[93] Historian Todd Compton documented that Joseph Smith married girls of age 13 or 14. Woodruff hastened to add that he had acted only as the Lord directed: I should have let all the temples go out of our hands; I should have gone to prison myself, and let every other man go there, had not the God of heaven commanded me to do what I do; and when the hour came that I was commanded to do that, it was all clear to me.[60]. [61] Some leaders were reluctant to terminate a long-standing practice that was regarded as divinely mandated. "[91], Critics of polygamy in the early LDS Church claim that church leaders sometimes used polygamy to take advantage of young girls for immoral purposes. [40][41] This teaching was alluded to by church president Brigham Young in 1870 and First Presidency member Joseph F. Smith in 1883. One month later, the Edmunds Act was passed by Congress, amending the Morrill Act and made polygamy a felony punishable by a $500 fine and five years in prison. Polygamy (from Late Greek πολυγαμία, polygamía, "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marrying multiple spouses. [52][54] As of 2007[update], there are at least twelve early Latter Day Saints who, based on historical documents and circumstantial evidence, have been identified as potential Smith offspring stemming from plural marriages. The following morning, he reported to some of the general authorities that he had struggled throughout the night with the Lord regarding the path that should be pursued. I wish more of our young men would take to themselves wives of the daughters of Zion and not wait for us old men to take them all; go-ahead upon the right principle young gentlemen and God bless you forever and ever and make you fruitful, that we may fill the mountains and then the earth with righteous inhabitants. ", "LDS Church Authority and New Plural Marriages, 1890–1904", "Wife no.19, or the story of a life in bondage", "New Light on an Old Hypothesis: The Ohio Origins of the Revelation on Eternal Marriage", "The 'Leading Sisters': A Female Hierarchy in Nineteenth Century Mormon Society", "Plurality, Patriarchy, and the Priestess: Zina D. H. Young's Nauvoo Marriages", "Single Men in a Polygamous Society: Male Marriage Patterns in Manti, Utah", "Ultimate Taboos: Incest and Mormon Polygamy", "That 'Same Old Question of Polygamy and Polygamous Living:' Some Recent Findings Regarding Nineteenth and Early Twentieth-Century Mormon Polygamy", "Plural marriage and Mormon fundamentalism", "Principle Revoked: A Closer Look at the Demise of Plural Marriage", "Gospel Topics: Plural Marriage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints", "Gospel Topics: Plural marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo", "Gospel Topics: Plural Marriage and Families in Early Utah", "Gospel Topics: The Manifesto and the End of Plural Marriage", "How An 1843 Revelation on Polygamy Poses A Serious Challenge to Modern Mormonism", Current denominations or sub-groups in the Latter Day Saint movement, The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Kingdom of God. In 1862, the United States Congress passed the Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act, which prohibited plural marriage in the territories. the word marriage is only used once in the book of Mormon, but marriage is referred to elsewhere in the book using other words and phrases, like "taking a wife". [12] Mosiah Hancock reported that his father was taught about plural marriage in the spring of 1832.[13]. After the Manifesto, some Mormons continued to enter into polygamous marriages, but these eventually stopped in 1904 when church president Joseph F. Smith disavowed polygamy before Congress and issued a "Second Manifesto," calling for all plural marriages in the church to cease, and established excommunication as the consequence for those who disobeyed. Polygamy also exists in the here and now. [unreliable source?] Under LDS Church policy, a man whose sealed wife has died does not have to request any permission beyond having a current temple recommend and an interview with his bishop to get final permission for a living ordinance, to be married in the temple and sealed to another woman, unless the new wife's circumstance requires a cancellation of sealing. According to the Mormon Church, which is officially known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, polygamy or plural marriage was practiced a long time ago for specific reasons, as commanded by God or the Lord. In July of the same year, the U.S. Attorney General filed suit to seize all church assets. According to the church's sacred texts and pronouncements by its leaders and theologians, the church leaves open the possibility that it may one day re-institute the practice. Inside Utah's fundamentalist Mormon community where multiple marriages are a way of life Save Abel Morrison with his three wives, and their 12 children Credit: Vance Jacobs Most commonly, a man may be sealed to multiple wives: if his first wife dies, he may be sealed to a second wife. As a result, over 200 plural marriages were performed between 1890 and 1904.[62]. LDS Church president Brigham Young had 51 wives, and 56 children by 16 of those wives. [52], Critics of polygamy in the early LDS Church claim that church leaders established the practice of polygamy in order to further their immoral desires for sexual gratification with multiple sexual partners. In 1887, the Edmunds–Tucker Act allowed the disincorporation of the LDS Church and the seizure of church property; it also further extended the punishments of the Edmunds Act. Despite this, many people still hold the misconception that all Mormons are involved in polygamous relationships. In the paragraph immediately following the above quote, Kimball said: The principle of plurality of wives never will be done away. The church was losing control of the territorial government, and many members and leaders were being actively pursued as fugitives. Dissent/Excommunication/Controversies – PBS", "Polygamist Sects Are Not 'Mormons,' Church Says", "It's Official: Mormon Founder Had Up to 40 Wives", "Polygamy, Brigham Young and His 55 Wives", "Nuptiality Measures for the White Population of the United States, 1850–1880", "From Utah. In the case where a man's first wife dies, and the man remarries, and both of the marriages involve a sealing, LDS authorities teach that in the afterlife, the man will enter a polygamous relationship with both wives. [11] Johnson also claimed to have heard the doctrine from Smith in 1831. "[73] Thus, the LDS Church today teaches that plural marriage can only be practiced when specifically authorized by God. A deceased woman may also be sealed to multiple men, but only through vicarious sealing if they are also deceased.[71]. Of course all these marriages (except the first) aren't really marriages in the eyes of the law, and to the extent that they are forced marriages between young teen girls and adult men, they may also be criminal. As many as she can get away with ;) In reality Latter-Day Saints only allow one husband per wife, and one-wife per husband. Receiving clearance does not void or invalidate the first sealing. It declared that any who participated in additional plural marriages, and those officiating, would be excommunicated from the church. Those disagreeing with the Second Manifesto included apostles Matthias F. Cowley and John W. Taylor, who both resigned from the Quorum of the Twelve. In 1943, the First Presidency learned that apostle Richard R. Lyman was cohabitating with a woman other than his legal wife. Meanwhile, the LDS Church continues its policy of excommunicating members found practicing polygamy, and today actively seeks to distance itself from fundamentalist groups that continue the practice. In the early days of Mormonism, common practices and doctrines were not yet well-defined. [24][25] But church leaders nevertheless began practicing polygamy in the 1840s, particularly members of the Quorum of the Twelve. A Mormon is only allowed to have one wife, according to the Book of Mormon. A woman in the same circumstances would apply to the First Presidency for a "cancellation of sealing" (sometimes called a "temple divorce"), allowing her to be sealed to another man. Polygamy (called plural marriage by Mormons in the 19th century or the Principle by modern fundamentalist practitioners of polygamy) was practiced by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for more than half of the 19th century,[1] and practiced publicly from 1852 to 1890 by between 20 and 30 percent of Latter-day Saint families. Mormon polygamy was one of the leading moral issues of the 19th Century in the United States, perhaps second only to slavery in importance. The 1835 and 1844 versions of the church's Doctrine and Covenants (D&C) prohibited polygamy and declared that monogamy was the only acceptable form of marriage: In as much as this church of Christ has been reproached with the crime of fornication, and polygamy: we declare that we believe, that one man should have one wife; and one woman, but one husband, except in the case of death, when either is at liberty to marry again. Forming the Liberal Party, non-Mormons began pushing for political changes and sought to weaken the church's dominance in the territory. Frequently Asked Questions . [8] On its web site, the church states that "the standard doctrine of the church is monogamy" and that polygamy was a temporary exception to the rule. According to this view, the 1890 Manifesto and Second Manifesto rescinded God's prior authorization given to Joseph Smith. How many wives can a man have in a plural marriage? [51] One historian, Todd M. Compton, documented at least 33 plural marriages or sealings during Smith's lifetime. According to the Mormon Church, which is officially known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, polygamy or plural marriage was practiced a long … But in Mormonism, there is no specific limit to how many wives a … During this period the Prophet Joseph took several other wives. Although the Second Manifesto ended the official practice of new plural marriages, existing plural marriages were not automatically dissolved. [52] Richard Lloyd Anderson and Scott H. Faulring came up with a list of 29 wives of Joseph Smith. Here is a summary of what Mormons believe concerning marriage and what the LDS marriage ceremonies are like. [55] The remaining seven have yet to be conclusively tested, including Josephine Lyon, for whom current DNA testing using mitochondrial DNA cannot provide conclusive evidence either way. Following the passage of the Edmunds–Tucker Act, the church found it difficult to operate as a viable institution. Valentina Gabusi/iStock/Getty Images. Bennett was called to account by Joseph and Hyrum Smith, and was excommunicated from the church. While not considered a schism of the Church of Christ (Fettingite) and its founder Otto Fetting, the Church of Christ at Halley's Bluff accepted Fetting's revelations, but it did not immediately break with the Fettingites in 1929. "[90] While his wife Vilate had trials "grievous to bear" as a result of her acceptance of plural marriage, she supported her husband in his religious duties, and taught her children that "she could not doubt the plural order of marriage was of God, for the Lord had revealed it to her in answer to prayer. [90] His biographer writes that he "became sick in body, but his mental wretchedness was too great to allow of his retiring, and he would walk the floor till nearly morning, and sometimes the agony of his mind was so terrible that he would wring his hands and weep like a child. Fact Check: Is the COVID-19 Vaccine Safe? The practice of plural marriage by early Latter-day Saints did lead to an increase in the number of children born to Church members. The Jeffs. What Does George Soros' Open Society Foundations Network Fund? However, a woman whose sealed husband has died is still bound by the original sealing and must request a cancellation of sealing to be sealed to another man (see next paragraph for exception to this after she dies). They were frustrated by the consolidation of the members. A woman, however, may not be sealed to more than one man while she is alive. Wilford Woodruff, Wilford Woodruff's Journal, Hirshson's cited source of the first quote is an April 17, 1860. [52] In 1893, married LDS Church member John D. Miles traveled to England and proposed to Caroline Owens, assuring her that he was not polygamous. [1][9], Many early converts to the religion including Brigham Young,[10] Orson Pratt, and Lyman Johnson, recorded that Joseph Smith was teaching plural marriage privately as early as 1831 or 1832. If his wife dies, he may enter another celestial marriage, and be sealed to both his living wife and deceased wife or wives. Cowley retained his membership in the church, but Taylor was later excommunicated. [56][57], As the LDS Church settled in what became the Utah Territory, it eventually was subjected to the power and opinion of the United States. Later, God changed the command, as instructed to Prophet Jacob and mentioned in the book of Mormon as Jacob 2:27-30, "for there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife: and concubines he shall have none...for if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things.". Divorced women may also be granted a cancellation of sealing, even though they do not intend to marry someone else. BYU Studies 41:4 (2002):145-149. Among Cochran's marital innovations was "spiritual wifery," and "tradition assumes that he received frequent consignments of spiritual consorts, and that such were invariably the most robust and attractive women in the community. In some cases, women in this situation who wish to remarry choose to be married to subsequent husbands in the temple "for time only," and are not sealed to them, leaving them sealed to their first husband for eternity. Lincoln made a statement that he had no intentions of enforcing it if the LDS Church would not interfere with him, and so the matter was laid to rest for a time. [69] Although the LDS Church has requested that journalists not refer to Mormon fundamentalists using the term "Mormon,"[70] journalists generally have not complied, and "Mormon fundamentalist" has become standard terminology. He was later shocked to learn that he was to marry a younger woman. There are some who claim that polygamy continues to be taught in mainstream LDS churches because D&C 132 is still part of LDS scripture and there has been no significant change in its wording about the practice of “celestial marriage.”. Many Mormons, including prominent church leaders, maintained existing plural marriages into the 1940s and 1950s.[64]. Even though only a tiny minority of Latter-day Saints practiced plural marriage, many church leaders were very reluctant to abandon it, arguing that to do so would destroy the LDS way of life. A Mormon is only allowed to have one wife, according to the Book of Mormon. As of 1998, however, women who have died may be sealed to more than one man. Unable to trust anyone else to officiate, Lyman and the woman exchanged vows secretly. [81] LDS historian Todd Compton, in his book In Sacred Loneliness, described various instances where some wives in polygamous marriages were unhappy with polygamy. A dozen “sister wives” might be married to a single man, and they all raise their children by him together. [92] Historian George D. Smith studied 153 men who took plural wives in the early years of the Latter Day Saint movement, and found that two of the girls were thirteen years old, 13 girls were fourteen years old, 21 were fifteen years old, and 53 were sixteen years old. As early as the publication of the Book of Mormon in 1830, Latter Day Saint doctrine maintained that polygamy was allowable only if it was commanded by God. [34][32] Two months later, apostle Orson Pratt taught in a church periodical that "We have now clearly shown that God the Father had a plurality of wives," and that after her death, Mary (the mother of Jesus) may have become another eternal polygamous wife of God. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. In 1998, the LDS Church created a new policy that a woman may also be sealed to more than one man. Joseph Smith publicly condemned polygamy, denied his involvement in it, and participants were excommunicated, as church records and publications reflect. Some Mormons marry and have more than one wife, but this is not accepted by the Mormon Church, which does not accept polygamy or plural marriage. [101][110] In 1843, Joseph Smith's diary records the sealing of John Milton Bernhisel to his sister, Maria, in a ceremony that included the sealing of Bernhisel to multiple relatives, some of whom were deceased. After visiting priesthood leaders in many settlements, church president Wilford Woodruff left for San Francisco on September 3, 1890, to meet with prominent businessmen and politicians. For instance, many of the figures who came to be best associated with plural marriage, including church president Brigham Young and his counselor Heber C. Kimball, expressed revulsion at the system when it was first introduced to them. The Book of Jacob condemned polygamy as adultery,[72] but left open the proviso that "For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise, they shall hearken unto these things. LDS Church apostle Heber C. Kimball had 43 wives, and had 65 children by 17 of those wives. Friction first began to show in the James Buchanan administration and federal troops arrived (see Utah War). ; Polygamy and its Fruits—The Missionaries—The Pony Express—More Pugnacious Preaching—Death of a Prominent Physician—The Season", "Heber C. Kimball says missionaries are 'picking out the prettiest women, "The Odyssey of a Latter-day Prophet: Wilford Woodruff and the Manifesto of 1890", "History of Mormonism: An Open Letter to Brigham Young", "Fanny Alger Smith Custer, Mormonism's First Plural Wife? The possibility for women to be sealed to multiple men is a recent policy change enacted in 1998. Daynes, Kathryn M. Review of Mormon Odyssey: The Story of Ida Hunt Udall, Plural Wife, by Maria S. Ellsworth. Official Mormon sources have recently admitted that Smith had as many as 33 wives, although other researchers say they have found evidence for more. [32][33] In 1853, Jedediah M. Grant – who later become a First Presidency member – stated that the top reason behind the persecution of Christ and his disciples was due to their practice of polygamy. The practice of plural marriage, or polygamy, in Mormonism goes back to Joseph Smith, who in 1843 said he received an eternally binding commandment from God that men should take multiple wives. Even if people did not practice polygamy, they would have their rights revoked if they confessed a belief in it. Journal History, 26 August 1857; cited by Hyrum Leslie Andrus, Lyman Johnson as recounted by Orson Pratt, ". In other religions, some men are allowed to have up to four wives. 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