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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMormon Church Admits Founder Joseph Smith Had 40 Wives
Mormon Church Admits Founder Joseph Smith Had 40 Wives
Reuters | By Eric M. Johnson
Posted: 11/11/2014 7:30 am EST
Nov 11 (Reuters) - The Mormon church has admitted that founder Joseph Smith married about 40 women including a 14-year-old and others who were already the wives of his followers, having maintained for nearly 200 years that he was monogamous.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has tried to gloss over aspects of its history, including the polygamy practiced by Smith and Brigham Young, who helped found Salt Lake City, Utah, the headquarters of the Mormon church.
"Joseph married many additional wives and authorized other Latter-day Saints to practice plural marriage," a church essay entitled "Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo" said, noting that "careful estimates put the number between 30 and 40."
The church, founded in 1830, banned polygamy in 1890 when the U.S. government threatened to deny Utah statehood. (Reporting by Eric M. Johnson; Editing by Louise Ireland)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/11/joseph-smith-40-wives_n_6138508.html
Frustratedlady
(16,254 posts)Now, how many houses does he have?
LostInAnomie
(14,428 posts)CK_John
(10,005 posts)notrightatall
(410 posts)THAT would be refreshing.
PeaceNikki
(27,985 posts)LostInAnomie
(14,428 posts)PeaceNikki
(27,985 posts)Many of the Bible verses cited today to promote misogynistic attitudes were not the words of Jesus, but of Paul of Tarsus (or rather, later edits to his writings). It has been argued that Jesus was not as misogynistic as the religion which was to take his name, as the Gospel of Mary and Gospel of Thomas suggest that Mary Magdalene was not a "hanger on," but rather was a full disciple in her own right. There are also suggestions that the very early church had conflicting views on women, as catacombs with painting of women in roles of authority have been found dating to the first and second century CE.*
Source: http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Misogyny
LostInAnomie
(14,428 posts)Especially, when you consider the time he was living in. He saved a woman from being stoned to death for adultery. He told men that divorcing their wives is immoral and remarrying is adultery. He treated "sinful" women with love and respect. He held women up as models of faith. For that time period, most of that stuff was inconceivable.
Here's a longer list of Jesus's interactions with women: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus%27_interactions_with_women#High_number_of_references_to_women
Paul of Tarsus though... that guy was honestly probably insane. He didn't just have hang ups about women, he had pretty odd beliefs about human sexuality in general.
PeaceNikki
(27,985 posts)I was thinking of The Pope, Tertullian, Martin Luther, Clement of Alexandria, John Calvin, John Knox and on and on and on.
hrmjustin
(71,265 posts)get the red out
(13,466 posts)How did they have any time for Golden Tablets?
LostInAnomie
(14,428 posts)get the red out
(13,466 posts)It doesn't look like he had that "magic underwear" on too much. But I guess the blessed drawers work faster than a cell phone charger.
11 Bravo
(23,926 posts)TeeYiYi
(8,028 posts)TYY
Drahthaardogs
(6,843 posts)jmowreader
(50,557 posts)This makes perfect sense: The entire point of polygamy is to maximize your baby making. Why COULDN'T there be seven or eight men in these harems, to provide the women with the maximum opportunity to have sex when they ovulate?
fishwax
(29,149 posts)If I remember correctly, his specific marriages are mentioned in their holy books.
el_bryanto
(11,804 posts)takakupo
(15 posts)The founder was also a racist. I'm not sure how much worse people can feel about their leader when having 40 wives, at this point, is just poop frosting on the poop cake that is the LDS Religion.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)needledriver
(836 posts)How many cats did he have?
TeeYiYi
(8,028 posts)Admit schmidt... I grew up in Utah. This is common knowledge.
TYY
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)Iggo
(47,552 posts)Got it.
NightWatcher
(39,343 posts)After his conviction he thought, now if this were called a religion I could swindle all the people I want, get a tax free status, and "marry" lots of teenage girls. Score!!!
LittleBlue
(10,362 posts)-L Ron Hubbard
Being a prophet is the greatest job in the world.
jwirr
(39,215 posts)special interests of LDS. By 1890 no one knew who was related to who. This religion has no right to argue about marriage in any form. Yet they were the force behind Prop 8.
tammywammy
(26,582 posts)They practice proxy baptism of the dead in order to save them or whatever. There's been uproar over the years when it comes out they've been baptizing Jewish people that died during the Holocaust.
jwirr
(39,215 posts)times over in order to save our dead ancestors. Especially the Native American ones.
Old Nick
(468 posts)'cause doing that would be an admission that they'd been---you guessed it---CONNED!