1 Cor 7:2; “Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.”
While working on the latest installment for our Polygamy and Mormon Church Leaders series I came across a sermon given by Orson Pratt and I began wondering once again why Joe Smith taught God had sanctioned the relationships that he kept engaging himself in. His behavior was obviously the very opposite of what Pratt spoke about above, not to mention what the Lord commands!
In light of that I had a few questions –
1. Why is Orson Pratt agreeing with the Bible when in fact he and others in the Church leadership went out of their way to denounce it – referring to it many times as unreliable? Is the Bible reliable for this doctrine and if so, why?
2. Pratt delivered this speech in 1875 which was more than thirty years after Joseph Smith was killed. Would Joseph’s lifestyle be condemned?
Consider this: the following is a list of Joseph Smith’s wives who were already married to other men when they tied the knot with the prophet. None of these women bothered getting a divorce to enter into a polygamous lifestyle with Smith; instead they just stayed married to their husbands and lived with them while carrying on a relationship with Smith.
Feb 1841 – Hannah Ann Dubois married Philo Dibble in February 1841 and many reports say she married Smith as well. She gave birth to a son Loren in May 1844 who was reportedly fathered by Smith. She was wife #4.
Nov. 1841 – Smith married wife #6 Zina Diana Huntington Jacobs when she was 7 months pregnant & her husband was sent away on a mission to England. She was pregnant w/ 2nd child of Jacobs when she married Brigham Young on the way to Utah.
Dec 1841 – Smith’s wife #7 Presendia Lathrop Huntington Buell wasn’t sure if her son Oliver belonged to Buell or Smith.
Jan or Feb 1842 – Smith’s wife #9 Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner was married to husband Adam during her marriage to both him and then Brigham Young.
March 1842 – Smith’s wife #11 Patty Bartlett Sessions was the mother of wife #10 and married to her husband David Sessions when she married Smith in 1842. David Sessions died in 1850.
April 1842 – Smith married wife #12, Marinda Nancy Johnson Hyde in 1842 while her husband Orson Hyde was away on a mission to Jerusalem of all places.
Feb 1843 – Smith married wife #25 Ruth Vose Sayers in 1843 just 2 yrs after she married her husband. She stayed w/ him during both marriages.
June 1843 – Smith married wife #36 Elvira Cowles Holmes in June 1843. Married Jonathan Harriman Holmes in 1844 and stayed in both marriages. She was the Relief Society treasurer. Hmm…
Imagine the surprise for the men out on missions when they got home. That must’ve made for some interesting dinner conversation…
In case you weren’t keeping track of how many polyandrous marriages were involved – the number is 8. This means out of the 53 recorded marriages for Joseph Smith about 15% were polyandrous. Does it matter to the Lord if it’s only 15% of the time?