'Quora' has been a treasure trove of late to read the mormon mindset, but I haven't shared any stuff; today it was too good pass up:

Q: "Why did Joseph Smith marry 7 girls under the age of 18?"


A: "That is a question that only Joseph Smith can answer, since he is not alive anymore, any answer will remain in the realm of speculation.

On the other hand, the question itself has a negative connotation. It was maliciously written in a way to question the integrity of someone who claimed to be a prophet. In truth, the author of this question is not really looking for an honest answer but to tarnish Smith’s honor and integrity.

Maybe if Joseph Smith’s enemies who planned and executed his murder had taken the time to interrogate him why he married so many women, we would have the real reasons, but they were so desperate to kill him that they did not give themselves any chance to learn the true reasons behind Smith’s actions.

It is true, sometimes hate and violence are so intense in the minds of some people that they simply cannot see beyond their ill feelings, which was the case of those who killed Joseph Smith."

At least they said that JS was murdered, not martyred. Progress?

From the many readings I have done, I got the impression that many people were afraid because of the plunderings and burnings that had been happening. I looked at many different sources. People were afraid for their lives in some cases. Masons were angry about their secrets being exposed in Mormon temples. Polygamy was not the only thing that people were upset about. They were tired of all the fear and theft and craziness and just wanted Joseph dead. Peter Cartwright, a reputedly honest Methodist preacher of the time, wrote in his journal that the people had no legal redress, because Mormons kept pulling tricks to "get off" and continue getting away with what they were doing.

Funny how Mormons are so sure of everything up to and including the first vision of Joseph Smith but whenever they get caught doing something wrong it is in the "realm of speculation".