The first in a threevolume anthology in which top scholars examine the entire range and history of mormon polygamy. Due to patriarchal societies, it was nearly impossible for an unmarried woman to provide for herself. Flds stands for the fundamentalist church of jesus christ of latter day saints, and theyre currently led by warren jeffs. Polygamy has been practiced by many cultures throughout history 3 there are numerous examples of polygamy among close followers, devotees, and the faithful to god in the old testament, but it is generally not accepted by most contemporary christians, though other christian groups permit the. Bible verses related to polygamy from the king james version kjv by relevance sort by book order exodus 21. When a man is married to more than one wife at a time, sociologists call this polygyny. Joseph knew the practice of plural marriage would stir up public ire. See the article in its original context from march 21, 1999, section 6, page 14 buy reprints. The persistence of polygamy, scattering of the saints, and.
Polygamy, or plural marriage, in the church of jesus christ of latter day saints is generally. For if i will, saith the lord of hosts, raise up seed unto me, i will command my people. It was released by the church to help dispel myths about common public beliefs about how joseph smith introduced not just polygamy having multiple wives to the church, but polyandry marrying women who are already married to a husband. Jun 18, 2012 so it is with books about polygamy, one of the most debated subjects within the history of mormonism. Some have observed that monogamy is a monumental failure in the marriage stakes. The following essay is the official lds released essay entitled plural marriage in kirtland and nauvooo. God authorized jesus christ to reinstitute his original standard of monogamy. Can a man be married to more than one woman at the same time and whenever he pleases. A fascinating bit if history on section 2 that i was previously unaware of. The utah lds say it supports polygamy and the rlds say it doesnt. Joseph smith and the origins of mormon polygamy bringhurst, newell g. Fundamentalist mormon polygamy emerged from lds church president wilford woodruffs 1890 manifesto, which ostensibly rescinded the practice of plural marriage among mormons. Such a creature with no modern mental faculty whatsoever, knows nothing beyond the words of a book, written hundreds or thousands of years ago, when ignorance was the default mode of thinking in the society.
The people jacob was teaching were under condemnation for their adulterous lifestyle. Some of them were gods favorite people including abraham, jacob, gideon, solomon, and david. What are we to do with these instances of polygamy in the old testament. The first reference to polygamy is found in genesis 4 in the lineage of cain. The silent tears of polygamy is a captivating story about a woman named ana who was born and raised in america and converted to islam. Because of its persistence for so long it became a strongly entrenched tradition and then followed the period of taqlid blind imitation and hence it persists in our times as well though quranically speaking, it has no validity whatsoever today. Egans february 28, 1999, article, the persistence of polygamy.
This second volume of the persistence of polygamy series deals with polygamy following the death of joseph smith. Mormons change references to blacks, polygamy the changes are the first since 1981, and deal specifically with the churchs original ban on black priesthood ordination and polygamy. Bible verses about polygamy bible verses related to polygamy from the king james version kjv by book order sort by relevance. How might readers make sense of this connection between polygamy and material wealth. Polygamy has been practiced by many cultures throughout history 3 there are numerous examples of polygamy among close followers, devotees, and the faithful to god in the old testament, but it is generally not accepted by most contemporary christians, though other christian groups permit the practice. This short section in an online book explains the situation with zaid, zainab, and muhammad. Polygamy was a way of life until the quran was revealed 1400 years ago. A crosscultural analysis provides an examination and analysis of historical and contemporary polygamy. It does not only believe every single word of a book to be literally true, but puts all its efforts to convince others to believe the same. Unlike the 1831 revelation, the 1830 version of the book of mormon does not specify that the native americans.
This volume explores mormon fundamentalism from several perspectives. In the first volume of the persistence of polygamy, the bringhurst and foster compiled an anthology of original articles on the controversies surrounding joseph smith jr. Polygamy bible verses in the king james version kjv about polygamy. Among the topics considered is the history of mainstream latterday saint polygamy in mexico, john taylors controversial 1886 revelation. So it is with books about polygamy, one of the most debated subjects within the history of mormonism. Next, you have to read every book to the end especially if it is the. As we speculate about gods silence, there is at least one key factor to consider. This article further explains why christians do not accept polygamy. The persistence of polygamy, scattering of the saints, and modern polygamy in the united states. The persistence of polygamy, volume 1 posted on april 11, 2015 by meg stout this intriguing volume has been available for several years now, but i only recently read it through in its entirety. A spiritual witness of the truthfulness of the revelation on plural marriage. Polygamy practically means exactly polygyny gune, i. Instant gratification is the way of our culture, and that saddens me. The correlative term polyandry describes the condition of a woman who has many men in family relation with herself.
Since 911, we have observed that certain groups have tried to capitalize on that tragedy by attacking islam from all sides unfortunately, even some christian tv channels have joined in this islambashing and are trying to tarnish the image of islam and th. Lets look at some bible passages that mention polygamy and remember. Polygamy international standard bible encyclopedia. Polygamy is the practice of having more than one spouse at the same time. While polygamy is strongly denounced in several passages of the book of.
It is time for the prejudicial bigotry against polygamy to cease and desist. If it was a sin, why didnt god condemn such faithful ones as abraham for having hagar. Polygamy had been permitted for millennia in many cultures and religions, but, with few exceptions, was rejected in western cultures. He has presented at numerous meetings and symposia and published articles in the journal of mormon history, mormon historical studies, and dialogue, as well the persistence of polygamy series.
The persistence of polygamy, volume 1 posted on april 11, 2015 by meg stout this intriguing volume has been available for several years now, but i. The bible does not specifically say why god allowed polygamy. Jacob 2 describes how the prophet jacob condemned materialism and sexual immorality, including unauthorized plural marriage. This way, it would be an understatement to say, such is a worthless creature. Polygamy, or comarriage to multiple wives, is discussed in the quran as a response to a specific social situation. What the bible says about polygamy there are many polygamists in the bible.
Numbers and the book of deuteronomy, also lived in a polygamous marriage with two women. Should we ban polygamy because it too, has failures. It should be easy to prove polygamy is a sin in scripture using commandments on sexual intercourse, assuming god was against polygamy. The doctrine and covenants, by contrast, wishes to explain how and when polygamy can be acceptable to god. According to the book of kings, solomon had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, but his wives turned. What you discover is, actually, there are no verses that contradict the idea of polygamy not being a sin. May 24, 2011 god intended, from the beginning, for marriages to consist of one man and one woman for the duration of their lives.
Muslims practicing polygamy refer to the verse in the quran 4. Generating even more controversy in discussing the revelation was an officially sanctioned scriptural work entitled, latterday revelations. It is in the latter book, section 2, where god tells the prophet joseph smith that. The data is irrefutable, much of monogamy is a trainwreck, full of broken, unhappy lives and crime. Understanding jacobs teachings about plural marriage from a. There are positives in this article, though there is much more than can be said. I45n book 142m24 and m27, dropping hy missing page numbers in footnotes. And he said to them, which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and i have nothing to set before him. God declared in the book of mormon that monogamy was the standard.
Differences that persist between the rlds and lds churches, by elbert a. Polygamy is a general term and might mean a multiplicity of partners in the family relation by one of either sex. That is why it is important to look at the full account in the scriptures, and not selectivity pick one or two verses. What the bible really says about polygamy bible and. Indeed, supporting polygamy is a sensible thing to do because men already like having many partners, it enhances personal freedom, helps to prevent or minimize adultery, is an integral part of some culture, was practiced by great men of christianity and islam and other religions, helps to decrease the number of single women in society, helps. Victorian america saw plural marriage as immoral and joseph smith as. And this has been the case from the very start, as several essays demonstrate in a new book called the persistence of polygamy. The book of mormon account is basing its statements on an interpretation of mosaic law to defend a new to them negative position on polygamy. Polygamy is the next battleground for marriage in the united states in fact, just last month a federal judge declared laws on the books in utah that guard against polygamy to be unconstitutional the state may still outlaw plural marriages, but it cannot. Polygamy the evil effects of husbands favoritism in deuteronomy 21. Polygamy is the practice or custom of having more than one wife or husband at the same time. The king james quotations in the book of mormon, the history of the text of the book of mormon. The persistence of polygamy, volume 2 posted on april 14, 2015 by meg stout this second volume of the persistence of polygamy series deals with polygamy following the death of joseph smith. Personally i dont have any interest in the practice of plural wives.
The church of jesus christ of latterday saints came out with another gospel topics essay titled plural marriage in kirtland and nauvoo. Fundamentalist mormon polygamy from 1890 to the presentpublished by john whitmer books, will be here this wednesday, september 30. In the context of wartorn society in seventhcentury arabia, one which left many women widowed and children orphaned, the discussion of polygamy was revealed as part of a directive to treat female orphans justly. What does the bible say about polygamy and open relationships. Reminderevent this wednesday persistence of polygamy. And if you read the stories about the characters referenced above, youll quickly find that polygamy was an unmitigated sociological disaster that created heartbreak and sowed familial discord. Next, you have to read every book to the end especially if it is the biblical context. Hales a solid contribution to the historical and theological literature relating to joseph smiths life. Hales is the author of seven books dealing with mormon polygamy. It is in the latter book, section 2, where god tells the prophet joseph smith that he can marry as many women as he wants. As will be demonstrated in this article, the quran sets two clear conditions that must be met before polygamy may be allowed. The revelation on plural marriage was not written down until 1843, but its early verses suggest.
These verses make it sound like the book of mormon condemns the practice of polygamy, but verse 30 denotes otherwise. Reminder that newell bringhurst and craig foster, editors of the third and final volume in the persistence of polygamy series. Byu studiesthis set will prove to be the standard to turn to in researching mormon polygamy. Every now and again a great book comes along that changes our perception of marriage. Jacob specified that plural marriage may be practiced when god commanded it, but insisted that monogamy was otherwise the norm. For instance, consider sexual relations in a polygamous marriage. Nov 21, 2008 chapter 2 of the book of jacob in the book of mormon addresses polygamy. Bible verses related to persistence from the king james version kjv by relevance sort by book order galatians 6. For a more thorough analysis of polygamy in the quran, go to this online booklet and click on chapter 12. Yet, there are thousands of men, women and children in polygamous households in the u. Selections from the book of doctrine and covenants of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. Apr 10, 2007 polygamy, or comarriage to multiple wives, is discussed in the quran as a response to a specific social situation. The battle to control the public memory of joseph smith. Scripture tells us moses had two wives, zipporah, mentioned in ex 2.
It was divine intervention, not political expediency, that led the church of jesus christ of latterday saints mormons to ban the practice of polygamy more than 100 years ago. From joseph smiths martyrdom to the first manifesto, 18441890 newell g. The essay covers early polygamy, focusing especially on joseph smith. The second in a threevolume anthology in which top scholars examine the entire range and history of mormon polygamy. Mormon fundamentalism also called fundamentalist mormonism is a belief in the validity of selected fundamental aspects of mormonism as taught and practiced in the nineteenth century, particularly during the administrations of joseph smith and brigham young, the first two presidents of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church. We are losing our will to be persistent, and so much of what is healthy and good for our growth and strength comes out of the longterm. An interesting new book well worth reading on polygamy is remarriage is adultery unless by david pawson. If a marriage includes multiple husbands and wives, it can be called a group marriage. He also contributed a chapter to he persistence of polygamy. The adamgod doctrine and the persistence of polygamy jstor. Reconstructing the book of mormons missing stories. It outlines polygamys place in anthropological theory and its rich sociocultural diversity in countries ranging from the usa and uk to malaysia, india, regions of africa and tibet. For a time, god did permit a man to have more than one wife.