Before the mainstream Mormon Church embraced polygamy, another radical sect in the United States was already practicing it, and they were the ones who ended up being converted by the Mormons. In this episode, we dive deep into the little-known story of a cult-like religious group in early 19th-century Maine whose beliefs would profoundly shape early Mormon doctrine. 

Learn how eight of the twelve LDS apostles, sent as missionaries to England, encountered this group and then how their experiences helped influence the rise of polygamy in the church. Want to hear about Brigham Young's hot boy summer in Manchester and William Clayton's tell-all journals that look more like Love Island than missionary work? We gotchu.

In this episode, we dive into the wild rise and fall of John C. Bennett, a man who swept into Nauvoo with charm and ambition, became the city's mayor, and then left a trail of scandal, betrayal, and chaos in his wake. From his political maneuvering to his secret spiritual wifery and eventual excommunication, Bennett’s story is a critical piece in understanding the backdrop of early Mormon polygamy. 

Then we fast forward to 2025, where a children's storybook about plural marriage recently made waves for its problematic moral lessons and highly sanitized take on one of the most fraught elements of church history. We talk about the backlash, the public response, and why packaging polygamy for kids is such a complicated and charged endeavor. 

Note: Since recording this episode, the children’s book has been edited due to the significant backlash it received. You can now find the revised version in the Church’s Gospel Library.

Today, we're investigating a particularly chaotic period in LDS Church history, marked by significant religious turmoil and historical violence. The context of the Mormons' time in Missouri is a key part of the story to fully understand the people who later became involved in polygamy and what shaped their psyches to influence their controversial actions and beliefs. The roots of Blood Atonement, a secret vigilante group known as The Danites, and Mormon hostility towards the government (that would lead to an even bigger war years later) all stem from this time period.
Let's talk about it!

Before diving into the jaw-dropping personal stories tied to polygamy in Mormon history, we’re stepping back to lay the groundwork. This episode breaks down the key events: from the Church's founding in 1830, through the rise of plural marriage, to its official end in 1904 when the LDS Church declared polygamists would be excommunicated.

But there’s more: we’ll also trace how these events splintered the movement, leading to the creation of major offshoots like the LDS, RLDS, and FLDS churches. If the history of Mormon polygamy feels confusing or fragmented, this episode will connect the dots—and probably surprise you in the process.

This is the origin story for polygamy in Mormonism and where our jorney begins...
Sadly, we do not have any records from Fanny herself, but quite a number of people had things to say about her and Joseph Smith and we are diving into the sources that have been relied upon most heavily in their narrative. Was this the start of a holy practice sanctified by religion? Was it a scandalous affair? Or was it something else entirely?
Let's talk about it!

We decided to do this podcast together to have an open discussion from two different viewpoints. Last week, Kensley told some of her experience and her story of choosing to stay in the LDS Church and looking into Church History and particularly the history of polygamy. A lot of people asked to hear Joslyn's story who is no longer in the Church. In this episode, we talk about our upbringing, her experiences, what a faith transition can do to your life, and why it's important to have these kind of conversations with people from different perspectives.

Welcome to the first episode of our podcast Sisters Not Wives where we are looking at the history of Mormon polygamy from a female lens. This topic that has always been controversial and hence silenced and suppressed in the past and today. We're two sisters openly discussing the history of polygamy in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, also known as Mormon polygamy; what actually happened and how it still is impacting our beliefs, culture, and lives.

Polygamy is generally either dismissed as irrelevant because the LDS church doesn't actively practice it today or it's quickly explained away using logical fallacies or claims to authority. Yet, issues such as divorce, celestial marriage, gender inequality, obedience, motherhood, fatherhood, loneliness, and many more are topics that are more relevant than ever in our day and all have roots in polygamy. So let's talk about it...