Teachings on Polygamy
Past Church leaders have taught different things on polygamy. Is it essential for our slavation? Will everyone have to live polygamy? Is there polygamy in heaven?
Brigham Young
1855
In 1855, Brigham Young taught in 1855 that if you deny polygamy you will be damned [JOD, vol. 3, p. 266]
"Plurality of wives is not designed to afflict you nor me, but is purposed for our exaltation in the kingdom of God. If any man had asked me what was my choice when Joseph revealed that doctrine, provided that it would not diminish my glory, I would have said, "Let me have but one wife;" not because it is not a great comfrot to me to have children, but if I have not children I know them not.
"Some of these my brethren know what my feelings were at the time Joseph revealed the docrine; I was not desirous of shrinking from any duty, nor of failing in the least to do as I was commanded, but it was the first time in my life that I had desired the grave, and I could hardly get over it for a long time. And when I saw a funeral, I felt to envy the corpse its situation, and to regret that I was not in the coffin, knowing the toil and labor that my body would have to undergo; and I have had to examine myself, from that day to this, and watch my faith, and carefully meditate, lest I should be found desiring the grave more than I ought to do.
"You will probably wonder at this, and that such should have been my feelings upon this point, but they were even so.
"Now if any of you will deny the plurality of wives, and continue to do so, I promise that you will be damned; and I will go still further and say, take this revelation, or any other revelation that the Lord has given, and deny it in your feelings, and I promise that you will be damned."
Brigham Young
1873
In 1873, Brigham Young taught that if you reject polygamy you will lose your spouse in the celestial kingdom [JOD, vol. 16, p. 166]
"You will recollect, brethren and sisters, that it was in July, 1843, that he [Joseph Smith] recieved this revelation concerning celestial marriage. This doctrine was explained and many received it as far as they could understand it. Some apostatized on account of it; but others did not, and recieved it in their faith. This, also, is a great and noble doctrine. I have not time to give you many items upon the subject, but there are a few hints that I can throw in here that perhaps may be interesting. As far as this pertains to our natural lives here, there are some who say it is very hard. They said, "This is rather a hard business; I don't like my husband to take a plurality of wives in the flesh." Just a few words upon this. We would believe this doctrine entirely different from what it is presented to us, if we coudl do so. If we could make every man upon the earth get him a wife, live righteousles and serve God, we would not be under the necessity, perhaps of taking more than one wife. But they will not do this; the people of God, therefore, have been commanded to take more wives.
The women are entitled to salvation if they live according to the word that is given to them; and if their husbands are good men, and they are obedient to them, they are entitled to certain blessings, and they will have the privilege of receiving certain blessings that they cannot receive unless they are sealed to men who will be exalted. Now, where a man in this Church says, "I don't want but one wife, I will live my religion with one," he will perhaps be saved in the celestial kingdom; but when he gets there he will not find himself in possession of any wife at all. He has had a talent that he has hid up. He will come forward and say, "Here is that which thou gavest me, I have not wasted it, and here is the one talent," and he will not enjoy it, but it will be taken and given to those who have improved the talents they received, and he will find himself without any wife, and he will remain single for ever and ever. But if the woman is determineed not to enter into a plural marriage, that woman when she comes forth will have the privilege of living in single blessedness through all enternity. Well, that is a very good, a very nice place to be a minister to the wants of others.
I recollect a sister conversing with Joseph Smith on this subject. She told him: "Now, don't talk to me; when I get into the celestial kingdom, if I ever do get there, I shall request the privilege of being a ministering angel; that is the labor that I wish to perform. I don't want any companion in that world; and if the Lord will make me a ministering angel, it is all I want." Joseph said, "Sister, you talk very foolishly, you do not know what you will want." He then said to me: "Here, brother Brigham, you seal this lady to me." I sealed her to him. This was my own sister according to the flesh.
Joseph F. Smith
1878
Joseph F. Smith taught in 1878 that those who have the ability to live polygamy and don’t “shall be damned” [JOD, vol. 20, p. 31]
"I understand the law of celestial marriage to mean that every man in this Church, who has the abilty to obey and practice it in righteousness and will not, shall be damned, I say I understand it to mean this and nothing less, and I testify in the name of Jesus that it does mean that.
Joseph F. Smith
1879
Joseph F. Smith taught in 1879 that without polygamy there is no exaltation [JOD, vol. 21, p. 10].
"And as he has here stated, as having come from the mouth of the Prophet, this doctrine of eternal union of husband and wife, and of plural marraige, is one of the most important doctrines ever revealed to man in any age of the world to come to a full stop; without it we never could be exalted to associate with and become gods, neither could we attain to the power of eternal increase, or the blessings pronounced upon Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the fathers of the faithful."
John Taylor
1883
In 1883, John Taylor taught that you can not reject polygamy and be allowed to enter God’s glory [JOD, vol. 24, p. 230]
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:"
"Behold! and lo, I am the Lord thy God, and will answer thee as touching this matter:
"Therefore, prepare thy heart to receive and obey the instructions which I am about to give unto you; for all those who have this law revealed unto them must obey the same."
This you will see is strictly in accordance with what I have told you Joseph Smith told the Twelve --that if this law was not practiced, if they would not enter into this covenant, then the kingdom of God could not go one step further. Now, we did not feel like preventing the kingdom of God from going forward. We profess to be the Apostles of the Lord, and did not feel like putting ourselves in a position to retard the progress of the kingdom of God. The revelation, as you have heard, says that, "all those who have this law revealed unto them must obey the same." Now, that is not my word. I did not make it. It was the Prophet of God who revealed that to us in Nauvoo, and I bear witness of this solemn fact before God, that He did reveal this sacred principle to me and others of the Twelve, and in this revelation it is stated that it is the will and law of God that "all those hwo have this law revealed unto them must obey the same." And the revelation further says:
"For behold! I reveal unto you a new and everlasting covenant; and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned? Think of that, will you. For it is further said: "no one can reject this covenant, and be permitted to enter into my glory."
Heber C. Kimball
1870
In 1870, Heber C. Kimball taught that if you oppose polygamy, you commit “apostasy” [JOD, vol. 3, p. 125]
If you oppose any of the works of God you will cultivate a spirit of apostacy. If you oppose what is called the "spiritual wife doctrine," the Patriarchal Order, which is of God, that course will corrode you with a spirit of apostacy, and you will go overboard; still a great many do so, and strive to justify themselves in it, but they are not justified of God. When you take thta course you put a knife to brother Brigham's breast, and to the breasts of his associates; and more or lress so when you oppose anything which God has insituted for His glory and the exaltation of man. I do not like such conduct myself, and I am opposed to such characters; I do not ask any favors of them, and I have often said that I never want one of them to darken my door. I am against them and God is against them, and I am for sustaining His cause, the cause of my Father who dwells in the heavens; the cause of His Son, and the cause that brother Joseph has been the means of bringing forth by the revelations of Jesus Christ. We sustain Joseph in the cause in his day, and we sustain the same cause now, and we will sustain it for ever, and that is our desire and prayer from this time henceforth, God helping of us.
Heber C. Kimball
1866
In 1866, Heber C. Kimball taught that if you go against polygamy you will be damned [JOD, vol. 11, p. 211]
I speak of the plurality of wives as one of the most holy principles that God ever revealed to man, and all those who exercise an influence against it, unto whom it is taught, man or woman, will be damned, and they, and all who will be influenced by them, will suffer the buffetings of Satan in the flesh; for the curse of God will be upon them, and poverty, and distress, and vexation of spirit will be their portion; while those who honor this and every sacred institituion of heaven will shine forth as the stars in the firmament of heaven, and of the increase of their kingdom, and glory there shall be no end. This will equally apply to Jew, Gentile, and Mormon, male and female, old and young.
Wilford Woodruff
1869
Wilford Woodruff taught in 1869 that if you do away with polygay you might as well do away with prophets, apostles, and revelations [JOD, vol. 13, p. 166]
"They did not believe in that, and that was the objection in those days. If we were to do away with polygamy, it would only be one feather in the bird, one ordinance in the Church and kingdom. Do away with that, then we must do away with prophets and Apostles, with revelation and the gifts and graces of the Gospel, and finally gave up our releigion altogether and turn sectarians and do as the world does, then all would be right. We just can't do that, for God has commanded us to build up His kingdom and to bear our testimony to the nations of the earth, and we are going to do it, come life or come death. He has told us to do thus, and we shall obey Him in days to come as we have in days past.
