News headline reads:
'Sister Wives' Lawsuit: Federal Judge Rules TV Family Can Question Bigamy Statute.
SALT LAKE CITY -- A federal judge has ruled there's sufficient evidence to allow a polygamous family made famous by a reality TV show to pursue a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Utah's bigamy law.
U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups on Friday dismissed Utah's governor and attorney general from the case, but allowed the suit to proceed against Utah County Attorney Jeffrey Buhman, the Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune report.
Buhman threatened to prosecute Kody Brown and his four wives – Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn – after the TLC show "Sister Wives" debuted in September 2010, but his office has not filed charges.
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So in understanding the history of polygamy in the history of the LDS church made me ask the question: if they do say its ok (polygamy), will D&C 132 come back to the church?
I was told by a known Mormons apologists that D&C 132 has nothing to do with polygamy. But in my collection of Mormon books and manuals, I have a copy of the 1981 D&C student manual put out from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints which I can only guess was used by BYU students.
In the history background of D&C 132 it says that the revelation has 2 major sections: 1st part deals with Celestial marriage(3-33) and the 2nd and remaining verses deals with "plural marriage" which was abandoned by the church in 1890.
Remember this is from the official student manual from the church.
Again I was asked, “where in 132 does it talk about plural marriage?
The 3 parts that talk about polygamy are:
“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—” (Doctrine and Covenants 132:1).
“David also received many wives and concubines, and also Solomon and Moses my servants, as also many others of 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. David’s wives and concubines were given unto him of me, by the hand of Nathan, my servant, and others of the prophets who had the keys of this power; and in none of these things did he sin against me save in the case of Uriah and his wife; and, therefore he hath fallen from his exaltation, and received his portion; and he shall not inherit them out of the world, for I gave them unto another, saith the Lord” (Doctrine and Covenants 132:38-39).
“Verily, I say unto you: A commandment I give unto mine handmaid, Emma Smith, your wife, whom I have given unto you, that she stay herself and partake not of that which I commanded you to offer unto her; for I did it, saith the Lord, to prove you all, as I did Abraham, and that I might require an offering at your hand, by covenant and sacrifice. And let mine handmaid, Emma Smith, receive all those that have been given unto my servant Joseph, and who are virtuous and pure before me; and those who are not pure, and have said they were pure, shall be destroyed, saith the Lord God” (Doctrine and Covenants 132:51-52).
“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 is he justified; he cannot commit adultery for they are given unto him; for he cannot commit adultery with that that belongeth unto him and to no one else” (Doctrine and Covenants 132:61).
One of the verses I highlighted was D&C 132:38-39 saying;
I guess one would have to understand what Joseph was saying when he wrote, UNTIL THIS TIME. Was he talking about the time of David or the time he lived. But we know from the Joseph Smith papers that they say he had up to 30 wives.
“During his lifetime, he [Joseph Smith] was married to approximately thirty women. Although conjugal relations were apparently involved, he spent little time with these women, the need for se¬crecy and the demands on his time keeping them apart” (The Joseph Smith Papers 1:xxx-xxxi. Brackets mine).
Then we would also have to look at, if 132 was just talking about celestial marriage (not dealing with plural marriage), why would Hyrum say, “If you will write the revelation on Celestial marriage, I will take it and read it to Emma, and I believe I can convince her its truth, and you will hereafter have peace” (History of the Church, 5:xxxii)
Why would they have to convince Emma about being with her husband for all eternity? Or where they convincing her to let Joseph have more then one wife?
The point that I would like to make is that living in Utah I know where there are polygamous family's lives and no on cares, even the mainstream LDS. The History of the church is clear but why do Mormons today try to cover it up or say it never happened.
One thing that evangelicals Christians and the rest of the world has a issue with is that the LDS church will not be upfront and clear on there history or beliefs. The cop out answer is, “Go to LDS.ORG and read about it.” If the LDS church still believe in polygamy in some way or another or looks for its return, please be upfront about it and try not to cover it up with lies.
You can’t change history
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