So I am an investigator, but really the term doesn’t fit. I have a firm testimony of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. Nonetheless, for reasons beyond my control, I haven’t been baptized, though it is my sincere desire. This is all sort of irrelevant to my question though.
So while talking with someone who grew up with the church, but never had a testimony and fell away as soon as left home, I was told that Joseph Smith married himself to already married women, and then later changed the Doctrine and Covenants to say that was ok. Or something like that. I couldn’t really find where this was learned, but there it is. I already have a solid confirmation, and cannot deny, even if I wanted to, that the Church is true. Nonetheless, I would like to know more about this, and while I hope beyond hope it isn’t true, even if it is, that only means JS wasn’t as great as I’d thought, not that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints isn’t true.
Does anyone have any knowledge about this? specifically knowledge about it from sources that cannot be brushed away as being biased because the authors were LDS? Thanks!!!
conversion
Anonymous from Salt Lake City, Utah, United States,
2 Responses to “So I am an investigator, but really the term doesn’t fit. I …”
Daniel Rubio
2011-12-19 08:24:40
In 1820, Joseph Smith had a vision of God the Father and Jesus Christ. They instructed him to restore Christs ancient church in modern times.
Hi friend. First off, your testimony is in a great place. It's excellent that your faith is not based on Joseph Smith the man. He was a great man, but he was not perfect. Our testimonies should always be based on Jesus Christ and the gospel He has restored and continues to lead through imperfect but well-intentioned human beings.
In this particular case, however, there is an easy explanation. In modern Mormonism, temporal marriage and eternal marriage go hand in hand. When a modern couple is sealed ("married for eternity") in the temple, a secular, temporal marriage license is always issued as well. The idea that one could be sealed to one women and married to another is completely foreign to our experience. Surprisingly, this cultural practice was not well-established in 19th-century Mormonism. Many women, for example, chose to be sealed to Joseph Smith as "spiritual wives" for years after his death, even though they had never been married to him in life.
Understanding that sealings and temporal marriage did not always go hand-in-hand in 19th century Mormonism is critical. It is true that Joseph Smith was sealed to 11 women who were themselves already married, mostly to other faithful Mormon men. There is no evidence, however, that Joseph Smith was married for time to any of these women, and there is no evidence that there was any sexual intimacy involved. In fact, many (all?) of the temporal husbands gave permission for the sealing, and the wives continued to live with their "original" husbands afterwards.
Truth be told, there is little evidence that any of Joseph Smith's plural marriages involved much sexual intimacy. Most of his marriages were likely asexual (probably only sealings, not actual marriages). Interestingly, there is no convincing evidence that any of his plural marriages ever produced a child, despite the fact that after his death many of his "wives" did bear multiple children after remarrying. Genetic testing has revealed that several individuals who claimed to be descendants of Joseph Smith through his plural wives are in fact not related to Joseph. I don't mean to imply that early Mormons were't polygamists. Clearly they were. However, history supports Joseph's claim that sexual intimacy was not the motivating factor for these sealings.
I for one am grateful that Mormon culture has evolved the way it has. There's something very romantic about being married to the one person with whom you've been sealed. I hope this answer helps.
Richard
2011-12-19 19:33:06
I just wanted to chime in my two cents on this: When the sealing ordinance was first introduced the people may not have understood it fully. We have a little better understanding today in the church.
I have heard that many people were sealed to Joseph Smith in hopes that his merrit would make up for their own lack, or rather for their mortaility.
If you had the oportunity to be sealed to a living prophet wouldn't you desire to take it?
Joseph Smith was a mortal man, and he served as a tool under the Hand of our Savior to bring to pass the Restoration of Christ's churh. Do we discount Mary, Christ's earthly mother anything for her probable lack of understanding and faith? (see Luke 2:48-29 & Mark 3:31-35) No we revere her because she was chosen by God the Father, to bring our Savior, His own Son, into the world!
It's the same with Joseph and all our prophets. They are men and mortal, which means they have need to rely on Jesus just as you and I and the world does.
This, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God's church again on the earth. His preisthood is held in this church and they have authority to use it. We need not look beyond the truth we know.
Let the past stay where it belongs (in the past), and forgive Joseph and the early Saints for their mistakes. Seek out your own salvation by faith and help from God. He will help you, I know it and I feel you do too. (see James 1:5 and read the testimony of Joseph again). Good luck :)
In this particular case, however, there is an easy explanation. In modern Mormonism, temporal marriage and eternal marriage go hand in hand. When a modern couple is sealed ("married for eternity") in the temple, a secular, temporal marriage license is always issued as well. The idea that one could be sealed to one women and married to another is completely foreign to our experience. Surprisingly, this cultural practice was not well-established in 19th-century Mormonism. Many women, for example, chose to be sealed to Joseph Smith as "spiritual wives" for years after his death, even though they had never been married to him in life.
Understanding that sealings and temporal marriage did not always go hand-in-hand in 19th century Mormonism is critical. It is true that Joseph Smith was sealed to 11 women who were themselves already married, mostly to other faithful Mormon men. There is no evidence, however, that Joseph Smith was married for time to any of these women, and there is no evidence that there was any sexual intimacy involved. In fact, many (all?) of the temporal husbands gave permission for the sealing, and the wives continued to live with their "original" husbands afterwards.
Truth be told, there is little evidence that any of Joseph Smith's plural marriages involved much sexual intimacy. Most of his marriages were likely asexual (probably only sealings, not actual marriages). Interestingly, there is no convincing evidence that any of his plural marriages ever produced a child, despite the fact that after his death many of his "wives" did bear multiple children after remarrying. Genetic testing has revealed that several individuals who claimed to be descendants of Joseph Smith through his plural wives are in fact not related to Joseph. I don't mean to imply that early Mormons were't polygamists. Clearly they were. However, history supports Joseph's claim that sexual intimacy was not the motivating factor for these sealings.
I for one am grateful that Mormon culture has evolved the way it has. There's something very romantic about being married to the one person with whom you've been sealed. I hope this answer helps.
I have heard that many people were sealed to Joseph Smith in hopes that his merrit would make up for their own lack, or rather for their mortaility.
If you had the oportunity to be sealed to a living prophet wouldn't you desire to take it?
Joseph Smith was a mortal man, and he served as a tool under the Hand of our Savior to bring to pass the Restoration of Christ's churh. Do we discount Mary, Christ's earthly mother anything for her probable lack of understanding and faith? (see Luke 2:48-29 & Mark 3:31-35) No we revere her because she was chosen by God the Father, to bring our Savior, His own Son, into the world!
It's the same with Joseph and all our prophets. They are men and mortal, which means they have need to rely on Jesus just as you and I and the world does.
This, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God's church again on the earth. His preisthood is held in this church and they have authority to use it. We need not look beyond the truth we know.
Let the past stay where it belongs (in the past), and forgive Joseph and the early Saints for their mistakes. Seek out your own salvation by faith and help from God. He will help you, I know it and I feel you do too. (see James 1:5 and read the testimony of Joseph again). Good luck :)