My question is why isn’t the “regular” LDS church screaming it’s condemnation of this? Salt Lake City is awfully quiet. And one public statement would not suffice.
My question is why isn’t the “regular” LDS church screaming it’s condemnation of this? Salt Lake City is awfully quiet
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Well it like this
This morning one of the mormon reporters at the mormon religion owned Deseret News in SLC...
(They fired all their non-mormon reporters a couple of years ago)
put this article in the online version...
“Expert: Polygamist leader Warren Jeffs wasn’t legally married”
and it had a very eye opening article that was WOW look at that
(that guy got fired by lunchtime and his article taken down)
I didnt think to capture what the article said Silly Nana so we dont had it any more...
So now when I go to the same link I had this morning there is a different article with a different headline
“Texas jury hears tape of polygamist Warren Jeffs discussing sex”
It seems that Jeffs saying the same things to little girls that Joey Smith said is OK
My question is why isn’t the “regular” LDS church screaming it’s condemnation of this?
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Very good question.
When this hit (and even before) SLC was screaming “there are no such things as ‘fundamentalist’ Mormons” and “We abandoned polygamy over 100 years ago”. They try to distance themselves from polygamy but they cannot completely renounce the practice.
These groups base the requirement for polygamy on a revelation given by Joseph Smith (posted above in thread) that is referred to as Doctrine and Covenants 132. For SLC to denoucne polygamy too forcefully would be to admit that Joseph Smith was a false prophet and that the subsequent leaders and apostles were also false prophets. In 1890, a statement was made (not actually a revelation) that states the prophet agreed to abide by US laws (to get statehood for Utah) but didn’t renounce the doctrine (this statement is referred to as Official Declaration #1). Many SLC LDS refused to abide it and another, more forceful statement was given around 1902. Again, many refused to follow it and polygamous marriages occurred in the mainstream Mormon church until about 1930. Even today, there are still elderly LDS who are children of polygamous unions.
The other problem for SLC, is that although OFFICIALLY polygamy is grounds for excommunication, many turn a blind eye to it. I know a few families (and the ex-mormon boards are full of stories) in the Mainstream LDS church that are quiet polygamists, one was even a Bishop (pastor).
Finally, some of their leaders and apostles taught, clear up until the 1980’s, that polygamy will be brought back during the “Millennium” (when Christ reigns from Independence Missouri). An outright condemnation would be confusing to many rank and file LDS who look forward to the re-institution of polygamy.
Polygamy is an issue that most LDS ignore or make excuses for rather than outright renouncing the practice.