Polygamy

Dear Readers,

I felt like doing a post about something that several people find troubling about the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am writing this post to express my beliefs and knowledge on the subject of Polygamy for the purpose of helping those who may view this subject as a stumbling block, as well as to inform those who may just want to learn more about God's reasons for plural marriage.

I should WARN those who read this, that I will be going into some depth on this subject. If you feel that you might be shacky in your testimony of Joseph Smith Jr as a Prophet, or any of the succeeding Presidents of the church as Prophets, Seers, and Revelators, then I advise that you skip this blog post, at least until your faith and testimony becomes stronger and firmer.

That all being said, let us start with the first well known polygamist in the scriptures, namely Abraham. First record we have of Abraham (Abram) being married is in Genesis 11:29 "And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai;..." Now this marriage lasted for many years and through much hardship, including Sarah (Sarai) being barren, having to pass through Egypt and having Pharaoh desire Sarah as a wife, having countless promises from the Lord that Abraham would be the "father of many nations", and even the ordeal of having Abraham's nephew Lot being held as a military prisoner. So it is clear and evident that Abraham truly and completely loved Sarah, his wife, and that she loved him. Else why would they stay together for so long.

Now in Genesis 16 comes the Jerry Springer part of this union. Abraham and Sarah have both gotten old in years, and because Sarah has not yet born any children, she gives Hagar, her Egyptian handmaid to Abraham to be a second wife. I have heard it argued that Hagar was only a "concubine" which is kind of a bondwoman who is kept for the use of procreation. This is not the case, for in verse 3 the word "wife" is used. Now, because the culture of the time did indeed include the common practice of concubines, Sarah giving Hagar to Abraham was acceptable. So Hagar conceived and had a son, because of this, Hagar became jealous and, I guess you could say, wanted Abraham to love her alone. Sarah saw this hatred or "despise" in her eyes, and talked to Abraham about the growing contention. Abraham, being the wise man that he was, said roughly, I am not getting in the middle of this, you two figure it out yourselves.

Then Sarah "dealt hardly" with Hagar, so Hagar fled into the wilderness. There, by a fountain, an angel of the Lord appeared unto Hagar and told her to return to her family, and even made prophecies about her seed. Eventually she returned and bore Ishmael. Then, when Abraham was around 100 years old, he was told that Sarah shall conceive and bear a child, while she was around 90 years old, and really past menopause. This, chapter 17 of Genesis, is when the covenant promise is given to Isaac, Sarah's son, instead of Ishmael, who in truth, because of tradition, should have been the rightful heir. Yet God has a way of calling the underdogs, as with Jacob vs Esau which I will cover quite soon. Anyway, continuing with Abraham, after Isaac was born, Ishmael was "mocking" Isaac, and Sarah did not like this. I would like to point out here, that with the law of Moses, though it was not yet instituted, children who mocked or dishonored their parents or siblings were put to death. So, Abraham, likely having similar rules in his culture, took what I feel is compassion, and rose up early, prepared bread and a bottle of water and gave it to Hagar and sent her and Ishmael away into the wilderness. Thus proving that he loved Hagar and Ishmael and wanted to spare their lives. Now part of why Abraham did this is because he knew God's promises both towards Isaac being the covenant people, as well as the seed of Ishmael being a great nation in their own right.

So was the end of that marriage, which, in all likely hood, would have lasted as long as they had lived, at least. If it were not for this dispute/transgression. Now, I learned something new when I began researching, that Abraham took another wife named Keturah after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as Abraham's attempt to sacrifice Isaac. She, Keturah, bore Abraham many sons. Again Keturah was a "wife" while later in Genesis 25:6 it says that Abraham sent all of the sons of his "concubines" (plural) away. Now, at this time, Abraham had Sarah and Keturah as wives, and how many concubines, we know not.

Now Isaac was raised up, and took Rebekah to wife. Then Rebekah bore Jacob and Esau. Though Esau came out first and was hairy and red already, followed by Jacob who was hanging onto his heal. When they two grew up, Esau, being very hungry, sells his birthright to Jacob for some soup. Now this was done without witnesses, and Isaac favored Esau, so when the time came for the blessings of their inheritance, Jacob, with Rebekah's help, posed as Esau and received the blessing, which Esau had sold. Therefore Esau had no right to it. Now what does this have to do with plural marriage... nothing, I just like the story of Jacob and Esau.

Anyway, Jacob travels and meets Rachel at a well. He then talks to her father Laban and they make a deal, that Jacob will work for Laban for 7 years. This is where I would like to emphasize that there were no rights of women in these days. There are many who oppose marriage, especially the ceremony, because it represents them being sold as property. It is a sad truth, that women were indeed considered property, but it is also true that they were "sold" for two reasons. First, because the man wanted to marry that woman, but also, because of the father's love, he wanted to make sure that his daughter went to someone who could afford to take care of her. For this cause did Jacob prove his love for Rachel by working for Laban those first 7 years. Now, when it came time for Rachel and Jacob to be united, Laban had Jacob marry his older daughter Leah instead. Jacob was very upset about this, because, with the veil concealment of the wedding ceremony, he did not discern this deception until the morning afterwords. But Jacob loved Rachel so much, that he agreed to work for Laban 7 more years to get Rachel as a wife.

So, after 14 years Jacob was completely lawfully married to both Rachel and Leah. So they go off and once again find that the wife that Jacob loves, Rachel, is having difficulty having children. So Leah bore the first of Jacob's children. Because Jacob is a wealthy man, through the efforts of Abraham and Isaac, not to mention those 14 years he worked for Laban, his wives had maids or handmaidens. Now these also he married and had children with, they are Bilhah and Zilpah. They were indeed wives, because their children received an inheritance as tribes of Israel.

So, we have these two stories about Old Testament polygamy, and what are some common denominators? First, there was one wife that they truly loved. Second they had a means whereby to proved for them, Third, they had enough love to care for other wives as well as the first. Fourth because women were considered property, they needed to be cared for, not legally allowed to do so on their own. And lastly, polygamy was legally allowed in their culture.

Lets see if the accounts of David and Solomon follow this 5 step acceptance of polygamy. The first wife David married was Michal, the daughter of King Saul, and he bought her with 200 foreskins cut off of the Philistines. Now, as Saul's anger and hatred toward David grew, David had to flee and ended up living with the prophets for a time. Mean while, Saul ends up giving Michal to Phalti as a wife. David keeps running, and Saul keeps killing people trying to get David, Then David meets Abigail, and ends up marrying her. Wars break loose and Saul, with most of his household is slain. David gets Michal back from Phalti, but because he likes to dance and have fun in the streets, Michal no longer loves him, so David locks her away. To save you some long winded history, David marries more wives, all of whom he loved and cared for, but then he lusted after Bathsheba. So much so, that he committed adultery with her, and then had her husband, Uriah, slain in battle, so that he could marry her as a widow. Now, marrying someone you have sex with outside of the bounds of marriage is a good step towards the repentance process, but committing effectual murder to do so is not the best way to do that.

So what about David's son, Solomon? Solomon married many women of all ages, being king he could easily provide for them. He did love and care for his wives, even after his extremities stopped working. Indeed, that was when he married the youngest of his wives. But where he went wrong was allowing the women that he married from other cultures to persuade him to turn the people towards idol worship. This polluted both him, and his people.

Let us compare David and Solomon to the 5 steps of polygamy acceptance.
1. Loved 1 wife above others
       David loved Michal, and then Abigail.
       Solomon (1 Kings 11:1) "king Solomon loved many strange women".
2: Means to provide
       King David
       King Solomon
3: They had enough love for others
       King David truly loved
       King Solomon... See 1 Kings 11:1
4: women were considered property.... yes
5: was polygamy legal... yes... they were the kings and made the laws.

So, King David met all of the requirements, except for when he broke his covenants with Bathsheba.
King Solomon met most of the requirements, but did not seem to truly love and care for one woman. Which seems strange with the concept of polygamy, but I believe it was Jean Paul F. Richter who said "Love one human being purely and warmly, and you will love all." You have to know one pure wonderful love, to know how to truly love others. Thus Solomon's love was possibly polluted from the very beginning. 

This brings us to the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith, fell in love and married Emma Hale. Then, during the process of translating the Holy Bible, Joseph Smith asked God about plural marriage. He was trying to understand why God would permit such a thing, when Joseph knew how much such a thing would hurt Emma. God warned him that if he pushed the matter, Joseph would have to live by the laws and principles he would be taught. Joseph, did continue to inquire, and was told what purpose polygamy was instituted and permitted, nay, ordained of God. Because God loves his daughters so much, he wants them to be taken care of. He wants them to be protected and loved. Then, with this knowledge, God commanded Joseph to begin practicing plural marriage. It is true, that at first he hid this from Emma, probably because he knew how much it would hurt her, and how distressing it may appear without the knowledge and insight God had given him. 

So Joseph Smith began marrying many women, but he lived in a time in which the 5 rules applied.
1: Joseph Smith truly and irrevocably loved Emma Hale above all others, even himself.
2: Though the colonies were generally impoverished, Joseph Smith did have enough to provide.
3: He was the Prophet of the church, he not only had enough love for those wives that he married, but for all of the members of the church.
4: Whether we care to remember or not, women's rights is still a fairly new concept, and in the 1800's they were still considered property, meaning they could not own land, or anything for themselves. Giving credence to the prophecy given by Isaiah concerning the latter-days, "And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach." (Isaiah 4:1) Many of the women Joseph married were widows, because of the slaughter by the hands mobs against the early saints. So they were married and called in the Smith name that they may keep their property, and have someone to love and care for them.

I do not wish to sugar coat the truth, there were some of Joseph's wives that were young, as far as I know 16 was the youngest, but that does not mean that Joseph married them for any reason other than to love and care for them. I do not believe that he married any women because of the lusts of his own heart. Some people may argue, "Well, if providing for these women was the reason he marries them, then why did Joseph Smith have children with wives other than Emma?" Simply put, if you love someone in a marriage capacity long enough, and strong enough, physical love and emotions can arise, to which God has spoken in Doctrine and Covenants 132. "60. Let no one, therefore, set on my servant Joseph; for I will justify him; for he shall do the sacrifice which I require at his hands for his transgression, saith the Lord your God. 61. And again, as pertaining to the law of the priesthood -- 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."

Quickly, I feel that I should touch on another controversial method in which Joseph Smith obtained wives. Both Joseph Smith and Brigham Young were well known for their testing the saints, especially those around them. So, along this line, Joseph Smith did try the faith of some of the brethren by asking for their wives in marriage. Many said no, and left the church, and their wives, behind. Thus Joseph married those women. But there are also accounts of brethren who said "yes" and Joseph told them that it would not be necessary, that they could keep their wives, and that they had proven their faith.

Lastly 5: Polygamy was not against the law in those days. It may not have been practiced, but there were no laws prohibiting it either.

So, Joseph Smith's call to plural marriage matched the outline set by Abraham and Jacob. After this manner he taught the brethren in the church. Indeed some, usually apostles or 70s, were called to practice polygamy. Now, as this doctrine spread there were groups who branched off of the church, or just families that corrupted this sacred institution, and the purpose for which it was commanded, in order satisfy their own lusts and desires. I will strongly declare, however, that plural marriage was instituted of God, and as with all commandments from the beginning of this world, it was corrupted by the father of lies, into the hiss and byword that it is considered today.

Before I continue, I wish to express my hope and desire that you have come to understand the rational or physical reasons for polygamy, including the obvious use of procreation, but now I will focus less on the temporal purposes, and more upon the spiritual.

Firstly, it is an easy assumption that throughout time, there have been more righteous women than men. Women have an inherit ability to hold on to faith, on to God, better and easier than men do. Thus, from the eternal, temple marriage sealing view, these righteous women have to be cared for in the life after death. Doctrine and Covenants 131:1-4 "1. In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees; 2. And in order to obtain the highest, a man [or woman] must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage]; 3; And if he does not, he cannot obtain it. 4. he may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase."

God has provided a plan for all of us to obtain pure and lasting happiness, if we so desire. Thus He will not permit others to take such opportunities away from us because of their disobedience. Wherefore plural marriage, is ordained of God even after this life.

Next, Joseph Smith was called as a Prophet to restore Christ's Gospel. He performed this function to the best of his ability. The law of consecration, which did away with the concepts of property and focused more upon stewardship,  was something that Christ and His Apostles practiced. There was not one of them that withheld of their substance to the needy, for God provided for them, from day to day.

This may be hard for some of you to hear, to understand, or to accept, but it was the same with plural marriage. I testify to you, that Christ and the Apostles lived by these same laws. Jesus followed every commandment given to Him from His Father. How could He be perfect without doing so? God commanded Adam and Eve to multiply and replenish the earth. (Genesis 1:28) The Father has not revoked that commandment.

I enjoy quotes from the Journal of Discourses, but I will admit that I am wary of them because they are not openly accepted by the Church, just like the Apocrypha. So, generally, I try to remain with the discourses which were taken of Brigham Young's talks. I do not think that God would permit His Prophet to lead us astray. That being said, here is an amazing, quote from Orson Hyde who was President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. "I discover that some of the Eastern papers represent me as a great blasphemer, because I said, in my lecture on Marriage, at our last Conference, that Jesus Christ was married at Cana of Galilee, that Mary, Martha, and others were his wives, and that he begat children.
All that I have to say in reply to that charge is this—they worship a Savior that is too pure and holy to fulfil the commands of his Father. I worship one that is just pure and holy enough "to fulfil all righteousness;" not only the righteous law of baptism, but the still more righteous and important law "to multiply and replenish the earth." Startle not at this!" (Journal of Discourses v2 pg 210)

Then Brigham Young said in Journal of Discourses v13 pg 309 "The Scripture says that He, the Lord, came walking in the Temple, with His train; I do not know who they were, unless His wives and children; but at any rate they filled the Temple, and how many there were who could not get into the Temple I cannot say. This is the account given by Isaiah, whether he told the truth or not I leave everybody to judge for himself."

Indeed, upon praying and pondering upon this subject during Easter time, I felt the Holy Spirit of God manifest so strongly to my heart and soul, that, at the time Christ was resurrected, Mary Magdalene was so pained, so distraught, not just because her teacher, or her friend had been crucified and His body "taken", but because it was her very husband, her help-meet, her eternal companion who was the one taken from her, causing her to know not where His body was laid. That is why Christ, with all of His compassion and love appeared unto her first. He saw His beloved wife in the most sorrow and misery that she could be in, besides witnessing His death upon the cross. This moved Him to manifest Himself to her, in the physical resurrected state, to comfort her, but He could not let her touch Him. Not because He was still a spirit, for His body was taken from the tomb, but because throughout the eons of eternities that Jehovah, the Firstborn of the Father had been in the Father's presence in the spirit, Jesus could not truly touch, could not fully embrace His Father, not as a man embraceth his friend. So the undeniable right, because of His love for His Son and for compensation for having to leave Christ completely alone on the cross (Matthew 27:46) to go through all of that pain and suffering alone before death, has to be for the Father, who has a body as "tangible as man's" (Doctrine and Covenants 130:22) to be the first one to hug and embrace His resurrected Son.

Despite this right, Christ saw fit to appear to Mary Magdalene. Everyone else, Apostles and disciples alike, had to wait until Jesus had returned physically to the Father, but she, Mary, in Christ's eyes, could not wait, His love for her was too great. Indeed she was that one that He was able to love "purely and warmly" so that he could love all.

Now that I have sealed the doctrine of Jesus Christ of Nazareth being married with my own testimony, I shall also bear witness that Christ is resurrected and exalted even to the thrown of God. Which means that in conjuncture with Doctrine and Covenants 131:1-4, already mentioned, as well as with Journal of Discourses v11 pg269 in which the Prophet Brigham Young said, "The only men who become Gods, even the Sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy. Others attain unto a glory and may even be permitted to come into the presence of the Father and the Son; but they cannot reign as kings in glory, because they had blessings offered unto them, and they refused to accept them....I heard the revelation on polygamy, and I believed it with all my heart, and I know it is from God—I know that he revealed it from heaven; I know that it is true, and understand the bearings of it and why it is."

Indeed, whether in the mortal flesh or in the immortal state, Christ had to fulfill this law. I personally believe that He fulfilled this law while in the flesh, how else could He have been sufficiently perfect to perform the atonement. It was also possible in those days for Christ and His Apostles to fulfill the 5 requirements. Christ truly loved one woman, His family had the means to provide because of the gold, frankincense, and mirth given to Him by the Wise Men, as well as from all of the years of carpentry, to sustain themselves and possibly others during Christ's 3 year ministry. Christ absolutely had enough love for other wives. During this time women were still considered property and needed to be cared for, thus His pleading with John to take care of His mother Mary. (John 19:26-27) And lastly, like with Joseph Smith's time, polygamy may not have been commonly practiced, but there were no laws against it. 

So, if these laws, these commandments are still in force today, why does the church no longer perform plural marriages? The strait answer is that because of the persecution upon the church, caused by ignorance of the reason behind this practice, it became expedient for the fullness of this commandment to be taken from the earth. God's work is never frustrated, but the work of man is. God has the eternal perspective, and knows that we can be married after this life, and during the Millennium. For it is not the dead that are given in marriage, but the living, and as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are living, so can we be also. (Matthew 22:32)

I do not feel that I have adequately expressed this reasoning in a clear manner, so I hope that this power point presentation will help. 
https://www.slideshare.net/secret/Ludcz0BGucwO5i

The Church has an official standing on this subject which can be found in the Official Declaration 1 at the end of the Doctrine and Covenants. Here is some quotes from that passage. "...Inasmuch as laws have been enacted by Congress forbidding plural marriages, which laws have been pronounced constitutional by the court of last resort, I hereby declare my intention to submit to those laws, and to use my influence with the members of the Church over which I preside to have them do likewise... Wilford Woodruff" (4th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)

He is also known for this quote, "The Lord will never permit me or any other man who stands as President of this Church to lead you astray. It is not in the program. It is not in the mind of God. If I were to attempt that, the Lord would remove me out of my place, and so He will any other man who attempt to lead the children of men astray from the oracles of God and from their duty." Which can be found after that Official Declaration 1.

So, because man has created laws in this day and age prohibiting plural marriage, we can not live this law openly as in days past, it does not mean that God's work has been frustrated. It only means that we are living up to our Articles of Faith. 12 "We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law."

As an example of how the work of the Lord has not been frustrated:
Several sealings(marriage or bonds that last for time and for all eternity) took place vicariously soon after Joseph Smith's death, sealing living women to the diseased Prophet. Even so today, in the temple, sealings on behalf of the dead are performed. It is these sealings, and the opportunity  to receive endowed blessings from the Lord, that gave the early saints the strength to continue on. As pointed out in the presentation, that was the trade off for plural marriage. For, should the persecution had continued, the United States would have, and in some cases did, send troops over to the west and remove the property and holdings of the Church and church members. As I said, the work of God could not be frustrated, and it was not, for it is in the temple that we have the chance to still receive these blessings. As for the temporal reasons, specifically, the widow's need to be taken care of, laws began to emerge allowing women to hold property, especially in settling the prairies, as well as the institution of Home and Visiting teachers in the church. This allowed for those widows as well as other members of the church, to be visited and feel loved, wanted, and have their needs taken care of. 

So does this mean that if the laws should change and allow polygamy again, would we be able to practice it? I cannot say, but the knowledge that I have is based upon what Gordon B. Hinckley said in the October 1998 General Conference, "If any of our members are found to be practicing plural marriage, they are excommunicated, the most serious penalty the Church can impose. Not only are those so involved in direct violation of the civil law, they are in violation of the law of this Church."

In essence, there are the laws of God, and the laws of the church. As in Moses' day when Moses, as Prophet, allowed the Israelites to divorce their wives, which clearly was condemned by Jesus Christ (Matthew 19:3-9). That was a law of the Church, which can be below the laws of God because we are all weak, learning, and are tempted. But God will not suffer us to sin against a greater light if we are not prepared for it. (Doctrine and Covenants 82:3) Thus even if plural marriage is again legalized, it remains against the laws of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints until the Lord feels that it is time that it should be restored. 

I am closing this post with some scriptural references to get you thinking and wondering if what I have said is true. 

Job 1:2-3 "2. and there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. 3. His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east."

Job 42:10 "And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before."

Job 42:12-13 "12. So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. 13.he had also seven sons and three daughters." 

Job began with seven sons and three daughters, and God's promise was for him to have "twice as much", thus Job must still have his children after this life. 

Journal of Discourses v1 pg50 "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"

So if Eve was "one of his wives" that means that Adam was meant to marry others either later in his life, or after death

I sincerely pray that no one's faith has been shaken by this post, and that you will come to understand this doctrine as I have. May your testimony and faith continue to improve, strengthen and grow, and I welcome a healthy, civilized debate, if any who read this feel such is necessary. Also, If I was unclear on any principles about which I have spoken, I would love the opportunity to clarify it for you.

Love,
Jacobugoth