truth dancer wrote:Hey Nevo... :-) Nice to "see" you!
Thanks for your insights on this.In any case, I don't think Bushman just made this up.
I do not think Bushman made it up nor I do not think he is lying... not at all.
I think he knows that Joseph Smith did not start polygamy to take care of the poor single girls and women.
I think Bushman cleverly "floated" a theory that was incorrect.
I'm open to learning here... did Joseph Smith mention anything about starting polygamy to help the poor girls and young women and single women?? Did Joseph Smith marry other men's wives to protect them? Did the girls he married need protection and help because they did not have any male family members?
Hi truth dancer, nice to see you too! Just to clarify, the excerpt I quoted from Bushman wasn't referring to Joseph Smith's practice of polygamy.
Bushman notes that Joseph gave "few rationales for it" and that D&C 132--where polygamy is depicted as part of the restoration of the ancient order of things--"is virtually all he said on the subject." "The injunction for polygamy is to go and do the works of Abraham. Beyond that, it's hard to understand."