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“last nite I asked on two hot threads for someone to reconcile Mormon founding and polygamy with what these folks are/were doing......no takers.”

I’ll attempt to reconcile it. Many modern mormons feel tremendous shame about polygamy. I don’t.

I think the lifestyle is a tremendous help to young mothers. From the various journals I have read, and the understanding that comes from scripture, poligamy is simply about taking care of mothers and children. When the Bible tells the brother of a deceased man to take care of the wife and children of the dead, does that mean that he dumps his own wife and children in order to care for the widow?

No, it was assumed in ancient Israel that those mothers and children would be cared for.

These scriptures in the bible talk about this phenomenon:

http://scriptures.lds.org/en/search?search=brother+marry+wife

I know for a fact that Brigham Young had this attitude when he married several of Joseph Smiths wives after the prophet was martyred. He ended up with 27 wives and he said that it was his responsibility and duty to care for those women and children. How is that worse than a man who has 27 sex partners during his life, fathers many children, most of whom are aborted, and yet is assumed to be a “good guy” or “better” guy because he is only married to one wife?

Modern romantic one husband/one wife and the pruddish victorian beliefs of todays christianity are not biblical. All of the patriarchs of the bible lived poligamous lives. The Prophets David and Solomon had thousands of wives, and poligamy is practiced all over the world as a practical way to take care of children. When I read the stories of the day to day lives of poligamous families, having a couple of sister wives around to help with the chores seems like a good idea.

My husband is a descendant of Benjamin Franklin Johnson and his whole biography is online.

http://www.boap.org/LDS/Early-Saints/BFJohnson.html

When Joseph Smith asked him for permission to marry his sister, Benjamin told him that if he ever learned that Joseph had deceived him on the principle, then he would kill him. Benjamin went on to have many wives and dozens of children. I dont’ feel any shame about our past, and how I reconcile it was that the whole history of humanity contains ample evidence that poligamy was and is practiced by good god fearing people, sometimes happily and sometimes not.

Modernity has wrongly taught us that marriage between one man and one woman is the only god ordained form of marriage.

The bible tells us quite a different story. I believe if the feds had not gone after poligamists so badly in the late 1800s the LDS church would still be practicing it, because as I said, it is not about sex, it is about taking care of women and children.

I know this may be difficult for casual christians to wrap their minds around, but biblical christians who have a clear understanding of the scriptures KNOW that poligamy was just a practical part of ancient israel.

I’m a pragmatist in my heart, and although it might be tempting to look at anyone who is practicing this lifestyle as a sexual deviant, the fact is that providing women and children with housing and shelter is what Godly and Righteous men do.

I also believe Joseph Smith. When he said that an angel came to him with a sword and told him that if he did not teach the principle to the mormons, he would be destroyed, I figure the polygamous lifestyle is pretty important to Heavenly Father.

How to reconcile mormon history with what the FLDS are doing? It is possible. They are living what they believe is Gods Plan for families. So did the early saints. That is how to reconcile it. Do child molestors and rapists exist in that church? I have no doubt they do, just as I have no doubt that child molestors and rapists exist in all other groups and religions. But I do not believe they should be collectively prosecuted for a lifestyle. I believe each individual perp should be tried and convicted for his or her individual crimes.

And no, I do not believe polygamy should be a crime. As for what age young women should marry, I am open to the idea of seventeen year old girls having the maturity to make that choice. Much below that age and I get a little nervous, and I am very grateful that my nineteen year old and sixteen year old daughters have not been married yet and have never dated or been kissed.

They are saving themselves for someone really special, and I completely support them choosing their own husbands and marrying when they feel the time is right. I was just barely twenty when I married my husband, he was 28 and it was a very young age, but I don’t regret it.

Jenny