After reading on RfM about Nancy Rigdon's story, I thought I'd do some more research and see what FAIR has to say on the matter. It looks like Nancy's rejection might be the most well documented case of Joe being turned down. FAIR has a list of 7 women that turned down Joe (as referenced in LDS sources), and another 12, some of which aren't as well documented.

http://en.fairmormon.org/Joseph_Smith/Polygamy/Did_women_turn_Joseph_down

The article also includes this:

"Question: Did any woman suffer consequences for refusing plural marriage?

Answer: Generally no, but yes, if they were vocal about it.

No woman was physically harmed for a refusal to practice plural marriage. Those who refused but maintained the secrecy necessary for the Saints' protection in Nauvoo suffered no ill effects. Joseph's reported reaction was relatively mild. As Sarah Kimball reported:

Early in the year 1842, Joseph Smith taught me the principle of marriage for eternity, and the doctrine of plural marriage. He said that in teaching this he realized that he jeopardized his life; but God had revealed it to him many years before as a privilege with blessings, now God had revealed it again and instructed him to teach it with commandment, as the Church could travel (progress) no further without the introduction of this principle. I asked him to teach it to some one else. He looked at me reprovingly, and said, 'Will you tell me who to teach it to? God required me to teach it to you, and leave you with the responsibility of believing or disbelieving.‘ He said, 'I will not cease to pray for you, and if you will seek unto God in prayer you will not be led into temptation.'[3]
(Sarah's husband was not a member of the Church until 1843. There was some tension between him and Joseph as a result of this episode, but he seems to have resolved any animosity he held for the prophet.[4] They were later to go Utah with the Saints, where Sarah assumed a prominent role in the Relief Society. Her husband died while en route to a mission in Hawaii.[5]

Other women loudly trumpeted the plural marriage doctrine in Nauvoo and the hostile press. These women's testimony and character were generally attacked to try to discredit them in an effort to preserve the secrecy which surrounded plural marriage. (This factor is complicated by the fact that at least some were guilty of inappropriate behavior (e.g., likely Sarah Pratt). Despite attacks on their character, some remained in Nauvoo and likewise suffered no physical harm (e.g., Nancy Rigdon)."

That's it. No further comment from FAIR. "These women's testimony and character were generally attacked to try to discredit them in an effort to preserve the secrecy which surrounded plural marriage." I guess god commanded Joe to lie about these women? It's all okay, 'cause Joe didn't beat them...he just publicly called them whores! That's obviously what Jesus would have done. It looks like the church hasn't changed...it sounds like FAIR is saying that Sarah Pratt really was a whore. Either way, how can anyone believe that god had his hand in any of this?

If FAIR is claiming this (and I haven't seen anything elsewhere except some spurious speculation she and John C. Bennett were carrying on), that makes it doubtful all by itself.

Could you point to some credbile references?

Joseph basically set up a secret combination for polygamy.

Here's FAIR's take home answer at the top of the page:

"Several women seem to have refused plural marriage. If they did nothing to threaten the life and safety of Joseph and the Saints, they suffered no discernible consequences. Those who tried to "expose" Joseph had their character and testimony challenged."

So, let's see, FAIR...

"threaten the life and safety of Joseph and the Saints..." is a total crock of shit. These were often girls, and none of them had any power. They were VICTIMS of a SEXUAL PREDATOR and FAIR wants us to believe they were threatening and dangerous.


"...had their character and testimony challenged." Read: any of these grils or women with personal integrity were villified, demonized, ruined, and destroyed so that our wonderful abusive prophet of the resotration could continue to run his little wealth and sex and power colony in Nauvoo.

These FAIR types are such lowlifes. I would love to see what they would say if "the prophet" ruined one of their daughter's reputations for saying no to an illegal and illicit sexual demand. They'd probably have neither backbone nor balls enough to do anything but get on their knees and whimper.

"threaten the life and safety of Joseph and the Saints..." is a total crock of @#$%&. These were often girls, and none of them had any power. They were VICTIMS of a SEXUAL PREDATOR and FAIR wants us to believe they were threatening and dangerous.

Exactly! They only way they could threaten Joe's "safety" was to expose his immoral and ILLEGAL conduct. If he was a prophet, or even a decent person, he would have had nothing to fear. It's OBVIOUS that he wasn't. He was a liar, a fraud, a sexual predator, and he deserved to have his safety threatened...he was threatening the safety and good name of his victims.

If Sarah Pratt was a whore , then why was horny Joe chasing her skirt ? Seems like she was just fine until she told him to blow it out his backside .

https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V19N02_71.pdf

Also, SL Trib editor W. Wyl wrote a book "Mormon Portraits" and quoted Sarah Pratt extensively. She seems to me to have been a reliable and honest woman.

Wilhelm Wymetal did inteview William Law for the Salt Lake Tribune, and he also wrote "Mormon Portraits" and a volume which Uncle Dale has archived here. He was a German; I don't think he was a Tribune editor, however.

http://www.olivercowdery.com/smithhome/1886WWyl.htm

Here's an old RFM link where a number of us contributed.

http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,813934,813965

Anybody want to take a stab at translating this bio? I couldn't find an English version.

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_von_Wymetal_(Journalist)

Agreed...they are perpetuating the smear of Sarah Pratt because she provided a lot of great details throughout her life which were not faith promoting.

Oh, and the fact that she was married to Apostle Orson Pratt, who had been sent away on a mission. Polyandry makes the folks at FAIR very uncomfortable.

...and she (Sarah Pratt) also provided details on abortions for Joseph Smith's girls that would get in trouble from time to time.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/24/2014 02:03PM by Facsimile 3.