Why is the LDS church still protecting polygamy?

honest questions and sad answers

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When women within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints begin questioning the legitimacy of the church’s authority and truth claims, polygamy is a safe space to start.

But it’s also a tricky place to start because, well, like Linda Hamilton said, everything is polygamy.

The church stopped practicing polygamy since ‘The Manifesto’ in 1890, and then a ‘Second Manifesto’ in 1904 (because apparently people didn’t stop the first time). It’s something that the church once supported, and now doesn’t. In fact, anyone practicing polygamy now within the church would be subject to excommunication.

But the curious thing about this all is that the church still protects polygamy. They maintain that the practice was from God, continue to count D&C 132 as canonized scripture, continue to allow men to be sealed to multiple women in the case of death (but not vice versa), and use polygamy-adjacent language in temple ceremonies.

They also, curiously, throw Joseph Smith’s image under the bus to protect polygamy’s legitimacy.

After Joseph Smith's death, Brigham Young and other leaders publicly acknowledged that plural marriage was a doctrine revealed to Joseph and practiced under his leadership, although not widely during his lifetime.

The Church’s current apologetic stance on Joseph’s polygamy is that Joseph Smith practiced polygamy in private but not in public. He was attempting to navigate the Illinois law that condemned “open” adultery. And, since what he was doing wasn’t “open,” then he could carefully choose his words (or lie) to deny that he was practicing polygamy.

A picture from a children’s lesson on Joseph being sad to tell Emma that he *has* to practice polygamy and if she doesn’t agree then she will be destroyed :(

With a new internal movement within Mormonism questioning Joseph Smith’s revelation about polygamy (or lack thereof), it is sadly very apparent that the church institution continues to favor conformity over curiosity, and ultimately, protect polygamy at all costs.