http://www.utlm.org/newsletters/no100.htm#PolygamyWhile the Mormon Church leaders no longer allow their members to practice polygamy, they will not remove Joseph Smith?s revelation concerning plural marriage from the Doctrine and Covenants. Although this book is canonized as one of the four standard works of the Mormon Church, it is not usually given to outsiders. Many non-Mormons who live outside of Utah have told us that they could not obtain this book from the Mormon missionaries. The church is apparently embarrassed by the polygamy revelation which appears in that book.
The revelation, dated July 12, 1843, contained the following:
"Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you my servant Joseph, that inasmuch as you have inquired of my hand to know and understand wherein I, the Lord Justified my servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as also Moses, David and Solomon, my servants, as touching the principle and doctrine of their having many wives and concubines?
"Behold, and lo, I am the Lord thy God, and will answer thee as touching this matter.
"Therefore, prepare thy heart to receive and obey the instructions?
"For behold, I reveal unto you a new and everlasting covenant; and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned; for no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory?.
"And let mine handmaid, Emma Smith [Joseph Smith?s wife] receive all those that have been given unto my servant Joseph, and are virtuous and pure before me; and those who are not pure, and have said they were pure, shall be destroyed, saith the Lord God?.
"And again, as pertaining to the law of the priesthood ? if any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another? he is justified; he cannot commit adultery with that that belongeth unto him and to no one else.
"And if he have ten virgins given unto him by this law, he cannot commit adultery, for they belong to him and they are given unto him; therefore is he justified." (Doctrine and Covenants, Section 132, verses 1-3, 52, 61-62)
Smith secretly entered into plural marriage taking many wives for himself. In addition, he encouraged the brethren to do the same. In 1887, Assistant Church Historian Andrew Jenson made a list of 27 women who were sealed to Joseph Smith. (Historical Record, Vol. 6, page 233) More recent research, however, demonstrated that the number 27 was too small. Mormon writer John J. Stewart believed that Smith married "three to four dozen or more" (Brigham Young and His Wives, 1961, pages 30-31)
Joseph Smith?s revelation regarding polygamy caused serious difficulties for faithful Mormons who followed him. After Smith?s death Brigham Young, the second prophet of the church, continued to stress the importance of plural marriage. On June 3, 1866, Brigham Young declared:
"We are told that if we would give up polygamy?which we know to be a doctrine revealed from heaven, and it is of God and the world for it?but suppose this Church should give up this holy order of marriage, then would the devil, and all who are in league with him against the cause of God, rejoice that they had prevailed upon the Saints to refuse to obey one of the revelations and commandments of God to them ? Will the Latter-day Saints do this? No; they will not to please anybody." (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 11, page 239)
On August 19th, 1866, Brigham Young strongly admonished his people to continue the practice of plural marriage:
"The only men who become Gods, even the sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy... I heard the revelation on polygamy, and I believed it with all my heart ? ?Do you think that we shall ever be admitted as a State into the Union without denying the principle of polygamy?? If we are not admitted until then, we shall never be admitted." (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 11, page 269)
On another occasion President Brigham Young warned: "Now if any of you will deny the plurality of wives and continue to do so, I promise that you will be damned?" (Deseret News, November 14, 1855)
President Young, like Joseph Smith, was very emphatic about the need for his people to practice polygamy. In 1873, he gave this stern warning:
"Now, where a man in this church says, ?I don?t want but one wife, I will live my religion with one,? he will perhaps be saved in the Celestial kingdom; but when he gets there he will not find himself in possession of any wife at all. He has had a talent that he has hid up. He will come forward and say, ?Here is that which thou gavest me, I have not wasted it, and here is the one talent,? and he will not enjoy it but it will be taken and given to those who have improved the talents they received, and he will find himself without any wife, and he will remain single forever and ever." (Deseret News, Sept. 17, 1873)
The reader will note that the quotations above were taken from the church?s own publications, Deseret News and Journal of Discourses.
Recently a revelation given by Joseph Smith, which has been suppressed for over 140 years, has come to light. Although Mormon leaders have never published this revelation, they have referred to it and admitted that it was given to Joseph Smith in 1831. They maintain that it supports the doctrine of polygamy and that it is a forerunner to the revelation on polygamy?given July 12, 1843?which still appears in the Doctrine and Covenants as Section 132. . . . Mr. Marquardt learned what appears to be the real reason why the revelation has been suppressed. This is that the revelation commanded the Mormons to marry the Indians to make them a "white" and "delightsome" people.
Political Kingdom of God
The May 1967 issue, no. 14, of the Messenger was titled "The Mormon Kingdom." In it we discussed Smith's efforts to establish the political kingdom of God on earth, even having himself ordained King, and the secret Council of Fifty. We quoted Apostle John Taylor's statement:
"We do believe it, and we honestly acknowledge that this is that kingdom which the Lord has commenced to establish upon the earth, and that it will not only govern all people in a religious capacity, but also in a political capacity." (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 7, page 170)
This topic was later covered in D. Michael Quinn's two volumes, The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power and The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power.
