Mormon Dilemma 889 Lying About Polygamy

Times and Seasons,Vol. 5, No. 6, pg 474; “Whereas brother Richard Hewitt has called on me to-day, to know my views concerning some doctrines that are preached in your place, and states to me that some of your elders say, that a man having a certain priesthood, may have as many wives as he pleases, and that doctrine is taught here: I say unto you that that man teaches false doctrine, for there is no such doctrine taught here. And any man that is found teaching privately or publicly any such doctrine, is culpable, and will stand a chance to be brought before the High Council, and loose his license and membership also: therefore he had better beware what he is about.” – Hyrum Smith, March 15, 1844

The Ten Commandments;

1. You shall have no other gods before Me.

2. You shall not make idols.

3. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.

4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

5. Honor your father and your mother.

6. You shall not murder.

7. You shall not commit adultery.

8. You shall not steal.

9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

10. You shall not covet.

Obfuscate: “to confuse, bewilder or stupefy, to make obscure or unclear (to obfuscate a problem with extraneous information), to darken”.

It’s a rare day in my world when an adjective so aptly describes Mormonism, alas, today is that day.  In my daily e-mail from “Today in Mormon History” for March 15^th they reminded me of Hyrum Smith’s lie when he denied anyone in the Church was practicing polygamy. 

When he made this statement he in fact had five wives. Just four months later he was killed along with his brother Joseph in a gunfight at the Carthage Jail while awaiting trial on charges of arson and polygamy.  

You can read his denial and many others made by the Church in our article Mormon Polygamy Denials.

In that one statement he broke Commandments 1, 2, 7 & 9.