Is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Transparent about their history?

   

From what I understand, some people feel that leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have kept hidden that Joseph Smith had more than one wife. They claim that the Church did not want to "tarnish" Joseph Smith's reprutation by openly admitting that he was a law breaker and a polygamist. 

 Let's take a look at these claims. First of all, the United States did not even have a law against polygamy until the Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act was passed in on July 8, 1862. I think most of us just assume that polygamy was always illegal in the United States, but it wasn't. Therefore, since Joseph Smith died on June 27, 1844, he could not have been breaking the law, because this law didn't even exist until eighteen years later.

How Can I Still Be a Member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints When I Don't Have All the Answers?

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2018-03-0010-joseph-smith-and-the-beginnings-of-polygamy?category=church-history-topics&lang=eng

I know that there are people who think that if I have any unanswered questions, then I should leave The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. To me that makes as much sense as quitting using computers, because I don't know everything about them. Actually, at my age, I'm grateful that I can use a computer at all. 

But, don't unanswered questions bother me? No. I'm very used to not  knowing everything. Let's face it, only teenagers know everything. If something is of value to me and could help me in my life, then I continue to study and learn about it. I've had to accept that there are many things that I simply don't have the background to understand - yet. I also know that learning must be earned through many long hours of effort. Since my time is limited, I concede that many things simply aren't worth my time and energy to study, and many things are not known at this time. 

Still some people ask how I can remain a member of the Church when they claim that Joseph Smith did some terrible thing. In today's world where there are so many attention seekers shouting "foul play", we must be very careful to not just react and make a judgment based solely on hearsay. Through my research, I have seen how many "claims" can be understood when they are placed in their proper historical context. (see my polygamy articles)  As thinking people, instead of just mindlessly reacting, we need to do our own in depth research before we make our decision on things we hear.

Questions and Answers about Polygamy

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2017-11-0140-mormon-polygamy-q-and-a?category=church-history-topics&lang=eng

In connection with the publication of the first volume of the new history, Saints - The Story of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, several videos have been made dealing with Church History. In this video, two historians answer questions about polygamy.

Are Polygamist Cults Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

Some people think of Polygamist groups as apostate members, because once members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were commanded by God to practice polygamy. By that reasoning these groups could also be called Jewish, because long ago God also commanded them to practice polygamy. Since Christians also believe in the Old Testament, then would Polygamists be considered Catholic or Protestant?

Yes, these Polygamist groups claim to be living the revelations that were given to the Prophet, Joseph Smith, but are they?  Take a closer look.  Basically, they seem to have only heard of some of the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They consider the Book of Mormon as just a good book, not scripture revealed by God as members of The Church do. They have a man they call a "Prophet", but he is not chosen by God and he does not receive revelation from God, so he is not what we would consider a Prophet.

 In my opinion, any one who latches onto an old revelation of God given for a specific time and tries to continue it when the Lord has revealed that it must cease, is not following the Lord. He certainly is not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Are Polygamist groups part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

My friend was still wondering why a woman who was raised in a Polygamist group would not be welcomed into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes called the "Mormon" church, if she had given up polygamy. Here is my answer to her.

I think this is the problem with the young woman who wants to join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You said, "She doesn't want to give up all her Mormon training and teachings to join a church that doesn't believe in the things she was brought up to believe in, which she would have to do if she went to any regular Protestant denomination. "  The truth is that there isn't some other The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which has the same beliefs, but also believes in polygamy. I was just looking at some of the beliefs of groups who splintered off from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Their beliefs are really different!! 

See https://www.mormon.org/  "Beliefs" for beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Questions about Joseph Smith and Polygamy

As the article, It’s Official: Mormon Founder Had Up to 40 Wives by Laurie Goodstein printed November 10, 2014 in The New York Times, Ms. Goodstein asks several questions. I've wondered how I could answer; Yes, No, maybe, sort of. Real life is rather complicated and simple answers don't always fit, so I'll give you the information and let you decide for yourself.

Have leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints really tried to keep hidden about Joseph Smith's plural wives?

Plural Marriage

When you hear the word "polygamy" don't you think of a dictatorial patriarch of a sect in Southern Utah or Arizona who controls everyone and divvies out young girls as rewards for compliance?

Don't we have visions of harems of scantily clad beautiful young women lounging on pillows who are kept just to satisfy the lust of some man? Shocking!

Mark Twain shattered this titillating fantasy of polygamy with these words when he visited Salt Lake in the 1800's, "the man that marries one of them has done an act of Christian charity which entitles him to the kindly applause of mankind, not their harsh censure and the man that marries sixty of them has done a deed of open-handed generosity so sublime that the nations should stand uncovered in his presence and worship in silence." (Roughing It)

Joseph Smith and Plural Marriage

Apparently there is a lot of flurry over an article posted November 10th on the front page of the New York Times. This syndicated article has appeared in many other newspapers across the nation.
The author, Laurie Goodstein, of  It's Official: Mormon Founder Had Up to 40 Wives begins her article by making a "startling disclosure":

"Mormon leaders have acknowledged for the first time that the church’s founder and prophet, Joseph Smith, portrayed in church materials as a loyal partner to his loving spouse Emma, took as many as 40 wives, some already married and one only 14 years old."

The article goes on to say that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is now responding "with openness to the kind of thorny historical and theological issues that are causing some to become disillusioned or even to abandon the faith".

She even throws in an emotional quote by Utah woman blogger, Emily Jenson, to "substantiate" her claim. Ms. Jenson says that members are saying on blogs and social media, “This is not the church I grew up with, this is not the Joseph Smith I love.”

A Jewish friend of mine, a New Yorker, posed a question to me. She asked why, though appearing "objective", would this article try and destroy the founder of an American church and "undermine the faith of thousands of people, saying basically that they have been duped all these years?"

That is a very good question. Why? What is going on here?