Looking into my g-g-grandfather's history, I found out he went on a mission to England just after entering into plural marriage. I've heard the rumor that missionaries who went on missions to Europe lied to converts about polygamy. I would love to have any kind of proof to show the TBM's in my family.

I've resigned from TSCC, and don't care if people can connect me. This is absolute proof that Mormon missionaries were living polygamy. My question is, were they lying about it?

Here is my g-g-grandfather's story:
http://members.cox.net/jameshistory/pc_merrill.html

and the local newspapers (I'm in Lancashire) have archived material exposing their lies. Initially they were believed and invited to preach in a local Methodist church, until they were found out in their lies ad thereafter banned. This is all known locally.

My grandfather, long gone bless him, warned us about the mormons stealing young girls for the old men in Utah, they were thought to 'mesmerise' and seduce whilst lying through their back teeth about it all. I didn't believe my own grandfather and was raised believing that polygamy was only condoned as a means to prevent the starvation of widows.

Mormons = liars and charlatans in these parts. It was tough growing up in a church with such a reputation.

Briggy

"We are accused here of polygamy,... and actions the most indelicate, obscene, and disgusting, such that none but a corrupt and depraved heart could have contrived. These things are too outrageous to admit of belief;... I shall content myself by reading our views of chastity and marriage, from a work published by us containing some of the articles of our Faith. 'Doctrine and Covenants,' page 330... Inasmuch as this Church of Jesus 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,..."' (tract published by John Taylor in England, in 1850, page 8; published in "Orson Pratt's Works," 1851 edition).

brigantia Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "We are accused here of polygamy,... and actions
> the most indelicate, obscene, and disgusting, such
> that none but a corrupt and depraved heart could
> have contrived. These things are too outrageous to
> admit of belief;... I shall content myself by
> reading our views of chastity and marriage, from a
> work published by us containing some of the
> articles of our Faith. 'Doctrine and Covenants,'
> page 330... Inasmuch as this Church of Jesus
> 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,..."' (tract published by John Taylor in
> England, in 1850, page 8; published in "Orson
> Pratt's Works," 1851 edition).

This is from a "debate" that John Taylor had while French Mission President. It is interesting that at the time this spirited denial of polygamy Taylor had seven wives.

Another screed by John Taylor denying polygamy while he himself was practicing it was published in TIMES AND SEASONS of which Taylor was the editor. In the November 1844 issue Taylor castigates Sidney Rigdon who had blown the Mormons' cover on polygamy:

“The saints of the last days have witnessed the outgoings and incomings of so many apostates that nothing but truth has any effect upon them. In the present instance, after the sham quotations of Sidney and his clique, from the Bible, Book of Mormon, and Doctrine and Covenants, to skulk off, under the "dreadful splendor" of "spiritual wifery," which is brought into the account as graciously as if the law of the land allowed a man a plurality of wives, is fiendish, and like the rest of Sidney's revelation, just because he wanted "to go to Pittsburg and live." Wo to the man or men who will thus wilfully lie to injure an innocent people! The law of the land and the rules of the church do not allow one man to have more than one wife alive at once, but if any man's wife die, he has a right to marry another, and to be sealed to both for eternity; to the living and the dead! there is no law of God or man against it! This is all the spiritual wife system that was ever tolerated in the church, and they know it....." (Times and Seasons 5 [November 15, 1844]: p.715)

Note that Taylor is besmirching the honesty of Sidney Rigdon, who was telling the truth, by lying. This is a clear-cut violation of the Ten Commandments.

My husband has a related story. One of his gggrandfaters was converted in England. He brought his wife to UT. He learned about polygamy in England but did not tell her until they were making the trek to UT. He explains in his journal that she didn't talk to him for days.

Sheesh. What was she supposed to do? She didn't know what the men knew when she left England. He says in his journal that he was told in England about it by the inner circle and that it was not to be discussed.

She didn't know anyone and had zero resources. Oh well, she died of "the flow" just before she got to Utah. Her fine husband went on to marry a couple others. His journal basically outlines what church jobs he held and which general authorities came to visit his area.

Uggggh. I'm astounded that people can find any of this "faith promoting."

If I remember correctly they finally announced polygamy to the Brits in about about 1853. Before that it was vigorously denied.

I read somewhere that they lost a huge percent of their members when it was admitted to, poor things. You can understand why they rather have kept it quiet.

From what I am finding, the church has always been very Machiavellian, "the end justifies the mean".

I truly believe this church will lie, cheat and steal to keep up it's facade. Polygamy was and will always be a thorn in the side of this church. I think the whole denial of polygamy until the 1850's is why we never learned about Joseph Smith practicing this wretched principle. If members knew about polygamy prior to Nauvoo and SLC, they would learn many things the church would rather keep in the dark abyss of sordid mormon history.

Elder P. P. Pratt, who was then one of the
Twelve Apostles, and Editor of the Millennial
Star, published in England.

In the August
1842 Millennial Star, vol. 3, p. 74,he states editorially:

"But, for the information of those who may be as-
sailed by those foolish tales about the two wives,
we would say that NO SUCH PRINCIPLE EVER EXISTED
among the Latter Day Saints, AND NEVER WILL; this
is well known to all who are acquainted with our
books and actions, the Book of Mormon, Doctrine
and Covenants; and also all our periodicals are very
strict and explicit on that subject, indeed far more
so than the Bible."


There is also the story of Martha Brotherton who left England to migrate to the US for the 'True church' and was shocked when Joseph Smith tried the polygamy crap on her and also Brigham Young. She tried to warn others of it back in England knowing they were being lied to and deceived and Smith then proceeded to blacken her name through church publications.

Are you familiar with this story?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/26/2010 05:59PM by zeezrom.

I'm not familiar with the story of Martha Brotherton, but it doesn't surprise me that Joseph Smith propositioned women and when they objected, he blackballed their reputation. In those days, from what I understand, a woman's reputation was important.

If you read the story I posted above about my g-g-grandfather, scroll down to see the story of his second wife. Mary Jane Smith who was worn out with baby making, and died. Very sad. The 3rd wife had only one of his babies before leaving him. Lucky for her, although, she kept her faith in Mormonism as far as I know. I'm a descendant of wife #1.

Thank you all so much.

Up until 1875 one of the sections of the doctrines and covenants had a verse that included the following

"Inasmuch as the church has been accused of the sin of fornication and polygamy I hereby state that one man should have one wife and wife should have one husband"

In 1876 that section was replaced with something else. I went to BYU archive section and took photo copies of the before and after. That was the final nail in the coffin for me. Joseph Smith was lying to the general membership while he was screwing just about anyone he could get his hands on under the guise of "God told me to do it".

I have the photo copies at my work place. I will try and remember to post again to tell you exactly which section I am talking about.

Good luck.

It was a "revelation" in The Book of Commandments. This is a huge cover up that it was removed! As if they wanted to gloss over it. No big deal, HA!

It's just amazing all the lies they tell and polygamy seems to be at the heart of so much of it. No wonder it's still being practiced.

Apologists do a fine job of showing that section 101 of the Book of Commandments was as article on marriage written by Oliver Cowdery and presented to the church and sustained as doctrine, and that this happened while Joseph was elsewhere preaching. Thus, on the one hand it was never revelation. But on the other, it was sustained as church doctrine and is the section quoted by leaders of the church in both their European and American denial of polygamy demonstrated by the postings above.

Just wanted to clarify that it wasn't revelation to the church.

Keeping the world honest,

JoshuaCirclingJericho

Blowing the horns of truth and waiting for the walls to fall.

Did you know that traditional Bible chronology places Joshua at 1440-1370BC but that sedimentation studies and radio-carbon dating place the fall of Jericho's walls at 550BC?

Thanks Joshua'! I got that backwards--I thought the walls were gone before Joshua hundreds of years BEFORE Joshua; maybe they built walls later in case he showed up again with his Big Band.

I've always wondered what happened to all the bachelor's stuck in 1850's Utah--did they try to import wives, or just work until they died without female companionship?

1852 Doctrine and Covenants, Third European Edition, published in Liverpool and sold in London said this in the appendix:

Inasmuch 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...

http://books.google.com/books?id=jWUoAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=doctrine+and+covenants&hl=en&ei=mdCfTN6tLNOfngeNg6XKDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDsQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=polygamy&f=false

From my own ancestors, one of my aunts married Brig in the Nauvoo temple and remained one of his many wives in Utah.

The 1852 European Doctrine and Covenants is proof of a bold face lie by LDS leaders to the people in Europe. Your ancestor went on his mission within a year of this D&C edition being printed.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/26/2010 09:36PM by michaelm.

In the same year that Smith began his involvement with polygamy by 'marrying' Fanny Alger, the church published the Book of Commandments (the predecessor of the Doctrine & Covenants) which contained the following statement: “Inasmuch 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 case of death, when either is at liberty to marry again.” (Section C1, 251). This statement was affirmed as canonized doctrine in August 1835 in a vote by the church’s General Assembly (Van Wagoner, 8). This statement continued to appear in subsequent publications of the Doctrine & Covenants until well after Smith’s death in 1844.

Smith again denied involvement in the 1838 church publication Elder’s Journal where he answered the specific question “Do the Mormons believe in having more wives than one?” with an insistent “No, not at the same time.” (Van Wagoner, 16).

Rumors of plural wifery persisted, however, and in October 1842 the church publication Times & Seasons printed a statement reaffirming the church’s condemnation of the practice of plural marriage. The statement was signed by many of Nauvoo’s prominent male citizens and was accompanied by a further declaration supported by the leading ladies of the Relief Society (Times & Seasons, October 1842). Notable among the signatories were Eliza Snow and Sarah Cleveland who had already become plural wives of Joseph Smith. Also notable were N.K. Whitney and his wife Elizabeth who added their support for the declarations despite knowing that their daughter, seventeen-year-old Sarah Ann, had married Joseph Smith the previous July (Compton, In Sacred Loneliness 4-6).

In March 1943, the church publication Times and Seasons printed a statement declaring the charge that polygamy was being practiced among the saints as “false and ridiculous”; further stating that no group had a greater respect for the “laws of matrimony” than they. Within one year of that published statement, Smith would go on to marry at least seven additional women (Van Wagoner, 55).

Smith’s final denial came just a few months before his death in 1844 when, speaking to a group of loyal followers, he protested the unjust accusation of having multiple wives when he had only one (History of the Church, 6:411). Despite his emphatic declaration of innocence, Smith had at least thirty-three plural wives at the time of the speech (Compton, In Sacred Loneliness 4-7).

After Smith’s murder, the Church continued to deny that polygamy was a practice among the saints. In 1848, the church publication Millennial Star called for retaliation against those who continued to perpetuate the lie that “such odious practices as spiritual wivery and polygamy” was being practiced in the church.

During a famous 1850 debate with a clergyman in France, LDS Church leader John Taylor declared to be false the accusation “of polygamy and actions the most indelicate, obscene, and disgusting, such that none but a corrupt and depraved heart could have contrived. These things are too outrageous to admit of belief.” At the time of that emphatic pronouncement, Taylor (who would later become church president) had ten plural wives. (Hirschon, 117)

Fanny Stenhouse recorded in her book "Tell It All" many cases of the purposeful deception of potential English converts by LDS leaders regarding the practice of polygamy. Many would make the journey to Zion only then to discover the treachery of LDS leaders.

Church leaders would not openly declare polygamy as official church doctrine until 1852 (Van Wagoner, 5).

Here is one of my favorites

The Lion of the Lord, by Stanley P. Hirshon, pp. 129-130
“Kimball always kept an eye out for romance. ‘Brethren,’ he instructed some departing missionaries, ‘I want you to understand that it is not to be as it has been heretofore. The brother missionaries have been in the habit of picking out the prettiest women for themselves before they get here, and bringing on the ugly ones for us; hereafter you have to bring them all here before taking any of them, and let us all have a fair shake.”