I’m skeptical. His “fervent opposition” parallels that of the MANY anti-gay ministers and legislators who turn out to be homosexual. It’s very much a part of the psychology of cult leaders to be sexually transgressive, to wield sex as a weapon and a demonstration of power. And it’s very much a part of the psychology of wishful thinking to write a book such as that. I think most people in the Church don’t really want to believe that Smith was a polygamist, that polygamy was ordered by God, or that it may be “restored” in the future.

He’s the one who thought it up in the first place, to give license to his philandering ways, and when he got caught cheating by Emma. The whole “Joseph fought polygamy” thing is classic retconning to the extreme. It’s truly sad how many false ideas Mormons have about their past, and how little they actually know.

Eliza, thanks for your mention of my piece or at Pure Mormonism. I’m still researching it all myself, but I think it’s important that we reserve judgment until all the facts are in play. I’m not keen on closing my mind as long as evidence exists that throws the conventional wisdom into doubt.

Molly, I’m in agreement with you that to disavow or attempt to hide Mormonism’s polygamous past is despicable. The recent lesson manual on the Teachings of Brigham Young would leave one with the impression that he was a regular family man with one wife; no clue exists that he practiced polygamy.

I found the additional evidence uncovered in the book “Joseph Smith Fought Polygamy” sufficient to satisfy me that the practice was illegitimate from the beginning, and can be blamed more on Brigham than the man who appears to have fought a losing battle to stamp it out.

I intend more to come about this controversy next month on my blog.

Brigham Young and company lied about Joseph Smith. They lied about Emma, and denied Joseph Smith ever ordained Joseph Smith III to lead the church. Evidences can be seen by what Brigham Young said. and by what Courts of the Untied States ruled, based upon evidences they were able to dig up at that time. I’ve posed you two pointed evidences the Utah Church has lied about Joseph and Emma’s testimonies against polygamy. They continue to lie to this day. To tell the truth, would destroy the Church.

Liars did not bother Brigham Young.

Brigham Young states:

“Some of the Elders seem to be tripped up in a moment, if the wicked can find any fault with the mem­bers of this Church; but bless your souls, I would not yet have this peo­ple fault­less, for the day of sep­a­ra­tion has not yet arrived. I have many a time, in this stand, dared the world to pro­duce as mean dev­ils as we can; we can beat them at any­thing. We have the great­est and smoothest liars in the world, the cun­ningest and most adroit thieves, and any other shade of char­ac­ter that you can mention.
“We can pick out Elders in Israel right here who can beat the world at gam­bling, who can han­dle the cards, cut and shuf­fle them with the smartest rogue on the face of God’s foot-stool. I can pro­duce Elders here who can shave their smartest shavers, and take their money from them. We can beat the world at any game.”

— Brigham Young Journal of Discourses 4:76–77 (Nov 9, 1856)

{ Note: Polygamy Revelation 132 was given by Brigham 2 years prior in 1852. Was lying OK by Brighams Standards in 1852? }

Court Rulings Joseph Smith Did Not Teach Polygamy

February 23, 1880, the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, by its attorneys, appeared before the Court of Common Pleas, Lake County, Ohio, (see journal entry, February term, 1880) as plaintiff, asking for possession of the Kirtland Temple, an edifice erected during the early days of the church, and prior to the death of Joseph Smith the Martyr. The church in Utah, then presided over by John Taylor, was named with others as defendants.
Judge L. S. Sherman rendered the following decision:

“That the said Plaintiff, the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a Religious Society, founded and organized upon the same doctrines and tenets, and having the same church organization, as the original Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, organized in 1830, by Joseph Smith, and was organized pursuant to the constitution, laws and usages of said original Church, and has branches located in Illinois, Ohio, and other States.

That the church in Utah, the Defendant of which John Taylor is president, has materially and largely departed from the faith, doctrines, laws, ordinances and usages of said original Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and has incorporated into its system of faith the doctrines of celestial marriage and a plurality of wives, and the doctrine of Adam-god worship, contrary to the laws and constitution of said original Church.

And the Court do further find that the Plaintiff, the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is the True and Lawful continuation of, and successor to the said original Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, organized in 1830, and is entitled in law to all its rights and property.”

In a case tried before Judge John F. Philips, in the Circuit Court of the United States, for the Western District of Missouri, Western Division, at Kansas City, Missouri.

In his decision, rendered March 16, 1894, Judge Philips said:

The Book of Mormon itself inveighed against the sin of polygamy…. Conformably to the Book of Mormon, the Book of Doctrine and Covenants expressly declared “that we believe that one man should have but one wife, and one woman but one husband.” And this declaration of the church on this subject reappeared in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, editions of 1846 and 1856. Its first appearance as a dogma of the church (the dogma of polygamy) was in the Utah Church in 1852.

Claim is made by the Utah Church that this doctrine is predicated of a revelation made to Joseph Smith in July, 1843. No such revelation was ever made public during the life of Joseph Smith, and under the law of the church it could not become an article of faith and belief until submitted to and adopted by the church. This was never done ….

(History of RLDS Church Vol 5 pp. 238-239)