OK, I realise you had no requirement to understand or act upon my fervent desire NOT to get dragged into theological discussions of early Mormon theology.
So I read your post. It appears that in some documents, polygamy is justified by pointing to polygamists in the old testament who were justified by God (certainly we agree that their justification was not based on their bad habit of taking multiple wives).
In other documents they deny church practice of polygamy.
Now that I think I understand your point.
The original poster said that he saw NO DIFFERENCE AT ALL in what the Mormons of the 19th century practices, and the practices of the FLDS in the past few years under their infamous and imprisoned leader.
As the article in question had provided a good deal of argument that there was a difference in both kind and degree between the two, I inquired, in none to kind a manner, by what specific disagreements the poster “saw” this identicality. Did the poster have specific evidence that the Mormons in of the 1800’s were NOT as the article suggested, but in fact were doing the same things.
I even made fun of his use of the word “see”.
In response, rather than telling me what items in the article were false, and giving me some direct reference in opposition, he said I had to ask you, which of course I had no interest in doing, as I was interested in how he formed his opinion.
Nevertheless, I will say that your response here does not seem to refute the author’s claim to dissimilarity. Maybe you don’t believe they are identically evil, or maybe you do and just didn’t feel like expounding on that.
As I’ve never once suggested I had trouble believing that the early Mormon church practiced and encouraged polygamy, I see your evidence of the same to be irrelevant to the matter I was discussing with the other poster.
The other poster I have not pinged. Specifically because he made it clear he had no interest in discussing this, and I should treat you as if you were he.
To cut right to the chase on the topic, however, I believe the current LDS church is IDENTICAL to the FLDS church, ONLY MORE ASHAMED OF JOSEPH SMITH AND BRIGHAM YOUNG. I will let mormons attempt to defend themselves against that statement.
I do believe that they differ from he early church inasmuch as the FLDS don't insist on the use of the "Deseret Alphabet" to isolate even communication from the outside world. this is one aspect in which the LDS church attempted to be EVEN MORE CONTROLLING than the FLDS.
Charles, stop misrepresenting what I said. We've been battling for the past two weeks over this issue, and you know exactly what I'm talking about on this thread.
The difference between what the modern-day FLDS practices and what the early Mormons under Smith and Young practiced are almost the same thing. In fact, I would argue that the modern LDS was the one that diverged (slightly) from Smith and Youngs "teachings" under serious federal pressure so that Utah could join the Union, leaving the FLDS sect to carry on in the original faith, as promulgated by Smith and Young.