(Nauvoo Polygamy–1842) In 1842, John C. Bennett, a friend and former boarder at the Smith home, fell out of favor. As quickly as he had risen in prominence, the fall […]

The post Episode 18 (History): John C. Bennett’s Spiritual Wifery appeared first on Joseph Smith's Polygamy.

(Nauvoo Polygamy–1842) The second year of Nauvoo polygamy saw an expansion of plural marriage as three other men (Heber C. Kimball, Brigham Young, and Vinson Knight) were each sealed to […]

The post Episode 17 (History): Other Mormon Leaders Practice Polygamy appeared first on Joseph Smith's Polygamy.

(Nauvoo Polygamy–1841) The first year of Nauvoo polygamy began with Joseph Smith’s time-and-eternity sealing to Louisa Beaman on April 5, 1841. His subsequent eternity-only sealings to legally married women appear […]

The post Episode 16 (History): The Prophet Secretly Teaches Polygamy appeared first on Joseph Smith's Polygamy.

(The Early Kirtland Years) Joseph Smith reportedly learned that plural marriage had in the past been a divinely sanctioned practice sometime in the early 1830s. Whether he also learned at that […]

The post Episode 15 (History): The Early 1830s appeared first on Joseph Smith's Polygamy.

Polygamy was a curiosity to Joseph Smith as early as 1831. Apparently he learned that it could be divinely sanctioned while intensely studying the Bible. But when he determined that he would […]

The post Episode 14 (History): Mormon Polygamy Timeline appeared first on Joseph Smith's Polygamy.

The practice of polygamy expanded as the Latter-day Saints migrated to the Rocky Mountains in 1846. Their move away from Illinois and its state laws that condemned the matrimonies brought […]

The post Episode 13 (Theology): Common but Inaccurate Explanations for Mormon Polygamy appeared first on Joseph Smith's Polygamy.

Joseph Smith identified four reasons for the restoration of plural marriage with the fourth being much more important than the others.

The post Episode 12 (Theology): Plural Marriage Teachings appeared first on Joseph Smith's Polygamy.

Many modern polygamists and even some LDS Church members believe that Joseph Smith and/or other Church leaders have taught that exaltation requires polygamy. However, the revelation on celestial and plural […]

The post Episode 11 (Common Questions): Does Exaltation Require Polygamy? appeared first on Joseph Smith's Polygamy.

Emma encountered difficult challenges arising from the establishment of plural marriage. Joseph Smith reported that he was commanded to establish the practice of polygamy in the Church. He secretly married his first […]

The post Episode 10 (Common Questions): Emma Smith’s Path Through Polygamy appeared first on Joseph Smith's Polygamy.

Sometime in late 1835 or early 1836, in a priesthood ceremony performed by Levi Hancock, Joseph secretly married Fanny Alger, a domestic living in the Smith home. When Oliver Cowdery and […]

The post Episode 9 (Common Questions): Joseph Smith and Fanny Alger appeared first on Joseph Smith's Polygamy.