Lightning Survey: Before the 2014 Plural Marriage Essay, did you know that Joseph Smith practiced it HIMSELF?

[Silver Girl]

I already answered this on Reddit (the thread there is getting very long and confusing). I use a different name there. I think a survey tool would have been good on Reddit - there are a ton of people just saying "Same" or whatever and it's not real clear whether their answer is yes, no or one of those answers that goes into more detail.

For the record, NO, I didn't know - but don't count me twice. My answer is clearly only one answer on Reddit rather than a "ditto" to others or part of a thread.

[NOWmormon]

Yes. Knew all about it. Not one word of the essay was fresh information for me. Polygamy was an established, painful, someday fact.

Besides, tell pretty much anyone outside the church you're Mormon and their response will contain the word "polygamy/polygamists" somewhere in the phrase. They will then regale you with everything they know about Mormons and polygamy, and it's usually everything. Except for the fact it's been repealed. For some reason, they never seem to know that. I usually have to get out the D & C and read the manifestos for them. They still won't stop talking about polygamy. Let's face it. It's some of the best, juiciest, most salacious gossip there is. Tell them we've stopped practicing, their eyes glaze over.

Yup. Definitely knew about polygamy. BTW, learned about it at church, because I'd hear about it "from the world". Might as well hear about it from the source. Kind of like one of your parents getting ahead of the news they're having an affair.

Thank you.
But did you know that Joseph Smith himself participated in plural marriage?
or just folks going across the plains and onward?

[NOWmormon]

NOWmormon, I created a poll for you. It's easy to do. PM me or most anyone else if you need help on how to do it.

Yes, please

[Grace2Daisy]

Yes, I had figured it out prior to the essay.

However, I spent decades teaching via the D&C and seminary manuals otherwise. When confronted in SS my response was that I was sure this was done by women in the temple AFTER his death. Can't believe how wrong I was, and how many people I need to apologize to.

[Phil Lurkerman]

Interesting to see the range of responses.

Yes, as a born-and-raised member I was well aware of JS's initiation and participation in plural marriage decades before these essays. It was talked about somewhat openly in seminary and certainly to some degree among all the Elders while in the mission field (late 1980's).

I wasn't aware of all the greasy details before I later did some digging on my own, but that was also long before the essays were published.

What now seems strange to me is that in my TBM days I was totally willing to accept and justify the practice as somehow holy and pure. Funny how perspectives change.

[wtfluff]

I already answered this on Reddit...

I already answered "over there" too, but I WANT MY VOTE DOUBLED!

It goes, a little like this:

Yes, I knew before the 2014 essay; But I knew only because I looked outside "church approved / correlated" material.

If I hadn't asked Google in late 2011, I might still be drowning in mormonism's bubble.

The only thing I ever remember hearing about Joseph's many wives in more than 40 years on the inside was: A bunch of women "sealed themselves to him" after he died.

[Give It Time]

Yes. Knew all about it. Not one word of the essay was fresh information for me. Polygamy was an established, painful, someday fact.

Besides, tell pretty much anyone outside the church you're Mormon and their response will contain the word "polygamy/polygamists" somewhere in the phrase. They will then regale you with everything they know about Mormons and polygamy, and it's usually everything. Except for the fact it's been repealed. For some reason, they never seem to know that. I usually have to get out the D & C and read the manifestos for them. They still won't stop talking about polygamy. Let's face it. It's some of the best, juiciest, most salacious gossip there is. Tell them we've stopped practicing, their eyes glaze over.

Yup. Definitely knew about polygamy. BTW, learned about it at church, because I'd hear about it "from the world". Might as well hear about it from the source. Kind of like one of your parents getting ahead of the news they're having an affair.

Thank you.
But did you know that Joseph Smith himself participated in plural marriage?
or just folks going across the plains and onward?

Joseph, Nauvoo, Fanny, whole thing.

[Mad Jax]

Yes, the missionaries told me he did.

[trophywife26.2]

Yes, but I thought it was only 2-3 wives in addition to Emma, it was a trial/challenge. Emma was not happy with the 2-3 wives and then it wasn't widely practiced until BY. This is what I learned in Institute in 2006.

[Charlotte]

Yes, but not from any church materials or speeches. I found out doing my own research on the internet

(I'm embarrassed to admit that I bought the old "Joseph only was married to a few old widows whose husbands had been killed by those evil mobs"....and even then I only had a vague impression that he'd lived polygamy.)

Same here. Very vague. I had a fuzzy picture of JS and Eliza R. Snow having something approaching a relationship.

The idea, though, that getting to people earlier is the way through this problem is too easy. My kids got "inoculated" in seminary. Still got sick.

[achilles]

Yes. I had read Bushman's Rough Stone Rolling. I told my friend about polyandry. It upset him deeply. He decided not to be friends anymore.

[Ho Lee Turtle]

Yes. As a avid reader, I discovered it long ago and was always disappointed that it seemed "hidden" and not really talked about like Brigham Young's practice of it was.

[Anon70]

Yes

I didn't know how young some of them were. Didn't know Emma didn't know about it. Was told most were widows aka not real marriages but where he supported them and many were sealed to him after his death etc ad nauseum.

I didn't know about polyandry. That was a shocker.

[moksha]

I aways thought Joseph Smith practicing polygamy was common knowledge. Of course, I was raised in an era where there was a lot of buzz from Fawn Brodie's history book "Know Man Knows My History" (even though the Mormons of that era primarily focused on fluoridation of the drinking water causing communism). For those somehow trapped in the Zion bubble, this new knowledge must have been disconcerting when it was finally acknowledged by the Church.

[AllieOop]

Yes, but not from any church materials or speeches. I found out doing my own research on the internet

(I'm embarrassed to admit that I bought the old "Joseph only was married to a few old widows whose husbands had been killed by those evil mobs"....and even then I only had a vague impression that he'd lived polygamy.)

Same here. Very vague. I had a fuzzy picture of JS and Eliza R. Snow having something approaching a relationship.

I read somewhere that if any member could name one of Joseph's plural wives, it was Eliza R. Snow, so that's interesting. I think it may be because she wrote about it and also because she was just a figure who was more well known (and a sister to another prophet). Many still believed that they were sealed after Joseph's death though.

[Deepthinker]

Yes, I knew before the essay.

[Nowyoutellme]

No.

[Enoch Witty]

Yes, but solely due to the Work and the Glory, which ignored all the gory details but did in fact indicate that it happened.

I now look back differently on a scene where the Joshua character was worried that Joseph Smith was trying to hit on his 16-year-old daughter, but then everyone figured out it was just a miscommunication and everything's all cool now!

[desertrat]

I've always had some vague idea that he practiced it, but that is was something like taking care of the widows. Somewhere around 2005 I had an institute teacher that had the integrity to teach nearly all of the unpleasant and not-talked-about aspects of church history. I hold that man in such high esteem to this day for that. It was there that I first began to be aware of the extent and circumstances of JS's involvement. It was then that I learned about polyandry, Fanny, lying to Emma, etc. I started reading Rough Stone Rolling in around 2008.

[Misbehaved Woman]

Yes.