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Dear
Gramps, Non-members I talk to often ask about the plural marriages performed
back in the “old days.” Usually they ask about the “why,” why was
there such a command given and why was it discontinued. Up until now I never
thought about asking anyone that knows better than I do, I just thought
about an answer that seemed logical to me: the command was given to a time
when so many of the early members of the church had been killed and their
families had been left without a provider, protector and so on. It was
discontinued when the persecutions stopped and nobody was killed anymore.
Could be that I’m wrong, but that’s why I’m asking you about it.
Thanks, Aunty Mimmi, from Germany |
Dear
Aunty Mimmi,
If
you look at the preface to Section 132 of the Doctrine and Covenants you will
see that although the revelation on plural marriage was officially recorded in
1843, it was received by the Prophet in 1831. This was long before the
persecutions were of such magnitude as to leave many families bereft of the
their providers.
Plural
marriage was a doctrine sanctioned by the Lord in Old Testament times, and the
same doctrine was restored in the early part of the Restoration. However, it was
only practiced upon authorization by the President of the Church, and only a
very small percentage of the Saints were ever called upon to practice this
principle. However, it was picked up by the enemies of the Church and soon
became a political football. There was no law against polygamy in the United
States when the revelation was given.
The
Morrill Act, which prohibited that practice of bigamy, was passed by Congress on
July 1, 1862, for the express purpose of outlawing Mormon polygamous marriages.
When that law was passed, the Church submitted a case to the courts, and it was
carried to the Supreme Court of the land, that in 1878 upheld the lower courts
decision. Consequently, the Manifesto, banning the practice of plural marriage
in the Church was accepted on September 24, 1890, and adopted by the Church at
General Conference on October 6 of that year.
The
practice of polygamy under the sanction of the Lord is a principle of a highly
spiritual nature, as explained the D&C 132. The principle has never changed,
but the practice has been terminated in order that we may be obedient to the
laws of the land, as specified in the twelfth Article of Faith.
Gramps