Okay, so everyone knows that Mormons practiced polygamy. No secret at all. No one debates that, it's accepted. It happened.
My question is why?
Why in the WORLD would God ask a man to marry two 14 year old girls? Why?
I am at a complete loss... and most of you know how infrequently that happens. I cannot wrap my brain around it. Why would God want Joseph Smith to marry pre-teens? Not only marry them, but warn them they would be damned to Hell if they didn't do what he wanted? Their eternal well being was supposedly on the line... along with their family. Of course they would go along with it... they wouldn't have liked it, but they would have gone along with it.
I don't get why people think that polygamy was in any way something that the sister wives enjoyed. I am sure there were friendships and love shared between them, but competiting for the attention of the same man has to get taxing to say the least. Not to mention that they have to stay in his favor for help with their kids. It wasn't easy, it wasn't a joy.
Seriously... what the Hell?
It's not any easier thinking about grown women who were married to him (some without Emma's knowledge). If God wanted the Mormon church to prosper and share information with the world, why would He command that church to do something so outrageous and alarming as polygamy? Logically it makes zero sense.
There is quote after quote about polygamy from Brigham Young (among many others) claiming that polygamy is essential for reaching the celestial kingdom of heaven. If the man doesn't have more than one wife, he has less status. Women are therefore looked at as property. Something men have. Something. But they are someONE.
Joseph Smith had many wives, but the only one that is talked about officially is Emma. How unfair is that to the other wives who had to deal with something like this? They each had their own personality, their own hopes and dreams, but they are forgotten because the church feels they don't matter.
My point is that by not talking about these women who put up with the situation, we are ignoring the huge sacrifices they made. Most Mormons don't even know they existed. It's insulting to their memory.
So how did something that was so essential for the celestial kingdom turn into something that was never talked about? Was Brigham Young lying when he told people that polygamy was essential? Did God change his mind?
WTF?
September 8, 2008 at 2:30 AM
I agree totally with you Andee and any other decent person would also.
This whole Polygamy thing in LDS history is a total nonsense and a tragedy. This is what happens when a scam artist and subsequent delusion is left to go unchallenged for too long. Thank goodness for William Law and the others who had the courage to oppose such obvious despicable behaviour.
I also find it very sinister that those women have been conveniently forgoten by the church and their names effectively blotted out of recognition.
In the September 08 Issue of Ensign the church is once again potraying Joseph Smith as a wonderful loving monogomous husband.
If he had asked for my wife or my teen daughter then its likely I would have been in that mob myself. There is usually only one way to deal with such destructive narcissistic megalomaniacs unfortunately and thats violence.
When you see the way the church leaders like Joseph Smith were lying over polygamy in the various church newspapers and name calling as liars and apostates those who were actually telling the truth, you can understand the frustration and anger of people.
My Video showing the reality which faced British Converts back in Nauvoo.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=C5sI8_oDN8Y