She returned to Utah and participated in a wedding, only to find out after the ceremony that Miles was already married. According to the church's sacred texts and pronouncements by its leaders and theologians, the church leaves open the possibility that it may one day re-institute the practice. There is a subtle difference between "sealing" (which is a Mormon priesthood ordinance that binds individuals together in the eternities), and "marriage" (a social tradition in which the man and woman agree to be husband and wife in this life). As the type of polygamy practiced is primarily polygyny, critics of the early LDS Church argue that polygamy may have caused a shortage of brides in the early LDS community,[101] citing quotes by church leader Heber C. Kimball who is purported to have said (addressing departing missionaries): Brethren, I want you to understand that it is not to be as it has been heretofore. Without being able to appear publicly, the leadership was left to navigate "underground.". I Soon Found Out "Sister-Wives" Is Often a Literal Term. Smith mused, we cannot but express our surprise that any elder or priest who has been in Nauvoo, and has had an opportunity of hearing the principles of truth advanced, should for one moment give credence to the idea that any thing like iniquity is practised, much less taught or sanctioned, by the authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In the family there is Kody Brown, the father, and his four wives Meri, 49, Janelle, 50, Christine, 48 and Robyn, 41 along with their 18 children. Even if people did not practice polygamy, they would have their rights revoked if they confessed a belief in it. How Does the 25th Amendment Work — and When Should It Be Enacted? Doctrine and Covenants (1835 ed. Portrait of Ira Eldredge with his three wives: Nancy Black Eldredge, Hannah Mariah Savage Eldredge, and Helvig Marie Andersen Eldredge. Throughout his life, Smith publicly denied having multiple wives. He was the eighth … ; Polygamy and its Fruits—The Missionaries—The Pony Express—More Pugnacious Preaching—Death of a Prominent Physician—The Season", "Heber C. Kimball says missionaries are 'picking out the prettiest women, "The Odyssey of a Latter-day Prophet: Wilford Woodruff and the Manifesto of 1890", "History of Mormonism: An Open Letter to Brigham Young", "Fanny Alger Smith Custer, Mormonism's First Plural Wife? The document was later edited by George Q. Cannon of the First Presidency and others to its present 356 words. [74][75] This echoes earlier teachings by Brigham Young that the primary purpose of polygamy was to bring about the Millennium. Spurred by popular indignation, the U.S. government took a number of steps against polygamy; these were of varying effectiveness. BYU Studies 41:4 (2002):145-149. The final element in Woodruff's revelatory experience came on the evening of September 23, 1890. [12] Mosiah Hancock reported that his father was taught about plural marriage in the spring of 1832.[13]. Bountiful's residents are part of a fundamentalist breakaway Mormon sect, which believes that a man must marry at least three wives in order, one day, to enter heaven. She eventually escaped, and filed a lawsuit against Miles that reached the Supreme Court and became a significant case in polygamy case law. Several small "fundamentalist" groups, seeking to continue the practice, split from the LDS Church, including the Apostolic United Brethren (AUB) and the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church). Spurred by popular indignation, the U.S. government took a number of steps against polygamy; these were of varying effectiveness. However, in some circumstances, men and women may be sealed to multiple spouses. Young famously stated that after receiving the commandment to practice plural marriage in Nauvoo, he saw a funeral procession walking down the street and he wished he could exchange places with the corpse. [90] His biographer writes that he "became sick in body, but his mental wretchedness was too great to allow of his retiring, and he would walk the floor till nearly morning, and sometimes the agony of his mind was so terrible that he would wring his hands and weep like a child. [61] Some leaders were reluctant to terminate a long-standing practice that was regarded as divinely mandated. ", "LDS Church Authority and New Plural Marriages, 1890–1904", "Wife no.19, or the story of a life in bondage", "New Light on an Old Hypothesis: The Ohio Origins of the Revelation on Eternal Marriage", "The 'Leading Sisters': A Female Hierarchy in Nineteenth Century Mormon Society", "Plurality, Patriarchy, and the Priestess: Zina D. H. Young's Nauvoo Marriages", "Single Men in a Polygamous Society: Male Marriage Patterns in Manti, Utah", "Ultimate Taboos: Incest and Mormon Polygamy", "That 'Same Old Question of Polygamy and Polygamous Living:' Some Recent Findings Regarding Nineteenth and Early Twentieth-Century Mormon Polygamy", "Plural marriage and Mormon fundamentalism", "Principle Revoked: A Closer Look at the Demise of Plural Marriage", "Gospel Topics: Plural Marriage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints", "Gospel Topics: Plural marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo", "Gospel Topics: Plural Marriage and Families in Early Utah", "Gospel Topics: The Manifesto and the End of Plural Marriage", "How An 1843 Revelation on Polygamy Poses A Serious Challenge to Modern Mormonism", Current denominations or sub-groups in the Latter Day Saint movement, The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Kingdom of God. [2][3] Today, various denominations of fundamentalist Mormonism continue to practice polygamy.[4]. Unable to trust anyone else to officiate, Lyman and the woman exchanged vows secretly. The Quorum of the Twelve provided the newspapers with a one-sentence announcement, stating that the ground for excommunication was violation of the law of chastity. Friction first began to show in the James Buchanan administration and federal troops arrived (see Utah War). Some Mormons marry and have more than one wife, but this is not accepted by the Mormon Church, which does not accept polygamy or plural marriage. In February 1882, George Q. Cannon, a prominent leader in the church, was denied a non-voting seat in the U.S. House of Representatives due to his polygamous relations. Church doctrine is not entirely specific on the status of men or women who are sealed by proxy to multiple spouses. In September 1871, Young was indicted for adultery due to his plural marriages. The founder of the Mormon church, Joseph Smith, wed as many as 40 wives, including some who were already married and one as young as 14 years old, the church acknowledged in a surprising new essay. Receiving clearance does not void or invalidate the first sealing. A man may be sealed to more than one woman. Jeffs, said to have had 78 wives and more than 50 children in the Utah church, was jailed for life in 2011 after being convicted of sexually assaulting two girls aged 12 and 15. Mormon psychologist Jennifer Finlayson-Fife, who studied this complicated phenomenon for her dissertation, discussed her research on the issue and explained that not all Mormon women deal with that … His wife Emma was cognizant of the fact of some, if not all, of these being his wives, and she generally treated them very kindly. Wilford Woodruff, Wilford Woodruff's Journal, Hirshson's cited source of the first quote is an April 17, 1860. Church leaders have neither explained this change, nor its doctrinal implications. [31], Top leaders used the examples of the polygamy of God the Father and Jesus Christ in defense of it and these teachings on God and Jesus' polygamy were widely accepted among Mormons by the late 1850s. The practice of plural marriage, or polygamy, in Mormonism goes back to Joseph Smith, who in 1843 said he received an eternally binding commandment from God that men should take multiple wives. Divorced women may also be granted a cancellation of sealing, even though they do not intend to marry someone else. Valentina Gabusi/iStock/Getty Images. Emma Smith remained affiliated with the RLDS Church until her death at the age of 74. [35][36] He also stated that Christ had multiple wives as further evidence in defense of polygamy. [94], However, it seems that Brigham Young attempted to stamp out the practice of men being sealed to excessively young girls. [101][110] In 1843, Joseph Smith's diary records the sealing of John Milton Bernhisel to his sister, Maria, in a ceremony that included the sealing of Bernhisel to multiple relatives, some of whom were deceased. When a woman is married to more than one husband at a time, it is called polyandry. Lyman was excommunicated on November 12, 1943, at age 73. The Jeffs. As a result, over 200 plural marriages were performed between 1890 and 1904.[62]. Frequently Asked Questions . He recalled that "I was not desirous of shrinking from any duty, nor of failing in the least to do as I was commanded, but it was the first time in my life that I had desired the grave, and I could hardly get over it for a long time. Bennett was called to account by Joseph and Hyrum Smith, and was excommunicated from the church. For example, the Book of Mormon teaches that men should have only one wife (see Jacob 2:27–29), unless the Lord commands His people to “raise up seed unto [Him]” . While many church leaders in 1890 regarded the Manifesto as inspired, there were differences among them about its scope and permanence. Regardless of how many people a man or woman is sealed to by proxy, they will only remain with one of them in the afterlife, and that the remaining spouses, who might still merit the full benefits of exaltation that come from being sealed, would then marry another person in order to ensure each has an eternal marriage. [40][41] This teaching was alluded to by church president Brigham Young in 1870 and First Presidency member Joseph F. Smith in 1883. Daynes, Kathryn M. "More Wives Than One: Transformation of the Mormon Marriage System, 1840-1910." [14], William Clayton, Smith's scribe, recorded early polygamous marriages in 1843: "On the 1st day of May, 1843, I officiated in the office of an Elder by marrying Lucy Walker to the Prophet Joseph Smith, at his own residence. I would not seal them to him. In August, Rudger Clawson was imprisoned for continuing to cohabit with wives that he married before the 1862 Morrill Act. Following the passage of the Edmunds–Tucker Act, the church found it difficult to operate as a viable institution. Cowley retained his membership in the church, but Taylor was later excommunicated. A dozen “sister wives” might be married to a single man, and they all raise their children by him together. [45] Emma publicly denied that her husband had ever preached or practiced polygamy,[46] which later became a defining difference between the LDS Church under Brigham Young and the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church; now known as the Community of Christ), led by Joseph Smith III. This revived the issue of polygamy in national politics. The reason many people associate Mormonism with polygamy is that the Church did support plural marriage until 1890. According to this view, the 1890 Manifesto and Second Manifesto rescinded God's prior authorization given to Joseph Smith. [67], Mormon fundamentalists believe that plural marriage is a requirement for exaltation and entry into the highest level of the celestial kingdom. A number of Smith's "marriages" occurred after his death, with the wife being sealed to Smith via a proxy who stood in for him. Although the Second Manifesto ended the official practice of new plural marriages, existing plural marriages were not automatically dissolved. It is still the practice of monogamous Mormon couples to be sealed to one another. How many wives can a man have in a plural marriage? This page was last edited on 18 January 2021, at 22:45. [92] Historian George D. Smith studied 153 men who took plural wives in the early years of the Latter Day Saint movement, and found that two of the girls were thirteen years old, 13 girls were fourteen years old, 21 were fifteen years old, and 53 were sixteen years old. Forming the Liberal Party, non-Mormons began pushing for political changes and sought to weaken the church's dominance in the territory. He returned to Salt Lake City on September 21, determined to obtain divine confirmation to pursue a course that seemed to be agonizingly more and more clear. [3] In spite of the law, Mormons continued to practice polygamy, believing that it was protected by the First Amendment. Joseph Smith had 34 wives, … [66] Fundamentalists either practice as individuals, as families, or as part of organized denominations. "[90] While his wife Vilate had trials "grievous to bear" as a result of her acceptance of plural marriage, she supported her husband in his religious duties, and taught her children that "she could not doubt the plural order of marriage was of God, for the Lord had revealed it to her in answer to prayer. [52][54] As of 2007[update], there are at least twelve early Latter Day Saints who, based on historical documents and circumstantial evidence, have been identified as potential Smith offspring stemming from plural marriages. Members consider themselves as remaining adherents of the (historical), Saturday/Sunday Bulletin World Conference 2019, pp.15-16, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, List of Latter Day Saint practitioners of plural marriage, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Current state of polygamy in the Latter Day Saint movement, Criticism of the Latter Day Saint movement, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and politics in the United States, Marriage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "Mexico killing highlights confusion over Mormon groups", "Mormons seek distance from polygamous sects", Report of Elders Orson Pratt and Joseph F. Smith, "The Judgements of God on the United States—The Saints and the World", "Man the Head of the Woman—Kingdom of God—The Seed of Christ—Polygamy—Society in Utah", "The Mormon Evasion of Anti-Polygamy Laws", 132:1–4, 19, 20, 24, 34, 35, 38, 39, 52, 60–66, "The Prophet Joseph Smith and His Plural Wives", "The Prophet Joseph Smith and His Plural Wives – FARMS Review", "DNA tests rule out 2 as Smith descendants", "The Mormons . [82] Critics point to the fact that church leaders practiced polygamy in secret from 1833 to 1852, despite a written church doctrine (Doctrine and Covenants 101, 1835 edition) renouncing polygamy and stating that only monogamous marriages were permitted. A 12 July 1843 polygamy revelation on plural marriage, attributed to. Similar family sealings are practiced in Latter-Day Saint temples today, where children of parents who were not sealed at the time of their marriage are sealed to their parents and to one another in a group ceremony. He was later shocked to learn that he was to marry a younger woman. "[73] Thus, the LDS Church today teaches that plural marriage can only be practiced when specifically authorized by God. For instance, many of the figures who came to be best associated with plural marriage, including church president Brigham Young and his counselor Heber C. Kimball, expressed revulsion at the system when it was first introduced to them. [52] In 1893, married LDS Church member John D. Miles traveled to England and proposed to Caroline Owens, assuring her that he was not polygamous. [53], It is unclear how many of the wives Smith had sexual relations with. "Unlawful cohabitation," in which the prosecution did not need to prove that a marriage ceremony had taken place (only that a couple had lived together), was a misdemeanor punishable by a $300 fine and six months imprisonment. [104] FairMormon, an LDS apologetics organization, considers the "prettiest women" statement to be apocryphal, but that it may be a paraphrase of Kimball's Journal of Discourses statement, which is authentic.[105]. "[5] The private practice of polygamy was instituted in the 1830s by founder Joseph Smith. LDS Church president Brigham Young had 51 wives, and 56 children by 16 of those wives. [citation needed]. [109], Critics of polygamy in the early LDS Church claim that polygamy was used to justify marriage of close relatives that would otherwise be considered immoral. Polygamy (called plural marriage by Mormons in the 19th century or the Principle by modern fundamentalist practitioners of polygamy) was practiced by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for more than half of the 19th century,[1] and practiced publicly from 1852 to 1890 by between 20 and 30 percent of Latter-day Saint families. [81] LDS historian Todd Compton, in his book In Sacred Loneliness, described various instances where some wives in polygamous marriages were unhappy with polygamy. According to the Mormon Church, which is officially known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, polygamy or plural marriage was practiced a long … It was not until 1904, under the leadership of church president Joseph F. Smith, that the church completely banned new plural marriages worldwide. The History of the United States' Golden Presidential Dollars, How the COVID-19 Pandemic Has Changed Schools and Education in Lasting Ways. [83] Critics also cite several first-person accounts of early church leaders attempting to use the polygamy doctrine to enter into illicit relationships with women. [79] Thus, if a widow who was sealed to her first husband remarries, she may be sealed by proxy to all of her subsequent husband(s), but only after both she and the subsequent husbands have died. Under LDS Church policy, a man whose sealed wife has died does not have to request any permission beyond having a current temple recommend and an interview with his bishop to get final permission for a living ordinance, to be married in the temple and sealed to another woman, unless the new wife's circumstance requires a cancellation of sealing. In 1862, the United States Congress passed the Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act, which prohibited plural marriage in the territories. Mormons can have one wife. Many Mormons believe that all these marriages will be valid in the eternities and the husband will live together in the celestial kingdom as a family with all to whom he was sealed. Emma Smith claimed that the very first time she ever became aware of the 1843 polygamy revelation was when she read about it in Orson Pratt's publication The Seer in 1853.[47]. Contemporary opinions include the contention that the manifesto was more related to an effort to achieve statehood for the Utah territory. [84][85] Critics also assert that Joseph Smith instituted polygamy in order to cover up an 1835 adulterous affair with a neighbor's daughter, Fanny Alger, by taking Alger as his second wife. Buchanan, anticipating Mormon opposition to a newly appointed territorial governor to replace Brigham Young, dispatched 2,500 federal troops to Utah to seat the new governor, thus setting in motion a series of misunderstandings in which the Mormons felt threatened. In 1998, the LDS Church changed the policy and now also … For the generalized concept, see. The precise number who participated in plural marriage is not known, but studies indicate a maximum of 20 to 25 percent of Latter-day Saint adults were members of polygamist households. What Are the Steps of Presidential Impeachment? "[15], As early as 1832, Mormon missionaries worked successfully to convert followers in Maine of polygamist religious leader Jacob Cochran, who went into hiding in 1830 to escape imprisonment due to his practice of polygamy. The practice of plural marriage by early Latter-day Saints did lead to an increase in the number of children born to Church members. According to the Mormon Church, which is officially known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, polygamy or plural marriage was practiced a long time ago for specific reasons, as commanded by God or the Lord. This question really stems from the historical presence of polygamy in Mormonism. During this period the Prophet Joseph took several other wives. [52] Richard Lloyd Anderson and Scott H. Faulring came up with a list of 29 wives of Joseph Smith. By 1943, both were in their seventies. She may only be sealed to subsequent partners after both she and her husband(s) have died. Over time, many of those who rejected the LDS Church's relinquishment of plural marriage formed small, close-knit communities in areas of the Rocky Mountains. [52], Critics of polygamy in the early LDS Church claim that church leaders established the practice of polygamy in order to further their immoral desires for sexual gratification with multiple sexual partners. Today, the LDS Church objects to the use of the term "Mormon fundamentalists" and suggests using the term "polygamist sects" to avoid confusion about whether the main body of Mormon believers teach or practice polygamy. These beliefs stem from statements by 19th-century Mormon authorities including Brigham Young (although some of these leaders gave possibly conflicting statements that a monogamist may obtain at least a lower degree of "exaltation" through mere belief in polygamy).[68]. On July 8, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act into law, which forbade the practice in U.S. territories. In the paragraph immediately following the above quote, Kimball said: The principle of plurality of wives never will be done away. One third of the women of marriageable age and nearly all of the church leadership were involved in the practice. But in Mormonism, there is no specific limit to how many wives a … [77] Current apostles Russell M. Nelson and Dallin H. Oaks are examples of such a case.[78]. [55] The remaining seven have yet to be conclusively tested, including Josephine Lyon, for whom current DNA testing using mitochondrial DNA cannot provide conclusive evidence either way. As many as she can get away with ;) In reality Latter-Day Saints only allow one husband per wife, and one-wife per husband. A woman, however, may not be sealed to more than one man while she is alive. Mormon fundamentalists themselves embrace the term "Mormon" and share a religious heritage and beliefs with the LDS Church, including canonization of the Book of Mormon and a claim that Joseph Smith is the founder of their religion. [108] Ann Eliza Young, nineteenth wife of Brigham Young, claimed that Young coerced her to marry him by threatening financial ruin of her brother. [1][9], Many early converts to the religion including Brigham Young,[10] Orson Pratt, and Lyman Johnson, recorded that Joseph Smith was teaching plural marriage privately as early as 1831 or 1832. Joseph Smith publicly condemned polygamy, denied his involvement in it, and participants were excommunicated, as church records and publications reflect. Church of Jesus Christ (Original Doctrine) Inc. 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[34][32] Two months later, apostle Orson Pratt taught in a church periodical that "We have now clearly shown that God the Father had a plurality of wives," and that after her death, Mary (the mother of Jesus) may have become another eternal polygamous wife of God. "[16] The majority of what became the Quorum of the Twelve in 1835 attended Mormon conferences held in the center of the Cochranites in 1834 and 1835. [106], Critics of polygamy in the early LDS Church have documented several cases where deception and coercion were used to induce marriage,[107] for example citing the case of Joseph Smith who warned some potential spouses of eternal damnation if they did not consent to be his wife. In the case where a man's first wife dies, and the man remarries, and both of the marriages involve a sealing, LDS authorities teach that in the afterlife, the man will enter a polygamous relationship with both wives. First, we have Rulon Jeffs (that's him on the left with two of his wives). [42][43], The 1843 polygamy revelation, published posthumously, counseled Smith's wife Emma to accept all of Smith's plural wives, and warns of destruction if the new covenant is not observed. Mormon polygamy was one of the leading moral issues of the 19th Century in the United States, perhaps second only to slavery in importance. This approval voids the original sealing as far as the woman is concerned. In the early days of Mormonism, common practices and doctrines were not yet well-defined. Many Mormons, including prominent church leaders, maintained existing plural marriages into the 1940s and 1950s.[64]. They would not be equally yoked together . For over 60 years, the LDS Church and the United States were at odds over the issue: the church defended the practice as a matter of religious freedom, while the federal government aggressively sought to eradicate it, consistent with prevailing public opinion. In 1943, the First Presidency learned that apostle Richard R. 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' Golden Presidential Dollars, how the COVID-19 Pandemic has Changed Schools Education. By five other former Temple Lot congregations by 1941 statement denouncing polygamy ( old! To multiple spouses of new plural marriages into the 1940s and 1950s. [ 62 ] single,! Ceremony that Miles was already married frustrated by the lack of documents to support the alleged marriages to of... Changes and sought to weaken the church many church leaders, maintained existing plural marriages or sealings during Smith lifetime. In 1943, the statement denouncing polygamy ( the old section 101 ) was removed as divinely mandated the version... Be sealed to multiple spouses, Mormons continued to mormon marriage how many wives polygamy, denied his involvement in it subsequent!, we have Rulon Jeffs ( that 's him on the status of men women! Polygamous marriage about its scope and permanence, they would have their rights revoked if they confessed a in! 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