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Mormons and polygamy — here are the facts:

(http://www.mormonsandpolygamy.org/)

There are 13 million Mormons in the United States and around the world, and not one of them is a polygamist.
“Mormon” is the most common and widely accepted name for a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, headquartered in Salt Lake City. “Mormons” have nothing whatsoever to do with the Texas sect known as “FLDS,” or with any other polygamous group.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints doesn’t allow anyone practicing polygamy to be a member.
Polygamy was part of our past, for about 50 years in the 19th century. But it is not part of our present. Polygamy was officially discontinued in 1890 — 118 years ago.
When practiced by Mormons in the 19th century, polygamy was quite unlike the depictions of polygamous groups now seen on TV. For instance, a woman had freedom of choice as to whom she would marry. She made her own decisions about life, education and personal pursuits and did not isolate herself from the world.

Today’s Mormons live in every state of the U.S. and in 162 countries. Mormon men and women can be found in all professional fields — doctors, teachers, police officers, scientists and soldiers. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir has sung at presidential inaugurations and at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City.

The FLDS group adopted the name “Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” in the early 1990s (watch video). It is an isolated group numbering a few thousand members. There should be no confusion between Mormons and polygamists.

“Mormon” Polygamy:
Misconceptions

Polygamy, also known as plural marriage or plurality of wives, is not practiced by any, active contemporary member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 1890, the Church (commonly known as the Mormon Church) officially disavowed polygamy as a practice and currently excommunicates any Latter-day Saint who embraces it.

Polygamists have no rightful association with the Mormon Church and many, if not most, have never been members of the Mormon Church. Some groups who have split off from the Church practice polygamy, but their practice has nothing to do with the activity of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

President Gordon B. Hinckley, late Prophet and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, stated the following about polygamy in the Church’s General Conference of October 1998:

“I wish to state categorically that this Church has nothing whatever to do with those practicing polygamy. They are not members of this Church. Most of them have never been members. They are in violation of the civil law. They know they are in violation of the law. They are subject to its penalties. The Church, of course, has no jurisdiction whatever in this matter.

“If any of our members are found to be practicing plural marriage, they are excommunicated, the most serious penalty the Church can impose. Not only are those so involved in direct violation of the civil law, they are in violation of the law of this Church. An article of our faith is binding upon us. It states, ‘We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law’ (Articles of Faith 1:12). One cannot obey the law and disobey the law at the same time.

There are 13 million Mormons in the United States and around the world, and not one of them is a polygamist.

Not true. Presbyterians and/or Lutherans may not always "appreciate" that some things -- say a liberal Presbyterian or Lutheran denomination does to promote abortion or homosexuality .. or vise versa...some of those more liberal denominations may not appreciate conservative stances on the Bible...but overall, label-wise, they're stuck with each other.

They can't do what Gordon Hinckley tried doing on the Larry King Show and claim there wasn't such a thing as a fundamentalist Mormon. (Sorry, Rennes, Hinckley didn't have that kind of authority -- to just wipe away every fundamentalist Mormon off the face of the earth...or America).

And neither do you. Fundamentalist Mormons are Mormon; and, in fact, per D&C 132, they're more mainstream Mormon than the so-called mainstream Mormons!

Mormon FREEPERS like Edward Watson has staked out this ground. Now there's a lot I disagree with Edward...in fact, most of his conclusions -- including some of those below I'm about to quote you -- but I will quote what he told me back on April 17, 2008:

"Of course the FLDS is a Christian faith. Their denominational taxonomy, following the Religion-Branch-Family-Denomination matrix, is “Christian-Mormon-Fundamentalist Mormon-Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. They do not belong to the Catholic, Eastern Christian, Protestant, or Anglican/Independent Catholic (Via Media) branches; they belong to the Mormon branch of Christianity, but in a completely different Family (Fundamentalist Mormon). Others in the same Family are the Apostolic United Brethren, Latter Day Church of Christ (Kingston Clan), and The True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days). Get your facts straight. There are four families in the Mormon branch of Christianity [CJCLDS, Fundamentalist Mormon, Liberal Mormon, Prairie Saints] just as there are 20 denominational families in the Protestant branch of Christianity."
Source: FLDS opponents say wrong man named in warrant

What do I believe is the most important part of that quote?

Well, to project what Edward says, he essentially is saying that just as Presbyterians and Lutherans are extended FAMILIES in the Protestant BRANCH of Christianity, that fundamentalist MORMONS are extended FAMILIES in the "MORMON BRANCH"...THAT'S MORMON BRANCH SINGULAR!

Now, certainly, I disagree with Edward that the Mormonism branch is to be classified as "Christian." (But hey, I'm sure plenty of Edward's fellow Mormons will likewise disagree with him on something I've just uttered...so they can't say I'm doing something they aren't doing)

There are 13 million Mormons in the United States and around the world, and not one of them is a polygamist.

Golly; that's too bad; because the LDS religious Orghanization's own SCRIPTURE says that one MUST enter into polygamy in D&C 132 to be EXalted.

http://lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/132?lang=eng

Section 132

Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Nauvoo, Illinois, recorded 12 July 1843, relating to the new and everlasting covenant, including the eternity of the marriage covenant, and also the plurality of wives (see History of the Church, 5:501–7). Although the revelation was recorded in 1843, it is evident from the historical records that the doctrines and principles involved in this revelation had been known by the Prophet since 1831.

Polygamy was part of our past, for about 50 years in the 19th century. But it is not part of our present. Polygamy was officially discontinued in 1890 — 118 years ago.

You're simply either mistaken, or you're parroting somebody else's lies.

(a) The first 57 or so years...even Lds historians recognize that Joseph Smith "married" Fanny Alger in early 1833...and FAIR apologist Gregory L. Smith says the "revelation" to engage in polygamy came to Smith as early as 1831.

(b) Polygamy was in no way "discontinued in 1890." First of all, MOST of the already existing polygamous families were not broken up in 1890. So polygamy "continued" to be practiced by them. (Utah even voted in B.H. Roberts as Congressman in 1898, even though he took his third simultaneous wife around 1893).

Secondly, B. Carmon Hardy records about 260 additional Lds "plural unions" solemnized by Mormon officials (by two "apostles" & others) between 1890-1910. They didn't believe what Woodruff said represented God...and since Joseph F. Smith, the Lds "prophet" at the time, already had five ways, who was he to tell anybody to get rid of some of theirs?

Just read Hardy's appendix of his Univ. of IL book, A Solemn Covenant. Hardy himself is a descendent of a polygamist family.

Also then...since some of those plural unions from the early 1900s lasted 60 years, polygamy among MAINSTREAM Mormons continued into the early 1960s. Now NEW plural unions may have been quite rare after 1910, but if you have polygamous families, they are still "continuing it."

Therefore,MAINSTREAM Mormon polygamy was alive on planet earth from 1833 to about 1963...130 years of its 180-year existence. That's 72% of its history!

Furthermore, throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, Mormons claim eternal polygamists are alive and practicing polygamy on another colony named Kolob.

So. Are you calling these leaders a liar or mistaken? That polygamy is not going on right now in the Mormon celestial kingdom?