(posted by Steve Benson, RfM, 19 December 2013)
Who wants to die at the hands of a Mormon God-sent angel brandishing a flaming sword, when the LDS God finally decides to, once again, reinstate his eternal law of polygamy to the earth?
The Mormon Cult's doctrinal do-over essay on the history of its officially-sanctioned polygamy failed to remove Mormon killer angels from the stage when Mormon multi-wifery is restored to the earth (after having suffered a brief setback when outlawed by heathens working for the United States government).
The Mormon God's plan of action when it comes to polygamy is found in the following excerpts from the Mormon Cult's canonized and still-standing Doctrine and Covenants, Section 132. There, the Mormon God commands his LDS faithful to plunge into polygamy, under threat of heaven-sent destruction if they refuse to comply. In the "divine" diatribe (briefly excerpted below), the Mormon God makes a point to single, by name, out Joseph Smith's wife, Emma, targeting her for destruction should she refuse to go along with her husband's God-blessed multi-wifery. Also in these raging passages, the Mormon God vows to destroy any woman who refuses to meekly assent to her husband's Mormon-ordained order to polygamize:
"14. For whatsoever things remain are by me; and whatsoever things are not by me shall be shaken and DESTROYED . . . .
"26. Verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man marry a wife according to my word, and they are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, according to mine appointment, and he or she shall commit any sin or transgression of the new and everlasting covenant whatever, and all manner of blasphemies, and if they commit no murder wherein they shed innocent blood, yet they shall come forth in the first resurrection, and enter into their exaltation; but they shall be DESTROYED IN THE FLESH, and shall be delivered unto the buffetings of Satan unto the day of redemption, saith the Lord God . . .
"41. And as ye have asked concerning adultery, verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man receiveth a wife in the new and everlasting covenant, and if she be with another man, and I have not appointed unto her by the holy anointing, she hath committed adultery and shall be DESTROYED . . .
"52. And let mine handmaid, Emma Smith, receive all those that have been given unto my servant Joseph, and who are virtuous and pure before me; and those who are not pure, and have said they were pure, shall be DESTROYED, saith the Lord God . . .
“54. And I command mine handmaid, Emma Smith, to abide and cleave unto my servant Joseph, and to none else. But if she will not abide this commandment she shall be DESTROYED , saith the Lord; for I am the Lord thy God, and will destroy her if she abide not in my law . . .
“63. But if one or either of the 10 virgins, after she is espoused, shall be with another man, she has committed adultery, and shall be DESTROYED; for they are given unto him to multiply and replenish the earth, according to my commandment, and to fulfill the promise which was given by my Father before the foundation of the world, and for their exaltation in the eternal worlds, that they may bear the souls of men; for herein is the work of my Father continued, that he may be glorified . . .
“64. And again, verily, verily, I say unto you, if any man have a wife, who holds the keys of this power, and he teaches unto her the law of my priesthood, as pertaining to these things, then shall she believe and administer unto him, or she shall be DESTROYED, saith the Lord your God; for I will DESTROY her; for I will magnify my name upon all those who receive and abide in my law." (emphasis added)
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Not only did the Mormon God threaten to destroy those who didn't follow suit with Joseph Smith in his polygamous affairs, the same God threatened to destroy Smith himself, if he didn't fall into line by falling into bed with women other than Emma:
"The first woman that mentions God threatening Joseph’s life is his fifth wife, Zina Huntington Jacobs. Originally, he asked her to marry him and she declined and married a man named Henry Jacobs. A few months after her marriage to Henry, Zina wrote, '[Joseph] sent word to me by my brother, saying, "Tell Zina, I put it off and put it off till an angel with a drawn sword stood by me and told me if I did not establish that principle upon the earth I would lose my position and my life."'
("The History of Polygamy," at:
http://www.ldsorigins.com/polygamy.htm)
Not only did the Mormon God swear destruction on Mormons who did not accept and practice polygamy, he sent killer angels with flaming swords to drive home the point:
"In his biography of Joseph Smith, 'Rough Stone Rolling,' author Richard Lyman Bushman relates a popular Mormon legend/history regarding the Mormon prophet and his embrace of polygamy. He writes:
"'By delaying plural marriage, Joseph risked provoking God’s wrath. Mary (Elizabeth) Rollins Lightner, one of his plural wives, later said Joseph told her about the pressure he was under. "The angel came to me three times between the year of [18]34 and [18]42 and said I was to obey the principle or he would [s]lay me." Others told the story with an additional detail: the angel held a drawn sword.' . . .
"In the book, 'Nauvoo Polygamy, But We Called it Celestial Marriage,' author George D. Smith adds to Bushman’s account with one caveat. He reports that Smith’s plural wife, Rollins Lightner, also included the drawn sword in her story. From 'Nauvoo Polygamy,' D. Smith repeats a statement Rollins Lightner made in 1902, claiming Joseph Smith told her he had been commanded to marry her as far back as 1834, but had resisted, until, as she related: '[T]he Angel came to him three times, the last time with a drawn Sword and threatened his life.'
"Rollins Lightner, quite reasonably, relates that she asked Smith 'if God told him so, why did he not come and tell me?' Apparently, Rollins Lightner did have what she regarded as an angelic visitation. She said, ' . . . [A]nd an Angel came to me, it went through me like lightning.' The pair were married in 1842.
("Did an Angel with a Drawn Sword Force Joseph Smith to Start Polygamy?," by Doug Gibson, 15 April 2013, at:
http://blogs.standard.net/the-political-surf/2013/04/15/did-an-angel-with-a-drawn-sword-force-joseph-smith-to-start-polygamy/)
In a biography of Mormon apostle Heber C. Kimball by Orson F. Whitney, the teaching of angels with flaming swords coming to earth threatening to kill Joseph Smith if he didn't get the ball rolling on polygamy is retold and reinforced as part of the Restoration of the Mormon Gospel:
"A grand and glorious principle had been revealed, and for years had slumbered in the breast of God’s Prophet, awaiting the time when, with safety to himself and the Church, it might be confided to the sacred keeping of a chosen few. That time had now come. An angel with a flaming sword descended from the courts of glory and, confronting the Prophet, commanded him in the name of the Lord to establish the principle so long concealed from the knowledge of the Saints and of the world--that of plural marriage."
(Orson F. Whitney, "Life of Heber C. Kimball, An Apostle: The Father and Founder of the British Mission" [Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft], 1979, p. 321)
Joseph F. Smith also reiterated that Joseph Smith was prodded into polygamy at the point of a sword-brandishing angel:
“Joseph Smith was commanded to take wives. He hesitated and postponed it, seeing the consequences and the trouble that it would bring and he shrank from the responsibility, but he prayed to the Lord for it to pass as Jesus did but [as] Jesus had to drink it to the dregs, so it was with Joseph Smith. The Lord had revealed it to him and said now is the time for it to be practiced--but it was not until he [Joseph Smith] had been told he must practice it or be destroyed that he made the attempt.”
(Joseph F. Smith, comments at quarterly conference held 3–4 March 1883, "Utah State Historical Society," Salt Lake City, Utah; also in Church History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah)
Below are yet more accounts that Mormon polygamy came at the point of angel-drawn swords:
--Joseph Lee Robinson (circa 1853):
“The Lord instead of releasing [Joseph Smith] from that burden, he sent an holy angel with a drawn sword unto him, saying unto him, Joseph, unless you go to and immediately teach that principle (namely polygamy or plural marriage) and put the same in practice, that he, Joseph, should be slain for thus saith the Lord, that the time has now come that I will raise up seed unto me as I spoke by my servant Jacob as is recorded in the Book of Mormon, therefore, I command my people.”
(Oliver Preston Robinson. ed., "History of Joseph Lee Robinson" [n.p.: "History Comes Home," 2007], p. 27)
--Joseph F. Smith (1869):
“He [Joseph Smith] said that the Lord had revealed [the doctrine of the plurality of wives] unto him and com- manded him to have women sealed to him as wives, that he foresaw the trouble that would follow and sought to turn away from the commandment, that an angel from heaven appeared before him with a drawn sword, threat- ening him with destruction unless he went forward and obeyed the commandment.”
(Joseph F. Smith, Affidavit, 18 August 1869, "Joseph F. Smith Affidavit Books," vol. 2, p. 19, MS 3423, fd 5, Church History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah)
--Lorenzo Snow (1892):
“[Joseph Smith] explained to me the principles of plural marriage distinctly and clearly, and told me that the Lord had revealed the principle and had commanded him to enter into that practice. And that he had received a revelation to that effect. He said that he had demurred to doing so as he foresaw the trouble that would ensue, but that an angel of the Lord had appeared before him with a drawn sword commanding him to do so and he could not go backward.”
(Lorenzo Snow, Testimony, Temple Lot Case [part 3, question 258], p. 124)
--Lorenzo Snow (1896):
“President Lorenzo Snow stated that he was in England with Brother [Parley P.]] Pratt when reports came from Nauvoo to the effect that the doctrine of plural marriage was bring taught. Upon his return to Nauvoo in the spring of 1843, he had a long talk with the Prophet Joseph Smith, who fully explained to him the doctrine of plural marriage and stated that an angel with a drawn sword had visited him and commanded him to go into this principle and President Smith told Brother Snow to enter into plural marriage.”
(Heber J. Grant, Diary, 1 April 1896, Church History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah)
--Benjamin F. Johnson (1896):
“[Joseph Smith declared] that an angel appeared unto him with a drawn sword, threatening to slay him if he did not proceed to fulfill the law that had been given to him."
(Benjamin F. Johnson, Affidavit, 1869, "Joseph F. Smith Affidavit Books," vol. 2, p. 8, MS 3423 fd 5, Church History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah)
--Benjamin F. Johnson (1896):
“Hyrum said to me, ‘Now, Brother Benjamin, you know that Brother Joseph would not sanction this if it was not from the Lord. The Lord revealed this to Brother Joseph long ago, and he put it off until the Angel of the Lord came to him with a drawn sword and told him that he would be slain if he did not go forth and fulfill the law.’”
(Benjamin F. Johnson, "My Life’s Review" [Mesa, Arizona: 21st Century Printing, 1992, reprint], pp. 95–96)
--Benjamin F. Johnson (1903):
“Brother Hyrum [Smith] at once took me in hand, apparently in fear. I was not fully converted and this was the manner of his talk to me: ‘Now, Benjamin, you must not be afraid of this new doctrine, for it is all right. You know Brother Hyrum do[esn't] get carried away by worldly things, and he fought this principle until the Lord showed him it was true. I know that Joseph was commanded to take more wives and he waited until an Angel with a drawn sword stood before him and declared that if he longer delayed fulfilling that command he would slay him.’”
(Dean R. Zimmerman, ed., "I Knew the Prophets: An Analysis of the Letter of Benjamin F. Johnson to George F. Gibbs, Reporting Doctrinal Views of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young" [Bountiful, Utah: Horizon, 1976], p. 43)
--Eliza R. Snow (1880):
"She [Eliza R. Snow] spoke of plural marriage. Said it was a perfect law. Said she had her own prejuse [sic] about it. Said she did not know much about it when she was married to Joseph Smith. Said she did not know if ever she would be owned as a wife. Spoke of the Angel standing with a drawn sword in his hand and told Joseph if he did not comply with the requirement of heaven, that his priesthood should be taken from him.”
(Glenwood Ward, Sevier Stake, "Relief Society Minutes," 28 September 1880, p. 224, Church History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah)
--Eliza R. Snow (1884):
“Joseph told [my brother] Lorenzo Snow that he had ‘hesitated and deferred from time to time, until an angel of God stood by him with a drawn sword and told him that, unless he moved forward and established plural marriage, his Priesthood would be taken from him and he should be destroyed!’"
(Eliza R. Snow, "Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow 9Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News Company, 1884], pp. 69–70
--Eliza R. Snow (1887):
“[Joseph Smith] received the revelation in 1837, but he was himself afraid to promulgate it until the angel came and stood beside him with flaming sword and bade him do the command of God. Not until then did Joseph enter into polygamy, or get any of his disciples to take plural wives.”
(“Two Prophets’ Widows: A Visit to the Relicts of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young,” by "J. J. J.," in "St. Louis Globe-Democrat" [St. Louis, Missouri], 18 August 1887, p. 6)
--Orson Pratt (pre-1881):
“I had a pleasant conversation . . . of the trials of the Prophet Joseph in first introducing the doctrine of celestial marriage in Nauvoo and quoted the statement of the late apostle and Church historian . . . that the angel of the Lord appeared unto the Prophet Joseph with a drawn sword and declared that if he, Joseph, did not go to and teach and practice the holy commandment, he [the angel]would slay him."
(A. Karl Larson and Katherine Miles Larson, eds., "Di ary of Charles Lowell Walker," 2 vols. [Logan, Utah: Utah State Uni- versity Press, 1980], vol. 2, pp. 814–15, entry for 5 March, 1896)
--Zina Huntington (1881):
“Zina D. Young told of Brother Joseph’s remark in relation to the revelation on celestial marriage. How an angel came to hi with a drawn sword and said if he did not obey this law, he would lose his priesthood; and in the keeping of it he, Joseph, did not know but it would cost him his life.”
(“The Prophet’s Birthday,” in "Deseret News," 12 January 1881,, p. 2)
--Zina Huntington (1894):
“[Joseph] sent word to me by my brother, saying, ‘Tell Zina I put it off and put it off til an angel with a drawn sword stood by me and told me if I did not establish that principle upon the earth, I would lose my posi- tion and my life.’”
(“Joseph, the Prophet, His Life and Mission as Viewed by Intimate Acquaintances,” in "Salt Lake Herald Church and Farm Supplement," 12 January 1895, p. 212)
--Helen Mar Kimball (1882):
“This angel, he [Joseph Smith] states, stood over him with a drawn sword, prepared to inflict the penalty of death if he should be disobedient.”
(Helen Mar Whitney, "Plural Marriage as Taught by the Prophet Joseph: A Reply to Joseph Smith," by editor of Lamoni, Iowa, ] “Herald” [Salt Lake City, Utah: "Juvenile Instructor" Office, 1882], p. 13)
--Helen Mar Kimball (1884):
“This fact [plural marriage] the Lord revealed to His prophet, Joseph Smith, as early as the year 1831. And yet, had it not been for the fear of His displeasure, Joseph would have shrunk from the undertaking and would have continued silent, as he did for years, until an angel of the Lord threatened to slay him if he did not reveal and establish this celestial principle."
(Helen Mar Kimball Whitney, "Why We Practice Plural Mar- riage" [Salt Lake City, Utah: "Juvenile Instructor" Office, 1885], p. 53)
--Erastus Snow (1883):
“Spoke of the Angel of the Lord meeting Joseph with a drawn sword and of his going to slay him for his being neglectful in the discharges of his duties and of Joseph having to plead on his knees before the Angel for his life.”
(A. Karl Larson and Katherine Miles Larson, "Diary of Charles Lowell Walker," 2 vols. [Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, 1980], vol. 2,, p. 611, entry for 17 June 1883)
--Erastus Snow (1883):
“The Prophet Joseph had said to him [Erastus Snow] also, ‘I have not been obedient enough to this holy law and the Lord was angry with me and an angel met me with a drawn sword but I pled with the Lord to forgive me and he did so and I made the sacrifice required of my hand and by the help of the Lord I will obey his Holy Law.’”
(Erastus Snow, St. George Utah Stake Conference, "General Minutes," 17 June 1883, LR 7836 11, reel 1, Church History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah)
--Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner (1902):
“In 1834 he [Joseph Smith] was commanded to take me for a wife. I was a thousand miles from him. He got afraid. The angel came to him three times, the last time with a drawn sword and threatened his life.”
(Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner, Statement, 8 February 1902, "Vesta Crawford Papers," MS 125, bx 1, fd 11, Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, original in the possession of Mrs. Nell Osborne, Salt Lake City, Utah; see also, "Juanita Brooks Papers," MSB103, bx 16, fd 13, Utah State Historical Society, Salt Lake City, Utah)
--Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner (1904):
“Joseph told me that he was afraid when the angel appeared to him and told him to take other wives. He hesitated, and the angel appeared to him the third time with a drawn sword in his hand and threatened his life if he did not fulfill the commandment.”
(Mary E. Lightner to A. M. Chase, 20 April 1904, quoted in J. D. Stead, "Doctrines and Dogmas of Brighamism Exposed" [Lamoni, Iowa]: RLDS Church, 1911], pp. 218–19)
--Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner (1905):
“An angel came to [Joseph Smith] and the last time he came with a drawn sword in his hand and told Joseph if he did not go into that principle, he would slay him. Joseph said he talked to him soberly about it and told him it was an abomination and quoted scripture to him. He said in the Book of Mormon it was an abomination in the eyes of the Lord and they were to adhere to these things except the Lord speak
. . . Said he . . . ‘The angel came to me three times between the years of 1834 and 1842 and said I was to obey that principle or he would slay me.’”
(Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner, Remarks, 14 April 1905, Brigham Young University, vault MSS 363, fd. 6, pp. 2–3, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah)
--Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner (1905):
“God commanded him to take [me] as a plural wife [in 1834]. He was very much frightened about [it] until the Angel appeared to him three times. It was in the early part of February 1842. Before [that], he was compelled to reveal it to me personally, by the Angel threatening him.”
(Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner to Emmeline B. Wells, Summer 1905, MS 282, Church History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah; copy of holograph in "Linda King Newell Collection," MS 447, bx 9, fd 2, Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah; also in "Juanita Brooks Papers," MSB 103, bx16, fd 13, Utah State Historical Society, Salt Lake City, Utah)
--Benjamin G. Ferris (1867):
"He [Joseph Smith] told some of his most influential followers that if they knew what a hard and unpalatable revelation [regarding plural marriage] he had had, they would drive him from the city. The heavenly powers, however, were not to be trifled with and a day was appointed when the important mandate was to be submitted to convocation of the authorities of the Church. The time arrived; but Joseph, in virtuous desperation, concluded rather to flee the city than be the medium of communicating a matter so repugnant to his mind. He mounted his horse and galloped from the town, but was met by an angel with a drawn sword, and threatened with instant destruction unless he immediately returned and fulfilled his mission. He returned, accordingly, in submissive despair, and made the important communication to the assembled no- tables. Such is substantially the account of the matter given by simple-minded believers at Salt Lake"
(Benjamin G. Ferris, "Utah and the Mormons, The History, Government, Doctrines, Customs and Prospects of the Latter-day Saints [New York, New York: Harper and Brothers, 1854], p. 115; see also, Pomeroy Tucker, "The Origin, Rise and Progress of Mormonism (New York, New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1867], p. 184)
--Melvin J. Ballard (1934):
“The statement . . . concerning the angel appearing with the drawn sword is not a matter that is in our own Church history. While it may be all true, the Church has not pronounced it authentic nor has it contradicted it.”
(Mormon apostle Melvin J. Ballard to Eslie Jenson, 14 August 1934; quoted in Joseph W. Musser, "Marriage: Ballard/Jenson Correspondence" [n.p., 1935], p. 15)
While pro-Mormon historian Brian C. Hale (whose research provides the above statements) tries valiantly to claim that many of these accounts are embellished and unreliable when it comes to their angel-and-the-flaming-sword element, they are strikingly consistent, with most of them originating with Mormon-friendly sources, including from some of Smith's own plural wives. Indeed, even Hale admits that there were faithful Mormons who offered up the angel-and-sword account because they "apparently believed it to be geniune."
Hale further acknowledges that, according to Mormon Cult history, Joseph Smith had a habit of seeing angels--lots of them, in fact (which he must have considered a handy persuasive device when pitching polygamy to followers):
". . . [I]t would not be surprising to learn that an angel, or even several angels, were involved with Joseph’s 1841 decision to enter into his second plural marriage. BYU professor Alexander L. Baugh has documented some 76 'visionary experiences' of the Prophet between 1820 and 1844,31 of which included angelic visits. The importance of eternal marriage, including the principle of plural marriage, coupled with the obvious challenges both principles would present to Joseph, make it a significant event in his life and a likely opportunity for an encounter with a heavenly being."
("Encouraging Joseph Smith to Practice Plural Marriage: The Accounts of the Angel with a Drawn Sword," by Brian C. Hales, "Mormon Historical Studies," vol. 11, no. 2, Fall 2010, pp. 55-62, at:
http://mormonhistoricsites.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Encouraging-Joseph-Smith-to-Practice-Plural-Marriage-The-Accounts-of-the-Angel-with-a-Drawn-Sword.pdf)
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Bottom lne:
To this day, polygamy remains the canonized scriptural doctrine of the Mormon Cult (specifically as found in D&C 132). According to these LDS scriptures, if Mormons fail to follow polygamy when their God commands it (and Mormons do believe that polygamy will at some point again be restored by God to the earth), they (as with Joseph and Emma and any other reluctant Mormon women) risk being killed by angels bearing flaming swords.
Don't say you weren't warned.