- Unconvinced on A Standard Polygamy Narrative?: “The only way your proposed shared marriage sometimes called polyamory makes polygamy more palatable is that it is not as sexist and unfair to women. It doesn’t resolve anything because the doctrine and history still stand the same, Unrehabilitated. Why try? It was a bad doctrine that hurt people and the church and drags down the current church. Let it go. Don’t try to justify it or reform it. Since it was wrong from the start.” Oct 30, 04:23
- on Latter-day Saint Apologetics Tier List: “As I’ve aged I’ve concluded that the BofM multiple, remarkably concise, mini-treatises on the extraordinarily demanding principle of “equality” – in the spheres of religious belief, the political arena, religious organizations, and interpersonal relationships – is without equal. People get so easily hung up on the “white/black” skin color deal that they miss the essence of the teachings of the Book . We once asked our parents about the white/black skin color changing deal – their answer “use the brains the good Lord gave ya, you already know people don’t go around changing colors – so we’re not catching something- don’t worry about it… the point is what? steer clear of people who ignore their covenants – and you can see ‘em a mile away because the “light’s “ gone out of their countenance”… That served me well the last 70 years – light on, or light off!! No more complicated than that . When I met AfroLatino members on my mission in South America pre-‘78 .. their countenances burned bright as could be with the light of the Spirit, those erroneously denied the priesthood. We warmed our hearts by the light of their extraordinary faith burning so bright we could pick them out of a crowd though we’d never met them… Anyway ruminations of a very old Mormon” Oct 30, 01:02
- on Church Education Expansion Under Ernest Wilkinson: “Thank you I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of LDS run schools. The Church has the money now and pathways does seem like the most valuable response now. At the same time it’s fun to think of an official Church school in Texas or a country in Africa. I love the Primary and HS type Church schools in the South Pacific and would love to see those expand in other areas.” Oct 29, 18:37
- on A Standard Polygamy Narrative?: “I agree with Nibley–that marriage is different in the afterlife than it is in mortality. It is certainly similar typologically–but different in ways that only exalted beings can experience.” Oct 29, 16:24
- on A Standard Polygamy Narrative?: “Stephen, a quick Google search suggests that the policy of sealing a deceased woman to all of the men to whom she was married in life indicates the First Presidency issued a policy letter in December 1988 to that effect and that the Handbook was updated in 1989 to implement it and that there were further updates in 1991. I’ll caveat all of this by saying I haven’t been able to pull up the source documents themselves so I can’t verify those statements. If anyone else can get to them to verify or debunk the above, I’d be grateful.” Oct 29, 13:28
- on A Standard Polygamy Narrative?: “I’m feeling very famous today. I’ll try not to let it go to my head. I think what makes polygamy such an important topic for so many is how it touches our daily lives. I spend more time with my wife than any other person. My marriage is the single largest influence on my day-to-day life. The idea of fundamentally changing that would up-end my life more than just about anything else I can think of. Messing with our personal lives on that level, whether in this life or the next, is a *big thing*. Polygamy is a deeply personal practice that is hard to keep emotional distance from. Polygamy also has a lot of details available to us. Many of us have ancestors who were in plural marriages. We’ve read their journals. We’ve heard stories, both good and bad. We know the specifics. And then we have standard narratives that are so very vague. If polygamy was to be practiced “for a short time”, why 60(ish) years? (People were living in plural marriages well into the 1900s.) Why not one guy with two wives, check the box and move on? Why did some church leaders have dozens of wives? With huge age gaps? (The questions could go on and on and on . . . .)” Oct 29, 12:36
- on A Standard Polygamy Narrative?: “On the subject of John Taylor and Brigham Young, I think Jonathan Stapley has found some good evidence to show that at least Young went back and forth on whether polygamy was really necessary for exaltation or not in Holiness to the Lord. For example: February 12, 1870, Salt Lake City, Utah President Young said there would be men saved in the Celestial Kingdom of God with one wife, with many wives, and with no wife at all. June 18, 1870, Paris, Idaho President David P. Kimball asked a question with regard to the glory to be obtained by those having one or more wives President [Brigham] Young explained it by a parable of measures of various capacities and said that all were not equal in their capacities for glory but all would receive Celestial glory if they held out faithful to the end whether they had but one wife or many. June 10, 1871, Paris, Idaho President [Charles] Rich concluded by saying a man who had one wife sealed to him by the Priesthood was in the same covenant and entitled to the same promises and the same conditions as he who had more. Both are on a level concerning promises and satisfaction. All endowments and sealings are on condition that those who receive them continue in the Covenant. Any person depending on promises alone for his salvation will be greatly mistaken. July 15, 1871, Paris, Idaho President [Brigham] Young answered … a man can obtain as full a salvation with one wife as with more but it will not be so great. His work will be slow, but it would be better for us to enquire about the duties of today than about things we do not understand. These are, admittedly, not as clear or common as the public statements that it was required for exaltation, but they do show a lack of consistent conviction about the point.” Oct 29, 12:14
- on A Standard Polygamy Narrative?: “Anna, it’s not too shocking that men and woman talk about this differently. dlc, thanks for the clarification. I was counting 8 paragraphs rather than going to .8. That is certainly an interesting chart which I think brings up some more questions. I’m curious how long that’s been in place (sorry if that is well known!).” Oct 29, 10:59
- on A Standard Polygamy Narrative?: “stephen, re “cougar….i dont see….”: it literally does Sealing of Deceased Persons Deceased Women. A deceased woman may be sealed to all men to whom she was legally married during her life. The following table shows when these sealings may take place.” Oct 29, 10:53
- on A Standard Polygamy Narrative?: “Kendall, funny but the private conversation that I have had, mostly with women, the feeling is very strongly that monogamy is the order of heaven and polygamy was a mistake almost exactly like the ban on blacks having the priesthood was a mistake. And while one was kind of because that was the common feeling among the population, the other is like it in that most men lust after more than just their first wife. So, one was common among the general population and the other was just common among the male population.” Oct 29, 10:49
