Search (www.salemthoughts.com)

Joseph Smith - Honest Seer or Lying Polygamist

The standard Latter-day Saint narrative is the Joseph Smith introduced polygamy, had many wives and lied about it. Joseph spoke out strongly against polygamy many times. Is it possible that we incorrectly cast him as a polygamist?

Joseph Smith's grandson RLDS Patriarch Elbert A. Smith said it best:

"There is no halfway ground. Either Joseph Smith was true and clean, open and above board ... or else he was a hypocrite and a fraud through and through, as his enemies claim."

A video "Emma vs Brigham--Who is Lying" by Rob Fotheringham
The video refers to this paper: Joseph Smith's Monogamy
Monogamy vs. Polygamy - Timeline of Events
Jeremy Hoop's Presentation: Of Demigods and Dark Knights - PDF version.

Joseph and Hyrum constantly (36) preached against plural marriage.
Latter-day Scriptures warned against polygamy
Joseph's history was modified to change his position on plural marriage.
Joseph was sealed to men and women. There were no sexual relationships.
Memory is not a reliable source for accurate historical events.
Emma, Lucy and William Smith all testify that polygamy didn't come from Joseph.
Most of the evidence implicating Joseph came during the 1880s when the church was trying to prove that Joseph originated an essential doctrine of the church.
DNA tests have revealed that all possible biological descendants only come from Emma.
The "marriage" to Fanny Alger in 1835 was brought up in the High Council court in Far West where Oliver admitted that Joseph didn't do anything wrong: Sealing not Marriage
Living husbands of wives that were sealed to Joseph never complained in the slightest: Sealings not Marriages.
The story of an angel with a sword telling Joseph that he must start the practice was also a late source and doesn't agree with the ways of God.
How did plural marriage begin with the Saints?
Hyrum Smith was not a polygamist as has been claimed.
There is strong evidence that Joseph and Hyrum were killed because they opposed plural marriage that was secretly being taught by Brigham Young, John Taylor and Willard Richards.
History and Analysis of D&C 132
Jacob 2:30 can't be used to support plural marriage.
A STRONG PROOF that Joseph didn't approve of plural marriage is the fact that after Joseph died Brigham added TEN wives that same year and Heber C. Kimble added NINE. Heber only had one plural marriage before that date. Why the sudden surge after Joseph died?
It is also interesting to see what Brigham did to the organization of the church to seize control.
1842 "revelation" to Newell K. Whitney is questionable, but is a foundation document to prove Joseph started polygamy.
The Fruits of Polygamy - Video: Polygamy Killed Honesty

Additional Resources: The Reluctant Watchman