So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to come over the man, and he slept. God took one of his ribs and closed the flesh at that place. Then the LORD God made the rib He had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man. And the man said, "This one, at last, is bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh; this one will be called woman, for she was taken from man." This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh.
Genesis 2:21-24
He [the king] must not acquire many wives for himself so that his heart won't go astray.
Deuteronomy 17:17.
But because of sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband.
1 Corinthians 7:2
An overseer, therefore must be above reproach, the husband of one wife...
1 Timothy 3:2
Deacons must be husbands of one wife...
1 Timothy 3:12
...appoint elders in every town, someone who is blameless, the husband of one wife...
Titus 1:5b-6
See also God’s View of Polygamy. Note: in the LDS system it is more appropriately called “polygyny.”
Book of Mormon
And now it came to pass that the people of Nephi, under the reign of the second king, began to grow hard in their hearts, and indulge themselves somewhat in wicked practices, such as like unto David of old desiring many wives and concubines, and also Solomon, his son.
Jacob 2:24, 27-28
Behold, David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord.... Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none; For I, the Lord God, delight in the chastity of women. And whoredoms are an abomination before me; thus saith the Lord of Hosts.
Jacob 1:15
Behold, the Lamanites your brethren, whom ye hate because of their filthiness and the cursing which hath come upon their skins, are more righteous than you; for they have not forgotten the commandment of the Lord, which was given unto our fathers – that they should have save it were one wife, and concubines they should have none, and there should not be whoredoms committed among them.
Jacob 3:5
And it came to pass that Riplakish did not do that which was right in the sight of the Lord, for he did have many wives and concubines...
Ether 10:5
Insomuch as this church of Christ has been reproached with the crime of fornication and polygamy: we declare that we believe that one man should have one wife; and one woman but one husband, except in case of death, when either is at liberty to marry again…
D&C Sec. 101, 1835 edition, since removed.
What happened; did God change his mind?
The following are excepts from D&C 132: The introduction for this so-called revelation is dated July 12, 1843. By that time Joseph Smith had 40+ wives. The Church now admits Smith was practicing polygamy as early as 1831! (H/T Life After Ministry) So apparently Smith just happened to get this “revelation” to cover for his serial adultery.
4. For behold, I reveal unto you a new and an everlasting covenant; and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned; for no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory. 5 For all who will have a blessing at my hands shall abide the law which was appointed for that blessing, and the conditions thereof, as were instituted from before the foundation of the world. 6 And as pertaining to the new and everlasting covenant, it was instituted for the fulness of my glory; and he that receiveth a fulness thereof must and shall abide the law, or he shall be damned, saith the Lord God.
So this revelation is to be an “everlasting” covenant, which means forever. And those who don’t abide this law shall be damned!
37 Abraham received concubines, and they bore him children; and it was accounted unto him for righteousness, because they were given unto him, and he abode in my law…
So now, contradicting the above Bible and BOM passages above, God gave Abraham multiple wives (or concubines) and declared it righteous that he accepted them!
38 David also received many wives and concubines, and also Solomon and Moses my servants, as also many others of my servants, from the beginning of creation until this time; and in nothing did they sin save in those things which they received not of me.
39 David’s wives and concubines were given unto him of me, by the hand of Nathan, my servant, and others of the prophets who had the keys of this power; and in none of these things did he sin against me save in the case of Uriah and his wife;
Totally contradicting the Bible and BOM, God says he GAVE the extra wives to David, Solomon and Moses, as well as others. How can this be if the BOM specifically states that what they did by acquiring wives was abominable and sinful?
51 Verily, I say unto you: A commandment I give unto mine handmaid, Emma Smith, your wife, whom I have given unto you, that she stay herself and partake not of that which I commanded you to offer unto her; for I did it, saith the Lord, to prove you all, as I did Abraham, and that I might require an offering at your hand, by covenant and sacrifice.
52 And let mine handmaid, Emma Smith, receive all those that have been given unto my servant Joseph, and who are virtuous and pure before me; and those who are not pure, and have said they were pure, shall be destroyed, saith the Lord God.
54 And I command mine handmaid, Emma Smith, to abide and cleave unto my servant Joseph, and to none else. But if she will not abide this commandment she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord; for I am the Lord thy God, and will destroy her if she abide not in my law.
Here God tells Joseph’s wife Emma that she will be destroyed if she doesn’t accept Smith’s multiple wives! When she first saw this revelation she threw it into the fire and she never accepted the other women and didn’t even want them in her house. After Smith died she denied the “revelation” as being untrue.
61 And again, as pertaining to the law of the priesthood—if any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another, and the first give her consent, and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins, and have vowed to no other man, then is he justified; he cannot commit adultery for they are given unto him; for he cannot commit adultery with that that belongeth unto him and to no one else.
And yet Emma did NOT give her consent, and many of Smith’s wives were already married to other men, so Smith therefore violated the commandment to begin with!
62 And if he have ten virgins given unto him by this law, he cannot commit adultery, for they belong to him, and they are given unto him; therefore is he justified.
Again, most of Smith’s wives already belonged to other men.
63 But if one or either of the ten virgins, after she is espoused, shall be with another man, she has committed adultery, and shall be destroyed; for they are given unto him to multiply and replenish the earth, according to my commandment, and to fulfil the promise which was given by my Father before the foundation of the world, and for their exaltation in the eternal worlds, that they may bear the souls of men; for herein is the work of my Father continued, that he may be glorified.
Since most of Smith’s (and Brigham Young’s) wives were married to other men, according to this part of “God’s law” the women should have been destroyed! But were they? Of course not because God had nothing to do with this “revelation.”
64 And again, verily, verily, I say unto you, if any man have a wife, who holds the keys of this power, and he teaches unto her the law of my priesthood, as pertaining to these things, then shall she believe and administer unto him, or she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord your God; for I will destroy her; for I will magnify my name upon all those who receive and abide in my law.
Here again we have “God” threatening destruction to women who refuse to accept the polygamy teachings.
The grand reason of the burst of public sentiment in anathemas upon Christ and his disciples, causing his crucifixion, was evidently based upon polygamy, according to the testimony of the philosophers who rose in that age. A belief in the doctrine of a plurality of wives caused the persecution of Jesus and his followers. We might almost think that they [Jesus and his followers] were “Mormons.”
Jedidiah M. Grant, Journal of Discourses, Vol.1, pp.345-46.
The Bible tells us that Jesus was persecuted because he taught against the Sadducees and Pharisees and declared himself to be God; the Apostles were persecuted because they taught that Jesus was God and resurrected from the dead to pay for the sins of the world; i.e, both Jesus and the Apostles taught the true Gospel.
… the one-wife system not only degenerates the human family, both physically and intellectually, but it is entirely incompatible with philosophical notions of immortality; it is a lure to temptation, and has always proved a curse to people.
Samuel Whitney Richards, Millennial Star, No. 15, Vol. 15, April 9, 1853, p. 227
What truly “denigrates the human family, both physically and intellectually,” as well as spiritually and emotionally, is the teaching of polygamy! Polygamous relationships are abusive to the women and the more wives and children the man has the less he pays attention to them and can’t even remember their names! Paul said “because of sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband.”
This revelation, which God gave to Joseph, was for the express purpose of providing a channel for the organization of tabernacles, for those spirits to occupy who have been reserved to come forth in the kingdom of God, and that they might not be obliged to take tabernacles out of the kingdom of God. … Now if any of you will deny the plurality of wives, and continue to do so, I promise that you will be damned… …but the Saints who live their religion will be exalted…
Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 3:265-266 ,Provo, Utah, July 14, 1855.
Again the threat of damnation for those who deny polygamy.
I bear my testimony that [polygamy] is a necessity, and that the Church of Christ in its fullness never existed without it. Where you have the eternity of marriage you are bound to have plural marriage; bound to; and it is one of the marks of the Church of Jesus Christ in its sealing ordinances. “Whatever you bind on earth is bound in heaven.” We know how sensitive the Prophet Joseph was to introduce this principle. He knew the feeling that was against it. It had been taught from the days of heathen Rome down to the present time that a man should have but one wife, which has resulted in the prostitution of many of the fair daughters of Eve as mistresses. Here we have too much love for women to see them trampled in the dust. Here we have too much respect for unborn spirits to have them come into the world branded as bastards, illegitimate, in shame, without knowing their fathers. The children we have are legitimate. They are our own. We honor them and our wives. Our children are given unto us of God, for our wives are given to us of God. We never should have thought of practicing this principle [plural marriage] if God had not revealed it from the heavens and commanded it, and we must stand by it and by every principle that He has revealed.
Apostle George Teasdale (b.1831, d.1907), Journal of Discourses, v. 25, pp. 19-22
Smith was not “sensitive” to the “principle,” rather he invented it to cover up his serial adultery, and then it was added in to the theology of pre-existence. The fact that man has ONE wife, according to the God of the Bible, does not result in prostitution. If they really loved their women they wouldn’t have more than one wife because one wife is ALL that is given to them by God. Their women are indeed “trampled” and abused when forced into polygamous relationships.
Oh, but wait! Suddenly God decided that the Mormons had to stop practicing “the principle” because they couldn’t get Utah statehood with it. What happened to the “everlasting covenant”? Did God really care if Utah couldn’t become a state? “God” lied when he said the covenant would be forever!
I now publicly declare that my advice to the Latter-day Saints is to refrain from contracting any marriage forbidden by the law of the land.
Wilford Woodruff, LDS President, Official Declaration 1 (known as the Manifesto), Doctrine & Covenants.
Polygamy was ALWAYS “forbidden by the law of the land” but the Mormons declared their land a separate nation from the USA. Notice how it is worded; if the law of the land allows polygamy in the future (which is being fought for by many groups) suddenly Mormons can begin multiplying wives again.
The Lord showed me by vision and revelation exactly what would take place if we did not stop this practice.
Wilford Woodruff, LDS President, Address regarding the Manifesto.
The Lord did not show Woodruff a thing; Woodruff made up the whole Manifesto so as to allow Utah to get statehood.
The “Fundamental” Latter Day Saints split-off groups continue the practice of polygamy because they claim the LDS Church is apostate by refusing to obey the “everlasting covenant.”
There have been many books written by women who escaped FLDS, and other polygamous cults, which tell of the abuse they suffered under such systems. Even children have suffered under such systems. Think about it; why should any woman want to be married to a man who has sex with a different wife every night! There is no way a man can become ONE FLESH with more than one wife.
I highly recommend the video, Lifting the Veil of Polygamy, a copy of which I have had since 2008 when I acquired it at an apologetics conference. You can also watch the full video here.
