Category Archives: Polygamy

“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

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

Why Would “Five Wives” Brand Offend Mormons?

Much has been written over last week or so about Idaho’s ban of the sale of a particular brand of vodka because of its label. The spirit, made at Ogden’s Own Distillery in Utah, is called Five Wives Vodka, and … Continue reading

Posted in Early Mormonism, Polygamy | Tagged , , , | 32 Comments

A Vision of Mormonism’s Premortality

Did you know that no women chose the side of Lucifer in Mormonism’s premortal War in Heaven? Of course, this is not official LDS Church doctrine, but according to a vision received by Mosiah Hancock in 1855, every female spirit … Continue reading

Posted in Early Mormonism, Polygamy | Tagged , , , , , | 21 Comments

Two men for every three women?

In Utah, the issue of polygamy is a very sensitive topic. Should the topic of one man marrying more than one wife somehow come up in a conversation, watch the eyes roll and folks run away from the conversation. So, … Continue reading

Posted in Polygamy | Tagged , | 17 Comments

Nauvoo Women: An Overlooked History of the Mormon Relief Society

This year (2011) Mormon ladies have been learning about the history of the Church’s Relief Society, said to be “the Lord’s organization for woman.” Julie B. Beck, the Relief Society general president wrote that “understanding our history is not only … Continue reading

Posted in Early Mormonism, Joseph Smith, Mormon History, Nauvoo, Polygamy | Tagged , , , , | 59 Comments

The Dysfunctional Doctrine of Mormon Polygamy

Continuing our discussion about Mormon polygamy, on June 29 (2011) Doug Gibson, from Ogden’s Standard-Examiner, recounted the toll the 19th century practice of polygamy took on LDS “marriages and hearts.” He wrote, “Polygamy was a contradictory doctrine, and extremely dysfunctional. … Continue reading

Posted in Early Mormonism, Polygamy | Tagged , , | 18 Comments