Tag Archives: Polygamy

The Dedication of Louie B. Felt

In December of 1866, three months after they first met, 26-year-old Joseph H. Felt and 16-year-old Sarah Louisa (Louie) Bouton were married in Salt Lake City. Louie became the first Primary general president in the Mormon Church, serving in that … Continue reading

Posted in Early Mormonism, LDS Church, Mormon History, Polygamy | Tagged , , , , , , | 25 Comments

Testing Joseph Smith’s Integrity

Brigham Young University professor Daniel Peterson recently wrote an article for the Deseret News presenting evidence for the exemplary personal character of Mormonism’s founder, Joseph Smith. In “Defending the Faith: 2 legal tests of Joseph Smith’s integrity” Dr. Peterson discusses … Continue reading

Posted in Early Mormonism, Mormon History, Nauvoo, Polygamy | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

A History Tour of Brigham Young’s Beehive House

On June 19, 2014 I visited Utah and took a tour of the Beehive House, Brigham Young’s principal residence in Salt Lake City. Guided through the 1854 home by two young sister missionaries, I learned a lot about the comfortable … Continue reading

Posted in Brigham Young, LDS Church, Mormon History, Polygamy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

“What Many People Called Sin Is Not Sin” Part II

During a Church Court in 1850, Joseph E. Johnson claimed that he was aware of what he called “the first frigging” of Joseph Smith and Johnson’s mother-in-law, Mary Heron Snider. For details about this incident, see Part I. The reason … Continue reading

Posted in D&C and Pearl of Great Price, Early Mormonism, Joseph Smith, Mormon History, Polygamy | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

“What Many People Called Sin Was Not Sin” Part I

A Church Court is convened. A man is accused of committing adultery and fathering a child with another man’s wife.  One of the presiding elders speaks to those assembled about the offender and says that, “This matter was bro[ugh]t before … Continue reading

Posted in Early Mormonism, Joseph Smith, Lorenzo Snow, Mormon History, Polygamy | Tagged , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Glenn Beck Perpetuates Mormon Myths

Back in September of 2012 Blaze TV aired a special program wherein Glenn Beck sought to dispel the ‘biggest Mormon myths.” I watched the first segment on YouTube where Mr. Beck answered the viewer-submitted question, “We often hear the word … Continue reading

Posted in Early Mormonism, Misconceptions, Mormon History, Polygamy | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Troubled by Joseph Smith’s Polygamy

In this video, a returned Mormon missionary explains how personal revelation helped him on his mission. It seems an investigator was struggling with accepting the LDS Church due to troubling historical information she had learned about Joseph Smith and polygamy. … Continue reading

Posted in Joseph Smith, Mormon Missionaries, Nauvoo, Polygamy | Tagged , , , , | 25 Comments

Joseph Smith and Honesty

In the July 2013 issue of Ensign magazine, young Mormons are taught about the importance of “Honesty and Integrity.” One suggestion given for use in teaching the youth the principles of honesty and integrity is a 2005 General Conference address … Continue reading

Posted in Joseph Smith, Mormon History | Tagged , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Finding Emma

Last week Jana Riess (Flunking Sainthood) wrote about “The Mormon Reinvention of Emma Smith.” Recapping a recent lecture by Emma Smith’s biographer Linda King Newell (co-author with Valeen Tippets Avery, Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith, 1984), Ms. Riess noted that … Continue reading

Posted in Joseph Smith, Mormon History, Polygamy | Tagged , , , | 61 Comments

Mormonism and the Pressure to be Positive

In July (2012) Salt Lake City’s City Weekly interviewed former Mormon John K. Williams. The resulting article, “Mormon Mission Spin – John K. Williams: Pressure To Be Positive,” discusses Mr. Williams’ experiences and personal struggles as a Mormon missionary in … Continue reading

Posted in Truth, Honesty, Prayer, and Inquiry | Tagged , | 12 Comments