Polygamy and Mormon Church Leaders 6

01 June

Polygamy and Mormon Church Leaders 6

Joseph Fielding Smith, Sr.  1838-1918

Joseph Fielding Smith, Sr. was the son of Hyrum Smith and nephew of Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Mormon Church.

Journal of Discourses 20:27; “A man that is not honest in his heart, who does not desire to be just and impartial, even as God is just and impartial, has no business in plural marriage; and before he enters into the practice of that principle he needs to repent, to learn wisdom to get the Spirit of God, to get understanding in relation to the purpose God has in view in regard to this principle; that he may go into the practice of it understandingly, that his heart and mind may be set upon practicing it in righteousness.” – Joseph F. Smith, July 7, 1878, Salt Lake City

1. There is no way anyone can practice adultery in righteousness.

2. Our purpose as created beings on this earth is to love and worship God.  This man is tricking his followers and lying to them.  When we enter into a covenant relationship with the Lord, our first and foremost desire is to seek God in order to please Him.  We are not worshipping or praising God while engaged in sexual activities.

3. What is the LDS definition of righteousness if the only way to live righteously is to be a polygamist?

Sex in and of itself isn’t a bad thing.  God created it for mankind to reproduce and for pleasure between a husband and wife.

However, when people are engaged in sexual activity with another person simply for the act of sex and calling it a godly, righteous practice for God, this is called fornication and fornication is idolatry.  God doesn’t need for you to have sex to save you or for you to have a relationship with Him.

I’ve not found anything written in LDS literature explaining Joseph Smith’s reasoning of where he got the idea of polygamy for salvation.  I honestly believe there’s something else going on besides using the old Abraham and Hagar story.  I’m of the opinion he spread his lies around for a handful of personal reasons; the first of which was to justify his sexual perversions.

I think he also knew that polygamy would increase the Mormon population significantly, giving them a foothold in the local politics as well as gaining economic advantages monogamic residents wouldn’t have.  All one has to do is read about the local fears of the voting block episodes of the Mormons in Nauvoo.

With Joseph Fielding Smith, Sr., the apple didn’t fall far from the family tree.  He obviously bought his father’s and uncle’s stories hook, line and sinker, rejecting truth from other cultures throughout the world that he had the privilege of experiencing in life through the missionary efforts he took part in.

In April 1904 Smith issued the 2nd Manifesto, once again declaring an end to the Mormon support of polygamy.  This came on the eve of Reed Smoot, a Mormon, was being sworn in as a U.S. Senator back in Washington D.C.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Manifesto

I’ve always found the date of this interesting on a personal note.  My great-great grandfather who already had three wives travelled to England in March of 1904 and summarily married a set of sisters and brought them back here to the States…hmmm…just in time…

Again, this “holy man of God” Smith, also evaded authorities by going on a mission to Hawaii instead of standing up for what he was preaching from the pulpit and changed his name to J. F. Speight.*

And following along in the ambiguous ways of these Mormon prophets, Smith was the one who instituted Family Home Evening in 1917.  Was this sending an unspoken message that he felt guilty for not being with his family because of the crimes he was committing?

Wife # Marriage date & Smith’s age at date of marriage Wife’s name & age at marriage Number of kids Total = 43 & adopted 5 others  Other info
1 April 5, 1859 (21) Levira Annette Clark Smith (16) 0 Daughter of Samuel Harrison Smith who was the younger brother of Joseph and Hyrum.  1st cousin to each other.  Divorced in 1868 due to her inability to accept polygamy.
2 May 6, 1866 (28) Julina Lambson (17) 13 Son David was 1st president of Mormon Tabernacle Choir.**Son Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr. born in this marriage.
3 March 1, 1868 (30) Sarah Ellen Richards (18) 11 Daughter of Willard Richards (cousin of B. Young)
4 May 5, 1871 (33) Edna Lambson (20) 10 Sister of Julina
5 Dec. 6, 1883 (45) Alice Ann Kimball (25) 7 Daughter of Heber C. Kimball & twin of Andrew Kimball, father of Spencer W. Kimball, 12th prophet of Church.
6 Jan. 13, 1884 (46) Mary Taylor Schwartz (19) 7 John Taylor’s niece

* http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/people/joseph_f_smith.html

** Amelia Smith, daughter of Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr., married Bruce R. McConkie

Info on marriages came from the following resources:

http://earlylds.server341.com/familygroup.php?familyID=F3754&tree=Earlylds

http://www.josephfsmith.org/book/export/html/151

http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&nav=265&sourceId=03d5f48fa2d20110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=198bf4b13819d110VgnVCM1000003a94610aRCRD

http://www.josephfsmith.org/node/4

http://www.ldsces.org/inst_manuals/pres-sm/pres-ch-04-06.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_F._Smith

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

No comments yet.

Leave a Reply