A Brief History of Mormon Polygamy

Feb 13, 2023

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When many people hear about Mormonism, their first thought is polygamy. The mainstream LDS church continues to try to downplay their polygamist roots. But polygamy in LDS offshoots keeps cropping up in the news. How did polygamy get started? Why did they do it? When did it end? Are Mormons polygamists today?

Joseph Smith and the Origins of Polygamy

Some of early LDS scripture is in response to questions asked JS
One such question: why many OT leaders had more than one wife (as early as 1831)
Smith was interested in restoring ancient biblical religion
But without context or hermeneutical discernment
How many wives? 40 - 49.
Some dispute bc documents do not always exist
Fanny Alger (1833) - 16 yr old housemaid living with Smiths
People closest to Smith (Emma, Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris) believed it was simply adultery
Apparently there was a marriage ceremony; although this may be dubious - based on very late accounts
Plural marriage in Nauvoo (1841-1844)
Practiced entirely in secrecy
Smith’s wives
Two under 14
Eight were already married to other men
Some pairs of sisters / in some cases, mother and daughter
Many of these were consummated
Key leaders initiated into the practice → loyalty test / initiation into higher level
About 100 people initiated into it before Smith’s death
Smith’s denials of polygamy - 1835 even became part of LDS scripture for a time
Smith’s justification for plural marriage
Claims that David’s multiple wive and concubines were given to him by God
Lots of problems with this claim (see below)
But → biblical prophets / kings did not take multiple wives then lie about it
Backlash reaction - Nauvoo Expositor
Leaders in Nauvoo began to hear rumors / opposed Smith for this reason
William Law started an opposition newspaper devoted to “exposing” plural marriage
Only one edition → Smith had it destroyed = the reason for his arrest, which led to his death

See the LDS Church’s Gospel Topics Essay on Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo

Brigham Young and Utah Polygamy

BY was already initiated in plural marriage when took over
J Smith dies - 1844
B Young leads exodus to Utah - 1846-47
Public announcement of polygamy - 1852
Published the written revelation → Section 132 of D&C
Brigham Young’s polygamy practice
51-56 wives / 56 children
Some lived with him as wives; others were sealed only for eternity; others were married to him as “welfare” cases (older widows)
Other prominent practitioners → basically every top leader; Young’s successors
Plural marriage as a Utah institution
Those in leadership positions were encouraged / expected to take multiple wives
Never a majority practice: St George: 1870 - 30%; 1880 - 40%
South Weber 1880 - 5%
Most polygamists had 2 wives

See the LDS Church’s Gospel Topics Essay on Plural Marriage and Families in Early Utah

The End of Polygamy in the LDS Church

Popular opposition in the US
1856 (just after public revelation) = Republican party platform opposed polygamy
Pressure from the US government
Series of US laws from 1862-1874 seeking to undermine / prohibit polygamy
1882: Edmunds Act - disenfranchised convicted polygamists
1887: Edmunds-Tucker Act - threatened to shut the church down financially
Polygamy goes underground
Church leaders / members went into hiding to avoid arrest
The Manifesto - 1890
New LDS President Wilford Woodruff - changed church’s policy
Advised LDS to “refrain from contracting any marriages forbidden by the law of the land.”
Merely created ambiguity
Continued practice of plural marriages - including all polygamous general authorities
Many polygamists moved to Canada and Mexico to continuing in plural marriages
Second Manifesto - 1904
The LDS Church finally actually stopped authorizing new plural marriages
Began excommunicating those who did not comply
Even then, most LDS men with plural wives continued in those relationships
The 1st LDS President who was not a polygamist: George Albert Smith (1945)

See the LDS Church’s Gospel Topics Essay on The Manifesto and the End of Plural Marriage

The Survival of Polygamy in the Fundamentalist Movement

Many believed the LDS Church discontinued polygamy only due to government pressure
Continued the practice in secret or in isolation
Excommunicated by LDS church
The John Taylor conspiracy
3rd LDS prophet: died while in hiding from polygamy prosecution
Modern fundamentals claim he set apart some men to continue with polygamy, sensing that the church would cave
In 1930s, 7 leading polygamists formed a loose confederation to keep polygamy going
Included various groups led over time by a changing cast of “prophets”
Many internal splits / splinter groups
Current status of polygamy
Main groups: Kingstons, FLDS, United Apostolic Brethren
Many smaller groups, independents
How many? No one knows. 40,000 throughout the West?
Mainstream LDS Church and polygamy
Didn’t really end it, only suspended it → still authorized in D&C 132 as a “everlasting covenant”
No divine revelation ending the practice
Still acknowledged as an eternal principle → multiple sealings
As marriage practices & laws change in US, could it be reinstated?
Not as long as the public views it as weird / marginal
LDS Church is most interested in its image

Biblical Response to Polygamy

Never commanded by God
Contrary to order of creation in Gen 2
One man, one woman → united / joined
Note how this becomes the basis for NT teaching on marriage
Every instance leads to tragic results
Abraham - conflict between wives
Solomon - “his wives turned his heart away” (1 Kings 11:3)
Strictly forbidden for Israel’s kings - Deut 17:17
Contrary to the biblical image of God’s relationship w/Israel
God as Israel’s spouse (Hosea) → one chosen nation only, not many
NT: Christ has one bride; cf Eph 5