God asks you to practice polygamy ????? what would you do?

[_subgenius]

it seems that since "morality" comes from God, it would be an error to claim that His commands are criminal. To claim that He would have you commit a despicable crime would be putting your self, or rather natural man's law, before God's Law. If this were the case, then surely you would be hardly convinced that you were visited by an angel at all.
Surely Abraham and Isaac provide the simple answer to this simple question. If you "know" it is a commandment from God, you would be compelled to obey that command, especially in the light of the "struggle" it would present to your well-established habit of monogamy.

I am curious as to why one would "hope for the courage" to contradict God, seems like an altogether selfish and hopeless position to desire.

There was a story reported in the news some years back about a man in Utah that said God told him to kill his son. He thought that God was testing him and at the last minute, he would stop him from killing his son like God did with Abraham. Needless to say, the story ended with a dead child and a man in prison for life.

What's the difference? Well, you might be tempted to say that one man really received orders from God and the other one just thought he did.

But how would you ever, really, I mean REALLY know if something came from God or you just weren't delusional or side effect from medication, dreaming, whatever? And what about the many others that have claimed and will claim to be speaking with God. Ohh, they are all wrong of course but our prophet isn't.

The real danger of this is following a prophet who claims to be getting revelation from God. If you believe he's a prophet, you follow him. If Joseph was wrong then every person that followed him and practiced polygamy was wrong.

Moroni Chapter 7
http://LDS.org/scriptures/Book of Mormon/moro/7?lang=eng

[_Buffalo]

QFT

I am not sure I know what QFT is.

Oh and Just me, thanks! Feelings mutual! :-)

Quoted For Truth

[_just me]

QFT

I am not sure I know what QFT is.

Oh and Just me, thanks! Feelings mutual! :-)

It means Quoted For Truth.

:D

Dang it! Beaten by Buff.

[_Jason Bourne]

it seems that since "morality" comes from God, it would be an error to claim that His commands are criminal. To claim that He would have you commit a despicable crime would be putting your self, or rather natural man's law, before God's Law. If this were the case, then surely you would be hardly convinced that you were visited by an angel at all.
Surely Abraham and Isaac provide the simple answer to this simple question. If you "know" it is a commandment from God, you would be compelled to obey that command, especially in the light of the "struggle" it would present to your well-established habit of monogamy.

I am curious as to why one would "hope for the courage" to contradict God, seems like an altogether selfish and hopeless position to desire.

If there is a God that commands and revokes in a seemingly caprcious way, and if it really is if God says one day thou shalt not kill and on another kill, or as Joseph Smith said, whatever God commands it right then perhaps you are correct. However, I personally need to be absolutly certain that I can trust that the person saying God is revoking this former command really is speaking for God. In most if not all cases I do not see a reason to give such ultimate trust to a man or woman. Historically it seems disaster often results in such cases.

So on such major morality changing commands, commands that go against all that his been what is seems God stood for in the past, then God can come tell me himself. Then I am a ok with it. But don't do it through untrustworthy humans.

[_Buffalo]

Moroni Chapter 7
http://LDS.org/scriptures/Book of Mormon/moro/7?lang=eng

Then we may know with a perfect surety that Joseph's revelations were of the Devil. :)

[_Yoda]

QFT=Quote For Truth

In other words, it's a good thing, Jason.

by the way, Jason, I'm a big fan of yours as well. :-)

[_Themis]

i believe the question was what "you" would do, not others.

I am aware of the question. I just noted none of us have or will ever have to deal with this, so the realissue is looking at all those who claim to be.

Many people may claim that "God said so", but that does not mean it is true, correct?

but do they believe it.

For that truth one must distract the discussion to one about Moroni 7.

That does not do well for Joseph's claims then.



That the main point of the story is obedience above all else. This also serves people like Joseph who want to get followers to obey regardless of what they think is right or wrong.

i must have mis-read the OP, because it seems to have asked a question quite specifically.

Again I am aware of the question in the OP. I am also aware it is something none of us will ever experience.

And besides, has the issue of polygamy in the LDS church not long been settled? Is there some revealing point or conclusion you would propose from this episode?

What do think has been settled? Again I think the issue is whether Joseph really was commanded to practice polygamy. I think the evidence does not support this, and is obvious to everyone who looks at it who doesn't already believe, and many who do.

[_subgenius]

it seems that since "morality" comes from God, it would be an error to claim that His commands are criminal.

They were criminal by the definition. Polygamy was against the law....making it a CRIME.

God said in the D&C that follwing him would never require the breaking of the law of the land. Hmmmm.

Pretty fishy.

arguably Joseph had the revelation in 1843, maybe 1831...lets stick with 1843.....
Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act - 1862
Poland Act - 1874
Reynolds v. United States 1878
Edmunds Act - 1882

me thinks the timeline is not so fishy. The "law of the land" was post-revelation.

To claim that He would have you commit a despicable crime would be putting your self, or rather natural man's law, before God's Law. If this were the case, then surely you would be hardly convinced that you were visited by an angel at all.
Surely Abraham and Isaac provide the simple answer to this simple question. If you "know" it is a commandment from God, you would be compelled to obey that command, especially in the light of the "struggle" it would present to your well-established habit of monogamy.

I am curious as to why one would "hope for the courage" to contradict God, seems like an altogether selfish and hopeless position to desire.

So, you're saying that if a voice in your head said to kill your child that you would do it? If the Abraham story is true than god is a jerk and a bit unhinged.

No, if it was voice in my head, then likely i would not have another voice which could override such a command. However, if God commanded it, then the voice in my head would have decide the course of action......and if it was in accordance with Moroni 7, then likely the child would die. Are you proposing that the supreme law is bio-genetically based? Are you proposing that no action can supersede biological impulses?

If God asks criminal things of people, or things that go against the light of Christ, than God is a jackass that deserves to be contradicted. The god described in D&C 132 is an abuser. D&C 132 is spiritually and emotionally abusive.

Welcome to the board, subgenius!

If it is truly criminal and truly against the light of Christ, then it is not coming from God....just as it is impossible for God to lie.
With regards to polygamy, neither of these have been proven to have occurred at the time of revelation.

and thank you for the welcome....nice to be here.

[_Themis]

No, if it was voice in my head, then likely i would not have another voice which could override such a command. However, if God commanded it, then the voice in my head would have decide the course of action......and if it was in accordance with Moroni 7, then likely the child would die.

And how is killing a child in accordance with Moroni 7?

If it is truly criminal and truly against the light of Christ, then it is not coming from God....just as it is impossible for God to lie.
With regards to polygamy, neither of these have been proven to have occurred at the time of revelation.

Then polygamy is not from God, since it was criminal, and for Joseph involved lying and manipulation.

[_just me]

arguably Joseph had the revelation in 1843, maybe 1831...lets stick with 1843.....
Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act - 1862
Poland Act - 1874
Reynolds v. United States 1878
Edmunds Act - 1882

me thinks the timeline is not so fishy. The "law of the land" was post-revelation.

Sorry, you are wrong. Their was an anti-bigamy law in Illinois the entire time the saints lived there. There was also a law against "unlawful cohabitation."

Beyond the law of the land, which god said the saints would not need to break to follow him, there was a law of the church against polygamy and adultery. The Article on Marriage was passed by the body of the church by common consent. That made it BINDING on the church membership.

It was also repeatedly said in the schriptures not to covet your neighbors wife....Joseph Smith did exactly that.