Mom's question. "What was your very first question/doubt?" My response.
Posted: Mon May 08, 2017 11:27 am
The first main issue was after I read the Church essay on polygamy in Kirtland and Nauvoo.
When I read that I had the idea in my mind that polygamy was always living together under one roof and one priesthood leader like Brigham Young caring for his wives and families. After reading the essay I learned a few things I didn't know.
-Joseph Smith practiced polygamy and had 30-35 wives.
-He also practiced polyandry, marrying other mens wives.
-Polygamy was actually illegal in Illinois.
-Joseph instructed people to lie about him practicing polygamy.
-Joseph Smith married a "almost 15 year old" (as the essay puts it, a dishonest way to avoid saying the real age of 14) when he was 37 years old. This age difference actually wasn't common in the old days. (Many sources can show this.)
-In Jacob 2:23-24 it condemns polygamy by giving the example of David and Solomon saying that what they did was an abomination before the Lord. Then in D&C 132:1 says, "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"
How could the Lord say that it was ok for David and Solomon in the Doctorine and Convents but in the Book of Mormon he said that it wasn't ok?
I thought about these things for over a year and studied more about polygamy from all the church approved sources. I never could feel right about it.i realize that we don't understand everything about the gospel and why God would need polygamy restored. But the two reasons I always understood didn't fit right either.
1) Polygamy was intended to raise up seed when there weren't many men. This didn't work because as far as we know Joseph Smith didn't have children with other women yet he was about to with Emma.
2) All the gospel had to be restored and this was something that was practiced in the Old Testament. The problem with that was that not everything was restored. For example sacrificing animals wasn't restored. The law of Moses was fulfilled by Christ so there shouldn't be a need to restore the Old law.
3) Taking care of old widows or others. Most of Joseph's plural marriages ended in separation or divorce.
After much prayer I still couldn't find a reason why polygamy would of been accepted by God.
This is one issue that has hundreds of things wrong within the issue. And this is just one of the issues. I have about 30 things that all have other sub-issues.
I don't expect to get answers to all my questions, I understand that that isn't how faith works. One night I was in a hotel room for work and I was reading the scriptures looking for answers. And I read the verse in Matt. 11:30. My Yoke is Easy and my burden is light. I didn't feel like the burden was light or that the yoke was easy. Most days I felt inadequate as a member of the Church. I felt guilt for sins of omission. I knelt down and prayed and I heard a clear answer that the Church is good but it's not the only true Church.
I love the Church and it is good. It does teach so much good and has given me a foundation of morals and Christ centered teachings. But I don't believe that God or Jesus are found only in the LDS Church. That other Churches have truth and error but the LDS Church along with it's truth has error as well. Ultimately, we all need Jesus Christ and the gift of the atonement that he has given to everyone! His atonement is finished and he asks us to believe on Him. If you go through and read the New Testament you will see a different type of Jesus. A true Saviour that came to be an example, to teach us how to be like Him and ultimately to die for our sins so that we can overcome sin and death. My testimony of that and the personal relationship I have with him has grown deeper since just accepting his gospel for as simple as it is laid out in the New Testament.
I love you and Dad both so much. I would hate something the come between our relationship and I hope that ultimately we can become closer through a mutual understanding of our differences and but more importantly through our commonalities.
Again, Love you!
Link https://www.lds.org/topics/plural-marri ... o?lang=eng
When I read that I had the idea in my mind that polygamy was always living together under one roof and one priesthood leader like Brigham Young caring for his wives and families. After reading the essay I learned a few things I didn't know.
-Joseph Smith practiced polygamy and had 30-35 wives.
-He also practiced polyandry, marrying other mens wives.
-Polygamy was actually illegal in Illinois.
-Joseph instructed people to lie about him practicing polygamy.
-Joseph Smith married a "almost 15 year old" (as the essay puts it, a dishonest way to avoid saying the real age of 14) when he was 37 years old. This age difference actually wasn't common in the old days. (Many sources can show this.)
-In Jacob 2:23-24 it condemns polygamy by giving the example of David and Solomon saying that what they did was an abomination before the Lord. Then in D&C 132:1 says, "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"
How could the Lord say that it was ok for David and Solomon in the Doctorine and Convents but in the Book of Mormon he said that it wasn't ok?
I thought about these things for over a year and studied more about polygamy from all the church approved sources. I never could feel right about it.i realize that we don't understand everything about the gospel and why God would need polygamy restored. But the two reasons I always understood didn't fit right either.
1) Polygamy was intended to raise up seed when there weren't many men. This didn't work because as far as we know Joseph Smith didn't have children with other women yet he was about to with Emma.
2) All the gospel had to be restored and this was something that was practiced in the Old Testament. The problem with that was that not everything was restored. For example sacrificing animals wasn't restored. The law of Moses was fulfilled by Christ so there shouldn't be a need to restore the Old law.
3) Taking care of old widows or others. Most of Joseph's plural marriages ended in separation or divorce.
After much prayer I still couldn't find a reason why polygamy would of been accepted by God.
This is one issue that has hundreds of things wrong within the issue. And this is just one of the issues. I have about 30 things that all have other sub-issues.
I don't expect to get answers to all my questions, I understand that that isn't how faith works. One night I was in a hotel room for work and I was reading the scriptures looking for answers. And I read the verse in Matt. 11:30. My Yoke is Easy and my burden is light. I didn't feel like the burden was light or that the yoke was easy. Most days I felt inadequate as a member of the Church. I felt guilt for sins of omission. I knelt down and prayed and I heard a clear answer that the Church is good but it's not the only true Church.
I love the Church and it is good. It does teach so much good and has given me a foundation of morals and Christ centered teachings. But I don't believe that God or Jesus are found only in the LDS Church. That other Churches have truth and error but the LDS Church along with it's truth has error as well. Ultimately, we all need Jesus Christ and the gift of the atonement that he has given to everyone! His atonement is finished and he asks us to believe on Him. If you go through and read the New Testament you will see a different type of Jesus. A true Saviour that came to be an example, to teach us how to be like Him and ultimately to die for our sins so that we can overcome sin and death. My testimony of that and the personal relationship I have with him has grown deeper since just accepting his gospel for as simple as it is laid out in the New Testament.
I love you and Dad both so much. I would hate something the come between our relationship and I hope that ultimately we can become closer through a mutual understanding of our differences and but more importantly through our commonalities.
Again, Love you!
Link https://www.lds.org/topics/plural-marri ... o?lang=eng