Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 8
June 7, 1956
NUMBER 6, PAGE 2,3b

The Mormon Takes A Wife

Guthrie D. Dean, Ruston, Louisiana

Let it never be said that Mormonism, under the able leadership of Joseph Smith and later Brigham Young, has not from its beginning been saturated with polygamy. To deny that the Mormon Church is founded on the doctrine of plural marriage, is to deny the plain truth. Joseph Smith received a revelation from God, so he said, in which damnation is promised to those who refuse to enter into polygamy, and the highest glory is only secured by the practice of polygamy. The revelation, "Revelation on the eternity of the marriage covenant, including plurality of wives, given through Joseph, the Seer, in Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois, July 12th, 1843" reads as follows:

1. "Verily thus saith the Lord unto you, my servant Joseph, that inasmuch as you have inquired of my hand to know and understand wherein I, the Lord, justified my servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; as also Moses, David and Solomon, my servants, as touching the principle and doctrine of their having many wives and concubines."

2. "Behold, and lo, I am the Lord thy God, and will answer thee as touching this matter."

4. "For behold I reveal unto you a new and everlasting covenant; and if you abide not that covenant then ye are damned, for no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory."

6. "And as pertaining to the new and everlasting Covenant, it was instituted for the fullness of my glory and he that receiveth a fullness thereof, must and shall abide the law, or he shall be damned, saith the Lord."

15. "Therefore, if a man marry him a wife in the world, and he marry her not by me, nor by my word, and he covenant with her so long as he is in the world, and she with him, their covenant and marriage are not of force when they are dead, and when they are out of the world, therefore they are not bound by any law when they are out of the world."

17. "Therefore, when they are out of the world they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are appointed Angels in heaven, which angels are ministering servants, to minister for those who are worthy of a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." (To those who abide in the covenant is this great promise made.)

20. "Then shall they be GODS, because they have no end, therefore they shall be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue. Then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be GODS because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them."

34. "God commanded Abraham, and Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham to wife, and why did she do it? Because this was the law and from Hagar sprang many people. This, therefore, was fulfilling among things, the promises."

35. "Was Abraham, therefore, under condemnation? Verily, I say unto you, Nay, for I, the Lord, commanded it."

37. "Abraham received concubines, and they bear him children, and it was accounted unto him for righteousness — as Isaac also and Jacob did none other things than that which they were commanded. They have entered into their exaltation and sit upon thrones and are not angels, but are Gods."

38. "David also received many wives and concubines, as also Solomon and Moses 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."

52. "And let mine handmaid Emma Smith (Joseph Smith's first wife, G.D.) receive all those that have been given unto my servant Joseph, who are virtuous and pure before me."

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 he is justified, he cannot commit adultery, for they belong to him, and they are given unto him, therefore, is he justified."

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."

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 damned." And this is the law from their own book, given by Jesus Christ (?) to Joseph Smith, which states clearly that polygamy and concubinage is a new and everlasting covenant. Those who obey it and enter into the practice of polygamy will pass by the Angels and become Gods, while those who refuse the teachings on polygamy will be damned.

Brigham Young, who followed Joseph Smith as the leader of the Mormon Church, stated: "Jesus Christ was a polygamist; Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus, were his plural wives, and Mary Magdalene was another. Also, the bridal feast of Cana of Galilee, where Jesus turned the water into wine, was on the occasion of one of his own marriages." (Wife Number 19, Chapter XXXV.)

"Apostle" Orson Hyde, one of the leaders among the Mormons, stated: "We say it was Jesus Christ who was married (at Cana, to Martha and Mary), whereby he could see his own seed before he was crucified. The reference is to Isaiah 53:10." (Shook, The True Origin of Mormon Polygamy, page 207.)

There is evidence, abundant, which shows that the founder of the Mormon Church (Joseph Smith) and many of his followers practiced polygamy. Sworn statements of Orson Pratt's wife, Wm. Law's wife, Dr. Poster's wife, Wm. Mark's wife and daughter, Nancy Rigdon, Martha Brotherton, Melissa Schindle, and a score more of as respectable women as ever lived in Nauvoo, testify that Joseph Smith tried to seduce them into spiritual wifery. (Branden-Kelly Debate, page 203.)

And the modern Mormons (or Latter Day Saints as they call themselves) need not try to deny their teaching on polygamy, for their past history and books are full of it. However, if they claim to reject polygamy in this generation, well and good; but let them not deny that they once taught and practiced it. Furthermore, Smith said that it was to be "an everlasting covenant," but I suppose that was another one of Smith's "errors." But, on the other hand, if Smith was inspired to write the Book of Mormon, how could he have made such an "error"?