top of page
Search

The Inquisitions: Sweet Young Things, Sister Wives, and Over Seventy Dead

Recently, my husband and I caught up with a young woman who had served as a sister missionary in our area. She was for sure one of our favorites---dynamic, intelligent, humble, and hardworking. While she and her boyfriend roasted marshmallows with us in our backyard firepit, we casually discussed our favorite shows streaming on Netflix. “Have you guys seen Waco?” she asked, eyebrows lifted with her question. “We LOVE Waco,” her boyfriend pitched in, obviously enthused. “Its totally nuts what happened to those people, and how that guy convinced those women to marry him? Even though most of them were married already?!” I responded that I hadn’t yet seen the series, but that I remember it actually happening and my parents following the crisis each night on the news. “Ya,” the young woman continued, “it’s totally addicting---” Her comment trailed off as I saw a shadow come over her face; she and her boyfriend both looked at each other with slight grimaces, adding, “but its a little uncomfortable because so much of what happens in Waco is like exactly what happened in church history…” An awkward silence followed, with me closing the conversation by interjecting, “well! Sounds fascinating. I'll have to watch it.”


For those of you unfamiliar with the Waco tragedy, look it up, or better yet, watch it on Netflix. In summary, in 1993 an end-of times Christian group, led by their prophet David Koresh, bunkered in their compound for what ended up being a 51-day siege between their group and federal law agents, resulting in the tragic death of 76 believers, 20 of which were children who burned to death in the skirmish. One of the major controversies of this “Branch Davidian” group was that their prophet, David Koresh, was engaged in polygamous relationships with several of the already-married women within his group, in addition to several underage child-brides (one as young as 14) with whom he had children with. While Koresh was engaged in sexual relationships with multiple women, all men within the compound had to agree to complete celibacy and refrain from any sexual activity. This unique lifestyle was one of many “revelations” Koresh received during his short tenure as prophet.


When my young sister missionary friend pointed out the uncomfortable similarities between the Waco story and our own LDS history, I intentionally chose not to engage that conversation, knowing the theological trauma it could trigger for our young friends---but in my own mind, I had engaged that conversation and many others like it many, many times. For most LDS (male and female), polygamy is a difficult topic to tackle, for various reasons outlined in the church’s essay on plural marriage. Perhaps it was because seeing this open-minded, sincere young woman recognize that something indeed was a bit “off” about our history triggered a place in my own history where I too was that sincere young woman, a missionary in fact, recognizing the same thing.


“You know,” Elder Thornton had said to the group of sisters on assignment at the Hill Cumorah that day, “Joseph’s wives weren’t just older unmarried sisters or widows…” My companion and I exchanged confused glances, unsure where this spontaneous teaching moment would lead. Leaning into the reception desk with his elbow propped on the edge, he continued, “plenty of them were sweet young things---” His comment ended without a conclusion, and I specifically remember his head tilted to the side, eyebrows raised as if waiting to see if we understood. Looking from my companion back to Elder Thornton, I then glanced over at his wife who was giving him a tired, somewhat irritated side-eyed glance. Whatever this senior Elder was getting at, being that we were ourselves “sweet young things,” this benevolent act of spontaneous and patronizing wisdom-sharing did not sit well with me.


As I have studied, reflected on, and considered polygamy from the lens of our own theological tradition, I have narrowed down my major concerns with LDS polygamous history to the following:


1) DISHONESTY. For some, the reality that Joseph Smith was engaged in polygamous relationships while adamantly denying the fact seems justified, due to the potential persecution the saints would face as a result. “What a thing it is for a man to be accused of committing adultery,” Joseph stated, “and having seven wives, when I can only find one.”[1] It is assumed that this statement was made on May 26th, 1844. According to official church history, Joseph most likely began experimenting with the principle of polygamy as early as 1831, in conjunction with his study of the Old Testament.[2] In addition to the issue of public denial, there is also the issue that Joseph’s early polygamous relationships were kept from his first wife, Emma. It always seemed a bit odd to me that if indeed an angel with a drawn sword were sent to Joseph to ensure that he “enter into” the practice of polygamy, surely, he could have sent a messenger to Emma to confirm the same? After all, both of Abraham’s wives Sarah and Hagar were sent heavenly messengers to comfort them in light of their marital dilemmas, and Mary herself was told by a holy messenger to “fear not” as she prepared to do the seemingly impossible. Emma, however, instead gets a cautionary warning that if she chooses to reject polygamy, she will be “destroyed.”[3] Which leads into my next point---

2) FEARMONGERING: I well remember the sick, uneasy feeling I felt as a young girl reading over the words found in D&C 132 that were dictated to Emma Smith. I imagined myself in her shoes, listening to that extensive revelation, hearing those threatening words directed to me. It wasn’t just Emma who was victim to this aggressive pressuring; Helen Mar Kimball, just 14 at the time of her wedding to Joseph Smith, was told that “If you will take this step, it will ensure your eternal salvation & exaltation and that of your father’s household & all of your kindred.”[4] Such an assurance would be almost impossible to pass up, even with the cost being your own mortal experience. In Helen’s own words, she “willingly gave” herself so that she could “purchase” such a reward.[5] Such a manipulative mechanism seems quite contrary to the doctrine found in D&C 121:41, “no power or influence aught to be maintained by virtue of the Priesthood, only by persuasion, long -suffering, by gentleness…”

3) INCONSISTENCIES WITH DOCTRINE AND APPLICATION: It is interesting to note that in D&C 132, another term for the “celestial order of marriage” is “the Law of Sarah.” According to both D&C and The Book of Abraham, God commands Abraham directly to take Hagar as his wife. Yet, In the original Genesis account, it is Sarah herself who decides that this polygamous union should occur and it is Sarah herself who decides when it should end. In light of the Genesis account, it follows that such an arrangement be termed as such. However, according to D&C 132, it is very clear that “the Lord” is the one doing the mandating of plural wives. Thus we see a tension between the two narratives. Additionally, in the book of Jacob we learn that the only time the Lord sanctions polygamous unions is to “raise up seed” (Jacob 2:29-30). However, it is debatable whether any of Joseph’s polygamous unions actually produced offspring. As one considers the eternities, the necessity for polygamous unions seems superfluous, since time and aging are of no consequence. Additionally, the D&C text specifies that a man “take a virgin” to wife and yet many of Joseph’s unions were not with virginal women, in fact, many were contracted with women whose husbands were alive at the time and were not informed of the union.[6] The Jacob text is also quite clear that David and Solomon’s “many wives and concubines” were seen as an abomination to the Lord, and yet, in D&C 132:39, after the Lord confirms that both David and Solomon had many wives and concubines, the text specifically outlines that the only sin was when David cohabitates with Bathsheba (the text in fact doesn’t mention her, but rather, refers to her as Uriah’s wife). While this indeed seems a contradiction, consider again that Joseph entered into marriages with several women who were already married. Is this not “the case of Uriah’s wife”? I have read the many apologetic attempts to explain this messy state of polygamous practice, none of which resolve the above areas of concern.

It is also interesting to note that no other Judeo/Christian/Islamic tradition views Abraham as having been “commanded” to take additional wives. Many interpret the Biblical account as either prescriptive or descriptive; in Abraham’s case, his polygamous unions can be seen as circumstantial (descriptive) rather than divinely decreed. Additionally, one goes down another rabbit hole of inconsistencies when one studies the doctrines taught surrounding plural marriage, as well as the church’s current view on the practice (i.e. it was once clearly taught that polygamous union was essential for exaltation, however, such a practice is no longer taught as essential for exaltation).


I’ve heard it said, in attempts to defend the church’s practice of polygamy, that many women bore charismatic testimony of the principle of plural marriage. Even Helen Mar Kimball herself, one a fervent protester of such unions, came to be an ardent defender of the practice. This worn-out apologetic fails to impress me; millions of women throughout history have made the best of a rough marriage through focusing on their children and finding happiness outside of their marital relations---one need look no farther than the phenomena of Stockholm Syndrome to see how easily one can be manipulated to see one’s oppressed condition as one divinely benevolent.


In conclusion, LDS theology surrounding the practice of polygamy reflects an eisegetical (personalized) view of Biblical history used to inform an inconsistently practiced mandate of plural marriage that, to quote Carol Lynn Pearson, has indeed left a “ghost” among Mormon culture that haunts the minds and hearts of LDS men and women. Indeed, for many who courageously acknowledge the alarming similarities of church history with the history of nearly every cultish prophet figure in the last two centuries, the ghost of polygamy that haunts our theology and casts a shadow on our future looms at large.


[1] Joseph Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7 volumes, edited by Brigham H. Roberts, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1957), 6:410-412 [2] https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/topics/plural-marriage-in-kirtland-and-nauvoo?lang=eng [3] Doctrine and Covenants 132:54k [4] http://www.wivesofjosephsmith.org/26-HelenMarKimball.htm [5] Ibid. [6] https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/topics/plural-marriage-in-kirtland-and-nauvoo?lang=eng

1,003 views1 comment

Recent Posts

See All
Post: Blog2_Post
bottom of page