Virgins
Should Plural Wives be Virgins?
CES Letter Core Question
Does D&C 132 say that plural wives need to be virgins?
The only form of polygamy permitted by D&C 132 is a union with a virgin.
CES Letter, Page 55
related quote below
The new wife must be a virgin before the marriage and be completely monogamous after the marriage or she will be destroyed (D&C 132:41 & 63). It is interesting that the only prerequisite that is mentioned for the man is that he must desire another wife: “if any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another...” It does not say that the man must get a specific revelation from the living prophet, although many members today assume that this is how polygamy was practiced.
CES Letter, Page 55
Next Quote
D&C 132:63 very clearly states that the only purpose of polygamy is to “multiply and replenish the earth” and “bear the souls of men.” Why did Joseph marry women who were already married? These women were obviously not virgins, which violated D&C 132:61. Zina Huntington had been married seven and a half months and was about six months pregnant with her first husband’s baby at the time she married Joseph; clearly she didn’t need any more help to “bear the souls of men.”
CES Letter, Page 57
D&C 132 - Virgins
Claiming polygamous wives had to be virgins reflects a basic misunderstanding of D&C 132, particularly verses 61-63.
