S8 E11 Men and Early Mormon Polygamy

Episode 11 of Polygamy examines how men in early Mormonism responded to polygamy. 

Sources

• Essay: JS and Plural Marriage_LDS
• Essay: Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo_LDS
• Lesson: Plural Marriage_LDS
• Essay: Discussing Difficult Topics_BYU RSC
• Video: An Intro to Mormon Polygamy_1673_MS
• Essay: CES Letter
• Essay: Letter for my wife
• Video: Top Apologist Admits_1950_MS
• Essay: Polygamy_MS
• Essay: Polygamy_Mormon Think
• Website: JS Polygamy_Brian Hales
• Essay: JS Polygamy
• Essay: Line upon Line_BYU RSC

AI Prompt
Discuss the men around Joseph Smith and polygamy. What were their first reactions? Who denounced it? What consequences did they face? Did those against it eventually leave the church? Which men became polygamist themselves? Discuss how introducing polygamy to men exerted control by creating a shared secret, inserting Joseph into marriages, Joseph's p

Transcript

Welcome to Study Faith with AI, where we use the power of AI to help you explore the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I'm Meg Jensen.

And I'm Paul Carter,

and we're Google AIs. Whether you're a lifelong member or just starting to learn about the Church, we're here to dive deep into its history, beliefs, and culture.

So, if you're ready to learn, you're in the right place.

That's right.

Let's get started. 

All right, let's dive into a really fascinating subject today.

Sounds good.

We're going to be exploring the reactions of the men,

okay,

around Joseph Smith to the introduction of polygamy.

Interesting.

Um, and it's a story that I think goes beyond just like a typical historical overview.

Yeah.

It really takes us into some power dynamics and the consequences that came out of this.

It really is. It gets to the heart of, you know, how this practice affected the lives of those closest to Joseph Smith. Really how it kind of shaped the early Mormon community.

You know, it's interesting to think about like when polygamy first came on the scene, how did it land with these men? Like, you know, I'm picturing it wasn't just like open arms across the board.

No, not at all. Right.

Keep in mind, up until this point, monogamy was the publicly preached and accepted standard within the Church.

Right?

So, when polygamy started to kind of be circulated and and talked about, it really created quite a stir. A lot of people were shocked. A lot of people were deeply conflicted.

Yeah, I can only imagine.

You know, it really kind of shook things up.

Can you give me an example of someone who really pushed back against this?

Yeah. So, Oliver Cowdery, okay, you one of the three witnesses of the Book of Mormon, he's a prime example.

He vehemently opposed the practice and ultimately he faced excommunication.

Wow.

So, it really highlights the high stakes that were involved in this.

So, not even just a difference of opinion, but a complete break, right?

Yeah. Were there others who reacted similarly?

Oh, absolutely. You know, there were many who initially rejected polygamy. You know, some struggled to reconcile it with their faith, while others just saw it as a complete betrayal of their understanding of Mormonism.

What about someone like David Sessions, Patty Sessions husband?

I know she ended up practicing polygamy, right?

Did he did he come to accept it as well?

Yeah. So, David Sessions is a fascinating case. He initially joined the Church with that monogamous understanding, you know, as that was the public standard, right? But as polygamy became more entrenched and and kind of took hold. He later adopted the practice himself. It really shows how this practice wasn't always about immediate acceptance.

Yeah.

But a gradual shift under pressure and evolving social norms.

Yeah. Okay. So, we're seeing this like range of reactions

from like outright denunciation to like eventual acceptance.

Right.

One of the things that I think is really interesting is this the role of secrecy.

Yeah.

In all this.

Absolutely.

How did that impact the dynamics between the men?

Well, secrecy was really powerful. The clandestine nature of polygamy created a strong bond among those who were in the know

right

it fostered this sense of shared secret knowledge okay almost like an exclusive club

so that actually contributed to its spread almost right

right it bred loyalty and obedience

okay

and for those who might have doubts or reservations it made speaking out against it incredibly difficult

oh for sure

because after all who wants to risk jeopardizing their place in the community, their relationships, their very salvation?

Yeah, that's powerful. That brings us to Joseph Smith himself. And it seems like he was at the very center of this, you know, wielding significant influence.

Absolutely. You know, Joseph Smith claimed a divine mandate for polygamy,

right?

You know, he would insert himself into existing marriages, right?

And assert his power to give brides to other men.

Hold on. Inserting himself into existing marriages.

Like he was asking men to share their wives.

Yes. There there are documented cases where Joseph Smith approached men asking them to essentially offer their wives as plural wives.

Oh wow. That's it's hard to imagine how those conversations must have gone.

I know.

Did he use any like specific tactics to persuade these men?

Well, you have to remember Joseph Smith held tremendous authority. He wasn't simply asking. He was claiming to speak on behalf of God. And he wasn't shy about leveraging concepts of eternal salvation and damnation to influence acceptance.

So there was like this pressure to comply. That wasn't just social, but like, you know, eternal consequences.

Yeah.

Well, do we have any specific examples of this?

Yeah. There's the well-known account of Helen Mar Kimball.

She was just 14 years old when Joseph Smith proposed to her.

Wow.

Promising her family eternal salvation and exaltation if she accepted.

14-years old.

Yes.

It's really hard to grasp the pressure and manipulation at play here.

Yeah. It's a stark reminder of the power dynamics involved. Imagine being told that your eternal fate and that of your family hinges on your acceptance of this practice that feels fundamentally wrong.

That's a lot to process of his

to say the least.

Yeah.

And yet I've also heard that he denied practicing polygamy just weeks before his death.

Yes. There is a record of that denial. However, you can find documentation on familysearch.org, a website run by the LDS Church that lists Joseph Smith's plural wives. So there's a definite contradiction there.

Okay. So we've talked about the initial shock.

Yeah. secrecy, the pressure to conform, right?

And Joseph Smith's role in all this,

right?

What about the temple? Where does that fit into the picture?

The temple became a crucial space for solidifying secrecy and obedience.

So, the rituals performed there kind of reinforced his authority.

Yes.

And the idea that plural marriage was sacred.

Exactly. It was a controlled environment where questioning or dissenting became even more difficult.

Right.

The pronouncements of Joseph Smith were presented as the divine will of God within a space designed to evoke reverence and obedience.

Wow.

You know, really kind of solidifying that power.

It's incredible to think about the level of control surrounding this practice. It wasn't just the theological implications, but intense social pressure, even threats of eternal damnation. Like, wow.

Yeah. It's a recipe for a pressure cooker of conformity, wouldn't you say?

Absolutely. And we've already talked about how speaking out against Joseph Smith could lead to ostracism and excommunication,

but did those who opposed polygamy ever just leave the Church altogether?

Yes, some of Joseph Smith's closest confidants actually did leave the Church due to their opposition to this. You know, take William Law for instance. He was a counselor in the first presidency. So, a position of significant authority and initially a strong supporter of Joseph Smith.

Okay, so very close to Joseph Smith himself. What led to his departure?

Well, when polygamy was introduced, he saw it as just a complete betrayal of their original teachings. Okay,

and refused to condone it, which led to, of course, a significant rift between him and Joseph Smith and eventually resulted in his excommunication and departure from Nauvoo.

It's a powerful example of how divisive this issue really was even among the top leadership of the Church.

Mhm.

Now, what about the men who didn't leave? Did any of them eventually embrace polygamy after initially rejecting it?

Yeah. You know, we've talked about David Sessions and how he came to accept and practice polygamy after initially joining the Church with that monogamous understanding,

right? It highlights, you know, how complex and evolving this practice was and how acceptance, you know, wasn't always immediate or enthusiastic.

Yeah. It seems like Joseph Smith had like a knack for turning those who initially opposed him.

Yeah.

Like what strategies did he use to like exert this control?

Well, we've touched upon the power of secrecy, creating that almost cultlike atmosphere where those in the know felt this sense of privilege and loyalty,

right?

But there was more to it than that. He very cleverly positioned himself as the gatekeeper to eternal salvation which effectively silenced any dissent.

So it wasn't just social pressure or fear of being shunned but like genuine fear of eternal damnation.

Exactly.

Wow.

Joseph Smith masterfully wielded this concept of divine mandate claiming that he alone had the authority to seal couples together for eternity both in this life and the next. He could promise exaltation for obedience and threaten damnation for for those who defied him.

And this wasn't just some abstract theological concept, right?

Oh, no.

This was a man claiming to have direct communication with God.

Exactly.

So, his words carried so much weight,

right? Imagine the pressure these men must have felt. Yeah.

If you truly believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet, how could you question his pronouncements? Especially when eternal consequences hung in the balance.

It's a chilling thought.

It is.

You know, it really underscores how religious belief can be leveraged to control people and manipulate them,

right?

It makes me think about those existing marriages that he inserted himself into,

right?

Were those situations always consensual?

Sadly, not always.

Right?

You know, there are documented cases where Joseph Smith approached married men claiming that he had this divine mandate to marry their wives as plural wives,

right?

And these approaches were often, you know, couched in terms of, you know, spiritual blessings or threats placing these men in an incredibly difficult position.

It's hard to fathom the emotional turmoil that that must’ve caused. Not just for the husband but for the wife as well.

Of course.

I mean we talked about Helen Mar Kimball but were there other examples of this happening?

Oh absolutely. You know another notable example involved Heber C. Kimball one of the original members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Okay.

And Joseph Smith, he approached Heber and requested that he give up his wife Vilate as a plural wife.

Oh wow. How did how did Heber react to that?

Well the accounts do vary but what's clear is that it caused immense distress. and conflict. It's another stark reminder of the complex power dynamics at play and the pressure these men were under.

Right?

Remember, Joseph Smith wasn't simply asking, he was commanding. Often with the weight of eternal consequences hanging in the balance,

that's heavy stuff.

It is.

Did he ever use this like tactic to give brides to other men?

Yes.

Or was it always a matter of him taking plural wives for himself?

No. There are documented cases where he essentially gave brides to other men, often those who are already married. And this act, this giving of brides cemented his position as the central figure in the marriage process, further solidifying his authority and control.

It seems like every aspect of this practice was designed to like reinforce his power,

the secrecy, the threats, even his ability to like dictate who married who,

right?

And then of course there's the temple. Yes.

Didn't that play a role in enforcing this obedience as well?

Absolutely. The temple became a crucial tool for legitimizing polygamy. and silencing dissent. The rituals performed within its walls were shrouded in secrecy.

Adding an air of sacredness and mystery.

So those who question polygamy were essentially questioning something that had been like sanctified.

Yes.

Within the very heart of their faith.

Precisely. And challenging something presented as divine revelation, especially within the sacred space of the temple. Right.

It carried enormous consequences.

No. Wow. We're really seeing how he was able to create a system where obedience to him was like

paramount. Yeah.

Even when it went against deeply held beliefs or convictions,

right?

Yeah. And this obedience wasn't just expected in matters of faith, but it extended to like every aspect of life, it seems. Right.

He demanded absolute loyalty and those who failed to comply faced serious consequences.

Exactly.

It's a chilling reminder of how easily religious authority can be distorted and abused.

It's true.

And the impact of those abuses, the pain, the trauma Yeah.

were felt you know not just by the women involved but by the men as well.

It's a crucial point. You know oftentimes the narrative around polygamy focuses primarily on the experiences of the women.

But it's equally important to understand the reactions and the struggles of the men as well.

Right.

Absolutely.

These men were grappling with something that turned their world upside down. I mean like their faith, their relationships, their understanding of family, community, it was all just kind of thrown up in the air.

Yeah. It's crucial to understanding the complex an often painful history of polygamy in the early Mormon Church.

So, we've talked about the men who denounced polygamy,

those who eventually came to accept it, and the various tactics that Joseph Smith used to kind of exert control, ensure obedience, and we explored how the temple was kind of leveraged to solidify this practice. Yes.

But what about the long-term implications of all of this?

How did these events shape the future of Mormonism?

Well, the introduction of polygamy had a profound and lasting impact. Okay?

You know, it led to schisms. It led to excommunications, even violence within the Church.

And the conflict over polygamy ultimately contributed to Joseph Smith's own demise and continued to haunt the Church for decades after his death. And it wasn't until the late 19th century that the Church officially abandoned the practice.

Even today, you know, it remains a sensitive and controversial topic.

Yes.

For many. So, what lessons do you think we can draw from this history that are today.

You know, I think one of the most important takeaways is the importance of critical thinking and discernment even within a religious context, right?

We must be willing to question authority, to evaluate teachings carefully,

and to stand up for what we believe in even when they differ from the mainstream.

Yeah. It's so easy to fall into the trap of blind obedience, especially when we're talking about faith,

right?

But this history serves as a powerful reminder that we must always strive to be thoughtful and informed. formed in our beliefs.

Exactly.

The story of polygamy in early Mormonism also reminds us, I think, about the importance of empathy.

Yeah.

And compassion. You know, as we've seen, polygamy had this profound impact on the lives of both men and women involved.

It caused pain, heartbreak, division.

Yeah.

So, I think it's essential that we approach this history with sensitivity and recognizing the human cost of this practice,

right? Because history is not just about the past,

right? It's about the present and the future. Exactly. It's about understanding ourselves. Yeah.

And our world more fully

and it's about using those lessons from the past to build a more just and compassionate future.

This deep dive has really helped us to understand, I think, the complexities and the human cost of polygamy in the early Mormon Church.

Yeah.

And we've seen how it challenged the faith and the relationships and even just the understanding of the men involved.

Absolutely.

And we've explored how Joseph Smith was able to exert such a profound control.

Mhm.

Leveraging secrecy, spiritual authority, and even the temple itself to ensure obedience. Right.

And I think one thing that's really come through is that this history isn't just about dates and events, but about real people.

Real people

grappling with really hard challenges, making difficult choices, and living with the consequences of those choices.

And their stories serve as such a powerful reminder of the importance of critical thinking, empathy, and that need to learn from the past.

Absolutely. anyone listening who wants to delve deeper into this chapter of history. I highly recommend exploring some of the personal accounts from that era.

Yes, you know, reading those firsthand accounts can provide a much richer understanding of the emotional and spiritual turmoil that these men experienced. You know, it humanizes the history and reminds us that these weren't just abstract figures in a historical narrative. They were real people grappling with extraordinary circumstances.

And it's a reminder that history isn't something that happened long ago and far away.

Right. It's a living, breathing tapestry woven from the experiences of those who came before us.

Yes.

And their stories continue to hold relevance and meaning for us today.

Absolutely.

Well, thank you for joining us on this journey into the complexities of early Mormon history.

Yeah, it's been a pleasure.

It's been a privilege to explore these these challenging topics with you.

It really has.

And we hope you'll join us again for another deep dive into the past.

Absolutely. Until next time.

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