Very good points. Ironically, the Protestant Reformers are better called schismatic Catholics. Can the Catholic Church reign them back in?
Well, ironically, there's this quote by one of the top three-ranking Mormons during Brigham Young's reign -- a counselor as part of The First Presidency -- Heber C. Kimball:
"Many of this people have broken their covenants by speaking evil of one another, by speaking against the servants of God, and by finding fault with the plurality of wives and trying to sink it out of existence. But you cannot do that, for God will cut you off and raise up another people that will carry out His purposes in righteousness, unless you walk up to the line of your duty." (JoD, vol 4, p. 108, 1856)
You see, 1010RD...by these words (& the words of the 2nd-->5th Lds "prophets" below)...those who sought to "sink...[plurality of wives] out of existence" would -- if they cont'd on such a route...became -- and become -- Mormon schismatics who would be "cut...off" ... and that the Mormon god would then "raise up another people" to carry that out...
Seems to me then that the fundamentalist Mormons alone qualify as adhering to these teachings of Brigham Young, John Taylor, Joseph F. Smith, etc.
You see, 1010rd, in the 1850s, 1860s, 1870s, and 1880s ... the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, & 5th Lds "prophets" acknowledged specifically that polygamy was a "doctrine" of the church taught for 40+ years...and that those who couldn't abide in it would be
(a) damned (plainly spoken by 2nd, 3rd & 5th "prophets" of church);
(b) cannot become "gods" like the polygamous Mormons (per Brigham Young);
and (c) that the fullness of exaltation blessings were "conditional" upon practicing polygamy -- that it was "a necessity" in order to receive "the highest exaltation" (per the 5th "prophet" & also part of the amnesty petition to the U.S. govt under the 4th "prophet's" admin);
Now you acknowledge that ALL of these Mormon "prophets" were "orthodox" on Mormon doctrine, do you not? They weren't false prophets in directing their flocks' marital lives as they did, right?
So, if THEY were right from a Mormon doctrinal perspective...
...if THEY were right from a Mormon revelational perspective...
...if THEY were Mormon-orthodox...
...then guess what?
...The 1800s Mormons were all "mainstream" -- including on polygamy -- and the 1900s & 2000s fundamentalist Mormons join them as being the ONLY "orthodox" Mormons...
You mainstream polygamy hiders (by "hiding" I mean you colonize it to Kolob but don't want to openly practice it on Planet Earth) are "cut off" schismatics!!!
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And, if you don't believe me...here's the quotes anybody can read as to what those Lds "prophets" in the 1800s taught...I picked out one citation per decade to show you how saturated it was...
* 1850s: Now if any of you will deny the plurality of wives, and continue to do so, I promise that you will be damned"
Direct source: Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 3, p. 266, 1855
* 1860s -- Brigham Young: "The only men who become Gods, even the Sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy. Others attain unto a glory and may even be permitted to come into the presence of the Father and the Son; but they cannot reign as kings in glory, because they had blessings offered unto them, and they refused to accept them." (Journal of Discourses, Vol.11, p.268 - p.269, Brigham Young, August 19, 1866)
* 1870s -- eventual 5th "prophet" Joseph F. Smith: "Some people have supposed that the doctrine of plural marriage was a sort of superfluity, or non-essential, to the salvation or exaltation of mankind. In other words, some of the Saints have said, and believe, that a man with one wife, sealed to him by the authority of the Priesthood for time and eternity, will receive an exaltation as great and glorious, if he is faithful, as he possibly could with more than one. I want here to enter my solemn protest against this idea, for I know it is false. There is no blessing promised except upon conditions, and no blessing can be obtained by mankind except by faithful compliance with the conditions, or law, upon which the same is promised. The marriage of one woman to a man for time and eternity by the sealing power, according to the will of God, is a fulfillment of the celestial law of marriage in part--and is good so far as it goes--and so far as a man abides these conditions of the law, he will receive his reward therefor, and this reward, or blessing, he could not obtain on any other grounds or conditions. But this is only the beginning of the law, not the whole of it. Therefore, whoever has imagined that he could obtain the fullness of the blessings pertaining to this celestial law, by complying with only a portion of its conditions, has deceived himself. He cannot do it." (Journal of Discourses, Vol.20, p.28 - p.29, Joseph F. Smith, July 7, 1878)
Same Joseph F. Smith message on same date: ... As before stated no man can obtain the benefits of one law by the observance of another, however faithful he may be in that which he does, nor can he secure to himself the fullness of any blessing without he fulfills the law upon which it is predicated, but he will receive the benefit of the law he obeys. ... I understand the law of celestial marriage to mean that every man in this Church, who has the ability to obey and practice it in righteousness and will not, shall be damned, I say I understand it to mean this and nothing less, and I testify in the name of Jesus that it does mean that. ... (p. 31)
* "Epistle from the Presidency" (John Taylor & George Q. Cannon...third member of Presidency, Joseph F. Smith, didn't sign 'cause he was on a mission): "We did not reveal celestial marriage. We cannot withdraw or renounce it, God revealed it, and he has promised to maintain it and to bless those who obey it. ... Upwards of forty years ago the Lord revealed to his church the principle of celestial marriage. The idea of marrying more wives than one was as naturally abhorrent to the leading men and women of the church but the command of God was before them in language which no faithful soul dare disobey, ―For, behold, I reveal unto you a new and everlasting covenant; and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned; for no one can reject this covenant, and be permitted to enter into my glory. ... Damnation was the awful penalty affixed to a refusal to obey this law. It became an acknowledged doctrine of the Church; it was indissolubly interwoven in the minds of its members with their hopes of eternal salvation and exaltation in the presence of God." (AN EPISTLE FROM THE FIRST PRESIDENCY, 10/6/1885, Millennial Star, Vol. 47, p. 711; read in General Conference)
* Acknowledgement in the 1890s under 4th "prophet" Woodruff's administration: "We formerly taught to our people that polygamy or Celestial marriage as commanded by God through Joseph Smith was right; that it was a NECESSITY to MAN'S HIGHEST EXALTATION IN THE LIFE TO COME. That DOCTRINE was publicly promulgated by our president, the late Brigham Young, forty years ago, and was steadily taught and impressed upon the Latter day Saints up to September, 1890." [Lds Petition for Amnesty, Dec. 19, 1891. Reprinted in Proceedings (Washington D.C; Government Printing Office, 1904), vol. 1, p. 18. ]