When the mormons were sending missionaries to Europe and getting Christensens and Jensens and Joneses to move to Utah, were they told in advance about polygamy, or were they surprised to learn about that upon arrival in Zion? What historical records do we have of immigrant converts' reactions to learning about polygamy?

... my ancestors discovered the "rumors" and "anti" literature was true only after they got to the valley -- of course, they explained the deceptions all away as they'd never think of speaking against the Lard's anointed.

B.Y. encouraged missionaries to baptize more WOMEN -- for one purpose only.

I believe John Taylor, when presiding over the British mission, denied the 'vicious rumors' that the American saints were practicing plural marriage.

At least that's what all his wives in Utah were saying...

The 1852 Doctrine and Covenants, Third European Edition, published in Liverpool and sold in London said "we declare that we believe that one man should have one wife; and one woman but one husband, except in the case of death, when either is at liberty to marry again."

They lied to investigators and converts in England.

they'd have to marry much older men who already had multiple wives. Once they were in Utah they had no way to travel across the country and over seas to where they'd lived.

Well established that they lied to those in England back then. They have done a lot of it in England over the years. They where still doing it when I was on a mission in '96-'98.

"Brethren, 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." - Apostle Heber C. Kimball, The Lion of the Lord, New York, 1969, pp.129-30

From a previous post by Zeezromp:

In a public debate with Protestant ministers at Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, in 1850, John Taylor (then an apostle, later to become the third president of the church), said:
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; therefore... I shall content myself to 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, .... "we declare that we believe that one man should have one wife, and one woman but one husband." (Three Nights' Public Discussion..., published by John Taylor, Liverpool 1850, photocopy in Sharon Banister, For Any Latter-day Saint, Fort Worth 1988, p. 289)

The Truth:
At the time of this discussion, John Taylor was married to eleven wives in addition to his first (legal) wife: Elizabeth Kaighin, Jane Ballantyne, Anna Ballantyne, Mary A. Oakley, Mary A. Utley, Mary Ramsbottom, Sarah Thornton, Lydia Dibble (Hyrum Smith's polygamous widow), Ann Hughlings, Sophia Whittaker, and Harriet Whittaker. He had also been married to Mercy R. Fielding Smith (Hyrum Smith's widow), but the marriage had ended in divorce. (listed in D. Michael Quinn, The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power [Vol. 1], Salt Lake City 1994, p. 597)

Notice that Taylor cited the Mormon scripture Doctrine and Covenants as it was in effect and binding on all Mormons at that time. Thus Taylor (as well as Hyrum Smith and Joseph Smith) was in violation of the official laws of his own church, as well as the civil law. Notice that Taylor describes polygamy as "most indelicate, obscene, and disgusting, such that none but a corrupt and depraved heart could have contrived. ... too outrageous to admit of belief." Surely he could not have been sincere in such an opinion about a doctrine that he himself was practicing, and which he practiced and defended (as soon as it was officially admitted by Brigham Young in 1852) until the end of his life.

Hey, I liked that '60s TV show, "Here Come the Brides."! That was in America, though.

"The bluest skies you've ever seen are in Seattle..."

https://youtu.be/mRNpa_vTjRM



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/30/2015 05:02PM by wondercat.