The Question of Polygamy
Question: You seem to give a lot of weight to the teachings of Joseph Smith. How do you fit this in with the early LDS authorities practicing polygamy?
JJ: I think that the LDS have a wrong view of prophets. Not every word they teach is God breathed or the black and white truth. For instance, Joseph’s revelation on selling the copyright to the Book of Mormon turned out to be completely misled.
Even Jesus said the temple would be destroyed so not one stone would be left upon another, but there still exists a wailing wall.
To follow any flesh and blood man without question is to receive the mark of the beast. The only infallible authority comes from the Spirit within. If you want to know the truth behind polygamy or any other doctrine you must run it by your own soul be open to all things as a little child. I have done this and get no go-head to practice polygamy, but do not condemn anyone who does through their own free will.
I believe Joseph saw the beginnings of The Molecular Relationship (see my book on this) but what he received was misinterpreted.
It is difficult to sort out all that happened with polygamy. It is interesting that there is not proof that Joseph fathered even one child through his dozens of wives. So far, all DNA testing has shown that kids thought to be descended from him are not. There is a growing segment of LDS believers who believe that polygamy in the church was started by Brigham Young and other apostles, and merely falsely promoted the idea that Joseph supported the doctrine.
Question: So what is for your feeling as to why most of the ancient prophets practiced polygamy? … Is your feeling that they all practiced it out of free will? From what I have read they thought that they would receive great blessings and rewards?
JJ: Not only did the ancient prophets practice polygamy but just about all the ancient peoples did. Many pharaohs, kings, tribal leaders, religious leaders practiced it. Greece and Rome were two empires that only practiced it during part of their histories. Herod of New Testament fame had nine wives.
Mohamed had numerous wives and that tradition is still carried on among the wealthy Muslims today. Would you like to be a plural wife of a Taliban leader? I don’t think so.
Just about anyone who had the means to support more than one wife was polygamous in most ancient cultures. Polygamy was much more prevalent among the rich and powerful than the common people for it was all an average guy could do to support one wife and the kids – and often this was a terrible struggle.
This also worked in reverse. Many powerful women in the ancient world had more than one lover, but weren’t usually officially married to them.
So basically, polygamy thrived in the ancient world and powerful men took numerous wives because they could. Powerful men also took many slaves. Why? Because they could. Interestingly, neither slavery or polygamy were condemned in the Bible. That doesn’t make either of them right. It just tells us that the consciousness of the people in that age was not prepared to change their age-old traditions.
It is interesting that the early Mormons practiced polygamy yet the practice was condemned in the Book of Mormon, the foundation book of Mormonism.
Jacob 1:15 And now it came to pass that the people of Nephi, under the reign of the second king, began to grow hard in their hearts, and indulge themselves somewhat in wicked practices, such as like unto David of old desiring many wives and concubines, and also Solomon, his son.
16 Yea, and they also began to search much gold and silver, and began to be lifted up somewhat in pride.
Jacob 2:23 But the word of God burdens me because of your grosser crimes. For behold, thus saith the Lord: This people begin to wax in iniquity; they understand not the scriptures, for they seek to excuse themselves in committing whoredoms, because of the things which were written concerning David, and Solomon his son.
24 Behold, David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord.
25 Wherefore, thus saith the Lord, I have led this people forth out of the land of Jerusalem, by the power of mine arm, that I might raise up unto me a righteous branch from the fruit of the loins of Joseph.
26 Wherefore, I the Lord God will not suffer that this people shall do like unto them of old.
27 Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none;
28 For I, the Lord God, delight in the chastity of women. And whoredoms are an abomination before me; thus saith the Lord of Hosts.
29 Wherefore, this people shall keep my commandments, saith the Lord of Hosts, or cursed be the land for their sakes.
30 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.
31 For behold, I, the Lord, have seen the sorrow, and heard the mourning of the daughters of my people in the land of Jerusalem, yea, and in all the lands of my people, because of the wickedness and abominations of their husbands.
32 And I will not suffer, saith the Lord of Hosts, that the cries of the fair daughters of this people, which I have led out of the land of Jerusalem, shall come up unto me against the men of my people, saith the Lord of Hosts.
33 For they shall not lead away captive the daughters of my people because of their tenderness, save I shall visit them with a sore curse, even unto destruction; for they shall not commit whoredoms, like unto them of old, saith the Lord of Hosts.
34 And now behold, my brethren, ye know that these commandments were given to our father, Lehi; wherefore, ye have known them before; and ye have come unto great condemnation; for ye have done these things which ye ought not to have done.
35 Behold, ye have done greater iniquities than the Lamanites, our brethren. Ye have broken the hearts of your tender wives, and lost the confidence of your children, because of your bad examples before them; and the sobbings of their hearts ascend up to God against you. And because of the strictness of the word of God, which cometh down against you, many hearts died, pierced with deep wounds.
It is amazing indeed that the church which has these powerful words in their own scriptures condemning polygamy is famous for espousing the doctrine of plural wives.
A casual observer may be baffled by it and wonder how this could be justified. This is done in two ways.
(1) The above scripture vaguely gives what could be an exception for it says:
“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.” Jacob 2:30
In other words, the scripture seems to be saying that polygamy is a horrible thing, comparable to running a house of prostitution. It brings untold grief to women, kills their hearts and brings a curse of destruction yet in the right circumstance – to raise up seed – God may command his people otherwise.
Isaiah talks of such a time. He writes of a future time of great destruction when there would be seven women to one man and because of such a shortage of men, women would volunteer themselves as polygamous wives. That makes sense. If a civilization needed to be rebuilt after most men were killed in a war then polygamy seem somewhat logical.
(2) The second way it was justified is it was presented as a mysterious doctrine that the common people were just not ready for. Polygamy was reserved for those who had a destiny to become gods and populate many worlds. A male god could father many more spirit children for these worlds with many wives than with just one wife.
Therefore, it was important for the spiritually advanced to obtain many wives, not only for the celestial future but to bring higher quality spirits to earth in mortal bodies.
There was a huge flaw in this second argument and that is, most of the people who have practiced polygamy have not been spiritual advanced. Many of them in the early church were tyrants ruling over their wives with an iron hand. You won’t read about this in orthodox church history but the are many accounts of the tyranny of polygamy which have survived.
Now here is a true principle that could be a reason for polygamy to justifiably surface.
The quality of entity drawn to be born to a couple is influenced by the spiritual vibration of the two. A high combined vibration will attract an entity of high vibration for like attracts like. Therefore, it may be possible that the Spirit would guide a man to take a second wife, or maybe just impregnate a spiritual female to draw forth a highly evolved soul to be born. Now if this were done without the approval of the soul then the vibration of all would be lowered and divine purpose negated.
But here’s the problem. Even if the disciple is attempting to follow the direction of the Spirit yet when other members of the group find out what their teacher is doing, they will also think that their spiritual vibration is plenty high also and want multiple wives as well.
As soon as word got out to the LDS males that plural marriage may be acceptable to God a lot of very ordinary, and in many cases carnal men, wanted to practice it.
Consequently, most entities drawn as children were quite ordinary. How many direct children of current polygamists do you know of that accomplished anything worthwhile?
There are about 40,000 polygamists today in Utah, many more than in the days of Brigham Young. I haven’t heard of any geniuses coming from any of these families.
It is indeed flawed reasoning to think that a plural wife system that has been identified by a Book of Mormon prophet to cause untold grief to women would suddenly turn into something that brings bliss in the next world.
That which makes us happy here will make us happy there and that which makes us unhappy here on earth will continue to make us unhappy if the location is changed.
Here’s is the key to discover the truth of all things. Look not at the black and white words of any teaching and do not consider that all black and white statements or commands of authorities are correct. Instead examine each teaching on its own merit and then run it by your soul.
Pretend you have never heard anything pro or con about polygamy and then run it by your soul and see what you feel. The inner voice must always be the greatest authority in the life of the disciple.
If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. – Wayne Dyer
January 23, 2011
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