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, according to my commandment, and to fulfil the promise which was given by my Father before the … Read more
Excerpt from an April 17, 1860 New York Times article, ‘Polygamy and its Fruits’:1 ‘Some time ago HEBER KIMBALL was lecturing some missionaries who were preparing to start out on foreign missions, in the Tabernacle, and said to them: “Brethren, I want you to understand that it is not to be as it has been … Read more
Excerpt from an address by Russell M. Nelson, September 17 2019: 1 It is precisely because we do care deeply about all of God’s children that we proclaim His truth. We may not always tell people what they want to hear. Prophets are rarely popular. But we will always teach the truth! Excerpt from ‘Address … Read more
Excerpt from the LDS Gospel Topic Essay, ‘Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo’: 1 Following his marriage to Louisa Beaman and before he married other single women, Joseph Smith was sealed to a number of women who were already married. 29 Neither these women nor Joseph explained much about these sealings, though several women said … Read more
Excerpt from the LDS Gospel Topi Essay, ‘Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo’: 1 The revelation on marriage required that a wife give her consent before her husband could enter into plural marriage. Nevertheless, toward the end of the revelation, the Lord said that if the first wife “receive not this law”—the command to practice … Read more
Excerpt from the LDS Gospel Topic Essay, ‘Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo’: 1 “After receiving a revelation commanding him to practice plural marriage, Joseph Smith married multiple wives and introduced the practice to close associates.” “Polygamy had been permitted for millennia in many cultures and religions, but, with few exceptions, was rejected in Western … Read more
Excerpts from ‘Evidences and Reconciliations’ by Apostle John A. Widtsoe, 1943: 1 “Plural marriage has been a subject of wide and frequent comment. Members of the Church unfamiliar with its history, and many non-members, have set up fallacious reasons for the origin of this system of marriage among the Latter-day Saints. The most common of … Read more
LDS Official Declaration 1, October 6 1890, Wilford Woodruff: LDS Official Declaration 1 – https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/od/1?lang=eng To Whom It May Concern: Press dispatches having been sent for political purposes, from Salt Lake City, which have been widely published, to the effect that the Utah Commission, in their recent report to the Secretary of the Interior, allege that … Read more
Excerpt from an address given by George Q. Cannon, November 1, 1891, reported by Author Winter. Published in the Deseret Weekly News, November 21, 1891: 1 “I myself have testified before presidents of the United States before cabinet officers before judges of the Supreme Court before members of the United States Senate and House of … Read more
Notice issued by Joseph and Hyrum Smith in the Times and Season paper, February 1, 1844 (at the time Joseph had more than 30 plural wives): 1 “NOTICE As we have lately been credibly informed, that an Elder of the Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter-day Saints, by the name of Hiram Brown, has been … Read more
Excerpt from a 2017 YSA Face to Face with Russell Ballard and Dallin Oaks:1 MALE HOST:“…we have a lot of questions in the YSA about their friends dealing with doubts. A question from Utah asks what advice/guidance would you give for answering tough questions about church history when we are asked about them by someone … Read more
Excerpt from the LDS Gospel Topic Essay, Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo: 1 ‘Most of those sealed to Joseph Smith were between 20 and 40 years of age at the time of their sealing to him. The oldest, Fanny Young, was 56 years old. The youngest was Helen Mar Kimball, daughter of Joseph’s close … Read more
Excerpt from ‘Address of the Prophet—His Testimony Against the Dissenters at Nauvoo’ (Sunday, May 26, 1844), shortly before his death:1 Be meek and lowly, upright and pure; render good for evil. If you bring on yourselves your own destruction, I will complain. It is not right for a man to bare down his neck to … Read more
Excerpt from the ‘Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo’, LDS Gospel Topic Essay:1 “When God commands a difficult task, He sometimes sends additional messengers to encourage His people to obey. Consistent with this pattern, Joseph told associates that an angel appeared to him three times between 1834 and 1842 and commanded him to proceed with … Read more
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 … Read more
Image: LDS Temple sealing room Excerpt from the LDS temple marriage ceremony (sealing of spouses). [footnote]The LDS Endowment, Sealings [/footnote] [The sealer sits at the head of the altar with two witnesses, one seated at his right and the other at his left. The bride and groom kneel at opposite sides of the altar, facing … Read more
Image: Portrayal of a traditional LDS testimony meeting. Testimony excerpt of a member of The True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days:[footnote]Spiritual Witnesses, 10:00-10:52 (video) – Youtube[/footnote] “I’ve been searching for a witness of this work and of this church and just tonight I got my witness and it’s … Read more
Joseph Smith Jr. From the LDS Gospel Topic Essay, Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo found on LDS.org. ‘The youngest [of Joseph’s brides] was Helen Mar Kimball, daughter of Joseph’s close friends Heber C. and Vilate Murray Kimball, who was sealed to Joseph several months before her 15th birthday.’ Teen Brides of Joseph Smith Jr. … Read more
The Nauvoo Expositor was a newspaper in Nauvoo, Illinois, that published only one issue, on June 7, 1844. Its publication set off a chain of events that led to the death of Latter Day Saint prophet Joseph Smith. The Expositor was founded by several seceders from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints … Read more
Image: Polygamist FLDS Prophet Warren Jeffs. From the LDS church’s Gospel Topic Essay ‘Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo’ [footnote]Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo – LDS.org [/footnote] ‘Careful estimates put the number {of wives} between 30 and 40.’ ‘The youngest was Helen Mar Kimball, daughter of Joseph’s close friends Heber C. and Vilate Murray Kimball, who was sealed … Read more
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 … Read more
Image: Image of Polygamist FLDS Prophet Warren Jeffs and his wives [footnote] Warren Jeffs – Wikipedia [/footnote] From an April 17, 1860 New York Times article, ‘Polygamy and its Fruits'[footnote] The New York Times, April 17, 1860 [/footnote]and later published in Stanley P. Hirshson’s, The Lion of the Lord[footnote] The Lion of the Lord: A Biography … Read more
