Mormons, do you know that Joseph Smiths’ and his many wives practiced Polyandry?

1. Polyandry: polygamy in which a woman has more than one husband.

LDS apologist Brain Hales wrote an article recently addressing the truth about Jsmith practice of polyandry. Fourteen of Joseph Smith’s plural wives had legal husbands already before being married to JS in the LDS temple. Note the women’s other husbands were alive.

Why do you think the women participated in this practice?

What Bible verses backs up the practice of polyandry?

10th LDS President Joseph Fielding Smith said, "Any young man who carelessly neglects this great commandment to marry, or who does not marry because of a selfish desire to avoid the responsibilities which married life will bring, is taking a course which is displeasing in the sight of God…There can be no exaltation without it. If a man refuses…he is taking a course which may bar him forever from (exaltation)." (Doctrines of Salvation 2:74).

Do you think it contradicts what Jesus teaches us in the Bible: It is ok NOT to marry and will not effect your salvation or rewards?

Matthew 19:9. "And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery."
10 The disciples said to Him, "If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry."
11 But He said to them, "Not all men can accept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given.
12 "For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother's womb; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men; and there are also eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to accept this, let him accept it."


http://www.fairlds.org/fair-conferences/2012-fair-conference/2012-joseph-smiths-sexual-polyandry-and-the-emperors-new-clothes-on-closer-inspection-what-do-we-find

2013-09-30T10:47:59Z

@whew6- what you said is NOT true please read the article at the link I provided.

2013-09-30T11:22:55Z

@neerp

2013-09-30T11:43:35Z

"Just prior to my mothers death in 1882 she called me to her bedside … to tell me something which she had kept as an entire secret from me and from all others but which she now desired to communicate to me. She then told me that I was the daughter of the Prophet Joseph Smith." (Newell

2013-09-30T11:44:47Z

one of Jsmith polyandry wives....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patty_Bartlett_Sessions

2013-09-30T12:55:41Z

@rrosskopf -Jesus said, it is NOT necessary to be married, that is the point, where as Jsmith made Marriage an essential doctrine. Do you see the CONTRADICTION? Marriage is the most important THING in the LDS church, Jesus did NOT teach that. Paul backs up Jesus teaching in his writings.

2013-09-30T13:03:58Z

Eunuch can also mean celibate.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eunuch

2013-09-30T16:57:22Z

@joshy – the question was about POLYANDRY not polygamy, where in the bible does it tell of a women commanded to marry 2 husbands? Why did these women want to be sealed to Jsmith for ever and not their own husbands, and that takes away the other husbands eligibility to be a god, they would end up being servant angels to the more worthy LDS?? Also JESUS taught you didn’t have to be married!!!!

2013-10-01T09:47:38Z

@rrosskopf - The teaching of Jesus and Paul does make sense. We were created for man to desire women vice versa. Gods law requires that we are married to have physical relationship. Jesus is saying some people will be ok with being celibate. If you can handle it then that is fine and you are probably better off by not getting married.

Look at the verses you quoted, if you read them in full context what they are saying is ONE man to ONE wife, that is how it was from the very beginning. Marriage is to be honored and adultery to be punished. God never once commanded polygamy in the OT, and all those men who practiced suffered great hardship from it. Both David and Solomon when turning back to the lord gave up all their many wives/concubines. God allowed polygamy to happen and it proves a great lesson to us. HE NEVER COMMANDED IT.

Open Heart Searchery2013-10-01T09:35:45Z

Favorite Answer

Why did the women go along with it? Pretty simple really. Women are attracted to power. In the Mormon community of Nauvoo, Brother Joseph held absolute power. Joseph used his authority as the prophet to persuade many women and girls to "marry" him.

There is no Biblical support for the practice, and you won't gain much traction with Mormons by making an appeal to the Bible. As you know, Mormons believe that whatever their living prophet says trumps the Bible. That in itself should be a warning flag to Mormons who are honest.

The Bible makes it pretty clear that marriage is ordained of God, but also makes it clear that marriage is not required to get into heaven. The Bible also makes it clear that marriage won't exist in heaven. But Mormons will twist these verses to interpret them in a way that agrees with Brother Joseph's teachings. So really...what's the point?

The fact is that most Mormons have no idea about the polyandry. They have no idea that Joseph was married to women who already had faithful Mormon husbands. They have no idea that he "married" girls as young as 14, including his maid, many of them behind Emma's back. If they did have an idea, they would become ex-Mormons pretty quickly. And that's why their leaders tell them to avoid any information that is not "faith promoting". It's a vicious circle.

Kerry2013-10-01T12:17:09Z

You either do not understand the definition of polyandry, do not understand the concept of temple "sealings," or are being deliberately dishonest.

Polandy means to have sexual relations with multiple partners of either sex. Joseph Smith never did this. Nor did the plural wives he was sealed to.

A temple sealing is a binding of a couple to each other for the eternities. Joseph Smith was sealed to several women in name only, in ordinance only, in sacred temple rite only. Words where spoken, sealing completed. The woman remained married to their previous husbands.

The sealing took place because Mormons believe that one of many requirements to enter the highest degree of heaven, one must have a temple sealing. These women to whom Joseph was sealed to did not have that prospect of a temple sealing. Their husbands were unrighteous men. They also were aware of the temple ordinance taking place. Again, this kind of a binding together does not involve any intimate sexual relations.

But of course, if that is where your mind goes, it says more about you than it does the temple sealing practice. Just sayin'

Jenster2013-10-01T13:00:49Z

Did YOU read the fairlds link you give? Maybe you failed to understand what it is saying, or just chose to pick out pieces. What it is saying is that there were different kinds of marriages, some only kick in after this life, some are this life only, and some are both. And what the apologist is saying is that, with what little evidence we have, we can make the case that the women were monogamous. That the sealing to Joseph replaced the civil marriage not added to it.

cursed lamanite2013-09-30T20:22:42Z

Well when I was a mormon it was preached that marriage is a commandment.

But look at the responds from the mormons. "sealed" not married. Therefore a mormon marriage is not valid? maybe that's why they must be married at there ward then "sealed" at the temple?

What a joke. The women's husband gave permission to have their wives, "sealed" to Joe so that they could spend all eternity with joe in #1 heaven?

Well I guest those couples had a bad relationship and figured they would get at each other in the afterlife. I guest those guys said, Honey, I am going to put up with you for this life, under the next life, joe will have to deal with you. Wife said, yeah and you will be our slave, doing the laundry for me and Joe.


Well Judy, your ticket to #1 mormon heaven without being married has just been found. Tell your friend about it. Just get "sealed" with any mormon boy but don't even date him, and never even live with the guy. Hey y'all don't even have to know each other. Both of you can go your own way. Oh wait a minute, you will then have to be with him for all eternity in mormon heaven. Don't worry. One of these mormons here at YA is a lawyer. I am sure he can arrange a divorce in mormon heaven.

Hope this does not offend you, because it is just too funny not to say.

Mormonism is so ridiculous. They really need to come to Jesus.

God Bless.

Peace.

rrosskopf2013-09-30T11:50:10Z

A common misconception. Sealing isn't the same as marriage. Joseph wasn't married to anyone else's wife; he was only sealed to them. He probably was both married and sealed to some unattached single sisters. I'm afraid the records aren't very good. So no, he didn't practice polyandry. Today, couples get married and sealed at the same time, which leads to the confusion.

I've always wondered about the whole "eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven" thing. No where else is self mutilation apparently sanctioned. The Jews believed marriage to be a commandment, and raising up children was a sacred duty. So something is terribly amiss here.

[Edit]

I disagree. Why would Jesus command men and women to be married, if it wasn't important?

"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh."
- Genesis 2:24

"4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder."
- Matthew 19

"I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully."
1 Timothy 5:14

"Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge."
Hebrews 13:4

"...neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord."
1st Corinthians 11:11

The evidence is overwhelming that God commands us to marry. Paul had to be married. He was a Pharisee. He was on the council. Such were the rules. 1st Corinthians 7:7 is missing some key to understanding the content. Perhaps if we had read the letter he was responding to.

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