Joshua

Many critics of plural marriage like to point at section 101 (the Article on Marriage) in the original (1835) edition of the Doctrine and Covenants. Unfortunately, this section was removed in 1876, but I don’t see any reason why it should have been.

First, this section is concerned with “the Church”, as opposed to “the Priesthood” (which is what the current section 132 is concerned with). Altho these two distinct bodies have been conflated in the minds of most latter-day saints, it was not always so. Nowadays, it is commonly accepted that the Church is the source of Priesthood. In other words, Priesthood is dependent upon the Church; therefore, no Priesthood may exist independently, or outside of, the Church.

All one must do to unravel this falsehood is look at history. Both Priesthoods were restored BEFORE the Church was re-established; thus showing that they are NOT dependent upon, nor issued from “the Church”. The Aaronic was restored in mid-May of 1829 and the Melchizedek in early June of 1829 (I realize there is some uncertainty here). Therefore, it is the Church that was established by the Priesthood, and not the other way around (the Church was not established until early April 1830)!

Monogamy has always been the rule for the Church generally, and all those early saints who said as much were not lying when they affirmed this – they just understood more of the gospel than their critics and accusers do now.

Another feature of this document that I find so telling is the accusation (“reproach”) of fornication and polygamy. The wording is as follows (from verse 4):

“Inasmuch as this church of Christ has been reproached with the crime of fornication, and polygamy: we declare that we believe…”

The amazing thing here is the SINGULAR use of the word “crime”. When the critics read this sentence, they gloss over this and read it as tho it were plural, “crimes”. I chuckle at the irony of mistakenly interpreting “crime” as being plural, because you mistakenly believe being plural is a crime! It is my opinion that this wording is precise and carefully chosen, like the parables of Jesus (see Matthew 13:10-17), to allow people who do not have understanding eyes and ears to read into it what they will.

In reality, the singular “crime” is only applied to fornication – which is clearly a crime, as thoroly attested in the scriptures. There is an additional accusation of polygamy, but it is not a crime. To help make this clearer, here is another sentence with an analogous grammatical structure:

“Inasmuch as this church of Christ has been accused with the crime of theft, and of liking green Jello too much, and of habitually starting meetings late: we declare that we believe…”

Lastly, I want to point out another passage from this section that the critics of plural marriage totally ignore:

“We believe that it is not right to prohibit members of this church from marrying out of the church, if it be their determination so to do, but such persons will be considered weak in the faith of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

It may come as a surprise, but it is true! God is a polygamist. At least, he repeatedly describes himself in these terms. Yes, these are metaphorical references, but who cares? Metaphors are always placed on top of some pre-existing reality. There is such a thing as polygamy, and God has no problem describing himself as a polygamist because it is perfectly acceptable and upright in his eyes! Other metaphors are also used to describe our relationship to God: parent/child, shepherd/sheep, potter/clay, master/servant, etc. Children are sometimes wayward, sheep go astray, servants are slothful, and wives disobedient. None of this makes the relationships themselves inherently wicked (tho the parties in the relationships may be), and God would not describe himself, even metaphorically, as something wicked – it would render the metaphor nonsensical.

It should be kept in mind when reading these passages that they are dealing with the wickedness and unfaithfulness of God’s spouses (and they can be quite graphic in their descriptions). However, they also describe God’s faithfulness to his marriages and his brides, and his longing to have loving, devoted, and meaningful relationships with them.

With that introduction, let’s get to the references (in no particular order). I will only include and highlight the pertinent parts of the passages, but the reader can look them up for a more complete reading.

The first is in Jeremiah chapter 3:

6 …Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.
7 And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.
8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
9 And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.
10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the Lord.
11 And the Lord said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.
12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger for ever…
14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:

The second is in Jeremiah 31:

31 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:

The third is in Jeremiah 33:

14 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.
15 In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.
16 In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The Lord our righteousness…
24 Considerest thou not what this people have spoken, saying, The two families [Israel and Judah] which the Lord hath chosen, he hath even cast them off? thus they have despised my people, that they should be no more a nation before them.

The fourth is in Isaiah 54:

1 Sing, O barren [Israel], thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate [Israel] than the children of the married wife [Judah], saith the Lord.
2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;
3 For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.
4 Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.
5 For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.
6 For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.
7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee…
10 For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.
11 O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires…
13 And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
14 In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.

The fifth and final reference is in Ezekiel 23:

2 Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother:…
4 And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria [i.e. Ephraim or Israel] is Aholah, and Jerusalem [i.e. Judah] Aholibah.
5 And Aholah played the harlot when she was mine; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours,…
17 And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom, and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them.
18 So she discovered her whoredoms, and discovered her nakedness: then my mind was alienated from her, like as my mind was alienated from her sister….
35 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind thy back, therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and thy whoredoms.
36 The Lord said moreover unto me; Son of man, wilt thou judge Aholah and Aholibah? yea, declare unto them their abominations;
37 That they have committed adultery, and blood is in their hands, and with their idols have they committed adultery, and have also caused their sons, whom they bare unto me, to pass for them through the fire, to devour them.
38 Moreover this they have done unto me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my sabbaths.