{"id":47816,"date":"2024-09-06T05:16:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-06T11:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/?p=47816"},"modified":"2024-08-27T11:18:10","modified_gmt":"2024-08-27T17:18:10","slug":"secret-covenants-a-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2024\/09\/secret-covenants-a-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Secret Covenants: A Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It seems that there is always more to discover and discuss about Joseph Smith\u2019s introduction of plural marriage into the church. Secret Covenants: New Insights on Early Mormon Polygamy<\/em><\/a>, edited by Cheryl L. Bruno is going to be a landmark in those discussions moving forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Secret Covenants <\/em>is a collection of essays about the practice of Latter Day Saint plural marriage during Joseph Smith\u2019s lifetime. My understanding is that the book began with the idea that it would be a collection of articles about plural marriage that already existed (one of my own essays<\/a> was even considered at one point). Given the wealth of information and research going into the topic these days, however, Bruno felt like it seemed like too good of an opportunity to pass up collecting new essays to move discussion forward. And it worked out really well\u2014there are a lot of significant essays that will likely generate discussion for years to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the most notable example are the two chapters that focus on Fanny Alger\u2014the woman who has been discussed as the earliest polygamous relationship in which Joseph Smith was engaged. In these, Don Bradley and Christopher Smith discuss the likely timetable in which the relationship became amorous in nature and (more notably) the possibility that their relationship began as an adoption sealing, akin to the ones Brigham Young performed after he assumed leadership of the church organization. To me, these chapters were the most interesting in the whole book (which already set a high bar for interest).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another chapter that stood out as a highlight of the book was Mark Tensmeyer\u2019s piece that addressed polygamy denial. In recent years, there have been increasing efforts by some online personalities to discredit the idea that Joseph Smith practiced plural marriage or had sexual relationships with women other than Emma Smith. While a few chapters address specific aspects of the arguments that have been put forward (e.g., Todd Compton\u2019s chapter on whether eternity only sealings were a thing and John Dinger\u2019s demonstration that polygamy was illegal and Joseph Smith had reason to hide his involvement from the law), Tensmeyer addresses the issue head-on. While I\u2019m sure people will cling to ideas they find helpful with cognitive dissonance (including denial that Joseph Smith was involved in plural marriage), I\u2019ve already started recommending Tensmeyer\u2019s piece as a resource to examine the case for why polygamy denial builds on very shaky foundations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a caution, the topic of early plural marriage is fraught and\u2014at times\u2014painful to read about. That remains the case with this book. For example, Clair Barrus shares some indications that there may have been a phase of Joseph Smith\u2019s plural marriage that more closely resembled the \u201cspiritual wifery\u201d associated with John C. Bennett. Not all of the historians (even those included in this anthology) agree with the idea\u2014I asked about this point at a Benchmark Books presentation and all three of the authors present argued different positions on the issue, but it was a deeply disturbing thought to explore, as were a few others thoughts or stories discussed in this book\u2019s pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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