Joseph Smith/Polygamy/Sent husbands on missions to steal wives/Further Reading

FAIR Answers Wiki Table of Contents <onlyinclude>

The Church and plural marriage (or polygamy)

Summary: Plural marriage was an integral part of the Church in the pioneer era.

Second video published by the Church History Department.

Jump to Subtopic:

• Polygamy in Latter-day Saint scripture
• Polygamy in the 19th Century
• The attitude of the modern Church toward polygamy
• Polygamy as practiced anciently
• Joseph Smith and polygamy
• The First Manifesto
• Polygamy Book draft chapters written by Gregory L. Smith
• Gospel Topics, "Plural Marriage and Families in Early Utah"
• Valerie Hudson, "A Reconciliation of Polygamy"

Joseph Smith and Plural Marriage (Polygamy)

Summary: Joseph Smith is frequently criticized for his introduction and practice of plural marriage (often called polygamy). From a Christian perspective, these attacks usually focus on arguing that polygamy is unchristian or unbiblical, and that Joseph hid the truth from the world. From a secular perspective, it is asserted that the practice of polygamy sprung from Joseph's carnal desires to marry young women. Of particular interest is the fact that Joseph was sealed to women who were already married to other men (polyandry).

Video published by the Church History Department.

Jump to Subtopic:

• Plural wives of Joseph Smith, Jr.
• Implementation of plural marriage
• Doctrinal issues related to plural marriage
• Critics' claimed motivations for Joseph's implementation of plural marriage
• Keeping plural marriage a secret
• Entering into plural marriage
• Joseph Smith and polyandry
• Emma Smith and polygamy
• Children of Joseph Smith by polygamous marriages
• Mormonism and divorce in the nineteenth century

Doctrine and Covenants

Jump to Subtopic:

• Textual changes in the Doctrine and Covenants
• Criticism of the Doctrine and Covenants
• Doctrine and Covenants and Book of Mormon geography
• The Doctrine and Covenants and polygamy
• Lectures on Faith

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Textual changes in the Doctrine and Covenants

Summary: Joseph Smith and others made revisions, additions, and deletions to his early revelations when preparing them for publication. Some claim that revelations from God are inerrant and should never be changed, and that this proves that Joseph Smith did not receive revelation.

Jump to Subtopic:

• Why and how revelations were modified in the Doctrine and Covenants
• Oliver Cowdery and the "rod of nature"

Why and how revelations were modified in the Doctrine and Covenants

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: Who made the changes to the Doctrine and Covenants?
• Question: What changes were made to the Doctrine and Covenants?
• Question: What are the reasons for the changes to the Doctrine and Covenants?
• Question: How do Mormons understand prophetic revelation?
• Question: Were the changes to the revelations hidden from the Church members?
• Question: Have edits to the revelations been discussed in the present day?
• Brigham Young (1855): "I do not even believe that there is a single revelation, among the many God has given to the Church, that is perfect in its fulness"
• Question: Was the revelation comprising the current Doctrine and Covenants 27 altered to include mention of the priesthood restoration?
• Question: If the Doctrine and Covenants contained quotations from God, why would Joseph Smith later edit God's words?
• Question: Was the removal of the name "Michael" from the original vision of the Celestial Kingdom and attempt to hide a "slip up" by Joseph Smith?
• Ensign, "Great and Marvelous Are the Revelations of God"

Oliver Cowdery and the "rod of nature"

Summary: It is claimed that a revelation received by Joseph praised Oliver Cowdery's gift of using divining talents. It is claimed that the revelation was published in the Book of Commandments in its original form, then subsequently modified in the Doctrine and Covenants in order to hide the reference to the "rod of nature." Therefore, it is claimed that Joseph attempted to "cover up" Oliver Cowdery's work with a divining rod by changing a revelation. Critics also claim that Oliver would ask questions of his divining rod in faith and it would move in response.

Jump to Subtopic:

• Revelations in Context on history.lds.org: "Cowdery was among those who believed in and used a divining rod"
• Question: Was Oliver Cowdery a "treasure hunter and 'rodsman'?
• Question: What if the "rod of nature" was indeed a physical object such as a divining rod?
• Question: Did Joseph Smith attempt to "cover up" Oliver Cowdery's work with a divining rod by changing the wording of the revelation that became Doctrine and Covenants 8:6–8?
• Question: How was the wording of the "rod of nature" revelation that became Doctrine and Covenants 8:6–8 altered over time?
• Gospel Topics: "the Bible mentions other physical instruments used to access God’s power: the rod of Aaron, a brass serpent, holy anointing oils, the Ark of the Covenant, and even dirt from the ground mixed with saliva"
• Dallin H. Oaks (1987): "It should be recognized that such tools as the Urim and Thummim, the Liahona, seerstones, and other articles have been used appropriately in biblical, Book of Mormon, and modern times"

Criticism of the Doctrine and Covenants

Jump to Subtopic:

• Alleged contradictions in the Doctrine and Covenants
• Criticisms of the use of the New Testament in the Doctrine and Covenants

Alleged contradictions in the Doctrine and Covenants

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: Why does Doctrine and Covenants 132 speak favorably about some Old Testament practitioners of plural marriage, while Jacob 2 is negative?
• Question: Does Doctrine and Covenants 84 say that one cannot see God without holding the priesthood?

The Use of the New Testament in the Doctrine and Covenants

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: Who authored the Gospel of John?

Doctrine and Covenants and Book of Mormon geography

Summary: Proponents of certain Book of Mormon geographical theories attempt to find clues in the Doctrine and Covenants.

Jump to Subtopic:

• The Doctrine and Covenants and the Lamanites
• The Doctrine and Covenants and the locations in the Book of Mormon

The Doctrine and Covenants and the Lamanites

Summary: Since in the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord refers to American Indians in North America as "Lamanites" (e.g., DC 28:8-9,14, DC 30:6, DC 32:2, DC 54:8), does this cause problems for the Limited Geography Theory (LGT) or issues of Amerindian genetic data?

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: Does the fact that the Doctrine and Covenants refers to North American Indians as "Lamanites" contradict the theory that the Book of Mormon events took place in Mesoamerica?

The Doctrine and Covenants and the locations in the Book of Mormon

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: Was Zarahemla located near present-day Nauvoo?

The Doctrine and Covenants and polygamy

Jump to Subtopic:

• 1835 Doctrine and Covenants denies polygamy—D&C 101 (original)
• Scriptural references to plural marriage in the Doctrine and Covenants

1835 Doctrine and Covenants denies polygamy—D&C 101 (original)

Summary: The 1835 edition of the D&C contained a statement of marriage which denied the practice of polygamy. Since this was published during Joseph Smith's lifetime, why might the prophet have allowed it to be published if he was actually practicing polygamy at that time?

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: Why did the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants include a statement of marriage that denied the practice of polygamy at a time when some were actually practicing it?
• Question: Was Oliver Cowdery aware that some in the Church were practicing polygamy in 1835 at the time he authored the "Article on Marriage"?
• Question: Was the practice of polygamy general knowledge among Latter-day Saints in 1835 when the "Article on Marriage" was published?

Scriptural references to plural marriage in the Doctrine and Covenants

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: Why does Doctrine and Covenants 132 speak favorably about some Old Testament practitioners of plural marriage, while Jacob 2 is negative?
• Question: Since Joseph Smith "married" the wives of 11 other men, why were those women not "destroyed" as specified in the Doctrine and Covenants since they continued to live with their "previous" husbands?
• Question: Under what circumstances was Doctrine and Covenants Section 132 committed to writing?

Lectures on Faith

Jump to Subtopic:

• Lecture of Faith 5 teaches the Father is "a personage of spirit"
• Removal of the Lectures on Faith from the Doctrine and Covenants
• Noel B. Reynolds, "The Authorship Debate concerning Lectures on Faith: Exhumation and Reburial"

Lecture of Faith 5 teaches the Father is "a personage of spirit"

Summary: Lectures on Faith, which used to be part of the Doctrine and Covenants, teach that God is a spirit. Joseph Smith's later teachings contradict this. More generally, critics argue that Joseph Smith taught an essentially "trinitarian" view of the Godhead until the mid 1830s, thus proving the Joseph was "making it up" as he went along.

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: What are the Lectures on Faith?
• Question: What does Lecture 5 of the Lectures on Faith say about the nature of God?
• Question: How would a statement that "God is a spirit" be interpreted in ancient Judasism?
• Question: Did Joseph began his prophetic career with a "trinitarian" idea of God?
• Question: What are modern Church leader's views on the Lectures on Faith?
• Question: Is the Father embodied or a spirit in the first edition of the Doctrine and Covenants?

Removal of the Lectures on Faith from the Doctrine and Covenants

Summary: Critics argue that the Lectures on Faith were "quietly" removed from the Doctrine and Covenants without general church membership consent, that the Lectures on Faith are not available to the general Church membership through Church sources, and that they can only be obtained through non-LDS sources (despite their availability at Deseret Book).

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: What are the Lectures on Faith?
• Question: Who wrote the Lectures on Faith?
• Question: Why were the Lectures on Faith removed from the Doctrine and Covenants in 1921?
• Question: Were the Lectures on Faith revelations?
• Question: Are the Lectures on Faith not made available through Latter-day Saint sources?
• Noel B. Reynolds, "The Authorship Debate concerning Lectures on Faith: Exhumation and Reburial"

Lectures on Faith

Jump to Subtopic:

• Lecture of Faith 5 teaches the Father is "a personage of spirit"
• Removal of the Lectures on Faith from the Doctrine and Covenants
• Noel B. Reynolds, "The Authorship Debate concerning Lectures on Faith: Exhumation and Reburial"

Lecture of Faith 5 teaches the Father is "a personage of spirit"

Summary: Lectures on Faith, which used to be part of the Doctrine and Covenants, teach that God is a spirit. Joseph Smith's later teachings contradict this. More generally, critics argue that Joseph Smith taught an essentially "trinitarian" view of the Godhead until the mid 1830s, thus proving the Joseph was "making it up" as he went along.

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: What are the Lectures on Faith?
• Question: What does Lecture 5 of the Lectures on Faith say about the nature of God?
• Question: How would a statement that "God is a spirit" be interpreted in ancient Judasism?
• Question: Did Joseph began his prophetic career with a "trinitarian" idea of God?
• Question: What are modern Church leader's views on the Lectures on Faith?
• Question: Is the Father embodied or a spirit in the first edition of the Doctrine and Covenants?

Removal of the Lectures on Faith from the Doctrine and Covenants

Summary: Critics argue that the Lectures on Faith were "quietly" removed from the Doctrine and Covenants without general church membership consent, that the Lectures on Faith are not available to the general Church membership through Church sources, and that they can only be obtained through non-LDS sources (despite their availability at Deseret Book).

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: What are the Lectures on Faith?
• Question: Who wrote the Lectures on Faith?
• Question: Why were the Lectures on Faith removed from the Doctrine and Covenants in 1921?
• Question: Were the Lectures on Faith revelations?
• Question: Are the Lectures on Faith not made available through Latter-day Saint sources?
• Noel B. Reynolds, "The Authorship Debate concerning Lectures on Faith: Exhumation and Reburial"

FairMormon web site

Plural marriage FAIR links

• Suzanne Armitage, "O that my voice could reach the ears of those uninformed and misinformed." FairMormon link
• Claudia Bushman, "Lives of Mormon Women," FAIR presentation transcript, 2006. FairMormon link
• Gregory L. Smith, "Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Plural Marriage (*But Were Afraid to Ask)," FAIR Conference presentation (7 August 2009).
• Gregory L. Smith, "Polygamy, Prophets, and Prevarication: Frequently and Rarely Asked Questions about the Initiation, Practice, and Cessation of Plural Marriage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," FAIR, 2005.
• Allen Wyatt, "Zina and Her Men: An Examination of the Changing Marital State of Zina Diantha Huntington Jacobs Smith Young," FAIR presentation transcript, 2006. FairMormon link

External links

Plural marriage on-line articles

• James B. Allen, "Line upon Line," Ensign (July 1979), 32–40. off-site
• Edwin B. Firmage, "The Judicial Campaign against Polygamy and the Enduring Legal Questions," Brigham Young University Studies 27 no. 3 (Summer 1987), 91–113. PDF link
• Danel Bachman, Ronald K. Esplin, "Plural Marriage," in Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 4 vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow, (New York, Macmillan Publishing, 1992), 3:1091–1095. off-site
• Stephen R. Gibson, "Does the Book of Mormon Forbid Polygamy," lightplanet.com. off-site
• Gordon Irving, "The Law of Adoption: One Phase of the Development of the Mormon Concept of Salvation, 1830–1900," Brigham Young University Studies 14 no. 3 (Spring 1974), 291–314. PDF link
• Stephen E. Robinson, Are Mormons Christians? (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Company, 1993),90–96. off-site FairMormon link
• Gilbert W. Scharffs, The Truth About “The Godmakers”: A Response to an Inaccurate Portrayal of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Salt Lake City: Publishers Press, 1986). FairMormon link
• Gregory L. Smith, "George D. Smith's Nauvoo Polygamy (A review of "Nauvoo Polygamy:...but we called it celestial marriage" by: George D. Smith)," FARMS Review 20/2 (2008): 37–123. off-site wiki
• W. John Walsh, "Is Plural Marriage Necessary for Exaltation?" off-site
• Robert B. White, "A Review of the Dust Jacket and the First Two Pages (A review of "Nauvoo Polygamy:...but we called it celestial marriage" by: George D. Smith)," FARMS Review 20/2 (2008): 125–129. off-site wiki
• Mormon-polygamy.org off-site

Printed material

Plural marriage printed references

• Danel W. Bachman, “A Study of the Mormon Practice of Polygamy Before the Death of Joseph Smith,” (1975) (unpublished M.A. thesis, Purdue University).
• Todd Compton, In Sacred Loneliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1997). ( Index of claims )
• Reviews of In Sacred Loneliness:
  • Richard Lloyd Anderson and Scott H. Faulring, "The Prophet Joseph Smith and His Plural Wives (Review of In Sacred Loneliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith)," FARMS Review of Books 10/2 (1998): 67–104. off-site
  • Danel W. Bachman, "Prologue to the Study of Joseph Smith's Marital Theology (Review of In Sacred Loneliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith)," FARMS Review of Books 10/2 (1998): 105–137. off-site
  • Danel W. Bachman, “’Let No One…Set On My Servant Joseph’: Religious Historians Missing the Lessons of Religious History,” Presentation to Mormon History Association, 22 May 1999.
  • Kathryn Daynes, “Review of In Sacred Loneliness,” Pacific Historical Review 68 (August 1999): 466–468. off-site
  • Alma G. Allred, “Variations on a Theme,” Presentation to Mormon History Association, 1999, updated on-line version of 6 December 1999.
  • Todd M. Compton, "Truth, Honesty and Moderation in Mormon History: A Response to Anderson, Faulring and Bachman’s Reviews of in Sacred Loneliness," (July 2001).
  • Todd M. Compton, Response to Jerald and Sandra Tanners' Review of In Sacred Loneliness (n.d.).

• Kathryn M. Daynes, More Wives than One: Transformation of the Mormon Marriage System, 1840–1910 (Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press, 2001). ISBN 0252026810.
• Craig L. Foster, David Keller, and Gregory L. Smith, “The Age Joseph Smith’s Plural Wives in Social and Demographic Context,” in Newell G. Bringhurst and Craig L. Foster eds., The Persistence of Polygamy: Joseph Smith and the Origins of Mormon Polygamy (Independence, John Whitmer Books Press 2010), 152–183. [152–183]
• Stephen R. Gibson, One-Minute Answers to Anti-Mormon Questions (Bountiful, Utah: Horizon Publishers, 1995).
• Brian Hales' works are probably the current definitive treatment on Joseph Smith's plural marriages:
  • Brian C. Hales, Joseph Smith's Polygamy Volume 1: History (Salt Lake City, Utah: Greg Kofford Books, 2013).
  • Brian C. Hales, Joseph Smith's Polygamy Volume 2: History (Salt Lake City, Utah: Greg Kofford Books, 2013).
  • Brian C. Hales, Joseph Smith's Polygamy Volume 3: Theology (Salt Lake City, Utah: Greg Kofford Books, 2013).
• Jeni Broberg Holzapfel and Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, eds., A Woman's View: Helen Mar Whitney's Reminiscences of Early Church History (Provo: Religious Studies Center, BYU, 1997).
• Joseph Fielding McConkie, Answers: Straightforward Answers to Tough Gospel Questions (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1998), 27–28. GospeLink (requires subscrip.)
• Ugo A. Perego, Natalie M. Myres, and Scott R. Woodward, 'Reconstructing the Y-Chromosome of Joseph Smith: Genealogical Applications," Journal of Mormon History 31/3 (Fall 2005): 42-60. (Discusses how DNA proves that the parentage of Moroni Pratt, Zebulon Jacobs, and Orrison Smith is not through Joseph Smith).
• John A. Widtsoe, Evidences and Reconciliations: Aids to Faith in a Modern Day, arranged by G. Homer Durham (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1960), 340–344. GL direct link
• John A. Widtsoe, Evidences and Reconciliations: Aids to Faith in a Modern Day, arranged by G. Homer Durham (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1960), 390–393. GL direct link