Christian Pure

Do Mormons Have Multiple Wives? (Polygamy)?

Christian Pure Team

·

Published

Summary

  • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints no longer practices polygamy, with a strict policy against it since the early 20th century.
  • Polygamy was historically significant in the Church for about fifty years, instigated by revelations from its founder, Joseph Smith.
  • Modern misconceptions about the Church’s relationship with polygamy persist due to media portrayals and the existence of fundamentalist groups that continue the practice.
  • While polygamy is not practiced today, some beliefs around plural marriage still influence Latter-day Saint theology, particularly concerning the afterlife.

A Heartfelt Question for Our Latter-day Saint Neighbors: A Christian Looks at Polygamy In the landscape of American faith, few groups are as recognized, and yet as misunderstood, as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For many Christians, conversations about our Latter-day Saint neighbors often circle back to one persistent and perplexing question: the matter of polygamy. It is a topic that can feel uncomfortable, shrouded in historical mystery and modern-day media portrayals that leave us with more…

Continue reading with a subscription

Get unlimited access to all our premium content and exclusive features.

Subscribe now

Enjoy unlimited access, cancel anytime.

Bibliography (Click to show)

Bibliography:

  1. Polygamy: Latter-day Saints and the Practice of Plural Marriage – Church Newsroom, accessed July 1, 2025, https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/polygamy-latter-day-saints-and-the-practice-of-plural-marriage
  2. Polygamy – Church Newsroom, accessed July 1, 2025, https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/topic/polygamy
  3. Do Mormons Practice Polygamy?, accessed July 1, 2025, https://mormonfaq.com/mormon-culture/do-mormons-practice-polygamy
  4. Polygamy: What Latter-day Saints Really Believe – Philippines, accessed July 1, 2025, https://ph.churchofjesuschrist.org/polygamy-mormons-plural-marriage
  5. 38. Church Policies and Guidelines – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, accessed July 1, 2025, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/general-handbook/38-church-policies-and-guidelines?lang=eng
  6. Polygamy in America – Visa pour l'image, accessed July 1, 2025, https://www.visapourlimage.com/en/festival/exhibitions/la-polygamie-aux-etats-unis
  7. Origin of Latter Day Saint polygamy – Wikipedia, accessed July 1, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_of_Latter_Day_Saint_polygamy
  8. Polygamy and the Church: A History | American Experience | Official …, accessed July 1, 2025, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/mormons-polygamy/
  9. Plural Marriage Timeline – Joseph Smith's Polygamy, accessed July 1, 2025, https://josephsmithspolygamy.org/history/mormonpolygamyhistory/
  10. Mormonism and polygamy – Wikipedia, accessed July 1, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormonism_and_polygamy
  11. 9.8 The Mormon Polygamous Wife – Her Half of History, accessed July 1, 2025, https://herhalfofhistory.com/2023/03/02/9-8-the-mormon-polygamous-wife/
  12. The History of Polygamy, accessed July 1, 2025, https://historytogo.utah.gov/history-polygamy/
  13. Latter-day Saints and Polygamy – Mormonr, accessed July 1, 2025, https://mormonr.org/qnas/tM3Gfb/latter_day_saints_and_polygamy
  14. Plural Marriage and Families in Early Utah, accessed July 1, 2025, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/plural-marriage-and-families-in-early-utah?lang=eng
  15. Mormon Polygamy in the Nineteenth Century: The Practice of "The Principle" in Reality – UNL Digital Commons, accessed July 1, 2025, https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1125&context=nebanthro
  16. LDS Practice of Polygamy: 1847-1911 – I Love History – Utah.gov, accessed July 1, 2025, https://ilovehistory.utah.gov/1847-1904-lds-practice-of-polygamy/
  17. D&C 132 – The CES Letter: A Closer Look, accessed July 1, 2025, https://debunking-cesletter.com/polygamy-polyandry-1/dc-132/
  18. Commentary on Doctrine & Covenants 132 | Doctrine and …, accessed July 1, 2025, https://doctrineandcovenantscentral.org/sections/commentary-on-dc-132/
  19. Unit 28: Day 4, Doctrine and Covenants 132:1–33, accessed July 1, 2025, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/doctrine-and-covenants-and-church-history-study-guide-for-home-study-seminary-students-2014/section-06/unit-28-day-4-doctrine-and-covenants-132-1-33?lang=eng
  20. Was Polygamy Actually Temporary? Or Is the LDS Church Quietly Changing Doctrine? : r/mormon – Reddit, accessed July 1, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/mormon/comments/1iwfh91/was_polygamy_actually_temporary_or_is_the_lds/
  21. Polygamy Letter – Mormon Momma, accessed July 1, 2025, https://mormonmomma.com/polygamy-letter/
  22. What does a history of polygamy mean for Latter-day Saints today? – LDS Living, accessed July 1, 2025, https://www.ldsliving.com/what-does-a-history-of-polygamy-mean-for-latter-day-saints-today/s/10997
  23. Polygamy in Christianity – Wikipedia, accessed July 1, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygamy_in_Christianity
  24. Polygamy in the Bible Is Not Prescriptive – Stand to Reason, accessed July 1, 2025, https://www.str.org/w/polygamy-in-the-bible-is-not-prescriptive
  25. The Theological Implications of Polygamy in Biblical Context – Modern Ghana, accessed July 1, 2025, https://www.modernghana.com/news/1252877/the-theological-implications-of-polygamy-in-biblic.html
  26. “May I Have Two Wives?” Six Vetoes | Desiring God, accessed July 1, 2025, https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/may-i-have-two-wives-six-vetoes
  27. Catechism of the Catholic Church | Catholic Culture, accessed July 1, 2025, https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/catechism/index.cfm?recnum=6219
  28. One Wife at a Time | Catholic Answers Q&A, accessed July 1, 2025, https://www.catholic.com/qa/one-wife-at-a-time
  29. Catechism of the Catholic Church | Catholic Culture, accessed July 1, 2025, https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/catechism/cat_view.cfm?recnum=4842
  30. Part Two Section Two The Seven Sacrements Of The Church Chapter Three The Sacraments At The Service Of Communion Article 7 The Sacrament Of Matrimony In Brief – The Holy See, accessed July 1, 2025, https://www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_two/section_two/chapter_three/article_7/in_brief.html
  31. Marriage in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, accessed July 1, 2025, https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resource/55403/marriage-in-the-catechism-of-the-catholic-church
  32. Let's Talk About Polygamy – FAIR Latter-day Saints, accessed July 1, 2025, https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/conference/august-2021old/lets-talk-about-polygamy
  33. Polygamy and the Frontier: Mormon Women in Early Utah – Issuu, accessed July 1, 2025, https://issuu.com/utah10/docs/uhq_volume50_1982_number3/s/133731
  34. Mormon Women and Polygamy: Creating a Better Future with the Past, accessed July 1, 2025, https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1157&context=awe
  35. Did the woman really enjoy polygamy? : r/exmormon – Reddit, accessed July 1, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/exmormon/comments/1dart0z/did_the_woman_really_enjoy_polygamy/
  36. Leonard J. Arrington Diaries – “Polygamy” – Mormon Studies, accessed July 1, 2025, https://mormonstudies.as.virginia.edu/leonard-j-arrington-diary-excerpts/polygamy/
  37. 4.15 “Mormon” Women's Protest, 1886 (Excerpt) – The Church Historian's Press, accessed July 1, 2025, https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/the-first-fifty-years-of-relief-society/part-4/4-15?lang=eng
  38. Beyond the Image: Reconstructing Mormon Women and Their Fight for Plural Marriage | The New York Historical, accessed July 1, 2025, https://www.nyhistory.org/blogs/beyond-the-image-reconstructing-mormon-women-and-t
  39. The Emotional and Priestly Logic of Plural Marriage – DigitalCommons@USU, accessed July 1, 2025, https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/context/arrington_lecture/article/1014/viewcontent/802_2_Arrington_15INT.pdf
  40. Juvenile Instructor » “The cheerless, crushed and unwomanly mothers of polygamy”, accessed July 1, 2025, https://juvenileinstructor.org/the-cheerless-crushed-and-unwomanly-mothers-of-polygamy/
  41. The Manifesto and the End of Plural Marriage – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, accessed July 1, 2025, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/the-manifesto-and-the-end-of-plural-marriage?lang=eng
  42. Brigham Young: 56 children. John Taylor: 34 children. Wilford Woodruff: 34 children. Lorenzo Snow: 42 children. Joseph F. Smith: 48 children. After that it tapers off, because the US government intervened. Heber J. Grant: 12 children, but 3 wives… so on and so forth – Reddit, accessed July 1, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/exmormon/comments/jh8638/brigham_young_56_children_john_taylor_34_children/
  43. Mormon Polygamy – BYU Studies, accessed July 1, 2025, https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/mormon-polygamy-a-history
  44. Latter Day Saint polygamy in the late-19th century – Wikipedia, accessed July 1, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latter_Day_Saint_polygamy_in_the_late-19th_century
  45. Mormon fundamentalism – Wikipedia, accessed July 1, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_fundamentalism
  46. Current state of polygamy in the Latter Day Saint movement – Wikipedia, accessed July 1, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Current_state_of_polygamy_in_the_Latter_Day_Saint_movement
  47. Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints – Wikipedia, accessed July 1, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamentalist_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-Day_Saints
  48. Meet the Mormons: Inside a Fundamentalist Community | Complete Series | ENDEVR Documentary – YouTube, accessed July 1, 2025, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CQxJIDSi0Sg&pp=ygUGI2FiZWwy
  49. Struggling with the teaching that there will be polygamy in heaven : r/mormon – Reddit, accessed July 1, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/mormon/comments/2idmtu/struggling_with_the_teaching_that_there_will_be/
  50. For Mormons in a faith crisis, the Gospel Topics essays try to answer the hard questions – Religion News Service, accessed July 1, 2025, https://religionnews.com/2020/10/27/for-mormons-in-a-faith-crisis-the-gospel-topics-essays-try-to-answer-the-hard-questions/
  51. D&C 132 : r/latterdaysaints – Reddit, accessed July 1, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/latterdaysaints/comments/1kv40ou/dc_132/

Discover more from Christian Pure

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

RedditWhatsApp
Share to...
CopyLinkedInMastodonPinterestPrintRedditSMSThreadsWhatsAppBlueskyVK