http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/11/living/mormon-founder-polygamy/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Shared it on my Facebook, hopefully people will start asking questions.

Cnn is my home page, I saw it and started laughing. The sh1t hit the fan. Of course I'm sure a lot of TBM's don't pay attention to CNN, hopefully Fox will have the article too.

Here's the link from Fox News

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/11/11/mormon-leaders-admit-church-founder-joseph-smith-practiced-polygamy/

There's 448 comments so far!

Coverage in Slate:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2014/11/11/joseph_smith_s_40_wives_the_mormon_church_finally_acknowledges_its_founder.html

Excerpt below:

"[...] a statue of Smith gazing into the eyes of Emma, his first wife, that stands in the Temple Square in Salt Lake City—drives home how much the other 30-plus women in Smith's life—including one who was just 14, and some who were still married to other men—have largely been ignored."

"If you think this is enough to keep me quiet, you've got another thing coming, you sick, pompous little jerk."

LOL!

Love it!

Did CNN disable the comments for this article? I was looking but couldn't find them.

Coverage in the Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/national/wp/2014/11/11/the-mormon-church-finally-acknowledges-founder-joseph-smiths-polygamy/

Excerpt below:

Some of the more notable acknowledgements in the essay include the detail that Smith “was sealed to a number of women who were already married,” which the church speculates may have been a way to strengthen bonds between early Mormon families. Helen Mar Kimball married Smith before she turned 15 (however, most of his wives were between the ages of 20 and 40 when they married Smith).

Coverage in the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/11/us/its-official-mormon-founder-had-up-to-40-

Excerpt below:

“Joseph Smith was presented to me as a practically perfect prophet, and this is true for a lot of people,” said Emily Jensen, a blogger and editor in Farmington, Utah, who often writes about Mormon issues.

She said the reaction of some Mormons to the church’s disclosures resembled the five stages of grief in which the first stage is denial, and the second is anger. Members are saying on blogs and social media, “This is not the church I grew up with, this is not the Joseph Smith I love,” Ms. Jensen said.

I'd ask Ms. Jensen, what she's going to do about IT!

Salt Lake Tribune article (published on October 22, and still ranked as one of the most popular articles, with over 5,000 comments):

http://www.sltrib.com/lifestyle/faith/1733664-155/plural-marriage-essay-smith-church-joseph

Comments are interesting (sort by "newest" to get the flavor of the most recent comments):

"When Emma caught Joseph with Fanny Alger (age 16) he hadn't received the revelation on polygamy so why does the church now claim they were married?. Fanny soon left town and married a non-mormon."

New coverage on NPR, (posted two hours ago):

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/11/11/363324816/mormon-church-admits-founder-joseph-smith-had-up-to-40-wives

Some BS inevitably repeated in this NPR article:

His youngest bride said later that she was only bonded to Smith for eternity and the essay suggests "that the relationship did not involve sexual relations." The practice of "eternal marriage" was predicated on the idea that a marriage could last beyond death. But if a marriage had an "eternity-only sealing," sexual relations between husband and wife were only permitted in the "next life."

Coverage in the LA Times:

http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-mormon-church-polygamy-20141111-story.html

Excerpt below:

“I’m 19, and I go with my freshman BYU friends to Temple Square,” another wrote, referring to Brigham Young Universitiy. “We watch the film Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration, and I’m moved at the sacrifices of this man. I’m touched by his relationship with Emma. There is no mention of his other wives, and I don’t even notice. I don’t want to notice. I don’t want there to be other wives needing omission for this polished narrative.”
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Warren Jeffs is also mentioned in this article.

Coverage from BBC Canada:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-30009324

Excerpt below:

While the practice of polygamy was dropped in 1890, the concept remains in the afterlife. A man can be married or "sealed" to more than one woman after death, but not the other way around.

Coverage from BBC UK:

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-30011409

This article covers:
- garmies
- Mountain Meadows massacre
- running ones own planet
- becoming like God

Coverage in USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/11/11/mormon-church-of-latter-day-saints-polygamy-plural-marriage-joseph-smith/18841995/

Excerpt below:

"Some Latter-day Saints rejected the principle of plural marriage and left the Church, while others declined to enter the practice but remained faithful," the essay says. "Nevertheless, for many women and men, initial revulsion and anguish was followed by struggle, resolution, and ultimately, light and peace. Sacred experiences enabled the Saints to move forward in faith."

The article describes two types of marriages, or "sealings," with one for "time and eternity" and involving commitments and relationships, including sexual relations, and the other for "eternity-only" and is not consummated.

I notice that a lot of LDS commenters are repeating things like, Oh, yeah, I've always known about that. So what?

I've noticed quite a few people downplaying it as "old news". I think I'd worry more that this was old news to someone . . . and that they've been okay with it.

They were livid over the lies. This will cut into the future convert pool, for sure.