• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

FAIR

Faithful Study Resources for Come, Follow Me

  • Find Answers
  • Blog
  • Media & Apps
  • Conference
  • Bookstore
  • Archive
  • About
  • Get Involved
  • Search

Women

Letter For My Wife Rebuttal, Part 18: The Early Church – Polygamy [C]

June 7, 2023 by Sarah Allen 1 Comment

Sorry for taking so long to get this posted! I’ve been putting in more than 60 hours a week at work lately, and I just didn’t have time to properly research this post until now.

This week, the topic under discussion is Joseph’s wives and the way that he personally practiced plural marriage. It’s true that some of the circumstances a little unusual compared to how later members practiced it, and it’s also true that sealing practices in general were unusual compared to how we practice them today. The world was also very different in the 1840s than it is today in the 2020s.

All of that means that it can be very difficult for us to understand what was going on and why. I’m going to do my best to break this all down so that it makes sense, but just remember, it’s okay if it makes you uncomfortable. It’s okay if you don’t like the idea of plural marriage. It’s okay if you don’t ever want to practice it. I don’t, either.

[Read more…] about Letter For My Wife Rebuttal, Part 18: The Early Church – Polygamy [C]

Filed Under: Anti-Mormon critics, Apologetics, Chastity, Doctrine, Doctrine and Covenants, Faith Crisis, Joseph Smith, LDS History, LDS Scriptures, Marriage, Polygamy, Prophets, Questions, Revelation, Testimonies, Women Tagged With: Letter For My Wife

History Came to Life in First Ever Wilford Woodruff Papers Foundation Conference

March 22, 2023 by Trevor Holyoak

by Maddie Christensen and Kristy Wheelwright Taylor

Wilford Woodruff kept a journal from the time of his baptism at the close of 1833 until his death in 1898, saying, “I have ever been impressed . . . of the deep importance of keeping a journal and record of the dealings of God with his people.”1 His sixty-plus years of records comprise over 115,000 written pages (26,000 of which have been located), left to us as journals, letters, discourses, autobiographies, and personal papers. These records document a large part of the early Restoration of the gospel. Three years ago, Jennifer Mackley and Don Parry created the Wilford Woodruff Papers Foundation, whose mission is to digitally preserve and publish Wilford Woodruff’s eyewitness account of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It seeks to make Wilford Woodruff’s records universally accessible to inspire all people, especially the rising generation, to study and to increase their faith in Jesus Christ. In celebration of these newly published documents, the Foundation hosted its first conference, Building Latter-day Faith. The conference was held at the Hinckley Center on the campus of Brigham Young University on Saturday, March 4, 2023, with over 350 people in attendance. [Read more…] about History Came to Life in First Ever Wilford Woodruff Papers Foundation Conference

Filed Under: Jesus Christ, LDS History, Newsletter, Women

Come, Follow Me with FAIR: Faithful Answers to New Testament Questions – Matthew 13; Luke 8; 13

March 20, 2023 by Trevor Holyoak

https://media.blubrry.com/mormonfaircast/www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Week-12-Certain-Women-.mp3

Podcast: Download (22.1MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Evangelical Questions: “Certain Women”

by Jennifer Roach, MDiv, LMHC

Welcome back to Come Follow Me with FAIR: Faithful Answers to New Testament Questions. My name is Jennifer Roach and today we’re going to talk about Women and their role in the church. As you know we’re going through the Come Follow Me readings and addressing common questions that Evangelicals ask about our faith as we go along. Our purpose here is not to fuel debate but to help you understand where your Evangelical friends and family are coming from so that you can have better conversations with them, and perhaps even be able to offer them a bit of our faith in a way they can understand.

Today’s verse comes from Luke 8:1-3:

Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3 and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.

So here we have Jesus and his disciples going around doing what they do – and we also have a group of women who are supporting them financially, and though the text doesn’t say it they were probably offering lots of other practical means of support as well. And so the question presents itself about the role of women in various churches. [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me with FAIR: Faithful Answers to New Testament Questions – Matthew 13; Luke 8; 13

Filed Under: Bible, Come Follow Me, Come Follow Me with FAIR, Jennifer Roach, Jesus Christ, New Testament, Podcast, Priesthood, Women

The Prison Journal of Belle Harris now available from Church Historians Press

February 23, 2023 by Trevor Holyoak

Yesterday the Church History Department made public the Prison Journal of Belle Harris. Harris spent approximately three months in prison in 1883, along with her baby, for refusing to testify about her plural marriage to her ex-husband, Clarence Merrill, during the time when the federal government was attempting to crack down on the practice of plural marriage in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While there, she was received visits and support from various leaders such as Eliza R. Snow, Emmeline B. Wells, Presendia Huntington Kimball, Zina Huntington Young, Mary Isabella Hales Horne, Romania Bunnell Pratt, Bathsheba Bigler Smith, George Reynolds, Charles W. Penrose, and A. Milton Musser.

In her journal, Harris is described multiple times as a “plucky” woman, and her personality and faith really come out. Here are a few examples: [Read more…] about The Prison Journal of Belle Harris now available from Church Historians Press

Filed Under: LDS History, Polygamy, Resources, Testimonies, Women

Come, Follow Me Week 31 – Esther

July 25, 2022 by Trevor Holyoak

by K.T. Martin

The Book of Esther is one of the most politically intriguing books found within the Old Testament. The story includes a king who banishes his wife and marries a new woman who is secretly a Jew. The king has an advisor who has a hatred for the Jewish people and wants them destroyed; that advisor intends to manipulate the king to accomplish this goal. However, the king’s new wife uses her royal status to save the Jews, at risk of her own life.

That’s a lot going on.

With all of that political intrigue, what’s more interesting is how the Lord sets up a woman to be in the right place at the right time to preserve His chosen people. No nefarious plot by an evil man is a match for God’s great ability to see beforehand and place his servants in the position where they can do the most good. [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me Week 31 – Esther

Filed Under: Bible, Come Follow Me, Jesus Christ, Lesson Aids, Missionary Work', Old Testament, Women

Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey – Mormon Fundamentalism with Brian Hales and Craig Foster

July 15, 2022 by Trevor Holyoak

https://media.blubrry.com/mormonfaircast/www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Keep-Sweet_-Pray-and-Obey-Mormon-Fundamentalism-with-Brian-Hales-and-Craig-Foster_3.mp3

Podcast: Download (67.0MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Scriptural Mormonism Podcast Episode 14, cross-posted with permission.

Robert Boylan interviews Brian Hales and Craig Foster about Mormon Fundamentalism and the Netflix show “Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey,” and specifically comparing FLDS to LDS, and Warren Jeffs to Joseph Smith.

Also join us at the 2022 FAIR Conference where Craig Foster will speak on “Under the Banner of Heaven,” and Brian Hales will participate in a lunch-time panel (for in-person attendees only) on common criticisms from Reddit. More information at https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/conference/august-2022-fair-conference

Filed Under: Media, News stories, Perspective, Podcast, Polygamy, Priesthood, Prophets, Women

Come, Follow Me Week 27 – 1 Kings 17–19

June 28, 2022 by Trevor Holyoak

https://media.blubrry.com/mormonfaircast/www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/FAIR.mp3

Podcast: Download (11.2MB)

Subscribe: RSS

by Matt Crawford

The widow of Zarephath is one of my favorite stories from the Old Testament. Perhaps the greatest reason that this story resonates with me is because the widow is an outsider. She is not a member of the house of Israel—a fact the Savior confirms (see Luke 4:24–30)—and she meets Elijah at the gate of the city. That is, she is physically on the outskirts of this village where she lives. At least symbolically, the location of the widow’s initial contact with Elijah infers that she is marginalized. Yet her belonging came as she did one thing: she obeyed a prophet. [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me Week 27 – 1 Kings 17–19

Filed Under: Bible, Come Follow Me, Conversion, Jesus Christ, Old Testament, Podcast, Prophets, Women

Come, Follow Me Week 24 – Ruth; 1 Samuel 1–3

June 6, 2022 by Trevor Holyoak

by BJ Spurlock

                When reading the scriptures, especially as one reads through the Old Testament, it is always helpful to ask the following questions:

  1. Where is Jesus Christ in the text?
  2. Where do we see gospel doctrines & principles that Jesus Christ taught?
  3. Where do we see gospel doctrines & principles that living Prophets are currently teaching?

                Seeing the Savior in the text as he interacts with his covenant children is of utmost importance. Elder Henry B. Eyring (at the time) made the following promise: [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me Week 24 – Ruth; 1 Samuel 1–3

Filed Under: Bible, Come Follow Me, Conversion, Doctrine, Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, Old Testament, Prophets, Women, Youth

Come, Follow Me Week 20 – Numbers 11-14; 20-24

May 11, 2022 by Trevor Holyoak

Rejecting the Living Prophets by Following Future Prophets

by J. Max Wilson

(Adapted from his post at Sixteen Small Stones)

One of the key doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that we have living prophets and apostles today who are authorized by God to receive revelations for the Church and for the world. The scriptures are full of stories of how the people of the Church rejected the messages of the living prophets, often justifying themselves by appealing to the words of previous prophets. Even Jesus was rejected by appealing to Moses or Abraham.

As President of the Twelve Apostles, Ezra Taft Benson warned: “Beware of those who would set up the dead prophets against the living prophets, for the living prophets always take precedence.”  [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me Week 20 – Numbers 11-14; 20-24

Filed Under: Come Follow Me, Gender Issues, Homosexuality, Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, Old Testament, Priesthood, Prophets, Racial Issues, Women

Come, Follow Me Week 8 – Genesis 18–23

February 17, 2022 by Trevor Holyoak

https://media.blubrry.com/mormonfaircast/www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/ValerieHudson.mp3

Podcast: Download (10.8MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Polygamy as an Abrahamic Sacrifice

by V.H. Cassler

(From a presentation originally titled “A Reconciliation of Polygamy,” given at the 2011 FAIR Conference; edited here for clarity and length)

Today we are going to talk about polygamy but probably in a different way than you have heard about it before. That is, we are going to talk about the doctrinal ins-and-outs of it rather than historical practices.

During the period of time when the restored Church was commanded by the Lord to practice polygamy, some practiced it without any discernible hardship and still others with great pain. Contemporary Church members may look back upon that period with acceptance, or indifference, or discomfort, and I would like to say at the outset that I don’t see that diversity of feelings is harmful that people differ in their reactions to polygamy I don’t think is the issue. Rather, since the new and everlasting covenant of marriage is at the heart of the work of eternal life and godhood; confusion about the nature and form of lawful marriage ordained by God is harmful. [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me Week 8 – Genesis 18–23

Filed Under: Bible, Come Follow Me, Doctrine, Doctrine and Covenants, FAIR Conference, FAIR Conference, Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith, LDS History, Marriage, Old Testament, Perspective, Podcast, Polygamy, Prophets, Women

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 10
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to Blog

Enter your email address:

Subscribe to Podcast

Podcast icon
Subscribe to podcast in iTunes
Subscribe to podcast elsewhere
Listen with FAIR app
Android app on Google Play

Pages

  • Blog Guidelines

FAIR Latest

  • John 14–17 – Faithful Resources for Come, Follow Me 2023 Week 24
  • Cornerstone: A FAIR Temple Preparation Podcast – Episode 4: The Endowment with Nathan Richardson
  • Letter For My Wife Rebuttal, Part 18: The Early Church – Polygamy [C]
  • Come, Follow Me with FAIR: Faithful Answers to New Testament Questions – John 14–17
  • By Study and Faith – Episode 1: What is Critical Thinking?

Blog Categories

Recent Comments

  • Brittany on Letter For My Wife Rebuttal, Part 18: The Early Church – Polygamy [C]
  • TOTAL Nathan on Letter For My Wife Rebuttal, Part 14: The Early Church – The Endowment [A]
  • Sasha Kwapinski on Come, Follow Me with FAIR: Faithful Answers to New Testament Questions – John 14–17
  • Matt on Beyond the Rainbow: Supporting LGBT+ Saints Faithfully
  • Adam on Come, Follow Me with FAIR: Faithful Answers to New Testament Questions – Matthew 19–20; Mark 10; Luke 18

Archives

Footer

FairMormon Logo

FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Our Friends

  • BYU Religious Studies Center
  • BYU Studies
  • Book of Mormon Central
  • TheFamilyProclamation.org
  • Interpreter Foundation
  • Wilford Woodruff Papers Project

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • iTunes
  • YouTube

Donate to FAIR

We are a volunteer organization. We invite you to give back.

Donate Now

Donate to us by shopping at Amazon at no extra cost to you. Learn how →

Site Footer

Copyright © 1997-2023 by The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of FAIR, its officers, directors or supporters.

No portion of this site may be reproduced without the express written consent of The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research, Inc.

Any opinions expressed, implied, or included in or with the goods and services offered by FAIR are solely those of FAIR and not those of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR) Logo

FAIR is controlled and operated by the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR)