Polygamy Essay Lesson
Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2017 3:13 pm
I recorded the lesson, but I’m not posting a transcript. I’m using it to type up general notes. I’m a little reluctant to do this because I don’t want to “out” myself. I admit that part of me was wondering in the week preceding this lesson if the leadership was having these lessons to see who the “less faithful” members are. Yes, I’m paranoid. Anyway, this is just the lesson without any commentary from me.
The meeting began with two men asking for money for friends of scouting. I only bring this up because they took over ten minutes to do this and I think it’s relevant. The lesson ended up being 35 minutes long, but went over by almost ten minutes.
A counselor from the RS taught. She is a very TBM, Provo-type, pious Mormon. She taught the lesson lecture style – there was some input from the class, but very little. There were five black and white portraits of ancestors on the table, all men and a miniature Nauvoo temple. She began the lesson by saying that it was decided by the Stake that there would be eleven lessons this year on the Gospel topics essays and we were beginning with polygamy. She did not specify which stake presidency this was – the Stake President, or Stake RS. The HP and EQ did not have a lesson on the essays, polygamy, or anything like that.
So here’s the way the lesson basically went:
The church was organized in 1830
Polygamy revelation was in 1831
The people who lived at this time were feisty revolutionaries who were willing to fight and live for what they believed was right. The early LDS church had a lot of unusual and difficult doctrines. People joined because they studied and had a testimony. People felt very strongly both in favor and against the church.
Five reasons for polygamy
1. Raise BIC seed – BoM
2. Made marriage available to all who desired it – there were more women than men
3. helped economically disadvantaged women – distributed wealth more equally
4. Promoted ethnic intermarriage (between different European communities) – cohesion and group identification
5. Peculiar/covenant people
Joseph Smith (JS) received revelation on plural marriage because he wanted to understand the bible. He wanted to understand it, not asking how he could start practicing it too. (small nervous laughter from a few women)
Initially JS did not tell many people about plural marriage. Mostly men who were close to him, the school of prophets. He didn’t keep a lot of notes on it, but other people did and that’s how we have the info from decades after any of this happened. Plural marriage was not taught or asked of anybody.
1834-1842 an angel came to JS three times and commanded him to proceed with plural marriage, JS hesitated. During the final angelic visitation the angel had a drawn sword and threatened JS. JS had to choose between his wife and the angel with a sword.
Emma was opposed to plural marriage. There were times when she was more humble than other times and would allow it a little bit. We only know from what other people say. Some people say he took a wife in Kirtland, but that she left (the church, I presume is what she means). But there are no facts about this.
Polygamy is hated in western culture and is an artifact of Roman culture. That’s why so many people are opposed to it. George Q. Cannon, in the journal of discourses, quotes someone who talks about how well taken care of and without prostitution eastern Asian countries were because polygamy took care of women better than monogamy, which results in degradation and poverty. (A few comments from the class during this section.)
1841 - First polygamous wife to (JS) was Louisa Beaman
Plural marriage was done for practical, economic, and religious reasons. The promise of exaltation and families can be forever are the reasons people were drawn to it – sealings.
The people of the time differentiated between “time and eternity” and “eternity only.” Difficult for us to understand today.
First plural marriages were for eternity only. There were no “physical relations.” Many of the women he married for eternity only were already married to living men. Again, difficult concept to understand in the 21st century. It seems wrong, but some of the women who left records felt an urgency to be married and sealed to priesthood authority – they were married to non-members or apostates or in unhappy marriages. Divorce was difficult so sealing to JS gave them eternal blessings. The principle was misunderstood. Quote: “I made a greater sacrifice than to give my life,” said Zina Huntington Jacobs, “for I never anticipated again to be looked upon as an honorable woman…I searched the scripture & by humble prayer to my Heavenly Father I obtained a testimony for myself.” Much of this part of the lesson was read from the Kirtland/Nauvoo essay.
Emma did not have a testimony of plural marriage. JS never said anything bad about Emma. We know nothing about their conversations about polygamy. We know from others’ writings it was her most difficult struggle and led her to not going to Utah. It caused a lot of bitter feelings. She was vilified in general conference addresses. But JS never said anything bad about her. He had nice names for her like dearest and loving, stuff like that.
1844 - 29 men and 50 women entered in plural marriage. That’s confusing and doesn’t really make sense, but moving on…
We don’t know how many women married JS, but we know most of them were eternity only. The oldest was 56, the youngest was married before her fifteenth birthday. It was okay back then because it was legal and common on the frontier.
“The girl who married him before she was fifteen” said her marriage was eternity only.
1843 revelation was written down, luckily in more than one place because Emma destroyed it.
1857 half of Utah residents involved in polygamist families.
1862 the US passed laws against it. 1870, 25 -30% live in polygamist households. Not everyone was part of a plural marriage. Only about 25% of men. Only 66% of them had two wives.
1879 the anti-polygamy laws were upheld meaning, a person can believe what they want but can’t do whatever they want. This is instructive for our own day. And the church instructed members to obey God more than the government.
1880s US begins to prosecute for polygamy – women and children go into hiding., Edmunds Act (jail time and fines) almost all GAs and stake presidents in hiding. Difficult to run a church.
US government begins to confiscate church property, like temples. Saving ordinances could not be performed. Polygamist colonies begin.
Manifesto says no more plural marriage. Wilford Woodruff received revelation that the church would be destroyed if polygamy was not ended. Church tries to build a temple in Missouri as commanded, but antagonism is too much, God lifts the commandment. Lifting the commandment of polygamy is much the same thing. The saints did not realize that lifting the celestial law of plural marriage would be a permanent thing. The church has never come out and said polygamy was wrong, just that we’re not going to do it based on the laws of the land.
Amnesty granted to polygamists. Some people still got married plurally, mostly outside of Utah, but second Manifesto stopped plural marriage completely. This is when the fundamentalist groups split off, the groups that practice polygamy today. We do not practice it any more. People in plural marriages could remain in them and kept having children in them up through the 1930s.
Shows her ancestral photographs who were polygamists or descended from polygamists.
Why we need to learn this: It was one of the most challenging laws of the restoration, violating cultural and legal norms leading to persecution. Despite this, there was benefit to the church and those who were faithful (to polygamy) we respect and honor these people. We may be entering an era where we are going to be asked to do hard things from the church of church members from church leaders and where are we going to stand?
The meeting began with two men asking for money for friends of scouting. I only bring this up because they took over ten minutes to do this and I think it’s relevant. The lesson ended up being 35 minutes long, but went over by almost ten minutes.
A counselor from the RS taught. She is a very TBM, Provo-type, pious Mormon. She taught the lesson lecture style – there was some input from the class, but very little. There were five black and white portraits of ancestors on the table, all men and a miniature Nauvoo temple. She began the lesson by saying that it was decided by the Stake that there would be eleven lessons this year on the Gospel topics essays and we were beginning with polygamy. She did not specify which stake presidency this was – the Stake President, or Stake RS. The HP and EQ did not have a lesson on the essays, polygamy, or anything like that.
So here’s the way the lesson basically went:
The church was organized in 1830
Polygamy revelation was in 1831
The people who lived at this time were feisty revolutionaries who were willing to fight and live for what they believed was right. The early LDS church had a lot of unusual and difficult doctrines. People joined because they studied and had a testimony. People felt very strongly both in favor and against the church.
Five reasons for polygamy
1. Raise BIC seed – BoM
2. Made marriage available to all who desired it – there were more women than men
3. helped economically disadvantaged women – distributed wealth more equally
4. Promoted ethnic intermarriage (between different European communities) – cohesion and group identification
5. Peculiar/covenant people
Joseph Smith (JS) received revelation on plural marriage because he wanted to understand the bible. He wanted to understand it, not asking how he could start practicing it too. (small nervous laughter from a few women)
Initially JS did not tell many people about plural marriage. Mostly men who were close to him, the school of prophets. He didn’t keep a lot of notes on it, but other people did and that’s how we have the info from decades after any of this happened. Plural marriage was not taught or asked of anybody.
1834-1842 an angel came to JS three times and commanded him to proceed with plural marriage, JS hesitated. During the final angelic visitation the angel had a drawn sword and threatened JS. JS had to choose between his wife and the angel with a sword.
Emma was opposed to plural marriage. There were times when she was more humble than other times and would allow it a little bit. We only know from what other people say. Some people say he took a wife in Kirtland, but that she left (the church, I presume is what she means). But there are no facts about this.
Polygamy is hated in western culture and is an artifact of Roman culture. That’s why so many people are opposed to it. George Q. Cannon, in the journal of discourses, quotes someone who talks about how well taken care of and without prostitution eastern Asian countries were because polygamy took care of women better than monogamy, which results in degradation and poverty. (A few comments from the class during this section.)
1841 - First polygamous wife to (JS) was Louisa Beaman
Plural marriage was done for practical, economic, and religious reasons. The promise of exaltation and families can be forever are the reasons people were drawn to it – sealings.
The people of the time differentiated between “time and eternity” and “eternity only.” Difficult for us to understand today.
First plural marriages were for eternity only. There were no “physical relations.” Many of the women he married for eternity only were already married to living men. Again, difficult concept to understand in the 21st century. It seems wrong, but some of the women who left records felt an urgency to be married and sealed to priesthood authority – they were married to non-members or apostates or in unhappy marriages. Divorce was difficult so sealing to JS gave them eternal blessings. The principle was misunderstood. Quote: “I made a greater sacrifice than to give my life,” said Zina Huntington Jacobs, “for I never anticipated again to be looked upon as an honorable woman…I searched the scripture & by humble prayer to my Heavenly Father I obtained a testimony for myself.” Much of this part of the lesson was read from the Kirtland/Nauvoo essay.
Emma did not have a testimony of plural marriage. JS never said anything bad about Emma. We know nothing about their conversations about polygamy. We know from others’ writings it was her most difficult struggle and led her to not going to Utah. It caused a lot of bitter feelings. She was vilified in general conference addresses. But JS never said anything bad about her. He had nice names for her like dearest and loving, stuff like that.
1844 - 29 men and 50 women entered in plural marriage. That’s confusing and doesn’t really make sense, but moving on…
We don’t know how many women married JS, but we know most of them were eternity only. The oldest was 56, the youngest was married before her fifteenth birthday. It was okay back then because it was legal and common on the frontier.
“The girl who married him before she was fifteen” said her marriage was eternity only.
1843 revelation was written down, luckily in more than one place because Emma destroyed it.
1857 half of Utah residents involved in polygamist families.
1862 the US passed laws against it. 1870, 25 -30% live in polygamist households. Not everyone was part of a plural marriage. Only about 25% of men. Only 66% of them had two wives.
1879 the anti-polygamy laws were upheld meaning, a person can believe what they want but can’t do whatever they want. This is instructive for our own day. And the church instructed members to obey God more than the government.
1880s US begins to prosecute for polygamy – women and children go into hiding., Edmunds Act (jail time and fines) almost all GAs and stake presidents in hiding. Difficult to run a church.
US government begins to confiscate church property, like temples. Saving ordinances could not be performed. Polygamist colonies begin.
Manifesto says no more plural marriage. Wilford Woodruff received revelation that the church would be destroyed if polygamy was not ended. Church tries to build a temple in Missouri as commanded, but antagonism is too much, God lifts the commandment. Lifting the commandment of polygamy is much the same thing. The saints did not realize that lifting the celestial law of plural marriage would be a permanent thing. The church has never come out and said polygamy was wrong, just that we’re not going to do it based on the laws of the land.
Amnesty granted to polygamists. Some people still got married plurally, mostly outside of Utah, but second Manifesto stopped plural marriage completely. This is when the fundamentalist groups split off, the groups that practice polygamy today. We do not practice it any more. People in plural marriages could remain in them and kept having children in them up through the 1930s.
Shows her ancestral photographs who were polygamists or descended from polygamists.
Why we need to learn this: It was one of the most challenging laws of the restoration, violating cultural and legal norms leading to persecution. Despite this, there was benefit to the church and those who were faithful (to polygamy) we respect and honor these people. We may be entering an era where we are going to be asked to do hard things from the church of church members from church leaders and where are we going to stand?
The f@$#ing nerve! But so, so typical!! (BTW- My DD is a girl scout and she sells cookies.)