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What is your best evidence for Joseph Smith sleeping with his wives?
Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 4:38 am
by _Scottie
Well, since Book of Mormon has commanded that we post some new stuff, I'll throw this out there.
Although there is no smoking gun that Joseph Smith ever slept with any of his wives, what is your best evidence that he did?
Mine: Where, exactly, did the doctrine change from the way BY practiced it and how Joseph Smith practiced it? If there was no doctrinal changes, then aren't we forced to assume it was practiced in the same way?
Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 4:40 am
by _barrelomonkeys
I think the most compelling argument that he slept with his other wives is;
What in the world is the point of marrying anyone if you don't have sex with them?
Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 4:43 am
by _Scottie
barrelomonkeys wrote:I think the most compelling argument that he slept with his other wives is;
What in the world is the point of marrying anyone if you don't have sex with them?
Of course the apologist answer to that is that God told Joseph Smith to seal them to himself, but not have sex. Even though the D&C quite plainly says the purpose is to raise a righteous generation. But, hey, semantics, right?
Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 4:44 am
by _Nephi
barrelomonkeys wrote:I think the most compelling argument that he slept with his other wives is;
What in the world is the point of marrying anyone if you don't have sex with them?
Sex is nice and all, but a family friend just got married and he is a survivor of prostate cancer. He physically cannot have sex. So, I do believe its possible for people to get married and sex not be part of the equation. Furthermore, many relationships continue well past its ability to have sex (due to many different medical problems).
Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 4:49 am
by _SatanWasSetUp
I agree with you, Scottie. The guys in Utah had sex with their plural wives, so why didn't Joseph? And if it is such a scandal to suggest Joseph did, why isn't it scandalous for Brigham Young to do it?
Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 8:22 am
by _The Nehor
SatanWasSetUp wrote:I agree with you, Scottie. The guys in Utah had sex with their plural wives, so why didn't Joseph? And if it is such a scandal to suggest Joseph did, why isn't it scandalous for Brigham Young to do it?
I don't know why it's scandalous for Joseph to have sex. If I were him I'd be a little annoyed at how many people debate it and how often.
Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 11:57 am
by _truth dancer
Hi Nehor...
I don't know why it's scandalous for Joseph to have sex. If I were him I'd be a little annoyed at how many people debate it and how often.
Well, I suppose Clinton may be annoyed at how many folks discussed his extramarital affairs too.
If Joseph Smith didn't want people to discover his sexual dalliances, maybe he should have not had any?
The lying didn't seem to work... sort of like Clinton huh?
;-)
~dancer~
Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 1:27 pm
by _Always Thinking
This is what I hear from the apologists:
No, Joseph Smith didn't have sex with his wives. But if he did, it would have been ok. But we don't think he did.
So why argue that he didn't if it would be ok if he did?
Re: What is your best evidence for Joseph Smith sleeping with his wive
Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 1:49 pm
by _Rollo Tomasi
Scottie wrote:Although there is no smoking gun that Joseph Smith ever slept with any of his wives, what is your best evidence that he did?
We have the words under oath of some of Joseph's plural wives (in affidavits collected by the LDS Church in the late 1800's) attesting to carnal relations with Joseph. Todd Compton's
In Sacred Loneliness is a good place to read these and the wives' stories.
Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 2:05 pm
by _Trinity
Meanwhile, the Prophet, with Louisa Beeman and my sister Delcena, had it agreeable arranged with Sister Almera, and after a little instruction she stood by the Prophet's side and was sealed to him as a wife, by Brother Clayton; after which the Prophet asked me to take my sister to occupy number "10" in his Mansion home during her stay in the city. But as I could not long be absent from my home and business, we soon returned to Ramus, where on the 15th of May, some three weeks later, the Prophet again came and at my house occupied the same room and bed with my sister, that the month previous he had occupied with the daughter of the late Bishop Partridge, as his wife. (Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Johnson, brother of Almera and Delcina Johnson who were both married to Joseph Smith, Jr.)