Smith: That is all a matter of my own, and I have nothing to communicate. Benjamin F. Johnson said, She did not turn from the Church nor from her friendship for the Prophet while she lived. 7

8 6/29/17 Historical Timeline Why was there such a long period between his 1st plural wife and his 2nd? JS in Michigan Joseph gone to Salem, MA Temple Keys Restored July 1836 April 1836 Sept Jan Joseph prophesies many will apostatize if they don t repent Historical Timeline Feb Major Apostasy (Greed & Pride Abound) Mar Joseph & Sidney flee Kirtland Oliver Cowdery Election Day battle Battle at Crooked River JS in MO Excommunicated at Gallatin prisons Aug March April July 1838 Joseph arrives in Far West, MO Cornerstones laid for the Far West Temple Oct Nov Joseph in Liberty Jail Dec Dewitt, a Mormon Extermination Order settlement, sieged by Missourians JS negotiates land purchase in Commerce, IL Apr May 1839 JS, SR, & WS find gathering places in Far West, MO JS, SR, & TBM visit Canadian saints & preach June 1837 Aug Sept Dec Oct Apostates Apostates hold Kirtland SS Anti- Heber C. Bank Fails Kimball Called attempt armed secret mtg in K. take-over of Temple to appoint on a Mission K. Temple David Whitmer Church President Jan Brigham Young flees Kirtland due to death threats Historical Timeline The Missouri/ Mormon War Joseph & Sidney flee Kirtland Jan Season of Kirtland Apostasy Kirtland SS AntiBank Organized JS sends letter to all saints to gather to Commerce area JS sends letter to all saints to gather to Commerce area JS travels to & from Wash. DC July 1839 July 1839 March 1840 Oct D&C 124 received commanding the building of the Nauvoo Temple JS introduces doctrine of baptism for the dead Aug Jan Oct Apr Joseph marries Louisa Beaman (2 nd plural wife) JS selects 4-acre spot in Nauvoo for a future temple JS & Family move to Commerce Why? Joseph said, The angel came to me three times between the years of 1834 and 1842 and said I was to obey that principle or he would slay me. Timeline of Joseph s Plural Marriages Records D&C ? = Joseph first learns the principles of plural marriage by revelation. = ? Joseph marries his first plural wife, Fanny Alger. = 5 April, Joseph marries Louisa Beaman. (Address at Brigham Young University, April 14, 1905, typescript, BYU) 8

9 Known Plural Wives of Joseph Smith How many wives does Joseph eventually have? Answer: About Agnes M Coolbrith 2. Almera Johnson 3. Delcena Johnson 4. Desdemona Fullmer 5. Eliza Maria Partridge 6. Eliza R. Snow 7. Elizabeth Davis 8. Elvira Cowles 9. Emily Dow Partridge 10. Esther Dutcher 11. Fanny Alger 12. Fanny Young 13. Flora Ann Woodworth 14. Hannah Ells 15. Helen Mar Kimball 16. Louisa Beaman 17. Lucinda Pendleton 18. Lucy Walker 19. Malissa Lott 20. Maria Lawrence 21. Marinda Nancy Johnson 22. Martha McBride 23. Mary Elizabeth Rollins 24. Mary Heron 25. Nancy Maria Winchester 26. Olive G. Frost 27. Patty Bartlett 28. Presendia Huntington 29.Rhoda Richards 30. Ruth Vose 31. Sarah Ann Whitney 32. Sarah Kingsley 33. Sarah Lawrence 34. Sylvia Sessions 35. Zina Huntington Known Plural Wives of Joseph Smith Why were some of Joseph s plural wives already married to other men? Fact: Joseph was sealed to 14 women who already had legal husbands. 1. Agnes M Coolbrith 2. Almera Johnson 3. Delcena Johnson 4. Desdemona Fullmer 5. Eliza Maria Partridge 6. Eliza R. Snow 7. Elizabeth Davis 8. Elvira Cowles 9. Emily Dow Partridge 10. Esther Dutcher 11. Fanny Alger 12. Fanny Young 13. Flora Ann Woodworth 14. Hannah Ells 15. Helen Mar Kimball 16. Louisa Beaman 17. Lucinda Pendleton 18. Lucy Walker 19. Malissa Lott 20. Maria Lawrence 21. Marinda Nancy Johnson 22. Martha McBride 23. Mary Elizabeth Rollins 24. Mary Heron 25. Nancy Maria Winchester 26. Olive G. Frost 27. Patty Bartlett 28. Presendia Huntington 29.Rhoda Richards 30. Ruth Vose 31. Sarah Ann Whitney 32. Sarah Kingsley 33. Sarah Lawrence 34. Sylvia Sessions 35. Zina Huntington Known Plural Wives of Joseph Smith 1. Agnes M Coolbrith 2. Almera Johnson 3. Delcena Johnson 4. Desdemona Fullmer 5. Eliza Maria Partridge 6. Eliza R. Snow 7. Elizabeth Davis 8. Elvira Cowles 9. Emily Dow Partridge 10. Esther Dutcher 11. Fanny Alger 12. Fanny Young 13. Flora Ann Woodworth 14. Hannah Ells 15. Helen Mar Kimball 16. Louisa Beaman 17. Lucinda Pendleton 18. Lucy Walker 19. Malissa Lott 20. Maria Lawrence 21. Marinda Nancy Johnson 22. Martha McBride 23. Mary Elizabeth Rollins 24. Mary Heron 25. Nancy Maria Winchester 26. Olive G. Frost 27. Patty Bartlett 28. Presendia Huntington 29.Rhoda Richards 30. Ruth Vose 31. Sarah Ann Whitney 32. Sarah Kingsley 33. Sarah Lawrence 34. Sylvia Sessions 35. Zina Huntington Why? Why Did Joseph Marry Other Men s Wives? #1. Doctrinal Reason: a. Marriage in the New and Everlasting covenant is essential for exaltation (D&C 132:19-20). b. Some faithful, active women were married to nonmember, inactive, or faithless men. c. Being sealed to Joseph as plural wives (for eternity only) would allow all worthy women to be sealed to an eternal husband for her exaltation in the eternal worlds (D&C 132:63) in spite of their living husband s faithlessness. NOTE: Marriage sealings for the dead were not yet a part of the theological picture. Hence the felt urgency for these women to receive this ordinance in this life. 9

10 6/29/17 Why Did Joseph Marry Other Men s Wives? #2. Situational Reason: It seems that some of the women chose Joseph rather than their legal husband to be with in eternity. For example, one of Joseph s plural wives, Ruth Vose Sayers, was the legal wife of Mr. Sayers. [Mr. Sayers], not attaching much importance to the theory of a future life, insisted that his wife, Ruth, should be sealed to the prophet for eternity, that he himself should only claim her in this life. She was accordingly sealed to the prophet in Emma Smith s presence, and thus became numbered among the Prophet s plural wives. Why Did Joseph Marry Other Men s Wives? #3. Emotional Reason: Perhaps Joseph preferred this approach because it allowed him to be obedient to the commandment while essentially guaranteeing that there would be no sexuality in the relationship. The absence of sexuality in these sealings would provide emotional protection for Joseph and Emma s relationship. Ruth Vose Sayers, Draft biographical sketch, Document 5, Andrew Jenson Papers (ca ), Box 49, fd. 16, 1 2. Timeline of Joseph s Plural Marriages Records D&C ? = Joseph first learns the principles of plural marriage by revelation. = ? Joseph marries his first plural wife, Fanny Alger. = 5 April, Joseph marries Louisa Beaman. = 1841-Early Joseph is sealed in several eternity only sealings. NONE of these women ever complained NONE of their husbands ever complained or left any grievances against Joseph NONE of the witnesses or officiators made any protest at what was happening NONE of the apostates in Nauvoo ever brought anything about this up in their anti-mormon attacks NO EVIDENCE OF ANY CRITICISM BY ANYONE!!! But this eternity only approach to marriages didn t last long 10

11 Joseph said, The angel came to me three times between the years of 1834 and 1842 and said I was to obey that principle or he would slay me. [T]he last time [the angel] came with a drawn sword in his hand and told Joseph if he did not go into that principle, he would slay him. (Address at Brigham Young University, April 14, 1905, typescript, BYU) (Address at Brigham Young University, April 14, 1905, typescript, BYU) Timeline of Joseph s Plural Marriages Records D&C ? = Joseph first learns the principles of plural marriage by revelation. = ? Joseph marries his first plural wife, Fanny Alger. = 5 April, Joseph marries Louisa Beaman. If sexuality was part of at least some of his plural marriages, are there any children from those other wives? = 1841-Early Joseph is sealed in several eternity only sealings. = April Joseph sealings change for the most part to unmarried women. Due to John C. Bennett's slanderous writings, no more marriages are entered into this year after August. Early 1843 they resume in earnest and continue until November of that year. Known Plural Wives of Joseph Smith 1. Agnes M Coolbrith 2. Almera Johnson 3. Delcena Johnson 4. Desdemona Fullmer 5. Eliza Maria Partridge 6. Eliza R. Snow 7. Elizabeth Davis 8. Elvira Cowles 9. Emily Dow Partridge 10. Esther Dutcher 11. Fanny Alger 12. Fanny Young 13. Flora Ann Woodworth 14. Hannah Ells 15. Helen Mar Kimball 16. Louisa Beaman 17. Lucinda Pendleton 18. Lucy Walker 19. Malissa Lott 20. Maria Lawrence 21. Marinda Nancy Johnson 22. Martha McBride 23. Mary Elizabeth Rollins 24. Mary Heron 25. Nancy Maria Winchester 26. Olive G. Frost 27. Patty Bartlett 28. Presendia Huntington 29.Rhoda Richards 30. Ruth Vose 31. Sarah Ann Whitney 32. Sarah Kingsley 33. Sarah Lawrence 34. Sylvia Sessions 35. Zina Huntington (J. D. Stead, Doctrines and Dogmas of Brighamism Exposed (Lamoni, Iowa: RLDS Church, 1911), 218) I don t know about his having children, but I heard of three that he was the father of. 11

12 There are about 20 claims of children. About 8 of which are solid claims. These have been DNA tested and all have come back negative. Lucy Walker Smith (Reminiscences of Latterday Saints: Giving an Account of Much Individual Suffering Endured for Religious Conscience (Logan: Utah Journal Co, 1888), 50) In the 1870s Lucy talked with the sons of Joseph and Emma about this. She later wrote: [They] seem[ed] surprised that there was no issue from asserted plural marriages with their father. Could they but realize the hazardous life he lived, after that revelation was given, they would comprehend the reason. He was harassed and hounded and lived in constant fear of being betrayed by those who ought to have been true to him. George Reynolds Secretary to Wilford Woodruff (George Reynolds to H. Neidig, June 7, 1892, Wilford Woodruff Letterbook, MS 1352 Vol. 10 page 350, CHL) The reason generally assigned by the wives themselves is, that owing to the peculiar circumstances by which they were surrounded, they were so nervous and in such constant fear that they did not conceive. It is known, however, that one at least did become pregnant, but miscarried. How did he propose to his various wives? Did he have a consistent pattern of proposing? Benjamin F. Johnson Joseph s Close Friend (Joseph F. Smith, 40 Affidavits on Celestial Marriage, book 2, p. 3-5, Church Archives; quoted in Words of Joseph Smith, p.269) On Sunday April, 2 nd, President Smith took me by the arm for a walk, leading the way to a secluded spot within the adjacent grove, where to my great surprise, he commenced to offer to me the principle of plural or celestial marriage, but I was more astonished by his asking me for my sister Almera to be his wife. Benjamin F. Johnson Joseph s Close Friend (Joseph F. Smith, 40 Affidavits on Celestial Marriage, book 2, p. 3-5, Church Archives; quoted in Words of Joseph Smith, p.269) I sincerely believed him to be a prophet of God, and I loved him as such, and also for the many evidences of his kindness to me, yet such was the force of my education, and the scorn that I felt unvirtuous that under the first impulse of my feelings I looked him calmly, but firmly in the face and told him that, I had always believed (you) to be a good man, and wished to believe it still, and would try to; 12

13 Benjamin F. Johnson Joseph s Close Friend (Joseph F. Smith, 40 Affidavits on Celestial Marriage, book 2, p. 3-5, Church Archives; quoted in Words of Joseph Smith, p.269) and that, I would take for him a message to my sister, and if the doctrine was true, all would be well, but if I should afterwards learn that it was offered to insult or prostitute my sister I would take his life. With a smile he replied, Benjamin, you will never see that day, but you shall live to know that it is true, and rejoice in it. Zina D. Huntington ( Evidence from Zina D. Huntington-Young, Saints Herald 52, no. 2 (January 11, 1905): 28 30) My brother Dimick told me what Joseph had told him [regarding plural marriage]. Joseph did not come until afterwards. The Lord had revealed to Joseph Smith that he was to marry me. I received it from Joseph through my brother Dimick. Lucy Walker Smith (in Andrew Jenson, Plural Marriage, Historical Record 6 (July 1887): ) Although you are a prophet of God you could not induce me to take a step of so great importance, unless I knew that God approved my course. I would rather die. Every feeling of my soul revolted against it. [Joseph said] God Almighty bless you. You shall have a manifestation of the will of God concerning you; a testimony that you can never deny Lucy Walker Smith (in Andrew Jenson, Plural Marriage, Historical Record 6 (July 1887): ) It was near dawn after another sleepless night when my room was lighted up by a heavenly influence. The words of the Prophet were indeed fulfilled. My soul was filled with a calm, sweet peace that I never knew. Supreme happiness took possession of me, and I received a powerful and irresistible testimony of the truth of plural marriage. (Address at Brigham Young University, April 14, 1905, typescript, BYU) I was not sealed to him until I had a witness. I had been dreaming for a number of years I was his wife. I thought I was a great sinner. I prayed to God to take it from me for I felt it was a sin; but when Joseph sent for me he told me all of these things. Well, said I, don't you think it was an angel of the devil that told you these things? Said he, No, it was an angel of God.... Well, I talked with him for a long time and finally I told him I would never be sealed to him until I had a witness. Said he, You shall have a witness. Well, Brigham Young was with me. He said Do you know what Joseph said? Since we left the office the angel appeared to him and told him he was well pleased with him and that you should have a witness. (Address at Brigham Young University, April 14, 1905, typescript, BYU) I made it a subject of prayer and I worried about it because I did not dare to speak to a living being except Brigham Young. I went out and got between three haystacks where no one could see me. I knelt down and if ever a poor mortal prayed, I did. A few nights after that an angel of the Lord came to me and if ever a thrill went through a mortal, it went through me. I gazed upon the clothes and figure but the eyes were like lightning. They pierced me from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet. I was frightened almost to death for a moment. I tried to waken my aunt, but I could not. The angel leaned over me and the light was very great, although it was night. 13

14 (Address at Brigham Young University, April 14, 1905, typescript, BYU) Joseph came up the next Sabbath. He said, Have you had a witness yet? Said I, I have not had a witness, but I have seen something I have never seen before. I saw an angel and I was frightened almost to death. I did not speak. He studied a while and put his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. He looked up and said, How could you have been such a coward? Said I, I was weak. Did you think to say, Father, help me? No. Well, if you had just said that, your mouth would have been opened for that was an angel of the living God. I said, If that was an angel of light, why did he not speak to me? You covered your face and for this reason the angel was insulted. (Address at Brigham Young University, April 14, 1905, typescript, BYU) Said I, Will it ever come again? He thought a moment and then said, No, not the same one, but if you are faithful you shall see greater things than that. And then he gave me three signs of what would take place in my own family. Every work came true. I went forward and was sealed to him. How did Emma Smith feel about/ deal with plural marriage? It tried her faith even as Abraham. Besides his first marriage to the Fanny Alger, it seems that Emma is unaware of any of Joseph s other marriages until May Emma struggled mightily to accept the doctrine and the practice of plural marriage. In May 1843 Emma gave Joseph four wives: the Partridge sisters and the Lawrence sisters. Emily Partridge (Emily Dow Partridge Smith Young, Autobiography, typescript, HBLL, April 7, 1884, unpaginated.) Emma was present. She gave her free and full consent. She had always up to this time, been very kind to me and my sister Eliza, who was also married to the Prophet Joseph Smith with Emma s consent; but ever after she was our enemy. She used every means in her power to injure us in the eyes of her husband, and before strangers, and in consequence of her abuse we were obliged to leave the city to gratify her, but things were overruled otherwise, and we remained in Nauvoo. My sister Eliza found a home with the family of Brother Joseph Coolidge, and I went to live with Sister Sylvia Lyons. 14

15 Joseph Lee Robinson (Oliver Preston Robinson, History of Joseph Lee Robinson, 54) [There] was a time when Emma, became very angry and said she would leave and was making preparations to go to her people in the State of New York. It came close to breaking up his family. However, he succeeded in saving her at that time but the prophet felt dreadfully bad over it Timeline of Joseph s Plural Marriages ? = ? Joseph marries his first plural wife, Fanny Alger. Records D&C 132 = Spring Emma briefly accepts the principle. Gives Joseph 4 wives. Then almost immediately rejects it and becomes bitter = Joseph first learns the principles of plural marriage by revelation. = 5 April, Joseph marries Louisa Beaman. = 1841-Early Joseph is sealed in several eternity only sealings. = April Joseph sealings change to unmarried women. Due to John C. Bennett's slanderous writings, no more marriages are entered into after Aug for several months. = Nov Joseph does not enter into any more plural marriages after this. The next day, Joseph and Emma came to an agreement. It seems that the agreement consisted of: 1. Requiring Joseph to ask Emma s permission before any marriages were made. 2. A promise that Emma would be financially supported in the event of Joseph s death. This was likely to assuage Emma s fear that the other wives would end up robbing her of her inheritance when he died. William Clayton William Clayton recorded that only hours after Emma rejected Hyrum and the revelation, Joseph told me to deed all the unencumbered lots to E[mma] and the children. He appears much troubled about E[mma]. The next day s entry reads: This A.M. Joseph sent for me and when I arrived he called me up into his private room with Emma and there stated an agreement they had mutually entered into they both stated their feelings on many subjects and wept considerable. O may the Lord soften her heart that she may be willing to keep and abide by his Holy Law. Why did Joseph marry some women without Emma knowing about it? D&C 132:

16 Why did Joseph marry a 14 year old girl? Helen Mar Kimball Smith (Typescript and copy of holograph reproduced in Jeni Broberg Holzapfel and Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, eds., A Woman s View: Helen Mar Whitney s Reminiscences of Early Church History (Provo, Utah: Religious Studies Center, BYU, 1997), He [her father Heber C. Kimball] taught me the principle of Celestial marriage and having a great desire to be connected with the Prophet, Joseph, he offered me to him; this I afterwards learned from the Prophet s own mouth. My father had but one ewe lamb, but willingly laid her upon the alter. The average age in the US during the 19 th century was 20 years old. The legal age of consent in the US at the time was much younger. Illinois, for example, was 10 years old. Gregory L. Smith LDS Scholar (Gegory L. Smith [uncredited], Joseph Smith s marriages to young women, Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research (FAIR), accessed November 1, 2009, mith_and_polygamy/marriages_to_y oung_women#historical_and_cultura l_perspective.) Joseph Smith s polygamous marriages to young women may seem difficult to understand or explain today, but in his own time such age differences were not typically an obstacle to marriage. The plural marriages were unusual, to say the least; the younger ages of the brides were much less so. Critics do not provide this perspective because they wish to shock the audience and have them judge Joseph by the standards of the modern era, rather than his own time. A fact stripped of its context can be like an electrical wire stripped of its protective rubber sheath it s quite shocking when you come in contact with it! Facts Context 16

17 How does the concept of dynastic connections relate to plural marriage? Boyd K. Packer Quorum of the Twelve (Things of the Soul, p ) In the early days of the Church the Saints didn't know how to use this [sealing] power in behalf of the dead. Similarly it took time for the Saints to understand the matter of sealings. They knew that there was a sealing, yet they didn't know quite what it was, so they began by getting themselves sealed to living prophets. In April 1894, this changed. In general conference President Wilford Woodruff explained [certain changes]. And that's when we got the lineage straightened out and we knew what this sealing of families was all about. Is plural marriage a requirement for exaltation? The Law of Exaltation is predicated upon one man and one woman. (D&C 132:1-20) Are those who were married in a plural marriage situation in this life going to be with their spouse in the next life? Lucy Walker Smith (Lucy Walker Kimball, A Brief Biographical Sketch of the Life and Labors of Lucy Walker Kimball Smith, CHL) Joseph said, A woman would have her choice, this was a privilege that could not be denied her. 17

18 Why can men still be sealed to more than one wife today (if the first wife is deceased), but women can t be sealed to more than one husband under the same circumstances? In the next life, will a man be with his first wife who has died and his second wife to whom he was later sealed? If so, what if the 1 st wife doesn t want that? Dallin H. Oaks Quorum of the Twelve (in Elder Oaks Interview Transcript from PBS Documentary, July 20, 2007, mormonnewsroom.org). [A] lot of people, myself included, are in multiple-marriage situations... [F]or people who live in the belief, as I do, that marriage relations can be for eternity, then you must say, What will life be in the next life, when you re married to more than one wife for eternity? I have to say I don t know. But I know that I ve made those covenants, and I believe if I am true to the covenants that the blessing that s anticipated here will be realized in the next life. Are there any secrets about polygamy that if Church members knew, they would definitely leave the Church? What are the most trustworthy resources out there for me to study more about plural marriage? What Question Have we Missed? 18

19 My question to you: How are you going to explain all of this to your anti-mormon cousin or your old mission companion who cites Joseph s polygamy as their reason for leaving the Church? Neil L. Andersen Quorum of the Twelve ( Joseph Smith, Ensign Nov. 2014, 28 30) The negative commentary about the Prophet Joseph Smith will increase as we move toward the Second Coming of the Savior. The half-truths and subtle deceptions will not diminish. There will be family members and friends who will need your help. Now is the time to [prepare] to help others who are seeking the truth. Neil L. Andersen Quorum of the Twelve ( Joseph Smith, Ensign Nov. 2014, 28 30) The negative commentary about the Prophet Joseph Smith will increase as we move toward the Second Coming of the Savior. The half-truths and subtle deceptions will not diminish. There will be family members and friends who will need your help. Now is the time to [prepare] to help others who are seeking the truth. End 19

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