“Not so†says the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (AKA The Mormons). In a short press release issued today the Mormons are obviously trying to distance themselves from the firestorm that the Warren Jeffs trial is going to create. Jeffs faces trial next week on ‘statutory rape’ charges, for his alleged assignations with a young girl. Had the girl been his wife, it would all be fine, and indeed he asserts that she was indeed his wife.
Unfortunately the laws decree that you are only permitted to have one wife at a time. Personally I think this is a really good thing. I could not imagine having a whole ‘Gaggle’ of them, lets face it, at least one of them would be grumpy at any given time!
The ‘official’ Mormons, in an attempt to distance themselves have produced this interesting statement:
SALT LAKE CITY, UT–(Marketwire – September 07, 2007) – With the imminent trial of polygamist Warren Jeffs in Utah, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is sending out a statement of clarification today, emphasizing that Jeffs and his polygamous group have no association whatever with the worldwide church often referred to as the “Mormon” faith. Jeffs is not and never has been a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Church says that confusion frequently arises, especially among headline writers, when polygamous groups are in the news. Full text: See “Commentary” at www.newsroom.lds.org.
Of course one has to ask why it has taken so many years for them to actually talk about Jeffs? It is not as if this was happening on the moon, it was happening in the Mormon sand-box that the rest of us refer to as Utah.
Is this a case of ‘see no evil’? As long as Jeffs presented no threats, but did tithe 10%, life was good. Now Jeffs is in trouble, the church wants to distance themselves. One has to wonder about this sudden news release. For years the Mormons knew about Jeffs, and gave their tacit blessing to his operation by not saying anything, now Jeffs is on CNN they are back pedaling as fast as their little Mormon legs will go!
Simon Barrett
7 users commented in " Mormons Are Polygamists? "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackUmm… that’s the whole point, Jeffs has never paid 10% tithes or anything.
He is the self appointed leader of a fringe group of polygamists who live in a town astride the Utah/Arizona Border. (So that members can move back and forth across state lines depending on which state had the heat on at any given point in time.)
There are lots of people in Utah besides Mormons and they don’t have control over what everybody does. The Mormon church has a longstanding policy of excommunicating any polygamists, and anybody who takes actions in support of groups like Jeffs. How much greater can they show their displeasure? Are they suppose to spend worship time denouncing other people who commit sin? Worship is for hearing the Word of God, not condemning other people.
Finally, Utah and Arizona did cooperate in an attempt to shut down the whole polygamy operation 70 years ago. You had mothers fleeing into the desert with their children. You had thousands of children ripped from their homes and put in foster care. It was a disaster- and the entire country denounced Utah and Arizona for doing it.
Ever since there has been an unspoken agreement between polygamists and the authorities. As long as the polygamists don’t break other laws (child marriage, rape, welfare defraudment, ect.) the authorities would look the other way on the cohabitation and adultery laws. (The laws that says you can’t shack up with more than one woman). Is this the responsibility of the Mormon Church? They don’t run the government you know.
Not to mention that Utah is a pretty big place. Western States are huge compared with Eastern States. The Mormon church will not know what is going on everywhere. They don’t have spies or anything. They are a church! Not a law enforcement agency.
He’s being prosecuted for forcing a 14 year old girl to marry her 19 year old cousin. In this case, he’s an accomplice to rape, not the rapist – although he probably has married a few underage girls himself seeing as how he has 50+ wives and the girls are married off early. Like it or not.
He’s not self-appointed, though, his daddy Rulan Jeffs (you can catch pics of him at 90 with two 16 year old “wives’ on the internet) was the prophet to the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints before him. He inherited the position.
Highly recommended” a film called Banking on Heaven – also available on the net.
“Mormons are Polygamist?”
Yes, they are. If they don’t believe in polygamy any more why do they still have section 132 in their Doctrine and Covenants? They do believe that it will be practiced in the next life. They practice it in some form in this life, if an LDS man loses his wife he can take another LDS woman to the temple, and be sealed to her, thus insuring he will have both wives in the next life. The LDS women can not do the same. If an LDS woman loses her husband, she can not be sealed to another LDS man in the temple.
The observation about section 132 of their Doctrine & Covenants is astute. They haven’t yet ‘morphed’ that particular document as they have some of their other scriptures and ordinances, and so the revealed word of God to them as declared in section 132 still stands – although they seem to interpret it differently than it was allegedly given.
I’m sure that if the church leadership could figure out a way to not only re-interpret, but rewrite it, they would. If they were to just delete it, or change the wording, it would be a high visibility change, particularly since that document section is so well known, and their ‘sealing ordinances’ performed in their temples hinge on it. Changes or deletions wouldn’t look very good to anyone watching very closely. It’s so difficult to explain to people why a change is necessary to information you claim was revealed directly from God, (without undermining your credibility).
There has been no other revelation claimed to have been received by the LDS church to revoke this one. They do however have what they call ‘Official Declaration #1’, which was a ‘press dispatch’… ‘made for political purposes’ in 1890, where Wilford Woodruff (the fourth president of the LDS church)promises to personally not do it any more, and will ‘use his influence’ to get other members to do likewise. (What a pathetic announcement!)
Evidently his influence didn’t carry too much weight with church membership, because plural marriages were continued (not officially of course, but without church rebuke, either) until about 1916. Heber J Grant, one of the quorum of twelve apostles, who later became the 7th president, took an additional wife after the ‘Official Declaration’, as did many other church officers. There is an abundance of documentation to prove it.
If one is cognizant of LDS church history, the web of deception that’s been spun has gotten intricate at times, and where polygamy is concerned, they will find it difficult to ever break free, unless they can somehow find a way to alter history.
Misty,
For clarification only, I thought I’d let you know that the act of ‘sealing’ does not ‘insure’ that you will have anything in the next life. Mormon doctrine informs one that it is contingent on continued faithfulness and works in this life. Anyone who thinks that just because they get ‘sealed’ in a Mormon temple marriage ceremony they’ve got a free pass to the celestial realm when they pass on to the next life, falls into the same category as the Islamic extremist who thinks that because he kills an ‘apostate’ he’s got a free ride to paradise with virgins awaiting. While this is an extreme example, it makes the point, I think.
For those who want an in-depth look at the history of Mormon Polygamy, I highly recommend the book ‘Mormon Polygamy, A History’ by Richard S. Van Wagoner. The author is a graduate of Brigham Young University
This book covers the subject from it’s inception until the present, covering many of the different current factions. It is historically accurate, and eye-opening.
To Daniel, according to your replied, I must stop you.
“The Mormon church has a longstanding policy of excommunicating any polygamists, and anybody who takes actions in support of groups like Jeffs.”
———
Oh~ Really? But your first leader Joseph Smith, Jr. practices plural marriage, remember?
“How much greater can they show their displeasure?
Looks like you don’t seem to care, do you?
“Are they suppose to spend worship time denouncing other people who commit sin? Worship is for hearing the Word of God, not condemning other people.”
———-
So, you mean you mormons would sit inside the church, even though there are killing and raping happening outside? Let me ask you something, comfy in the church?
“Is this the responsibility of the Mormon Church? They don’t run the government you know.
“Not to mention that Utah is a pretty big place. Western States are huge compared with Eastern States. The Mormon church will not know what is going on everywhere. They don’t have spies or anything. They are a church! Not a law enforcement agency.”
Oh yeah? Mormons are not the law enforcement agency. You’re telling me! So, again, you mormons care about nothing but hearing the word of God. I see, what a wonderful reason to be an asshole.
What kind of church is that? Care about your God fantasy only and regardless of anything else? How could you so selfish and hypocrite?
What kind of missionary would care only their own interest but others’ misery?
Yes, Yes, I know who does these, it’s Mormon!
Some mormon!
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