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This was a topic that BC and I started discussing on another thread. Rather than derail it, I thought I would start a new topic.

I'm 42 years old.....graduated from BYU...went to seminary, etc.

Yes, I knew about Joseph Smith's polygamy. However, I did NOT know about his being married to other men's wives until looking up some information, and coming across it on the Internet a couple of years ago.

This question is for BC and other TBM's----When did you learn about Joseph's polyandry? How did it affect your testimony, if it did?

Was his purpose to be in a co-joint marriage relationship with the other husbands, or was he just wanting to take their wives? This seems to be a crucial distinction in saying someone practiced polyandry, does it not? Perhaps in desiring other men's wives, he merely found himself engaged in a polyandrous entanglement. Such an entanglement would be much more dangerous for one's long term safety than a mutually agreed up practice of polyandry.

To the other part of the question, I have no testimony of polygamy or polyandry. I think they were both harmful to the Church.

liz3564 wrote:I'm 42 years old.....graduated from BYU...went to seminary, etc.

Yes, I knew about Joseph Smith's polygamy. However, I did NOT know about his being married to other men's wives until looking up some information, and coming across it on the Internet a couple of years ago.

This question is for BC and other TBM's----When did you learn about Joseph's polyandry? How did it affect your testimony, if it did?

I was not aware of polyandry till I was perhaps 40 or so and I denied at first. I had read anti LDS literature since I was a missionary, fancied myself as a bit of a gospel scholar and was a hobby apologist. When I finally explored polyandry more the whole of the shenanigans that came along with polygamy, from its secrecy, to what I believe to be manipulative behavior by Joseph to get some to marry him, to the introduction of the temple ceremony and the Quorum of the Anointed being primarily for those in on the plural marriage secret came to view. These details I did not know.

For me this was the last issue that I tried to just put on the shelf and the shelf broke. All the other things from Adam God, blood atonement, editing history, the power struggle for successions and the apparent politicking and posturing by BY and the 12, the changes to the D&C, the changing view of the Godhead from more traditional to more radical, well all these were not so easy to reconcile any more.

How did this effect my testimony? Well I DO NOT KNOW that Joseph Smith was a prophet anymore. I think God led him to do a great work that can and does benefit many millions and adds to the varying worship of God on the earth. I think he was as much of a prophet as ever any was. But I know there is no such thing as a ONE and ONLY True and living Church anymore. I think Joseph Smith started out well and got carried away due to the power that came with the calling.

Now I may be totally wrong on all of this. He may be the greatest prophet ever save Jesus or the one of the biggest frauds.

But this is what works for me right now.

Why is it that some people only have an issue with Joseph Smith marrying lots of girls and women if the girls and women were already married?

As long as women are are the only ones who have to share a spouse there isn't a problem? It is only a problem is guys have to share? :-(

Don't get it.

But to the question... :-)

I heard that many women "sealed" themselves to Joseph Smith after he died and the anti Mormon folks tried to make it out like Joseph Smith was a polygamous. LOL!

~dancer~

liz3564 wrote:This question is for BC and other TBM's----When did you learn about Joseph's polyandry? How did it affect your testimony, if it did?

I'm BC, but not TBM, but I'll answer anyways.

I learned about it almost 2 years ago. It played a small role in the 'loss of my testimony', along with numerous other items.

Who Knows wrote:

liz3564 wrote:This question is for BC and other TBM's----When did you learn about Joseph's polyandry? How did it affect your testimony, if it did?

I'm BC, but not TBM, but I'll answer anyways.

I learned about it almost 2 years ago. It played a small role in the 'loss of my testimony', along with numerous other items.

I learned about polygamy and polyandry when I read Fawn Brodie's book way back when I was at BYU in about 1986. It didn't affect my testimony until years later when it suddenly occurred to me that I was giving Joseph Smith a pass for things I wouldn't accept from anyone else.

This question is for BC and other TBM's----When did you learn about Joseph's polyandry?

I have yet to learn of it to this day (see below).....However, the claim is fairly old (since at least 1853 I believe).

How did it affect your testimony, if it did?

I understood the difference between worldly marriages and celestial marriages or sealings at that time and that is how I withstood the erroneous claim that such arrangements are polyandry in any worldly sense. In fact, I was pleasantly suprised to see the historian Kathryn M. Daynes in her work More Wives than One: Transformation of the Mormon Marriage System use a similar argument.

So, BCSpace, was the "difference" between Celestial sealings and marriage applicable in the case of Fanny Alger, too? I'm curious on our theory behind how Fanny was "sealed" to Joseph Smith at least a year before the sealing power was conferred upon Joseph Smith in Kirtland in 1836. I'm also curious what this "difference" really means practically, seeing as how Emma caught Joseph Smith and Fanny in a compromising position. Apparent Joseph Smith wasn't as up on the "difference" as you are.

Or were you only talking about the polyandrous marriages?

Or were you only talking about the polyandrous marriages?

The claim of polyandry is the subject is it not?

It is in line with the main topic at hand. Its not like a thread on muffins was started only to talk of pizza. Another flavor of muffin is cool.