Where is the essay on Joseph Smith's polygamy?

[_Sammy Jankins]

It has been a year and a half since MormonThink leaked that the church was putting together essays addressing the difficult issues.

Link

So where is the essay regarding Joseph Smith's practice of polygamy? How long does it really take to retype FAIR Apologetics in your own words?

[_Bazooka]

Ain't gonna happen because there's no way to spin it in a faith promoting way.

[_malkie]

Ain't gonna happen because there's no way to spin it in a faith promoting way.

I'm waiting for an essay that covers polyandry, and the law of adoption.

Do you think I will have to wait long, or should I resume breathing?

[_Bazooka]

I'm waiting for an essay that covers polyandry, and the law of adoption.

Do you think I will have to wait long, or should I resume breathing?

Add to the list that includes pigs flying and hell freezing over.....should all happen around the same time.

[_Sammy Jankins]

One thing that is almost always interesting to ask individuals is what issue really made you doubt. I think we can safely guess which issue bothers the brethren the most. Joseph Smith's practice of plural marriage. Which isn't surprising, it is one of the most frequently discussed and referenced issues people have.
The problem I am assuming is because to even make a baseline factual argument, certain concessions are needed, certain confessions have to be made. I don't think they are comfortable openly discussing those facts, and they shouldn't be comfortable.

[_Bazooka]

One thing that is almost always interesting to ask individuals is what issue really made you doubt. I think we can safely guess which issue bothers the brethren the most. Joseph Smith's practice of plural marriage. Which isn't surprising, it is one of the most frequently discussed and referenced issues people have.
The problem I am assuming is because to even make a baseline factual argument, certain concessions are needed, certain confessions have to be made. I don't think they are comfortable openly discussing those facts, and they shouldn't be comfortable.

The lack of an essay on this subject, the silence, tells us quite a lot about how the Brethren view the polygamy of Joseph Smith.

[Guest]

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[_SteelHead]

How to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear a.k.a. the polygamy essay.

[_Nevo]

So where is the essay regarding Joseph Smith's practice of polygamy?

It's still sitting in L. Tom Perry's briefcase.

[_fetchface]

I sent a letter in April 2013 to everybody in the Q15 outlining my disaffection. I didn't really expect a response, I just thought it would be therapeutic to send it.

I received a response in June 2013 from Steven Snow stating that essays would come out "soon" to deal with my issues. Obviously, "soon" doesn't mean the same thing for everybody.

I blogged all of my issues with Joseph Smith's polygamy recently and it really only took a few weeks to lay it out so it is hard to imagine why this is so difficult for them to write this. I don't think the writing of the essay is really the issue.

I think that it is likely that there is a lot of disagreement in the Q15 as to how to deal with polyandry and a lot of other aspects of Nauvoo polygamy. I'm sure it isn't easy to write an essay that pleases all 15 of them at the same time. In my mind this is the last big historical thing they haven't yet attempted to deal with and I think there is a reason that it is taking so long.