Mormon Polygamy
Eternal Marriage
As revealed to Joseph Smith, the Mormon doctrine of eternal marriage states that a marriage performed by the authority of the priesthood is binding in heaven as well as on earth, and is the supreme ordinance of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and is requisite for entering into the highest glory of heaven. The typical earthly ceremony marries a couple until "death do they part." A marriage ceremony in a Mormon temple, called a sealing because it is performed with the sealing power that binds in heaven what is bound on earth, joins a couple in marriage for time and all eternity. They are two different ceremonies. A couple married by civil authority must also be sealed to each other in a temple for their marriage to be eternal. However, a marriage in a Mormon temple is often granted authority by the civil authority in which it resides and so the eternal sealing is recognized as an earthly marriage as well. The result of this doctrine is that it places marriage and family as the defining characteristic and most important part of a Mormon’s life. This is an eternal truth that many rejoice in. Although polygamy is no longer sanctioned by the Mormon Church, the polygamous marriages of its history are still valid according to its doctrine and it is difficult for many to reconcile this.
Polygamy in the Mormon Church
There is evidence that Joseph Smith discussed a revelation on the doctrine of polygamy as early as the 1830s but did not record it until 1842. Joseph was reluctant to practice it at first, and many of his closest friends and Mormon Church leaders advised against it. Sidney Rigdon so opposed it that at the death of Joseph Smith he started his own branch of Mormonism that denounced polygamy. Joseph’s wife Emma begged him not to teach or begin the practice of polygamy, but despite the societal taboo, Joseph obeyed the revelation of God. The fact that it was initially practiced in secret is difficult for many to swallow. Social conditions made it impossible to practice polygamy openly. This may have been why it was never publicly acknowledged as a practice of the Mormons until they had settled in Utah where they were the majority and there was some distance between them and their persecutors. The rumors of strange sexual practices among the Mormons fueled many of the mobs in Mormon history. When it was officially announced in 1852, the U.S. government sent troops to Utah to civilize the Mormons. Slavery and polygamy were considered the twin relics of barbarism by the Republican Party and when they ended the first they went after the second. Legislation was passed to prevent it and Utah statehood was held up over the issue. In the late 1800s many Mormons were imprisoned and others, including many leaders, went into hiding. Facing greater and greater pressure from the government, Mormon Church president Wilford Woodruff announced the end of the practice of polygamy in 1890.
There is an attempt by many to portray Joseph Smith as a sexual deviant. This is due to the nature of his many marriages. First, they were in secret. Research has found several of them, but it is not clear exactly how many there were. Some of them were already married to other men, some were young women in their teens, and Joseph asked to marry the wives of some of his closest friends. Much of this evidence is distorted by enemies of Joseph Smith and must be understood in the proper context. It is unclear how the Mormons understood eternal marriage when it was introduced but many women were sealed to Joseph Smith while maintaining earthly marriages to other men. This would make them wives to their husbands in this life and wives to Joseph in the next life. Joseph also asked to be sealed to the wives of some of those closest to him as a test of faith, but never married any of them. These points are often used to show Joseph Smith as a wife-stealer when the nature of the relationship was far different. Some men even wanted their wives to be sealed to him. Joseph is also defamed for having proposed marriage to young girls. This is a slander of history for it was custom to marry at that age in the 1800s when it is not now. There is no evidence that Joseph Smith ever lived with or had sexual relations with any of the women he married other than his first wife Emma. The nature of these marriages was spiritual and eternal as Joseph tried to teach the doctrine of polygamy.
Why Polygamy?
The European notion of romantic love dominates the western world and is ever spreading. Polygamy is practiced in many areas of the world but is not shown the same tolerance that is requested of other alternative lifestyles that are growing in acceptance. It also seems to many that Mormon polygamy is misogynistic, for plural wives are allowed, but a woman may not marry more than one man at a time. By current standards polygamy appears as an outdated practice of patriarchal societies and is difficult to understand why it is a doctrine of Mormonism. The only scriptural reasons for polygamy are to multiply and replenish the earth and to raise up a righteous seed (Doctrine and Covenants 132:63; Jacob 2:30). The Mormon Church has never renounced polygamy as a doctrine although it currently forbids it in practice. It is a topic of great contention among believers and non-believers alike as they try to understand the gospel with current social climates and taboos. It is curious that the Victorian influence that persecuted Mormon polygamists also gave rise to one of the largest cultures of burlesque and prostitution in history. The fidelity between monogamous relationships does not seem to be improving either, but for some reason Western thought cannot sanction polygamous marriage. Just as it was when first introduced by Joseph Smith, polygamy continues to be a test of faith.