Tag: Celestial

  • Section 132

    Section 132

    Image: Portrait of Emma Smith, wife of Joseph Smith Jr.

    *Post with commentary*

    The polygamy revelation in D&C 132 [footnote]Doctrine and Covenants 132 – LDS.org[/footnote] has been a ‘hot potato’ the LDS church has had to constantly juggle. Discard it—you lose a pillar of celestial marriage doctrine. Keep it—you canonize an abusive practice.

    This year’s (2017) official Sunday School lesson manual deftly avoids any mention of polygamy, cherry picking verses 7, 19–24, 30–31. It instructs the teacher to avoid discussing polygamy and instead focus on the concept of eternal marriage. I am going to look at the bits you might have missed in Sunday School.

    The setting.
    The revelation regarding polygamy was recorded in the summer of 1843. At the time Joseph had over 20 wives, several of whom were already married to other men. Emma, only recently made aware of (some of) Joseph’s polygamous unions was resistant the doctrine. Exasperated with Emma’s stubbornness, Joseph restricted her from receiving the endowment, unless she ‘acquiesce to the request’. Two days after Emma’s birthday (July 12), Hyrum told Joseph ‘If you will write the revelation on Celestial Marriage, I will take and read it to Emma, and I believe I can convince her of its truth, and you will hereafter have peace.’ At which point Joseph dictated the revelation to William Clayton “sentence by sentence.” Upon returning from delivering the revelation to Emma, Hyrum recounted that “I have never received a more severe talking to in my life.” To which Joseph replied “I told you you did not know Emma as well as I did.”

    So with that context in mind, section 132 will start to become clearer. I recommend reading it in its entirety.

    The context of the 1843 revelation is about polygamy and concubinage.

    “1 Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you my servant Joseph, that inasmuch as you have inquired of my hand to know and understand wherein I, the Lord, justified my servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as also Moses, David and Solomon, my servants, as touching the principle and doctrine of their having many wives and concubines—”

    Here we also learn that polygamy is considered doctrinal, and later a law. Note that Isaac only had one wife, Rebekah.

     

    The ‘new and everlasting covenant’ was synonymous with polygamy. Though later expanded to include other rites and ordinances.

    “For behold, I reveal unto you a new and an everlasting covenant; and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned; for no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory.”

    “6 And as pertaining to the new and everlasting covenant, it was instituted for the fulness of my glory…”

    Brigham Young and other early leaders often taught that polygamy was a requirement for highest exaltation.
    “The only men who become Gods, even the Sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy.” – Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol.11, p.268 – p.269

     

    Those who don’t marry under the law or who are single, become servants for those married under the law.

    “16 Therefore, when they [those who marry outside of the covenant] are out of the world they neither marry nor are given in marriage; but are appointed angels in heaven, which angels are ministering servants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more, and an exceeding, and an eternal weight of glory.”

    “17 For these angels did not abide my law; therefore, they cannot be enlarged, but remain separately and singly, without exaltation, in their saved condition, to all eternity; and from henceforth are not gods, but are angels of God forever and ever.”

    “20 …Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them.”

    The theology at this point hadn’t evolved to include eternal progression or post-death unions. Rather, condemning the unwed to eternal servitude.

     

    Women are said to be GIVEN and TAKEN throughout the revelation. (Emphasis added)

    “37 Abraham RECEIVED concubines, and they bore him children…”

    “38 David also RECEIVED many wives and concubines…”

    “39 David’s wives and concubines were GIVEN unto him of me…”

    “44 …then shall you [Joseph] have power…to TAKE her and GIVE her unto him that hath not committed adultery.”

    “62 And if he have ten virgins given unto him by this law, he cannot commit adultery, for they BELONG to him, and they are GIVEN unto him; therefore is he justified.”

     

    The lord condones David’s & Solomon’s polygamy in D&C after condemning it in the Book of Mormon.

    “37 Abraham received concubines, and they bore him children; and it was accounted unto him for righteousness…”

    “38 David also received many wives and concubines and also Solomon…and in nothing did they sin save in those things which they received not of me.”

    “Jacob 2:24 Behold, David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord…”

     

    If a wife’s husband commits adultery, Joseph has the power to ’take and give her’ to another man.

    “44 And if she hath not committed adultery, but is innocent and hath not broken her vow, and she knoweth it, and I reveal it unto you, my servant Joseph, then shall you have power, by the power of my Holy Priesthood, to take her and give her unto him that hath not committed adultery but hath been faithful; for he shall be made ruler over many.”

    …

    Emma may have threatened to practice plural marriage herself.

    “51 Verily, I say unto you: A commandment I give unto mine handmaid, Emma Smith, your wife, whom I have given unto you, that she stay herself and partake not of that which I commanded you to offer unto her; for I did it, saith the Lord, to prove you all, as I did Abraham, and that I might require an offering at your hand, by covenant and sacrifice.”

    “54 And I command mine handmaid, Emma Smith, to abide and cleave unto my servant Joseph, and to none else…”

    From William Clayton’s journal, “This A.M. President Joseph took me and conversed considerable concerning some delicate matters. Said [Emma] wanted to lay a snare for me. He told me last night of this and said he had felt troubled. He said [Emma] had treated him coldly and badly since I came…and he knew she was disposed to be revenged on him for some things. She thought that if he would indulge himself she would too.”

    …

    The lord threatens to destroy Emma, unless she falls in line.

    “54 And I command mine handmaid, Emma Smith, to abide and cleave unto my servant Joseph, and to none else. But if she will not abide this commandment she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord; for I am the Lord thy God, and will destroy her if she abide not in my law.”

    “64 And again, verily, verily, I say unto you, if any man have a wife, who holds the keys of this power, and he teaches unto her the law of my priesthood, as pertaining to these things, then shall she believe and administer unto him, or she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord your God; for I will destroy her; for I will magnify my name upon all those who receive and abide in my law.”

    …

    If you lie about being a virgin you shall be destroyed.

    “52 And let mine handmaid, Emma Smith, receive all those that have been given unto my servant Joseph, and who are virtuous and pure before me; and those who are not pure, and have said they were pure, shall be destroyed, saith the Lord God.”

     

    The lord tells Emma to forgive Joseph his indiscretions.

    “56 And again, verily I say, let mine handmaid forgive my servant Joseph his trespasses; and then shall she be forgiven her trespasses, wherein she has trespassed against me…”

     

    Joseph establishes rules for plural marriage… and then breaks them.

    “61 …if any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another, and the first give her consent, and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins, and have vowed to no other man, then is he justified; he cannot commit adultery for they are given unto him; for he cannot commit adultery with that that belongeth unto him and to no one else.”

    “62 And if he have ten virgins given unto him by this law, he cannot commit adultery, for they belong to him, and they are given unto him; therefore is he justified.”

    “63 But if one or either of the ten virgins, after she is espoused, shall be with another man, she has committed adultery, and shall be destroyed; for they are given unto him to multiply and replenish the earth…”

    1 – The first wife must give consent (Law of Sarah)—Emma only approved of perhaps 4 of Josephs 34+ wives.
    2 – They must be virgins and not married—Though Joseph married virgins, he also married other mens wives.
    3 – The purpose of polygamy is to ‘multiply and replenish the earth’—Not only did Joseph avoid producing offspring through these polygamous unions, later polygamous practices often resulted in fewer children.

     

    If Emma is still resistant to polygamy she has transgressed and Joseph doesn’t have to get her consent.

    “65 Therefore, it shall be lawful in me, if she receive not this law, for him to receive all things whatsoever I, the Lord his God, will give unto him, because she did not believe and administer unto him according to my word; and she then becomes the transgressor; and he is exempt from the law of Sarah, who administered unto Abraham according to the law when I commanded Abraham to take Hagar to wife.”

    Crash Course:

    Remembering the Wives of Joseph Smith – Wives of Joseph Smith
    Did Emma Smith approve of polygamy?
    D&C 132: A revelation of men, not God – Mormon Stories
    Doctrine and Covenants 132 – Joseph Smith Papers
    Year of Polygamy (Podcast) 

     

  • Oh My Adam

    Oh My Adam

    A unique doctrine that was taught for decades in the early church is that of Adam-God. In essence, the doctrine teaches that Adam was once a mortal man who became resurrected and exalted. From another planet, he came as Michael to form Earth. Adam brought Eve, one of his wives, with him to Earth, where they became mortal by eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. After bearing mortal children and establishing the human race, Adam and Eve returned to their heavenly thrones where Adam serves as God and is the Heavenly Father of humankind. Later, Adam returned to the Earth to the ancient prophets, and to become the literal father of Jesus.

    From the Journal of Discourses, v. 1, p. 51 Brigham Young:

    Now hear it, O inhabitants of the earth, Jew and Gentile, Saint and sinner! When our father Adam came into the garden of Eden, he came into it with a celestial body, and brought Eve, one of his wives, with him. He helped to make and organize this world. He is Michael, the Archangel, the Ancient of Days! about whom holy men have written and spoken—He is our Father and our God, and the only God with whom we have to do. Every man upon the earth, professing Christians or non-professing, must hear it, and will know it sooner or later.

     

    Crash Course:
    Journal of Discourses, v. 1, p. 51
    Adam God Doctrine – Mormon Think
    The Adam God Coverup – Rational Faith
    Adam-God Doctrine – Wikipedia

  • Servant

    Servant

    Image: Apostle Mark E. Petersen

    Apostle Mark E. Petersen, “Race Problems – as they affect the church:[footnote]Mark E. Petersen, “Race Problems – as they affect the church,” August 27, 1954, p. 17[/footnote]

    “In spite of all he did in the pre-existent life, the Lord is willing, if the Negro accepts the gospel with real, sincere faith, and is really converted, to give him the blessings of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. If that Negro is faithful all his days, he can and will enter the celestial kingdom. He will go there as a servant, but he will get a celestial resurrection. He will get a place in the celestial glory. He will not go then with even the honorable men of the earth to the terrestrial glory, nor with the ones spoken of as being without law”

     

    Crash Course:

  • Confirmed Racist

    Confirmed Racist

    Image: Martin Luther King Jr., Civil Rights Activist

    Excerpts from an address by Apostle Mark E. Peterson given at the Convention of Teachers of Religion on the College Level
    Brigham Young University Provo, Utah – August 27, 1954[footnote]Race Problems—As They Affect The Church – Mark E. Petersen, 1954 [/footnote]

    “God has commanded Israel not to intermarry. To go against this commandment of God would be in sin. Those who willfully sin with their eyes open to this wrong will not be surprised to find that they will be separated from the presence of God in the world to come. This is spiritual death….

    The reason that one would lose his blessings by marrying a Negro is due to the restriction placed upon them. “No person having the least particle of Negro blood can hold the Priesthood” (Brigham Young). It does not matter if they are one-sixth Negro or one-hundred and sixth, the curse of no Priesthood is the same. If an individual who is entitled to the Priesthood marries a Negro, the Lord has decreed that only spirits who are not eligible for the Priesthood will come to that marriage as children. To intermarry with a Negro is to forfeit a “Nation of Priesthood holders”….

    The discussion on civil rights, especially over the last 20 years, has drawn some very sharp lines. It has blinded the thinking of some of our own people, I believe. They have allowed their political affiliations to color their thinking to some extent, and then, of course, they have been persuaded by some of the arguments that have been put forth….We who teach in the Church certainly must have our feet on the ground and not to be led astray by the philosophies of men on this subject….

    I think I have read enough to give you an idea of what the Negro is after. He is not just seeking the opportunity of sitting down in a cafe where white people eat. He isn’t just trying to ride on the same streetcar or the same Pullman car with white people. It isn’t that he just desires to go to the same theater as the white people. From this, and other interviews I have read, it appears that the Negro seeks absorption with the white race. He will not be satisfied until he achieves it by intermarriage. That is his objective and we must face it. We must not allow our feelings to carry us away, nor must we feel so sorry for Negroes that we will open our arms and embrace them with everything we have. Remember the little statement that we used to say about sin, “First we pity, then endure, then embrace”….

    Now let’s talk about segregation again for a few moments. Was segregation a wrong principle? When the Lord chose the nations to which the spirits were to come, determining that some would be Japanese and some would be Chinese and some Negroes and some Americans, He engaged in an act of segregation….

    When he told Enoch not preach the gospel to the descendants of Cain who were black, the Lord engaged in segregation. When He cursed the descendants of Cain as to the Priesthood, He engaged in segregation….

    Who placed the Negroes originally in darkest Africa? Was it some man, or was it God? And when He placed them there, He segregated them….

    The Lord segregated the people both as to blood and place of residence. At least in the cases of the Lamanites and the Negro we have the definite word of the Lord Himself that he placed a dark skin upon them as a curse — as a punishment and as a sign to all others. He forbade intermarriage with them under threat of extension of the curse. And He certainly segregated the descendants of Cain when He cursed the Negro as to the Priesthood, and drew an absolute line. You may even say He dropped an Iron curtain there….

    Now we are generous with the Negro. We are willing that the Negro have the highest education. I would be willing to let every Negro drive a Cadillac if they could afford it. I would be willing that they have all the advantages they can get out of life in the world. But let them enjoy these things among themselves. I think the Lord segregated the Negro and who is man to change that segregation? It reminds me of the scripture on marriage, “what God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” Only here we have the reverse of the thing — what God hath separated, let not man bring together again.”

    Think of the Negro, cursed as to the priesthood…. This Negro, who, in the pre-existence lived the type of life which justified the Lord in sending him to the earth in their lineage of Cain with a black skin, and possibly being born in darkest Africa–if that Negro is willing when he hears the gospel to accept it, he may have many of the blessings of the gospel. In spite of all he did in the pre-existent life, the Lord is willing, if the Negro accepts the gospel with real, sincere faith, and is really converted, to give him the blessings of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. If that Negro is faithful all his days, he can and will enter the celestial kingdom. He will go there as a servant, but he will get celestial glory.”

     


    Crash Course:

    Race Problems—As They Affect The Church – Mark E. Petersen, 1954
    Blacks and the Priesthood – Mormon Think
    Mormon racism in perspective – Elder Mark E. Peterson
  • Filthy Affair

    Filthy Affair

    Frances Ward (“Fanny”) Alger Custer (September 30, 1816 – November 29, 1889) is generally considered as Joseph Smiths first plural wife. Although undocumented, the marriage of Fanny and Joseph most likely took place in Kirtland, Ohio sometime in 1833 (before sealing authority had been restored). She would have been sixteen years old at the time.

    Joseph kept his marriage to Fanny out of the view of the public, and his wife Emma. Chauncey Webb recounted Emma’s later discovery of the relationship: “Emma was furious, and drove the girl, who was unable to conceal the consequences of her celestial relation with the prophet, out of her house”. Ann Eliza again recalled: “…it was felt that [Emma] certainly must have had some very good reason for her action. By degrees it became whispered about that Joseph’s love for his adopted daughter was by no means a paternal affection, and his wife, discovering the fact, at once took measures to place the girl beyond his reach…Since Emma refused decidedly to allow her to remain in her house…my mother offered to take her until she could be sent to her relatives…” [footnote] Fanny Alger – Wives of Joseph Smith  [/footnote]

    In January 1838, some months after the Algers had left Kirtland, Oliver Cowdery wrote his brother concerning his indignation at Smith’s relationship with Alger. Cowdery said he had discussed with Smith the “dirty, nasty, filthy affair of his and Fanny Alger’s … in which I strictly declared that I had never deserted from the truth in the matter, and as I supposed was admitted by himself.” [footnote] Oliver Cowdery, Letter to Warren A. Cowdery (Oliver’s brother), January 21, 1838  [/footnote]

     

    Crash Course:

    Year of Polygamy Podcast – The series follows the Mormon faith through the lens of “The Principle of Plural Marriage”.

    Joseph Smith’s Polygamy – Discusses Joseph Smith’s introduction of polygamy into early Mormon Church.

    Plural Marriage and Mormon Fundamentalism – D. Michael Quinn

    Fanny Alger – The Wives of Joseph Smith