Just so everyone is aware, we will have a 45-minute video about polygamy coming out next week. 10 minutes was not enough time to discuss this topic. So be on the lookout for that coming out next week!👍

I’m not LDS but I really don’t know why they give you guys such a hard time about this. Every history of peoples worldwide has unsavory history.

I've been a member of the church for decades, and some of this information about Joseph Smith is completely new to me. My experience in the church is to have patience and wait on answers. So glad that other things didn't floor me so badly that I gave up on the church. Now I ask God for understanding and let the Holy Spirit teach me.

That is one of the best short videos I have ever listen to on this topic.

I love that you guys are doing a lot of Book of Mormon and Jospeh smith videos :) such a taboo subject and I love your bravery, courage, and fearlessness of tackling such subjects :) keep up the good work :):) we pray for people like you guys out there !

New subscriber and not LDS, but I have some friends who are - these are cool, clever and informative videos that will prevent me from asking my friends stupid, ignorant questions. I'm an American history nut and obviously Mormon history and westward expansion are quite intertwined. Thanks for the engaging content!

Boy howdy I can't wait for the comments section on this one. *grabs extra large tub of popcorn*

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints I appreciate this simple, honest video. I hope it is appreciated by all who watch it, both members and non members alike. 😊

Why did he marry a mother and her Daughter if it was only to link families? Why did he Marry two women after he sent there husbands on missions? Why did he threaten a 14 year old with damnation of her family.

Man, Saints Unscripted you always answer my questions I have about the Church so well good job!

I would like to thank you for your information. I myself also think polygamy is very unfair to women. I'm a LDS women who in the last year has had a experience with my 37yr old daughter she contacted me very upset about polygamy and other things. I told her Heavenly father loves us very much. He is so wise and sees the bigger picture. In time we will know why he had these men practice polygamy. I plan on sharing this video with her. So thank you again.

“: For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none.” -Jacob 2:27

Very well done. Many thanks. When push comes to shove, I always take refuge in my testimony to prevail over anything questionable.

You guys did a really great job explaining plural marriage back in the early days of the church. I've tried explaining these things to people before, but it's hard without all the quotes and facts you've provided. I think in the future I will refer this video to others so they can understand it better than when I try to explain it myself.

Thanks for the video, I just have a quick question. If God had commanded Abraham and others you mentioned to practice polygamy, where does it say that? I'm seeing that they practiced it, but it had negative effects on their lives, plus there's nothing saying that God had commanded them to practice it, so where are you finding the conclusion that sometimes God allows it and sometimes He doesn't? Thanks!

Oriental Orthodox Christian here. You did really well with this video. I was most impressed about your own personal thought or belief on something and making sure to express that’s just you. I can honestly say I learned more about the Mormon leader and polygamy in this short video then I would have otherwise sought. I am writing this before checking your cites and sources. Nonetheless keep up the good work bro. -Eritrean-American 🙋🏾‍♂️

that Brigham Young quote had my goth senses a-tinglin

The drawn sword “revelation” is speculation. It’s not canonised teaching.

A very balanced and historically correct understanding video. Forgot to mention where Isaiah predicted polygamy in the latterday.

He says “if you’re Christian, polygamy happened” it’s not just Christianity it’s been in every religion...

Wow! How have I missed these? Nice work! We all squirm over this subject, and you just laid it all out there for us, complete with little snippets to keep my ADHD brain engaged. Would that the Church itself could see how much better this is than to proclaim, "thus saith the Lord!" before scampering back to hide and pretend all is well in Zion.

Interesting video! A couple questions: 1) Why is section 132 still in the D&C? Could it be because there are a few current church officials have had wives that have died and remarried? Will they not have multiple wives (practicing polygamy) when they pass into the next life, and making spiritual children for eternity? 2) Why would God command polygamy as essential for obtaining godhood then change his mind? That is quite a 180-of course, occurring as a revelation from God directly when the LDS were under legal threat from the US government. Lastly, it is important to note that polygamy was never permitted in the Old Testament. This practice was a perversion from the start due to the sinful heart of man. God instructed Moses that the kings of Israel were to have only one wife: “Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away.” (Deut. 17:17)

Practice polygamy before the New Testament, you mean. New Testament states clearly that an elder is to be the husband of ONE wife. Be brave and be fair to divide the facts correctly.

Unfair to women??? I can't imagine how fair it is to a man to be outnumbered and subject to 3 women demanding honey-dos all day.

Thank you for this video! By the way, Mary Hales was my 3rd Great Grandmother, so it was kind of cool to see a quote/picture from her included in this video!

I may make a video on this topic. I haven't been able to get anyone to answer a question yet.. According to Jacob 2, David and Solomon had many wives and it was abominable to God. But in D&C 132, David did not sin and his wives were given by God. How can these contradictory statements be reconciled?

This was so well done, thank you! 👏🏻

Great video. So so so good. I love your whole "faith and beliefs" series but this one was just perfect. Thank you.

I am also curious about the Church's position in recent decades. I know now ex-mormons who were excommunicated for bringing up the topic of polygamy decades ago. They simply wanted answers. How was this type of suppression of history of God?

Thank you for this. I have been struggling with the subject of Polygamy for a long time. I didn't want it to affect my testimony. Your explanation helps me.

I thought this was very well done. Thanks!

I would like to suggest that you do A LOT of research and do another video on this topic.

answer: yes

"Polygamy is gross and we totally don't do that anymore." That is the WORST defense of Polygamy ever. Joseph Smith was a polygamist and a "prophet", same with Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, Joseph F Smith and Heber Grant. Whew. That is a long list of "prophets" doing this totally gross thing that we totally don't do anymore. Heber Grant died in 1945! Mormons like to make Polygamy sound like it was practiced in their distant past, when Society was COMPLETELY different to the Modern Day, and yet, their prophet was a polygamist all the way up to the end of the Second World War.

One question I have is why God needed to coerce Joseph with an angel with a flaming sword. God could have sent that angel to put a stop to slavery or the holocaust. But no, according to Mormons the most pressing issue to god in all of history since the Resurrection of Christ was Joseph Smith not being married or "sealed" to 14 year old girls and other mens' wives.

I’m a former Mormon drag queen who loves Mormons. Thank you for this honest, amazing video!

Can you do a video about Fanny Alger?

About an Angel threatining him with sword, the bible says : 8But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. Galatians 1.8.

Amazing video really helped me answer some of my questions

Great explanation and insight, I feel the same.

I dunno. There's a lot omitted here. Emma wasn't Joseph's first sealed wife, Emma didn't know, the marriages started before the sealing power was revealed, the legal affidavit of the wives and intimacy... All these things are really important, but they weren't mentioned in the video.

I have one question for you. Why did the church coincidentally continue to practice polygamy until the federal government threatened to destroy the Mormon church?

This is a fairly good video, though I think it probably could've addressed things a bit better than it did (I hardly blame you for that, it's a very complicated topic and most of the evidence we have about it at all is after the fact, at least as it related to Joseph Smith). I will do my best to elaborate on why Dave suggests that Joseph was originally trying to find a way to sort of get around the commandment in a way (and why this indicates that we was sincerely trying to spare Emma the distress that it would inevitably cause). The timeline goes something like this: 1. First angel visit commanding Joseph Smith to practice plural marriage. Not too long after this the first plural marriage is done and it's messy for everyone involved, not a pretty picture. - After this, a considerable amount of time goes by before Joseph dares go near the practice of polygamy. It's unclear when Joseph received his second visit from the angel, but the way I see it, it's most likely not long before Joseph is married to yet another woman 2. After that Joseph starts with the polyamorous marriages, marrying women who were already married to someone else. Anything before 2016 related to this topic is outdated. We thought that we had evidence that Joseph had a daughter with one of these married women, but genetic research indicates that Joseph and his supposed daughter, Josephine, are not related. So before 2016 the evidence pointed towards these polyamorous marriages being consummated, but now we have good reason to think that they weren't, as all any other potential candidates for Joseph's children conceived through these polyamorous marriages are ruled out except for maybe one of them, who died in infancy, and thus we aren't able to collect any genetic material from their descendants to see if they're related to Joseph. Given that all other candidates from these polyamorous marriages are duds, I think it's a safe assumption to say that they weren't consummated. Along with all of that, it was frequently the case that Joseph approached the husbands of these women to see if they would be okay with it. If you're some sex crazed charlatan trying to seduce women in the 1800's, the last thing you would want to do is go kindly ask the women's husband if they were okay with it. Back then, if you caught your wife committing adultery with a man, it was considered legal homicide to kill the man who was sleeping with your wife. In addition to that, there were a number of husbands that he approached who weren't even members of the church but were nonetheless friends of the church, and in one case one such husband actually asked Joseph to be sealed to his wife because he had no interest in things regarding the afterlife but wanted his wife to be able to be sealed to someone. All of these non-member husbands (to my knowledge) remained friends of the church for the rest of their lives. Also, as far as I'm aware, Emma had no issues with these marriages, because it seems that they were sealings for eternity only, and thus Joseph wasn't having sexual relations with them. This is why it's suggested that these marriages were Joseph's attempt to technically keep the commandment of God to practice polygamy but avoid having sex with them to spare Emma distress. 3. Then the third angel visit happened, and this is when it's said that the angel threatened Joseph with a sword, telling him to get with the program or suffer the consequences. This is when the polyamorous marriages mostly stopped with a few exceptions. In these marriages, at least some of them were consummated, and these are the ones that Emma found very painful to deal with, and she never seemed to fully reconcile herself with the doctrine of plural marriage (understandably so, I can hardly imagine how difficult it would've been). But tell me, does that sound a whole lot like Joseph is just in it for the sex? If you ask me, I would say no, but that's merely how I interpret the evidence. It is up to everyone to come to their own conclusion. It is understandable to have extreme discomfort regarding this topic. You'd have to be a fool to not see why mixing sex and religion like this is fairly alarming, and a good reason to be very careful in coming to an informed understanding. Now, there's a few other common themes that I've seen in the comments that I also think I could address: - No, Joseph did not force women into plural marriage. He did not tell them that if they didn't comply then he would be killed by an angel with a flaming sword. There were women who he approached about the subject who told him no, and they remained in the Church with no issue. In one case Joseph broached the topic with one woman, saying that he was going to tell her about plural marriage. She asked him to tell someone else. - No, plural marriage is not necessary for exaltation, and as far as I'm aware Joseph Smith never said it was. Wilford Woodruff said that he never heard Joseph teach such a thing. There's one quote from Brigham Young which, when taken out of context, certainly seems to be saying that plural marriage is necessary for exaltation. However, when you look at the text before and after that quote, it becomes clear that he's saying that an acceptance of plural marriage as doctrine is what is necessary, not personally practicing it oneself. Most members of the Church at the time didn't practice plural marriage. It was a minority of members, though obviously not an insignificant amount. The one exception to this is that a later prophet, Joseph F. Smith, did think that it was necessary for exaltation, but given that he's the only church authority who has claimed that I think we can safely go with what the majority of leaders have taught. - Plural marriage could in theory come back, but if you ask me I highly doubt it. It could technically be argued that in a way it is still in force, but only so far as if your spouse dies it is perfectly fine to marry and be sealed to someone else, and your sealing to your previous spouse is still intact. But plural marriage in the mortal stage of our progression is not permitted at present. In Jacob 2:30, (albeit not something that people who aren't Latter-Day Saints would accept as scripture, but a Biblical case could theoretically be made for it as well, though this comment is long enough so I shall forebear) makes it clear that while monogamous marriages are the norm, God can sanction polygamous marriages should it suit His purposes, but when it has not been sanctioned it is a direct violation of Gods commandments. That is the state we currently inhabit in regards to God's commands about plural marriage. Again, this is my interpretation of the evidence. It's perfectly possible for people to look at the same evidence and come to different conclusions. It all depends on what assumptions you bring to the table. If you assume that Joseph isn't a true prophet then you would be inclined to think of him as a scumbag. I'm inclined to believe that he is a prophet, in my opinion evidenced by the Book of Mormon. And that's all just fine. Make of it what you will. If you have genuine concerns or questions about this topic, just know that there's no easy answers, and you'll have to look and search for quite a while, but you can find the answers if you look earnestly. If you do genuinely want to find answers, go ahead, commit to the search, and remember that our understanding of history changes as new evidence comes to light. You can search, and you don't have to be afraid of what you'll find if you do search. If you already have a testimony of the Book of Mormon and a personal relationship with God, if you've made covenants with Him, remember those things. You can be searching for answers and having concerns and still remain faithful to your covenants and relationship with God. Fear not, He'll guide you if you let Him and search with dedication and patience, of that I bear witness, in the Name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Don’t like the way it makes you feel? Shelve it!

Polygamy in the OT is described, but not prescribed by God. Every example of polygamy in the OT is negative. It’s not a strong argument for polygamy.

Do a careful reading of D&C 132 that outlines plural marriage and you'll notice the words destroy and obey used many times and you never see words like love or cherish. It's true that Joseph's polygamy wasn't just about sex, it was also about power and control.

Great video! Thank you

Do you have any evidence that God commanded or required polygamy in the Bible?

David Snell would you commit an equivalent genocide if it was revealed by the prophetthat it must be done and is a commandment of God?

Great job on this David! So well said!

Also Stephen Jones did some more in-depth videos (3 of them) about polygamy that you can view here if anyone is interested: bit.ly/josephsmith-polygamy

So much respect for you trying to cover this. It’s about time the LDS church addressed this and the other extremely challenging topics you have covered. I really think you did the best you could do and my heart and prayer goes out to you. That being said, I still don’t understand how you believe that God, the perfect and just God of the Bible, would tempt Joseph Smith to sin. Or tempt nephi to kill Laban? James 1:13 says God can’t tempt anyone. You’re right there is polygamy in the Bible but there’s also murder and many other sins, that’s the thing though GOD STILL CALLS IT SIN. God never once in the Bible encourages polygamy He discourages it. Abraham was wrong to sleep with Hagar. David was wrong to sleep with Bathsheba. The Bible is very very clear about these being sins and moments where those men failed. If Joseph Smith was really a man of God he would have known what Jesus said in Luke 16:18 “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” Or Matthew 19:9 or Romans 7:2-3 and stood on that in the face of being tempted by that “angel”. Let’s say an angel did tell him to do those things, he should have known satan can disguise himself as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14) and that he should have tested the spirit (1 John 4:1). A real test of Joseph’s smiths faith would have been him standing on the Word of God like Abraham did (trusting God’s promise to make him the father of nations (Hebrews 11)) and saying no weapon formed against me will prosper or to live is Christ to die is gain and let the demon strike him with the sword. I don’t see how any of you believe that this sexist racist man named Joseph Smith represented the Holy God. I think it is much more likely he was visited multiple times by satan in an attempt to deceive him and with him so so so many others. Can you see how that could be a possibility? If not, why? Why do you believe that angel was sent from God to tell Joseph to sin? Or do you disagree with Jesus that what Joseph did wasn’t sin? I’d really appreciate an honest response from someone. I’ve been meeting with missionaries for months now, my best friend is LDS. I want to understand but I can’t get past this at all.

Thank you so much for your videos. My daughter just recently told me that she does not believe in the church anymore because she came to find out of the plural marriages that Joseph Smith had, including with a 14 year old. You explained it so well! I hope I can show this video to her and she is willing to watch it.

Im inactive but I loved how you explain polygamy, very sincere, this issues were one of the reasons why I left the church, and everything you said was accurate, I hope that the church keeps getting better in being sincere and open about this topics so that is not as a taboo when we ask about this issues 👌, many members explain polygamy with explanations that are not backed up with the evidence, great job 🙌

I don't think I agree that polygamy is unfair to women if women are volunteers for it (unlike what happens in FLDS). I was listening to a really interesting podcast that predicted it's return in the near future with the astronomical rise in competent women over less and less competent/educated men. With boys being degraded in the "name of feminism", we are seeing all women rise, but a polarization of men, with some being highly successful, and many more being unsuccessful. This is going to leave women with a choice between being the second or third partner of a man they respect, or the only partner of someone not good enough for them. I of course would prefer what I have (a monogamous relationship with a competent man) but if I was thrust back in the dating pool, I think I would prefer sharing a competent man over having some basement dweller to myself.

So…God told Joe to practice polygamy. He sent an Angel three times to tell him to do it. But Joe outsmarted God and only kinda/sorta married all of those women until…..later. If I wanted a religion to make me stretch this much I’d join the one that does yoga.

Jesus called it adultery. Period.

Polygamy is still a thing when you realize men can still be married to more than one woman in the temple but a woman can only be married to one man. The manifesto that ended the practice only said they wouldn’t practice it anymore but not that Mormons don’t believe in it. It is still in the doctrine and many Mormons believe God will bring it back, if they are being honest

Hello, In the Book of Mormon. What is the meaning of Jacob 2:27?

Part of the problem is that the church still believes in the practice today. They don’t practice it because it became outlawed in the US. The other part of the problem is that Joseph Smiths teaching about Polygamy ran directly against what Jesus Christ taught (One man and one woman becoming one flesh) Not one man and several women for time and/or all eternity.

D&C was written after Joseph Smith was already practicing polygamy and upon his brother (Hyrum Smith) requested that Joseph receive a revelation that God commanded some LDS leaders to practice it. Hyrum S. Condemned the act until he learned that his brother Joseph was already engaged in the practice. BTW - Emma despised the institution of polygamy and had many “knock down, drag outs” with Joseph Smith over his involvement. Joseph Smith had over 30 wives before his death. Brigham Young had even more and took great pride in many of the young women he seduced into marriage as he grew older.

Joseph was practicing polygamy before the sealing authority was given. LDS historian, Richard Bushman, said “There is evidence that Joseph was a polygamist by 1835” (Rough Stone Rolling, p.323). Plural marriages are rooted in the notion of “sealing” for both time and eternity. The “sealing” power was not restored until April 3, 1836 when Elijah appeared to Joseph in the Kirtland Temple and conferred the sealing keys upon him. So, Joseph’s marriage to Fanny Alger in 1833 was illegal under both the laws of the land and under any theory of divine authority; it was adultery.

God doesn't need polygamy to raise up seed he proved that with Adam and Eve, Noah, after devestating wars, in the early days of Christianity, etc. Never commanded or instituted polygamy and raised up seed just fine without it. Emma was Joseph's only wife so her only struggle with polygamy was to counter the false accusations.

im 100% convinced people who comment "I'm not a member" and then proceed to give very positive comments are fake accounts. The profiles for the accounts making those comments look questionable.

Even Abraham’s wife was NOT a fan of Abraham having another wife... It was nevertheless commanded by God.

I really like your content and I am glad to see someone who really knows and believes in their faith! But one thing to keep in mind. Exodus 32 was not genocide. It was a war camp. Also anytime there was polygamy in the bible there was an immediate downfall. The bible is journalistic in nature so it just records things. It doesn't narrate. The closest thing to narration being the gospels. Also Jesus in Mark 10 outlines the marital union. Its between one man and one woman. And they can join in (sex) to be one flesh. Thats not polygamy. God never changes Isaiah 43. Why does God change?

Well done

Our stay in Salt Lake City amounted to only two days, and therefore we had no time to make the customary inquisition into the workings of polygamy and get up the usual statistics and deductions preparatory to calling the attention of the nation at large once more to the matter. I Was Touched I had the will to do it. With the gushing self-sufficiency of youth I was feverish to plunge in headlong and achieve a great reform here-until I saw the Mormon women. Then I was touched. My heart was wiser than my head. It warmed toward these poor, ungainly and pathetically “homely” creatures, and as I turned to hide the generous moisture in my eyes, I said, “No-the man that marries one of them has done an act of Christian charity which entitles him to the kindly applause of mankind, not their harsh censure-and the man that marries sixty of them has done a deed of open-handed generosity so sublime that the nations should stand uncovered in his presence and worship in silence.” ~Mark Twain

I don't think God desired polygamy at all. He may have permitted it for the same reason he permitted divorce as Jesus states: due to hardness of heart. It wasn't that way in the beginning and that is often when I go to when I want to know God's ideal will. This is one of the few big reasons I doubt I will become an LDS. I don't think God ever instructed anyone to become a polygamist.

It's a mystery to me that society, in general, embraces fornication with multiple, shared partners, singularly and plurally, yet abhors the idea of having legal, loving polygamic relationships.

I think this a great video.. it manages to cover the key points without trying to prove the point with logic or the strength of an argument. it leaves it open for us, the viewers, to at least make our minds up having had a fair and reasonable look at the history and historical evidence.

Great video...

Yes, to answer the question. It totally was to get some.

I've watched most of your videos, and I think this is my favorite!!!! I love that you're not dodging the heavy topics. While I can't agree with some of the assertions (for example, there's no way that diary accounts of Joseph's "celestializing" with new brides under the cover of darkness don't refer to sex), I 100% agree that Mormon polygamy is complex, fascinating, and deserving of a deep dive! My interest first began with the "Year of Polygamy" podcast that gives a biographical history of each wife. Can't wait to hear your take!

Thank you for going at this head on. Really looking forward to next week's video. Happy to see Brother Smoot is watching :)

There were a few plural marriages that were authorized after the formal discontinuation of the practice.

There is no evidence that polygamy was anything more than a cultural practice in the Old Testament and in some cultures today. It was not commanded by God, except in Joseph Smith's revision of the Bible. Polyandry was especially forbidden in the Jewish culture. At 3:35 you say that there is no evidence that Joseph Smith was intimate with any of his polyandrous wives. Apparently you are not familiar with the claim of Sylvia Sessions Lyon that her daughter Josephine was fathered by Joseph Smith. This was a commonly accepted belief in the church for several decades until DNA testing proved that Windsor Lyon, Sylvia's legal husband, was the birth father. Why would Sylvia claim that Joseph Smith was Josephine's birth father if she was not having intimate relations with both men within the time period that she got pregnant? A number of the 'wives' of Joseph Smith testified in a court of law (Temple Lot case) that they had sex with Joseph Smith. Read Todd Compton's "In Sacred Loneliness" for poignant biographies of each of the known 'wives' of Joseph Smith. For Joseph Smith to claim that he had been commanded by God and threatened by an angel with a flaming sword, is so manipulative that it defies description. The women he persuaded to "marry" him by participating in a fake wedding ceremony were no more married under the laws of the land than they were before the ceremony. But while they believed that that fake wedding ceremony, (which was illegal under the laws of bigamy in every state and territory where it was practiced), gave Joseph Smith conjugal rights, the women had NO LEGAL rights whatsoever. They had no claim to his name, his property, or his financial support. This was, in my opinion, emotional abuse, and I have lost whatever respect I ever had for Joseph Smith. How can men who consider themselves good men, continue to support such a man?

Oh my heck. It's ridiculous to build the theological polygamy argument stating that Old Testament prophets are "major figures of Christianity" and that they did it God must have intended the practice to be restored. Have we not read the Old Testament lately? Thank heavens we do not live by the archaic practices documented in that book.

The historical evidence is clear - Joseph Smith was NOT a polygamist. He plainly spoke out against it many times, saying that anyone who was practicing it would be thrust straight to hell. He had 9 biological children with his one wife, yet no other children have ever been identified from his supposed other 30+ wives. Brigham Young served a mission with a polygamist group called the Cochranites well before polygamy was in Nauvoo, and even ended up marrying one of the women from that group, who already was married to another man and abandoned her children. Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball had multiple affairs with women in England while they were on their missions; none of these women were ever at any point married to them. Emma Smith and many of Joseph's close associates did not follow Brigham to Utah, and asserted to their dying breath that Joseph Smith never was involved in any way with polygamy. There is no contemporary documentation of any of the supposed secret marriages. Every woman who claimed to be married to Joseph Smith did so after his death. There are mountains of evidence that Joseph was never a polygamist, and there is literally zero evidence during Joseph's life that he was ever involved. All supposed evidence comes from well after his death, including the "revelation" to practice plural marriage, Section 132 of the D&C, which appeared out of Brigham's desk drawer in 1852, was not even canonized into scripture until 1876, and it's authenticity completely hinged upon the story of William Clayton, who claimed to have written down the revelation from Joseph, although Clayton had been fired by Joseph as one of his personal scribes for theft and dishonesty in the same month the supposed revelation was given. Please do your own research and don't blindly listen to the narrative of the church. Brigham Young was a liar and an agent of the devil, and we've all been deceived. Read 2 Nephi 28 and understand who Nephi is speaking to. Then read Jeremiah 17: 4-7 and look for the parallels to 2 Nephi 28. Exonerate the prophet, prepare this church for the coming of the Lord. All is not well in Zion.

Thanks for sharing.

The Fundamental Latter Day Saints are still polygamist living in Utah and their Zion is Missouri as well. Think about that one.

Don’t forget that D&C 132 is still cannon and that it mentions plural marriage as a requirement for men to gain exaltation and to become gods. Not only that but if you don’t abide in plural marriage that you are damned.

Michelle Stone's KZfaq channel (and others) is quite convincing that Joseph Smith had nothing to do with plural marriage being practiced in this life. Rather, both Hyrum and Joseph made it clear that men could be sealed to a deceased wife and current wife. But marrying more than one woman in this life was wrong. It was later church leaders themselves that were the ones that came up with most of the stories about Joseph practicing plural marriage. The fact that Joseph had 9 children with Emma but 0 children with his so-called plural wives is one of many evidences that Joseph only had sexual relations with Emma.

Thanks for the video - lots of good stuff as always. You said it ended formally in 1890???

I am not a member of the Church, I disagree fundamentally with its teachings and its founder. But, I have great respect for your courage in speaking on the topic as well as saying many times that you simply "do not know". This is an experience I feel many do not have with the Church, many trying to hide parts of it that don't vibe with the times. In my experience growing up with members, many of them being life-long friends of mine, many of them seemed to do ANYTHING to make others believe in the faith, even lying about it or even worse-- indoctrinating someone without giving them full knowledge of the teachings and/or practices of the faith. You have my respect for sure, but I disagree with the teachings- a way of disagreeing I might add that we should adopt into our polarizing culture

Practicing polygamy because you’re a king or someone of wealth is NOT the same as God approving polygamy... there’s a big difference here. Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham, not God. Re-read Genesis. God never approved this behavior even though it’s seen in almost all cultures, that doesn’t make it God approved. It shows the “natural man” who is an enemy to God...naturally follows physical desires which leads to sin which leads to spiritual death. This is the pattern you see throughout all the scriptures...Why is a Bishop, Elder or Deacon to have ONLY ONE WIFE? This is Biblical scripture, see 1st Timothy 3:2 and Titus 1:6 only one wife!!! Why would God tell Joseph Smith something different from what was taught in the New Testiment? ....I’m willing to “shelf it” isn’t a valid answer to something as doctrinal as polygamy. It’s required for the highest place in the celestial kingdom D & C 132. Are you willing to show the journal entries if the other girls married to Joseph Smith?..like Fanny Alger? The twins? the mother daughter?or the ones who suffered horrible anxiety and we’re probably damaged for life? Why would a man of God do this? Why would it be necessary or only a few years then all of the sudden, it’s taken away? Can you honestly answer these questions?

7:10 this is a gross misreading of Jacob 2. It’s saying the opposite.

Gordon B. Hinckley about polygamy: "We have nothing to do with it. It is against the law. Members of the LDS-church practicing polygamy will be excommunicated". Is there anyone of the audience who is aware of a gap? I mean, do you notice that nothing, but nothing is said about virtue or ethics? Members of the church need very badly, what it is to live an exemplary lifestyle. Or is the image of Joseph Smith in jeopardy?

The thing that is the most damning thing to me is the way Joseph Smith went about getting these women to marry him. He would essentially tell these women/teens that if they married him that they and their families would recieve eternal exaltation and if they didn't, they and their entire families would be damned. It's like putting a gun to someone's head and asking them to make a choice. Also, if you want some really good information, read the Emma Smith biography. It's not intended to be faith harming. But any basic study in psychology and you get a picture that Joseph Smith was a very likely a liar, charlatan, philanderer, and emotionally abusive to his wife Emma. He had some good qualities of course, as charlatans often do.

God did not endorse polygamy however which is the crux of it.

He told a 14 year olds family that an angel with flaming sword threatened to kill him is their 14 year old daughter wouldn't marry him. Why her? Why a death threat to make it happen? And if it was so important that God felt the need to use death threats to get people to marry him why was it so easily reversed with no more mention of it and it being hidden as much as the church could? This apologetic response seems somewhat shallow and intellectually dishonest.

I think you did an excellent balanced approach regarding plural marriage as practiced by many members of the LDS Church. Polygamy , like in many other non-industrial agrianian societies benefited by polygamy, such as collective economies, closer knit families, pursuant to General Authorities. But that's not why I am writing. This time, I am more interested in the definition and prohibition against adultery. The prophet Joseph definition of what constitution fits within the defining characteristics of Adultery as portrayed in rural 1800 America. That is, polygamy or plural marriage is specifically excluded from the jurisdiction against adultery. Also the form of acceptable adultery defines adultery as the husband involved with a non married woman and enters a plural marriage,but condemns polyandry relationship with an already married woman. My interest in the topic is certainly not to impugn or denigrate the prophets character. I know through much research the singular character and purity of heart of the prophet. In addition, it is not to undermine the rich value economically, educationally, and in preparation of Saints to more fully contribute to the rise of Zion. My thoughts are more focused on the scope of D& C 132 strict injunction against adultery as causing the prophet Joseph to " fall from grace" after having secured his calling and election made sure. On the face of the revelation and pursuant to confirmed facts brother Joseph violated that Adultery clause of D&C 132 by marriage to an already married woman thus violated the prohibition against adultery in violation of D&C 132. Of course, I am one which firmly believes the prophet Joseph maintained his calling and election made sure and in fact magnified and increased his calling and election made sure. Thus, given this perspective there must exist some particular reason or set of circumstances or perhaps it is within Elohims righteous discretion balancing the goodness the candidate has attained in righteousness versus the serious nature or lack thereof of the moral and ethical lapse involved in violation of the adultery clause of DC 132. Unless presented with a clearer rationale, or more well defined facts. I believe our deity elected to forgive the prophets infringement against her married husband and look into the heart and intent of the prophet in relationship to the the purpose for the specific prohibition against adultery within the context of a fall from grace within the meaning of D&C 132. Thus, I believe that our Lord Christ allows for the exercise of considerable righteous discretion within the context of circumstance within DC 132 scope , purpose and meaning .

God never commanded polygamy in the Bible.

As an adult, Joseph Smith was convicted in a court of law for having sex with a 14-year old girl. The judge, having pity on him for being a normal young man, he let him go. And then there was the teen girl Joseph Smith brought into his household as a "maid"...until his wife caught him with her in the barn. Let us not overlook the adulterous affairs Joseph Smith had with other men's legally married wives. But these and countless other things concerning Joseph Smith are carefully, consistently, and thoroughly covered up by church leaders and members whose denial (intentional and unwitting) is synonymous their 'faith.' Joseph Smith was a felon. Bank fraud was only one of his great accomplishments. An attempt by disenchanted members of the church to reveal Joseph Smith's true character to the public (based on their first-hand experience) resulted in Joseph Smith ordered other members of the church to break into the building where the printing press was and destroy it -- yet another felony. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is predicated upon perpetuated falsehoods. The keystone "Joseph's Smith's First Vision" was carefully crafted, radically altered, calculated, and evolved as a process over time before finally emerging as a final version that was determined to be the most acceptable for public assimilation. The truth be known, if the church operated openly, honestly, and without all the secrecy and cover-ups, all the dishonesty surrounding Joseph Smith's dealing would be an easier matter of record, but now -- after generations of trying to save face, and after building a multi-$billion global empire, the church is fighting to survive the scrutiny. Even Joseph Smith's first legal wife, Emma, married him after they ran away together because Joseph Smith was a rather shiftless young man and was not able to get permission from Emma's father to marry her. The idea of taking what you want was fundamental to the life of Joseph Smith from his youth. But he was very clever -- and I would suggest that he was even something of a genius. He cobbled together what became (and under very suspicious circumstances) America's first and only original 'Christian' religion. If you hate Bernie Madoff for causing so much trouble in the world, for being so incredibly selfish, and for hurting so many people, but you respect that he was clever enough to pull it off -- until he got caught, then respect Joseph Smith. Members of the church are not told the truth. They get only the very biased one-sided propaganda from the church, and they tend to accept it rather blindly. Those who somehow come to a "fullness of the truth" end up leaving the church. It is the logical and the only reasonable outcome. The other members of the church -- especially hard-core indoctrinated members -- particularly those that have been in the raised church and whose families are multi-generational church families -- really don't know any better, and can't really be blamed for their lack of knowledge. Just as the global Genome Project discovered the falseness of the claim of Joseph Smith that the American Indians came from Israel by boat, so does truth eventually win out over myth, deceit, and fantasy with the rest of the Mormon church's claims. One of the best researchers (himself an ex-Mormon) that is an excellent resource on Josh Smith the Mormon church's 'history' is Grant Palmer. He has no ax to grind. He upholds the truth. He is a man of integrity. He calls it like it is. His story and some of his videos can be found on KZfaq. Not all church members are bad, but the church is false, and is predicated upon false claims. Some church members will never care whether or not the church is false. Pray for the other members of the Mormon church to find their way to the truth. For some it is a hard journey, but it is a journey with integrity.

You say that no evidence exists that any of the marriages to already married women were for time and eternity, but what about the statement made by Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lighnter? She said in one statement that it was for time and eternity, and in another that it was for eternity.

@saintsunscripted - I have a ton of questions about Polygamy. It seems very hard to believe that Brigham Young hated it so much - he had 56 wives! Also if Joseph was so against it why did he have over 30 wives? Just take one or two and stop there - that would fulfill the angels command. Also if polygamy was so important why wouldn't that angel appear to Emma? That seems very important if the church is so family oriented. Emma hated the practice. Very convenient that the angel didn't appear to any other women and that Joseph used the story that he would be destroyed by the angel if these women didn't marry him, and that their exaltation would be forfeited if they didn't enter into it. Seems like free agency is mostly taken away at that point. Also why did Joseph pray and ask about polygamy if he was so reluctant? Why even bring it up? In D&C 132 he inquires about it and the Lord then tells him to practice it. Dumb move if you are reluctant to practice it. Also the Bible never commanded Abraham or any others to practice it - Sarah has the idea of Abraham to take her servant as a wife to provide him seed - he was not commanded to do it by God. There are so many many other things that just don't fit. Polygamy is wrong in my opinion and I don't think God would command it. Even the BOM in Jacob 2 condemns it (and says only if it is to raise up seed). Joseph never had any kids with his plural wives that we know about so he obviously wasn't following the commandment in that respect if it was actually a commandment.

This would've been even more effective if you played the Law and Order sound effect every time you said the word polygamy!

This is WRONG through and through! The Lord never commanded this. Period.

Once you've been witnessed to of truth. All you hear is Isaiah 55:8-11 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. This used to bug me and I couldn't get a grip on it. It's funny how this doesn't bother me anymore. Once the Holy Ghost witnessed to me of the truth of The Book of Mormon, this doesn't even phase me anymore.

What you said around the last part of the video reminded me of murderers who said they heard God asking them to do it.