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| {{Main Page}}
| | #REDIRECT[[Alleged hiding of facts in Church history]] |
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| <onlyinclude>
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| == Church sources discussing issues with Polygamy==
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| ===The practice of plural marriage during Joseph's lifetime===
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| {{HiddenFact|fact=Plural marriage was instituted during Joseph Smith's lifetime|location=Priesthood/Relief Society lesson manual, the ''Ensign'', and the Church's official website}}
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| A more complete listing of Church publications during the 20th century that reference plural marriage can be found elsewhere on the FairMormon wiki:
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| {{Main|Mormonism and polygamy/Twentieth century LDS publications on plural marriage|Twentieth century LDS publications on plural marriage}}
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| ====2012====
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| =====lds.org website=====
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| <blockquote>
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| After God revealed the doctrine of plural marriage to Joseph Smith in 1831 and commanded him to live it, the Prophet, over a period of years, cautiously taught the doctrine to some close associates. Eventually, he and a small number of Church leaders entered into plural marriages in the early years of the Church. Those who practiced plural marriage at that time, both male and female, experienced a significant trial of their faith. The practice was so foreign to them that they needed and received personal inspiration from God to help them obey the commandment.<br><br>When the Saints moved west under the direction of Brigham Young, more Latter-day Saints entered into plural marriages.<br>—{{ldsorg|Polygamy (Plural Marriage)|http://www.lds.org/topics/polygamy-plural-marriage}}
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| </blockquote>
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| ====2007====
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| =====Lesson manual: ''Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith''=====
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| <blockquote>
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| This book deals with teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith that have application to our day....This book also does not discuss plural marriage. '''The doctrines and principles relating to plural marriage were revealed to Joseph Smith as early as 1831. The Prophet taught the doctrine of plural marriage, and a number of such marriages were performed during his lifetime.'''<br>—The 2008-2009 lesson manual ''Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith'', (2007), pages vii–xiii {{ea}}
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| </blockquote>
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| ====1996====
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| =====Lesson manual: ''Our Heritage: A Brief History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints''=====
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| <blockquote>
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| While working on the translation of the Bible in the early 1830s, the Prophet Joseph Smith became troubled by the fact that Abraham, Jacob, David, and other Old Testament leaders had more than one wife. The Prophet prayed for understanding and learned that at certain times, for specific purposes, following divinely given laws, plural marriage was approved and directed by God. Joseph Smith also learned that with divine approval, some Latter-day Saints would soon be chosen by priesthood authority to marry more than one wife. A number of Latter-day Saints practiced plural marriage in Nauvoo, but a public announcement of this doctrine and practice was not made until the August 1852 general conference in Salt Lake City. At that conference, Elder Orson Pratt, as directed by President Brigham Young, announced that the practice of a man having more than one wife was part of the Lord’s restitution of all things (see Acts 3:19–21). <br>—''Our Heritage: A Brief History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints'' (1996), 97
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| </blockquote>
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| ====1992====
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| =====''Ensign''=====
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| <blockquote>
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| Her great trial came when the prophet revealed to Emma that they would be required to live the ancient law of Abraham—'''plural marriage'''. Emma suffered deeply hurt feelings because of it. While she agreed with this doctrine at times, at other times she opposed it. Years later, Emma is purported to have denied that any such '''doctrine was ever introduced by her husband'''. <br>—{{Ensign|author=Gracia N. Jones|article=[http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=4e2694bf3938b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD My Great-Great-Grandmother, Emma Hale Smith]|date=Aug 1992|pages=30}}{{ea}}
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| </blockquote>
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| ====1989====
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| =====''Ensign=====
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| <blockquote>
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| The Prophet introduced several doctrines relating to the temple including the temple ceremonies and '''plural marriage, which some could not accept'''.... <br>—William G. Hartley, “The Knight Family: Ever Faithful to the Prophet,” ''Ensign'', Jan 1989, 43 {{link|url=http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=3ccb27cd3f37b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD}} {{ea}}
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| </blockquote>
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| ====1978====
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| =====''Ensign''=====
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| <blockquote>
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| How a family accepts members who join it by marriage is, in some ways, analogous to how a Church accepts members who join it by baptism. The experiences of '''plural marriage''' make the analogy even closer....'''the Prophet Joseph Smith recorded a revelation to the Whitneys on plural marriage'''....The Whitneys gave their daughter into the system of plural marriage and received into their family other plural wives. <br>—D. Michael Quinn, “The Newel K. Whitney Family,” ''Ensign'', Dec 1978, 42 {{link|url=http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=f4a4d0640b96b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD}} {{ea}}
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| </blockquote>
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| ====1977====
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| =====''Ensign''=====
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| <blockquote>
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| Starting '''during Joseph Smith’s own lifetime''' but limited to a few dozen families until its official announcement in 1852, '''plural marriage brought a powerful new challenge''' to the equanimity of Latter-day Saint family life... <br>—{{Ensign|author=Davis Bitton|article=[https://www.lds.org/ensign/1977/02/great-grandfathers-family?lang=eng&_r=1 Great-Grandfather’s Family]|date=Feb 1977|pages=48}}{{ea}}
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| </blockquote>
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| ====1973====
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| =====''New Era''=====
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| <blockquote>
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| The great prophet Elias, whom Joseph Fielding Smith says is Noah..., appeared and bestowed upon their heads the keys of the dispensation of Abraham, or in other words, as Elder Bruce R. McConkie says in ''Mormon Doctrine''...the keys of celestial and '''plural marriage'''. <br>—Jerry C. Roundy, “The Greatness of Joseph Smith and His Remarkable Visions,” ''New Era'', Dec 1973, 7 {{link|url=http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=cd7b46581c79b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=024644f8f206c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD}} {{ea}}
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| </blockquote>
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| ====1946====
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| {{:Source:Improvement Era:Nov 1946:It is also possible, though the Church does not now permit it, to seal two living people for eternity only, with no association on earth }}
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| ===Joseph's marriages to young women===
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| ====The ''Ensign''====
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| {{HiddenFact|fact=Some of Joseph Smith's marriages were to young women|location=The ''Ensign''}}
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| *'''June 1979 ''Ensign''''': Although little Don Carlos Smith died a short time later, Emily and Eliza continued to live in the Smith home, where, in the summer of 1842, '''both girls “were married to Bro. Joseph about the same time, but neither of us knew about the other at the time; everything was so secret”''' (Emily, “Incidents,” p. 186). <br>—{{Ensign1|author=Dean Jessee|article=‘Steadfastness and Patient Endurance’: The Legacy of Edward Partridge|date=Jun 1979|start=41}} {{link|url=http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=a40b615b01a6b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD}} {{ea}}
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| *'''December 1978 ''Ensign:''''' How a family accepts members who join it by marriage is, in some ways, analogous to how a Church accepts members who join it by baptism. The experiences of '''plural marriage''' make the analogy even closer....'''the Prophet Joseph Smith recorded a revelation to the Whitneys on plural marriage'''....The Whitneys gave their daughter into the system of plural marriage and received into their family other plural wives. <br>—D. Michael Quinn, “The Newel K. Whitney Family,” ''Ensign'', Dec 1978, 42 {{link|url=http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=f4a4d0640b96b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD}} {{ea}}
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| ===Joseph Smith Polyandry===
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| The first leaders that seem to have commented on it were John Widtsoe and Joseph Fielding Smith.
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| John Widtsoe wrote the following in 1946 in the ''Improvement Era'' magazine:
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| <blockquote>Zealous women, '''married or unmarried''', loving the cause of the restored gospel, considered their condition in the here- after. '''Some of them asked that they might be sealed to the Prophet for eternity'''. They were not to be his wives on earth, in mortality, but only after death in the eternities. This came often to be spoken of as celestial marriage. Such marriages led to misunderstandings by those not of the Church, and unfamiliar with its doctrines. To them marriage meant only association on earth. '''Therefore any ceremony uniting a married woman, for example, to Joseph Smith for eternity seemed adulterous to such people'''. Yet, in any day, in our day, there may be women who prefer to spend eternity with another than their husband on earth.
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| Such cases, if any, and they must have been few in number, gave enemies of the Church occasion to fan the flaming hatred against the Latter-day Saints. The full truth was not told. Enemies made the most of untruth. They found it difficult to believe that the Church rests on truth and virtue.<ref>John A. Widtsoe, "[https://archive.org/details/improvementera4911unse/page/n95/mode/1up?view=theater Evidences and Reconciliations]," ''Improvement Era'' 49, no. 11 (November 1946): 765–66.</ref></blockquote>
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| Widtsoe's discussion there was republished in 1960 under the title ''Evidences and Reconciliations'': one of the most popular apologetic and doctrinal books in the Church for many years after.<ref>John A. Widtsoe, ''Evidences and Reconciliations'' (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1960), 343.</ref>
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| The first mention of polyandry on the [https://history.lds.org/article/relief-society-general-president-zina-d-h-young?lang=eng Church’s website] seems to be in 2012.
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| ===Some plural marriages occurred after the 1890 Manifesto===
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| ====''LDS.org''====
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| {{HiddenFact|fact=Some plural marriages occurred after 1890, until finally ended in 1904|location=lds.org website}}
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| * Just as the practice of plural marriage among the Latter-day Saints began gradually, the ending of the practice after the Manifesto was also gradual. Some plural marriages were performed after the Manifesto, particularly in Mexico and Canada. In 1904, President Joseph F. Smith called for a vote from the Church membership that all post-Manifesto plural marriages be prohibited worldwide. — {{ldsorg|Polygamy (Plural Marriage)|http://www.lds.org/topics/polygamy-plural-marriage}}
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| ===Brigham Young's practice of polygamy===
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| {{HiddenFact|fact=Brigham Young practiced polygamy|location=lds.org, the ''Ensign''}}
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| ====Church web site lds.org====
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| *Polygamy — or more correctly polygyny, the marriage of more than one woman to the same man — was an important part of the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for a half-century. The practice began during the lifetime of Joseph Smith but became publicly and widely known during the time of Brigham Young.<br>—LDS Newsroom, lds.org {{link|url=http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/background-information/polygamy-latter-day-saints-and-the-practice-of-plural-marriage}}
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| ====The ''Ensign''====
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| *'''July 1980 ''Ensign''''': In Sunday School someone mentioned Brigham Young and polygamy...<br>—Meryl C. Liptrott, “Waking from the Nightmare,” Ensign, July 1980, 54–55 {{link|url=http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=66c9fc3157a6b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD}}
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| *'''February 1976 ''Ensign''''': Brigham Young, born on June 1, 1801, at Whittingham, Vermont, was 43 years old when he was called to the leadership of the Church. For over 33 years he lead the Saints, guiding them through some of their heaviest persecution—the exodus from Nauvoo, the crossing of the plains, the colonizing of the desert, the polygamy trials—until his death on August 29, 1877.<br>—“Brigham Young,” Ensign, Feb 1976, 80 {{link|url=http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=ebcbfd758096b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD}}
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| <!-- *Michael Parker, "The Church's Portrayal of Brigham Young" {{fairlink|url=http://www.fairlds.org/apol/misc/misc26.html}} -->
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| </onlyinclude>
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| {{Endnotes sources}}
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