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Mormon Spiritual Wifery - Page 2

Dbackers:

The issue with David and Solomon was never the amount of wives but the fact that Solomon married some women the Lord did not approve and David lusting after a married woman.

The topic of Plural Marriage is "taboo" in the Church in both the leadership and the membership, we hear all kind of urban legends as why it was practiced and most members feel ashame about discussing the topic, so really the idea of "controlling" the practice is not even there when as a Church most members still don't know neither interested in knowing more about it.

Wifery Spiritual Mormon

Dbackers brought up a good point that is in sync with how I feel about the whole plural marriage concept. Men will come up with all kinds of reasons to have more sex even if they have to call it doctrine and even religiously invoke god's name to get it.

Mormon Spiritual Wifery Studies Doctrine Mormon

Spiriutal Wifery was not a unique concept created by Bennett. There were other religous groups in the day that practiced it the since 1740's. In fact Joseph and early Mormons did refer to this term very early on and were very familiar with others practicing it. In some ways I think it influenced polygamy. Bennett was practicing the concept (or his version of it anyway.) He and one of Joseph's brothers and a few other, were telling women that they were authorized by the prophet. It was a big mess although I do not think that Joseph authorized it. This stuff was going around Nauvoo, with rumors and secretcy of polygamy, and he said, she said stuff, you are bound to get people taking advantage of the situation. (that is not even the abortion rumors that were out there.) I believe the Joseph Smith papers have the court documents of the Bennett case in them. You can see it all there.

As for the secretness of polygamy there were several reasons I beleive. 1) It was illegal, 2) church publically said they did not practice it. 3) Emma was opposed to it. (Releif Society became a anti-polygamy group, that is why it was disbanned by Brigham Young for over 30 years.) 4) Joseph was marrying other men's wives. Sending them on missions and marrying them when they were gone. 4) it was a controlling practice (my opinion).

Page 2 Wifery Spiritual Mormon

One of the big questions here is why did Joseph Smith have him as a counselor and did he know about him doing these things? At such a high office you would think that Joseph would have been told by someone above that his counselor was not behaving as he should.

Wifery Spiritual Mormon

Danite I don't think Joseph would have approved. I don't think he knew and since the practice was kept very secretive, it makes sense that nobody came to Smith to complain about Bennet.

Mormon Spiritual Wifery

No, Joseph did not know about it at first, and when it came to his attention, he immediately investigated the charges, and when he discovered they were true, he acted. Bennett appeared to be very sorry and repentant and begged for mercy, so that his mother would not find out. This may have been one of those times when Joseph was too merciful, but it turned out that Bennett was not truly penitent, and Joseph had to act.

Mormon Spiritual Wifery - Page 2

Not necessarily. If Brother Bennett was successful in leading astray a few women, it is clear he told them to keep everything everything as a secret. I have no doubts in my mind that if Joseph Smith knew about it he would have acted right away and get him excommunicated.

Mormon Spiritual Wifery Mormon Doctrine Studies - Page 2

Somebody did, and when they did, Joseph acted on that information and investigated the charges. At first he was merciful to a seemingly penitent Bennett, but when he found that his penitence was feigned and not real, he was excommunicated.

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