- Kent Larsen on The Church and Polygamy…In Africa: “I’d really like to hear comments from those in Africa who face these problems. I’ve been a couple of times to Africa, but didn’t have a chance to talk to anyone who faces this. I’m sure its a difficult problem in some cases, but if we aren’t familiar with such situations or the cultural issues in those situations, isn’t this just speculation? I would like to know more.” Feb 7, 16:57
- on Your Reactions to Church Yesterday, 2/1: “Please remember that this is about your reactions to church and what you got out of church, NOT your opinions on how to make things better. Other posts here and elsewhere discuss the problems, so please comment there, or submit a guest post that we can post here. For this post, if your reaction is about how YOU can change in the future, that’s great. Or if you gained a spiritual insight, despite something that seemed to go wrong, wonderful. Let’s find ways of seeing church that show what we can learn despite the problems, instead of focusing on the problems.” Feb 7, 16:51
- on Your Reactions to Church Yesterday, 2/1: “Nice thoughts Bobby. I love the gospel, but I feel the church no longer loves me. I am unwell and care for 2 sick people. I can do nothing for the church and unable to attend due to my caring responsibilities since my ward meetinghouse has been mothballed and the ward moved to a meetinghouse 20 miles away. Both the people that I care for are members, rarely my husband is contacted by a member. He continues to volunteer in the non church community. I see no one from church and nobody contacts me, I do contact me ministering sisters. I listen to church every Sunday and hear frequently about ministering to one another. That was my experience on Sunday.” Feb 7, 16:17
- on The Church and Polygamy…In Africa: “There are plenty of good people who can’t get baptized. I can’t see this policy ever changing unless some crazy catastrophy brings back plural marriage.” Feb 7, 00:59
- on Brave Like Eve Art Exhibit Open in Bountiful, Utah: “This looks great. Thanks, Chad.” Feb 6, 09:07
- on The Church and Polygamy…In Africa: “Yeah, it’s complicated. It isn’t a pure missionary or gospel doctrine question, but African cultures have to be considered. Generally, in some ways African cultures are VERY patriarchal and VERY conservative. Divorced women may suffer real harm. Letting a polygamous man who desires to affiliate with an American church divorce and abandon his excess wives could be very problematic for the church and for those women. I’m not the decision-maker in any sense, of course. My only point is that the decision needs real consideration of African cultures — a normal Salt Lake City mindset, with a missionary goal or church doctrine considerations, will be unable to come to the right solution. There is a real risk of unintended social, political, and other consequences. An absolute ban on previously- or currently-polygamous men might be the right answer, even if it would seem unkind to deny baptism to those men.” Feb 5, 17:27
- on The Church and Polygamy…In Africa: “ji: I suppose that’s an alternative. I think a blanket lifetime ban on baptism might be a case of cutting the nose off to spite the face, unlike the November/current polygamy policy it’s not a wait until you’re X years old to be baptized, but essentially a wait until the hereafter, and categorically denying somebody baptism regardless of their actions and intents seems categorically iffy. Not a Cougar: Thanks for the historical info! I don’t know why I didn’t think about the analogies to our own post-Manifesto situation, but those are some interesting points.” Feb 5, 16:28
- on Cutting Edge Latter-day Saint Research, January 2025: “Personally, I would discourage judging these papers without reading them.” Feb 5, 13:17
- on The Church and Polygamy…In Africa: “Stephen, I’d like to hope that the Church is better equipped to deal with the issue given its past practices, but when you look at how the Church handled the slow death of plural marriage after the First and Second Manifestos, I don’t think that hope would be justified. Church leaders for the most part appeared to have simply abdicated their responsibilities in guiding the membership through the transition with little in the way of policy. Quoting the from Church’s essay, “The Manifesto and the End of Plural Marriage,”: “Nevertheless, many practical matters had to be settled. The Manifesto was silent on what existing plural families should do. On their own initiative, some couples separated or divorced as a result of the Manifesto; other husbands stopped cohabiting with all but one of their wives but continued to provide financial and emotional support to all dependents.30 In closed-door meetings with local leaders, the First Presidency condemned men who left their wives by using the Manifesto as an excuse. “I did not, could not and would not promise that you would desert your wives and children,” President Woodruff told the men. “This you cannot do in honor.”31 Believing that the covenants they made with God and their spouses had to be honored above all else, many husbands, including Church leaders, continued to cohabit with their plural wives and fathered children with them well into the 20th century.” 32. President Woodruff may have been furious with men who abandoned the women and children to whom they were sealed, but anger is no replacement for seeking out and declaring the will of the Lord via official policy that is vigorously implemented. Given the difficult optics of something like tacit approval of members in existing polygamous marriages, I suspect the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve will attempt to avoid making a decision on the matter as long as possible unless and until they are forced to act for some reason. 30. Embry, Mormon Polygamous Families, 13–14; Francis M. Lyman journal, Dec. 15, 1893, Church History Library; Utah Stake High Council minutes, Aug. 5, 1892, Church History Library, Salt Lake City. 31. Abraham H. Cannon diary, Oct. 7, 1890, Nov. 12, 1891. 32. Kenneth L. Cannon II, “Beyond the Manifesto: Polygamous Cohabitation among LDS General Authorities after 1890,” Utah Historical Quarterly 46, no. 1 (Winter 1978): 24–36.” Feb 5, 12:33
- on The Church and Polygamy…In Africa: “Yes, I suppose it is complicated. Maybe a previously- or currently-polygamous man should simply be ineligible for baptism, as he has a lifetime duty to his wives. African culture (can I even use that term, as there are many African cultures?) is very different than American culture, and divorce in African cultures is very different than divorce in American culture. To me, it would seem entirely too easy and convenient to let a man join the church after divorcing his excess wives, because in some (almost all?) African cultures the divorce rules and results are lopsidedly pro-man and anti-woman. I would feel differently about baptizing a woman who divorced or was divorced by (note that these are different) a polygamous man, especially if the divorce occurred years ago. Making rules and putting them on paper isn’t always easy.” Feb 5, 05:53
