Stealing Wives (Previous CES Letter)
This paragraph from The CES Letter is remarkable for the number of falsehoods that it promotes:
- There is no evidence Joseph secretly or openly stole “other men’s wives. Lucy Walker told of Joseph Smith’s teaching and practice: “A woman would have her choice, this was a privilege that could not be denied her.”
- “Underage girls” is loaded language, especially since the three sealings to Joseph’s youngest plural wives appear to have been more betrothals than actually marriages. There is no unambiguous evidence any were consummated and several important observations supporting they were not.
- “Based on comparing D&C 132 to what actually happened.” The author of The CES Letter implies incongruity without providing evidence. It appears he has little understanding of what “actually happened.”
- “Insane polygamist god”? I guess the author of The CES Letter is also talking about the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
- Labeling plural marriage as “sadistic, immoral, adulterous, despicable, and pedophilic behavior” seems a little extreme. Apparently, the 115 men and women who entered polygamy during Joseph’s lifetime were engaged in “sadistic, immoral, adulterous, despicable, and pedophilic behavior”? It describes a fantasy world unrelated to what “actually happened.” Those men and women were devout believers who knew much more about Joseph’s teachings and actions than the author of The CES Letter.
- Joseph Smith reported that the angel commanding polygamy came three times. The sword was present only on the third visit when the Prophet had apparently not complied with the directive over the space of many years.
- When Balak enticed Balaam to curse Israel, an angel with a sword threatened the prophet: "And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way… Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand" (Numbers 22:23, 31).
- Several of Joseph Smith's plural wives recalled how he did not want to promote plural marriage: Eliza R. Snow described Joseph as "afraid to promulgate it." Helen Mar Kimball remembered that, "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.” She also said that “Joseph put off the dreaded day as long as he dared.” Lucy Walker reported that Joseph “had his doubts about it for he debated it in his own mind.”
See:
FAIRMORMON: Joseph Smith’s Polygamy
“Plural Marriage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” LDS.org Essay
Additional Resources:
“Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo” LDS.org Essay
“Mercy Thompson and the Revelation on Marriage: D&C 132″ by Jed Woodworth
“O that my voice could reach the ears of those uninformed and misinformed” by Suzanne Armitage
“Ask the Apologist: Contradiction between Jacob and DC 132“
“A Response to Grant Palmer’s ‘Sexual Allegations against Joseph Smith and the Beginnings of Polygamy in Nauvoo’” by Brian C. Hales and Gregory L. Smith
“Hagar in LDS Scripture and Thought” by Andrew C. Smith
Plural Marriage and the Half-Empty-Glass School of Historiography – by Allen L. Wyatt
Prologue to the Study of Joseph Smith’s Marital Theology – by Danel W. Bachman
The Prophet Joseph Smith and His Plural Wives – by Richard Lloyd Anderson, Scott H. Faulring
Best of Fair 12: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Plural Marriage* (*but were afraid to ask), Dr. Greg Smith, 1:02:38
Articles of Faith 1: Brian C. Hales Interview – Articles of Faith Show, Brian C Hales, 0:25:27
FairMormon Frameworks 4: Brian Hales Polygamy, Brian Hales, 1:08:58
Mormon FAIR-Cast 187: Polygamy Roundtable, Gregory L. Smith, 1:25:20
RiseUp Podcast: Polygamy and Joseph Smith, Dr. Greg L. Smith, 0:21:42
Polygamy and Joseph Smith with Greg Smith
Polygamy and its relationship to the LDS Church- Craig Foster
Mormon FAIR-Cast 85: Foundations of fundamentalist polygamy
Joseph Smith’s Polygamy –Dr. Brian Hales– Fair Mormon Podcast
Polygamy as an Abrahamic Sacrifice–Dr. Valerie Hudson– Fair Mormon Podcast
Plural Marriage and Maintaining Faith- Dr. Gregory Smith- Fair Mormon Podcast
The Naturalistic vs. Faithful View of Joseph Smith’s Polygamy by Brian Hales
12 Myths Regarding Joseph Smith’s Polygamy by Brian Hales
pt 1 “Zina and her Men” 2006 FAIR conference address by Allen Wyatt
pt 2 “Zina and her men” 2006 FAIR Conference address by Allen Wyatt
pt 3 “Zina and her men” 2006 FAIR Conference address by Allen Wyatt
pt 4 “Zina and her men” 2006 FAIR Conference address by Allen Wyatt
pt 5 “Zina and her men” 2006 FAIR Conference address by Allen Wyatt
Pt 1, “Joseph Smith’s DNA Revealed: New Clues from the Prophets Genes” by Ugo Perego
Pt 2, “Joseph Smith’s DNA Revealed: New Clues from the Prophets Genes“
Pt 3, “Joseph Smith’s DNA Revealed: New Clues from the Prophets Genes“
Pt 4, “Joseph Smith’s DNA Revealed: New Clues from the Prophets Genes“
Pt 5, “”Joseph Smith’s DNA Revealed: New Clues from the Prophets Genes“
Pt 6, Joseph Smith’s DNA Revealed: New Clues from the Prophets Genes“
“Reconciling Belief with Polygamy” by Brian Hales
“Testimony of Early Polygamous Wives: Mary Elizabeth Rollins“
“Testimony of Early LDS Polygamous Wives: Margaret Cooper West“
“Testimony of Early LDS Polygamous Wives: Elizabeth Whitney“
“Testimony of Early LDS Polygamous Wives: Phoebe Carter Woodruff“
“Testimony of Early LDS Polygamous Wives: Vilate Kimball“
“The Wives of Joseph Smith and Their Testimony- Zina Huntington“
“The Wives of Joseph Smith and Their Testimony–Lucy Walker
Did Joseph Smith Marry Young Women? Fair Mormon Answers“
“Zina and Her Men: An Examination of the Changing Marital Status of Zina Huntington“
“Joseph Smith’s DNA revealed: New Clues to the Prophet’s Genes” by Dr. Ugo Perego
“Controversies of Joseph Smith’s Polygamy” by Brian Hales
“Joseph Smith DNA Revealed: New Clues from the Prophet’s Genes“
“A Refutation of Grant Palmer’s Treatment of Sexual Allegations Against Joseph Smith” by Brian Hales