JOSEPH SMITH'S PLURAL MARRIAGES

Recently the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints published a historical document on its website, describing the polygamous marriages of Joseph Smith. Although, I had known about these unusual relationships since my college days, the publication gave me an opportunity to re-examine my personal convictions about Joseph Smith and his calling as a prophet. 

I am not a fan of the “doctrine of plurality of wives”. None of my church leaders has ever told me that I must be an ardent supporter of this principle in order to be a devout Latter-day Saint. Nevertheless, Joseph Smith’s controversial behavior is still something church members must deal with in some fashion or other.  This is how I deal with it.

In the gospel of John, chapter 9, we read about an amazing miracle and its very interesting aftermath. Jesus heals a man who had been blind from his birth. The news spreads quickly through town and the Pharisees are thrown into confusion. Eventually, they bring in the blind man’s parents for questioning. The religious leaders want to know if their son was truly blind when he was born. The parents affirm that he was, but they are very intimidated and refuse to say anything more. They point out that their son is an adult and can answer for himself. So the newly healed man appears before the Pharisees, who warn him not to give Jesus any credit for his restored sight, “Give God the praise,” they tell him, “We know that this man [Jesus] is a sinner.”

But the once-blind man displays both courage and wonderful common sense. He says to the Pharisees: “Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.”

This is how I feel about Joseph Smith’s strange plural marriages—marriages to young girls and older women, marriages to single women and to women already married.

Whether he sinned in these marriages or not, I don't know. 

This is what I know.  Every day of my life overflows with extraordinary spiritual blessings. They are the direct result of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And this was the life’s work of Joseph Smith. He suffered and struggled and labored and ultimately died, so that I could have these blessings.

I am convinced that he was truly a prophet of God.