What REALLY scares the Brethren...

[_Mahonri]

is that the FLDS or another polygamous group will take the question of Plural Marriage as a religious freedom to the Supreme Court and have it found to be legal.

If this happens the LDS Church will be in big trouble.

First, they can reinstate the practice. This will cost the loss of money and many, many members.

Second, they can say it is legal but we won't practice it and ignore the teachings of former LDS 'prophets' that is it absolutely required as a commandment to the faithful and those who do not practice it do not go to positions of power in the Celestial Kingdom. Doing this will lose them members and money but probably less than the full reinstatement will.

Third, they can do nothing publicly but start practicing it in secret as Joseph Smith did. This will result in disaster as they will be outed, with the attendant disgrace and loss of members and revenue.

[_bcspace]

First, they can reinstate the practice. This will cost the loss of money and many, many members.

In such a case they certainly could reinstate, but your claim about the bretheren being scared assumes that they actually have to or will. The governing verse is Jacob 2:30 which shows your opinion here to be nothing more than wistful speculation.

[_Gadianton]

Mahonri,

I don't think the brethren are concerned about "true doctrine" in the least. I think they point to Joseph as a figurehead for the monster they rule, much like Stalin pointed to Lennin while holding him in contempt. The church is a corporate entity, they care about the survival and expansion of the corporation. And that's all.

[_Yoda]

BC, do you think that the LDS Church would still be practicing polygamy if they had been left alone by the government and allowed to practice it in peace? Do you think that God would have still removed polygamy from the earth to serve His own purposes, or do you think those purposes would have changed?

[_Jason Bourne]

Fourth they will say that polygamy is only allowed when the Lord commands it through his LIVING PROPHET. Whoever is the living prophet will receive no revelation to practice it again and monogamy will continue as the norm for LDS marriages at least for the living.

[_Yong Xi]

Fourth they will say that polygamy is only allowed when the Lord commands it through his LIVING PROPHET. Whoever is the living prophet will receive no revelation to practice it again and monogamy will continue as the norm for LDS marriages at least for the living.

I think this is right. Maybe, legalizing polygamy would be a big plus for the church. They would be validated. A few church members would practice it on their own and be excommunicated. The church could claim they were ahead of their time, progressive.

This would be the best thing that could happen to the church.

[_bcspace]

BC, do you think that the LDS Church would still be practicing polygamy if they had been left alone by the government and allowed to practice it in peace?

Possibly.

Do you think that God would have still removed polygamy from the earth to serve His own purposes,

Possibly.

or do you think those purposes would have changed?

I don't think God's purposes change. I think God reacts to conditions being met or unmet. Jeremiah 18:1-10 for example.

[_Alter Idem]

is that the FLDS or another polygamous group will take the question of Plural Marriage as a religious freedom to the Supreme Court and have it found to be legal.

If this happens the LDS Church will be in big trouble.

First, they can reinstate the practice. This will cost the loss of money and many, many members.

Second, they can say it is legal but we won't practice it and ignore the teachings of former LDS 'prophets' that is it absolutely required as a commandment to the faithful and those who do not practice it do not go to positions of power in the Celestial Kingdom. Doing this will lose them members and money but probably less than the full reinstatement will.

Third, they can do nothing publicly but start practicing it in secret as Joseph Smith did. This will result in disaster as they will be outed, with the attendant disgrace and loss of members and revenue.

The govt. may very well legalize polygamy. But if they do, it won't affect the church because to practice polygamy the current Prophet would have to receive a revelation commanding it--and I'm 100% positive, this will never happen. If the LDS church ever practices polygamy again, it will only be in the millenium and in the next life.

[_haleray]

Mahonri said “they can say it is legal but we won't practice it and ignore the teachings of former LDS 'prophets' that is it absolutely required as a commandment to the faithful and those who do not practice it do not go to positions of power in the Celestial Kingdom.”
When people say things like this, it just makes me want to pull my hair out in frustration. I don’t want to be rude, but saying things like ‘polygamy was/is an absolute commandment to get into heaven’ doesn’t know history. Not all the Apostles were polygamists, not all the members had polygamist marriages. That being said how is polygamy an absolute commandment that everyone needs to keep, when not even all the Apostles participated?

[_Trevor]

What really scares the Brethren?

A dip in tithing revenues.

I kid! I kid!