Sorry, I know you hate this subject, but... (Jesus, priest)

[idea]

In short - I suspect that there are different ways to organize life…
One way is to get pregnant obviously,
the other way to create life is more in tune with free will and does not involve forcing someone into the world to parents they do not choose.

To me, the highest most noble form of motherhood, of creating life, is not getting pregnant. The higher law of motherhood – of making life - is about nurturing, teaching, Loving, selflessly giving – in this definition of parenthood every person can create life, barren or not. Perhaps God was trying to tell Eve, Sarah, etc. that they did not have to be pregnant to be a mother – that there was another way of creating a family.. a better way. So multiple mothers - one who gets pregnant - another a mother of choice... both types are needed...

random thoughts on mother's day...

[Blood Swamp]

Originally Posted by Katzpur

Polygamy was instituted briefly for what we believe was a divine purpose. At the time the early Latter-day Saints began to practice it, they were living in the Great Basin, in what is now Utah. Utah was not then part of the United States, and there were no federal laws against polygamy. Had the practice not be discontinued when it was, it is almost certain that the Church would not have survived. I believe that the practice was repealed in order that the Church could survive, and for no other reason. I had to teach a Sunday School lesson to a class of new converts to Mormonism several months back. I'll post that lesson and, if you have the patience to read through it all the way, I'm sure you'll have a better understanding of the subject.

Hang on, wasn't the practice of polygamy established during the time of Joseph Smith, which was well prior to the Saints migrating west to Utah? I was also under the impression that polygamy was always illegal where practiced by the early Saints, both during the time when Joseph Smith practiced polygamy, and when the Saints migrated to Utah (then Mexico and subject to Mexican laws). I’m not 100% certain, but whilst there might not have been a federal law against polygamy, respective state laws certainly could have prohibited it. I think Mexican law also prohibited the practice of polygamy at the time the Saints migrated west.

Is this incorrect? It's kind of a difficult subject to find completely reliable sources of information on.

[Starfish]

Originally Posted by Blood Swamp

Hang on, wasn't the practice of polygamy established during the time of Joseph Smith, which was well prior to the Saints migrating west to Utah? I was also under the impression that polygamy was always illegal where practiced by the early Saints, both during the time when Joseph Smith practiced polygamy, and when the Saints migrated to Utah (then Mexico and subject to Mexican laws). I’m not 100% certain, but whilst there might not have been a federal law against polygamy, respective state laws certainly could have prohibited it. I think Mexican law also prohibited the practice of polygamy at the time the Saints migrated west.

Is this incorrect? It's kind of a difficult subject to find completely reliable sources of information on.

I'm not certain of the laws at that time, but polygamy was practiced by only a handful of people, until they settled in Utah. Then it was practiced openly; however, still by a minority of the Saints.

[Sola'lor]

Originally Posted by Starfish

I'm not certain of the laws at that time, but polygamy was practiced by only a handful of people, until they settled in Utah. Then it was practiced openly; however, still by a minority of the Saints.

And from what I understand it was also only done when commanded to. You couldn't just marry up all the hotties you want.

[Starfish]

Originally Posted by Sola'lor

And from what I understand it was also only done when commanded to. You couldn't just marry up all the hotties you want.

I've heard something like that too; however, there was some abuse of it. It definately was NOT as wide spread as the world believes.

I read somewhere that only a small percentage of the people were polygamous. But just about anyone who has ancestors among the early Saints, SEEMS to have it in their family. My family as well. So maybe those few families were very fruitful . . . ?

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by Blood Swamp

Hang on, wasn't the practice of polygamy established during the time of Joseph Smith, which was well prior to the Saints migrating west to Utah?

Joseph Smith did have several plural wives, and it goes without saying that this was well before the exodus to the Great Basin. A handful of other General Authorities did, as well. The practice was not made official, nor were very many men asked to take a second or third wife until several years after the Saints arrived in the Salt Lake Valley.

I was also under the impression that polygamy was always illegal where practiced by the early Saints, both during the time when Joseph Smith practiced polygamy, and when the Saints migrated to Utah (then Mexico and subject to Mexican laws). I’m not 100% certain, but whilst there might not have been a federal law against polygamy, respective state laws certainly could have prohibited it. I think Mexican law also prohibited the practice of polygamy at the time the Saints migrated west.

From everything I've read, it is clear that there were no laws against polygamy until those that I mentioned were enacted. There obviously couldn't have been any state laws against the practice in Utah because Utah did not become a state until after the Manifesto.

[3.14]

better to have polygameist and lost then never to have polygameist to begin with

[Starfish]

Originally Posted by Halcyon

...it's something I don't understand, still, maybe I'm just thick..

Why did God allow polygamy in the LDS Church to begin with, then disallow it until a future time if He knew that the world was not ready for polygamy yet?

In other words, why not keep the polygamy teaching to himself until the world was ready for it (via his omniscience) rather than briefly giving it then taking it away again?

Actually I don't hate this subject. I'm a product of it.

[Halcyon]

Originally Posted by Starfish

Actually I don't hate this subject. I'm a product of it.

Well, fair enough, it just seems like you guys are tired of being questioned on it, which I can understand.

I had no idea that it was only ever meant to be a temporary thing, that's what confused me, people kept telling me that it was God-ordained and will be brought back once mankind is ready for it - which I suppose is also what you believe, but it was never put into context for me before, or maybe just not in a way I understood before.