Plural Families
Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 4:40 am
Truman Madsen released a series of DVDs entitle "Sacred Ground". In them he travels to all of the various historical locations in the early days of the church and discusses what occured there. In the next to last one he discusses Plural marriage and its history and meaning. I thought what he was really insightful and wanted to share it, so I transcribed it from the film and I also want to add one other thing, so here you are:
(With the Nauvoo temple in the background)
The Prophets brother Hyrum had a wonderful wife named Jerushah who passed away. He later married Mary Fielding, and one day in close communion with the prophet he said "What will become of me in the life to come? Will I have Jerushah? Will I have Mary? Both?"
That was the beginning for him of understanding there could be a restoration of an ancient order of things, begining with Abraham, that yes, there could be a second or even third wife, and that they would be a blessing in extending ones posterity and fullfilling the role of Fatherhood.
At first Hyrum, and the Prophets wife Emma, and others, were struck with astonishment at this idea. Even though it was Biblical, even though there were precedent, and even though some of them knew that in the Jewish tradition, especially after wars, polygamy was introduced to make possible to single women the privilige of marriage and motherhood. Still the majority of them came from New England and had been taught strict rules of propriety in marriage. This was for them a bitter pill. But it began to unfold in their minds and in their hearts.
(On the banks of the Mississippi)
Lorenzo Snow comes home from a mission in England, and notices that his sister Eliza, who had taught some of the Prophets children, was now living under his roof. Eliza says to the Prophet "You need to talk to him and explain." So the Prophet takes Lorenzo for a walk, down by the Mississippi. They sit on a log, and the prophet explains:
"Lorenzo, we are beginning to introduce the principle of plural marriage or plural families. Your sister Eliza has been sealed to me, with the approval of my wife Emma." Lorenzo bursts out "Joseph, I don't think I could live this principle" This is a time when the idea of Eternal Marriage is as foreign to some of our converts as would be plural marriage. And the prophet replies "Lorenzo, the principles of integrity and honesty are established in your character, and in due time you will be able to live this principle in righteousness." And then Lorenzo says "Joseph, it seems to me you have received great additional divine power while I've been away on my mission." And the Prophet replies "It is true, I have been greatly blessed."
This is the seed of what was the beginning of an extensive effort to teach what the Prophet had literally postponed and agonized over. He said to many of those who were hesitant, that an angel had come to him, literally as it were with a drawn sword, and said you cannot move the Church forward one more inch until you begin to live this principle. And what he taught them, among other things, was that as it says in the Book of Jacob in the Book of Mormon "If I will, saith the Lord, raise up seed, I will command" and now the command had been given.
Eliza herself, when asked how could she do it, said she became convinced of the beauty of the principle and fell in love with the principle.
(Nauvoo Temple in the background)
There is a story that Brigham, walking with the Prophet one night to his home here in Nauvoo, was in discussion about this and Brigham kept saying to the Prophet "Are you sure Joseph, is this of God? Are you sure?" And the Prophet said "Yes Brigham, I am."
They reach the gate, and Brigham is still shaking his head. "I don't know Joseph." The gate opens, and Brighams wife who is upstairs in the bedroom with the window open, hears Brigham walk toward the house and up onto the porch. And she hears his hand as it were on the doorknob. Then she hears "Joseph" who is now walking away
"Yes?"
"It is of God, goodnight"
"goodnight"
Well everyone knows that Brigham Young lived the principle.
The question that is rarely asked about the whole process is what did the women think they were really doing when they entered into this practice? One by one their journals tell the story. They come to the conviction of this in tension with their earlier training only through a spiritual experience. They had to get a testimony, just as they had of the gospel of Jesus Christ, that Christ himself had advocated and required this, and that the result would be a posterity that would be righteous as well as numerous. They really believed that this process would enable them to apply the spirit of the law of concecration to their marriage, and that the Lord would send into their families choice spirits that they could then nurture in the admonition of the Lord Jesus Christ. And they would become a veritable core of honest, faithful discipleship, and they would go throughout the world, and continue to build the kingdom.
that's what they thought they were doing. The world at large wondered. If the issue is "but was it not intended by men who were seeking their own gratification", the answer has to be obvious to anyone who thinks for 30 seconds, if that is the issue, if it is libertineism, if it is indulgence, there are other, and easier, and less costly ways to achieve it.
If you settle down and build a second home, and have a wife and family and have to provide for them and love them and support them, that's hard. The other way is easy. Polygamy was not intended to be easy. And those who entered it did so aware of the personal sacrifice and the conquering od selfishness that it would require. The history shows us that there were tragedies and there were setbacks and there were just as many problems with it as with monogamy, but the outcome overall was that in fact a faithfull number of faithfull children came into these families and they remained the anchor families in the kingdom.
More to come.... its late
Gaz
(With the Nauvoo temple in the background)
The Prophets brother Hyrum had a wonderful wife named Jerushah who passed away. He later married Mary Fielding, and one day in close communion with the prophet he said "What will become of me in the life to come? Will I have Jerushah? Will I have Mary? Both?"
That was the beginning for him of understanding there could be a restoration of an ancient order of things, begining with Abraham, that yes, there could be a second or even third wife, and that they would be a blessing in extending ones posterity and fullfilling the role of Fatherhood.
At first Hyrum, and the Prophets wife Emma, and others, were struck with astonishment at this idea. Even though it was Biblical, even though there were precedent, and even though some of them knew that in the Jewish tradition, especially after wars, polygamy was introduced to make possible to single women the privilige of marriage and motherhood. Still the majority of them came from New England and had been taught strict rules of propriety in marriage. This was for them a bitter pill. But it began to unfold in their minds and in their hearts.
(On the banks of the Mississippi)
Lorenzo Snow comes home from a mission in England, and notices that his sister Eliza, who had taught some of the Prophets children, was now living under his roof. Eliza says to the Prophet "You need to talk to him and explain." So the Prophet takes Lorenzo for a walk, down by the Mississippi. They sit on a log, and the prophet explains:
"Lorenzo, we are beginning to introduce the principle of plural marriage or plural families. Your sister Eliza has been sealed to me, with the approval of my wife Emma." Lorenzo bursts out "Joseph, I don't think I could live this principle" This is a time when the idea of Eternal Marriage is as foreign to some of our converts as would be plural marriage. And the prophet replies "Lorenzo, the principles of integrity and honesty are established in your character, and in due time you will be able to live this principle in righteousness." And then Lorenzo says "Joseph, it seems to me you have received great additional divine power while I've been away on my mission." And the Prophet replies "It is true, I have been greatly blessed."
This is the seed of what was the beginning of an extensive effort to teach what the Prophet had literally postponed and agonized over. He said to many of those who were hesitant, that an angel had come to him, literally as it were with a drawn sword, and said you cannot move the Church forward one more inch until you begin to live this principle. And what he taught them, among other things, was that as it says in the Book of Jacob in the Book of Mormon "If I will, saith the Lord, raise up seed, I will command" and now the command had been given.
Eliza herself, when asked how could she do it, said she became convinced of the beauty of the principle and fell in love with the principle.
(Nauvoo Temple in the background)
There is a story that Brigham, walking with the Prophet one night to his home here in Nauvoo, was in discussion about this and Brigham kept saying to the Prophet "Are you sure Joseph, is this of God? Are you sure?" And the Prophet said "Yes Brigham, I am."
They reach the gate, and Brigham is still shaking his head. "I don't know Joseph." The gate opens, and Brighams wife who is upstairs in the bedroom with the window open, hears Brigham walk toward the house and up onto the porch. And she hears his hand as it were on the doorknob. Then she hears "Joseph" who is now walking away
"Yes?"
"It is of God, goodnight"
"goodnight"
Well everyone knows that Brigham Young lived the principle.
The question that is rarely asked about the whole process is what did the women think they were really doing when they entered into this practice? One by one their journals tell the story. They come to the conviction of this in tension with their earlier training only through a spiritual experience. They had to get a testimony, just as they had of the gospel of Jesus Christ, that Christ himself had advocated and required this, and that the result would be a posterity that would be righteous as well as numerous. They really believed that this process would enable them to apply the spirit of the law of concecration to their marriage, and that the Lord would send into their families choice spirits that they could then nurture in the admonition of the Lord Jesus Christ. And they would become a veritable core of honest, faithful discipleship, and they would go throughout the world, and continue to build the kingdom.
that's what they thought they were doing. The world at large wondered. If the issue is "but was it not intended by men who were seeking their own gratification", the answer has to be obvious to anyone who thinks for 30 seconds, if that is the issue, if it is libertineism, if it is indulgence, there are other, and easier, and less costly ways to achieve it.
If you settle down and build a second home, and have a wife and family and have to provide for them and love them and support them, that's hard. The other way is easy. Polygamy was not intended to be easy. And those who entered it did so aware of the personal sacrifice and the conquering od selfishness that it would require. The history shows us that there were tragedies and there were setbacks and there were just as many problems with it as with monogamy, but the outcome overall was that in fact a faithfull number of faithfull children came into these families and they remained the anchor families in the kingdom.
More to come.... its late
Gaz