Whether ancient or modern, polygamous or monogamous, marriage has rules. There may be ages and genders to consider. In early America, there were races to consider. Often, those considerations draw on religious beliefs. The Quran allows a man to take up to four wives. In Fundamentalist Mormonism, there is no set limit to the number of wives in one marriage. Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet who first delivered God 's directive that Mormons practice plural marriage, ultimately took dozens of wives.
In the United States, Fundamentalist Mormons are the most common groups to practice polygamy. For Mormons, polygamy is the Divine Principle, reflecting God 's wish that his people are "fruitful and multiply." Mainstream Mormons, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, officially stopped practicing the Principle in the late 1800s. Those who continued forming plural marriages were eventually excommunicated and became the Fundamentalist Mormons, which include various sects including the FLDS, the AUB, the Priesthood Work and the Independent Fundamentalists not associated with any particular group.
…show more content…
There are actually quite a few different sects that fall under the heading "Fundamentalist Mormon," and distinguishing between them can be helpful in understanding how polygamy is practiced by the group. Polygamy, while invariably illegal throughout North America, is still a form of marriage. As such, there are guidelines regarding the way Fundamentalist Mormons form their commitments and carry them out. Perhaps the most basic one is this: Only a specific form of polygamy is
THE STRANGITE MOVEMENT James Jesse Strang (March 21, 1813 – July 9, 1856) was an American religious leader, politician and self-proclaimed monarch who founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite), a faction of the Latter Day Saint movement. A major contender for leadership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints during the 1844 succession crisis, Strang vied with Brigham Young and Sidney Rigdon for control of the main body of Latter Day Saints in Nauvoo, Illinois before his rejection by that group led him to start his own sect. While serving as Prophet, Seer and Revelator of his church—which he claimed to be the sole legitimate continuation of the Church of Christ founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1830—Strang
The Latter-day Saints, also known as the LDS Church, is a unique Christian denomination with a fascinating history and a distinctive set of beliefs and practices. Founded in the early 19th century by Joseph Smith, the LDS Church has grown to become a global religion with millions of members worldwide. Despite its relatively short history, the LDS Church has had a significant impact on American culture and society, and its teachings and practices continue to inspire and influence people around the world. In this paper, we will explore the origins of the LDS Church, its fundamental beliefs and practices, and its impact on American history and culture. We will also examine some of the challenges and controversies that have faced the LDS Church
The Mormon Church believes that genealogy is about linking families together and has certain religious ordinances like baptism. They believe that they can baptize the deceased by proxy in their sacred temples. They enjoy learning about their ancestors and gathering records, documenting their existence including birth, marriage, death, military as well as collecting and storing them. It is a concerted effort by the church and children are indoctrinated very early in the importance to know about family. The result is the largest holding and collection of genealogical records in the world in Salt Lake City, Utah.
When Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-day Saints, asked God which Christian denomination he should join, he claimed that God said “they were all wrong” and that “their creeds were an abomination to [my] sight” (Smith). By sharing his discovery, Smith incited violent persecution, “common among all the sects” who “all united to persecute [him]” after fielding attacks on their religion (Smith). Hatred towards Smith grew so violent that he was forced to leave his home in Manchester (Smith), but persecution of Mormons and Mormon communities continued for years. To other Christians, Mormonism offered an unwarranted, modern interpretation of Christian beliefs, history, and saints. The institution of polygamy was seen as its most sacrilegious practice.
The majority of Mormonism’s beliefs of Jesus are not mentioned in the Christian Bible. The most important disagreement between the two denominations is the belief in
But along with the more different ideas, Mormons are guided through mission work and helping others. While Mormonism is often viewed in a skeptical way, it’s a strict, male led religion that puts a strong emphasis on family with the word of God at the center of their
Mormonism is a term that defines the religious beliefs and practices of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter - day Saints, also known as Mormons. The Mormon Church was officially founded in 1830 by six individuals and by 2002 had 11 million followers. Mormons believe that Jesus Christ is literally the Son of God, the Savior and Redeemer, who died for the sins of humankind and rose from the dead on the third day with an immortal body. God, the Father, also has an immortal body.
According to the Christian Post, the Mormon church made it clear to its followers that “changes in the civil law do not, indeed cannot, change the moral law that God has established. God expects us to uphold and keep His commandments regardless of divergent opinions or trends in society. His law of chastity is clear:
Mormons are a group of people who practice Mormonism and represent the principle branch of the Church of Latter Day Saints (Heaton, 1992). The Mormon society is very communal and family traditions makeup a large part of the society’s norms. Geographically, the Mormon movement began with Joseph Smith in upstate New York in the 1820s but quickly moved to the Utah Territory in the mid-19th century and thus the center of Mormon culture resides in present day Utah (Heaton, 1992). Mormon culture and society place a high value on family interaction and family relationships. The culture is very communal in practice and incorporates this communal nature into family behaviors.
However, not all Mormons believe in the apocalypse. In fact, officials of the church don't encourage their people to believe in it because they don't think it is really coming to an end anytime soon. One their late leaders even told their followers to plan for long, productive lives. NASA on the other hand also didn't say that the world is going to end this September.
Old fashioned, hand made clothing, reserved lives, playgrounds that only consist of a cement slab, and a school system that only teaches through the eighth grade are peculiar to the outside world. These oddities are just the surface of the unusual practices that take place in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints. The FLDS church is one of the largest Mormon fundamentalist denominations and one of the largest organizations in the United States whose members practice polygamy. Polygamy is illegal, in 1890 the Mormon church ended its practice of polygamy, which created a split in the church. Fundamentalists moved to secluded areas where they could continue their practice of plural marriage.
Why doesn’t it show any of the prophets in its story having more than one wife? In fact it condemns the idea of polygamy. If indeed plural wives are necessary to have the “fullness of the Gospel” why is this not indicated anywhere in the Bible or Book of Mormon? The story of Abraham and Jacob having plural wives clearly shows their wives were given to them by their first wife. In Joseph Smith’s case Emma was very bitter towards him in this regard, and as shown above actually denied he ever practiced this doctrine on her deathbed.
Joseph Smith claimed he was curious why the old testament prophets had many wives and asked God about it and received the revelation on plural marriage. The old testament prophets did not have many wives. Abraham had one wife, Isaac had one wife and Jacob had two wives. Abraham had one intimate relationship with Hagar, Sarah’s handmaid and produced a son Ishmael.
I do not believe the Old Testament encourages polygamy; however, I do feel that it is tolerated. Women during this time frame were poorly educated and they depended on their fathers, brothers, and husband to take care of them; otherwise, they are subject to slavery and prostitution. So while polygamy was not ideal, it was a better option for the single women. God intended marriage to consist of one man and one woman. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24).
The Mormons are a religious and cultural group, they are the principal branch of the Latter-Day Saint movement of Restorationist Christianity, initiated by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. I have chosen to study them because recently I have been fascinated by the different branches of my religion (Judaism) and sought to see other religions (like Christianity’s) divisions. Many religions have recently begun changing to equalize the roles and responsibilities of men and women as the world has become more outspoken about women’s rights. Mormonism is sadly one of the exceptions to this change. The Mormon position on women in the household has changed very little since the early 1800's, when the official view was that "woman's