Joseph Smith hid polygamy from the general Church membership

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Joseph Smith hid polygamy from the general Church membership

Summary: It is true that Joseph did not always tell others about plural marriage. He did, however, make some attempt to teach the doctrine to the Saints. It is thus important to realize that the public preaching of polygamy—or announcing it to the general Church membership, thereby informing the public by proxy—was simply not a feasible plan. Critics of Joseph's choice want their audience to ignore the danger to him and the Saints.

Jump to details:

• Question: Did Joseph Smith ever publicly attempt to teach the doctrine of plural marriage?
• Question: Why did Joseph keep the doctrine of plural marriage private?
• Question: Why did Joseph Smith say "I had not been married scarcely five minutes...before it was reported that I had seven wives"?
• Question: Was Joseph Smith ever charged with adultery under Illinois law?
• Question: Were there any similar cases under Illinois adultery statute which demonstrate that Joseph was not breaking the law?

Question: Did Joseph Smith ever publicly attempt to teach the doctrine of plural marriage?

Jump to details:

• Question: Did Joseph Smith ever publicly attempt to teach the doctrine of plural marriage?
• Joseph initiated the practice of polygamy and hid it from the general Church membership during his lifetime
• Joseph made at least one attempt to teach the doctrine, but it was rejected

Question: Why did Joseph keep the doctrine of plural marriage private?

Jump to details:

• Question: Why did Joseph keep the doctrine of plural marriage private?
• The Saints would have suffered negative consequences

Question: Why did Joseph Smith say "I had not been married scarcely five minutes...before it was reported that I had seven wives"?

Jump to details:

• Question: Why did Joseph Smith say "I had not been married scarcely five minutes...before it was reported that I had seven wives"?
• The Laws sought to have Joseph indicted for adultery and perjury
• Joseph was refuting the charge of adultery, not the fact that he had "seven wives"
• Joseph was not merely bluffing, nor was he lying—he literally could prove that the Laws were perjuring themselves on this point

Question: Was Joseph Smith ever charged with adultery under Illinois law?

Jump to details:

• Question: Was Joseph Smith ever charged with adultery under Illinois law?
• William and Wilson Law charged Joseph with adultery in the case of Maria Lawrence
• Illinois law only criminalized adultery or fornication if it was "open"
• Joseph's relationships with his plural wives did not meet this definition

Question: Were there any similar cases under Illinois adultery statute which demonstrate that Joseph was not breaking the law?

Jump to details:

• Question: Were there any similar cases under Illinois adultery statute which demonstrate that Joseph was not breaking the law?
• Two cases decided after Joseph's death demonstrate that there was nothing which would have permitted conviction
• If Joseph been charged by his wife Emma with adultery, this could have served as grounds for divorce under Illinois law
• It was later realized that Illinois law would probably support the practice of Latter-day Saint plural marriage, so they changed the wording of the law

Gregory L. Smith, M.D., "Polygamy, Prophets, and Prevarication: Frequently and Rarely Asked Questions about the Initiation, Practice, and Cessation of Plural Marriage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints"

Gregory L. Smith, M.D.,  FairMormon Papers, (2005)

Critics charge that Joseph Smith and his successors made repeated public statements in which they hid or frankly denied the practice of polygamy, despite knowledge to the contrary. It is argued that this dishonesty is morally dubious and inconsistent with the Church’s purported principles.

The concept of “civil disobedience” is essential to understanding those occasions in which Joseph Smith or other Church members were not forthright about the practice of polygamy.
Like obedience to civil law, honesty and integrity are foundational values to the Church of Jesus Christ. Indeed, the success which critics have in troubling members of the Church with tales of polygamy and its deceptive circumstances is, in a way, a compliment to the Church. If the Church as an institution typically taught its members to have a casual disregard for the truth, a discovery that Joseph Smith had deceived others about polygamy would not be troubling to most. But, because the Church (contrary to the suggestions of some critics) really does teach its members to aspire to live elevated lives of moral rectitude, the discovery that deception was involved with polygamy can come as something of a shock. Disillusionment can ensue if we follow the critics in assuming that because Joseph occasionally misled others in this specific context, he must therefore have lied about everything else, and been absolutely unworthy of trust.

But, as we have seen, the practice of polygamy must be viewed in its moral context as an act of religious devotion which the Saints were unwilling to forego simply because the state or society disapproved.

Joseph Smith's Polygamy: "1840—Plural Marriage Secretly Introduced", by Brian C. Hales

Summary: Sometime in 1840 Joseph Smith first broached the topic of plural marriage privately to trusted friends. Most of the apostles were in England and thus were unavailable for an introduction to the practice.

(Click here for full article)

To see citations to the critical sources for these claims, click here

Notes