Is the Mormon Church of Latter Day Saints the one believes in polygamy?

Question

or is that a different church all together? If so than do you as a member condone polygamy?
If you became a member later in life were you aware that this activity was going on?

The reason I asked is, My best friend converted to that religion in "95" and I asked him about polygamy existing in his church and his reply was that they don't do that anymore. I would ask him, but he died in an accident in 2000.

wolfmuslin, I've just saw that on T.V. that's what promted my question, I think that whole situation is herrific.

Answer 1

No the Mormon church doesn't practice polygamy anymore. There are a few Mormons who broke off from the main church and secretly practice polygamy and arranging marriages for 12 year old girls to cousins in their 20s though in Utah. There's a Mormon getting charged right now as an accomplice to rape because he married off a 14 year old woman to her 19 year old cousin.

Answer 2

Please ignore the answers from the Mormon haters

For a time in it's early days, a small number of member of the Mormon church (aka "The church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints") did practice polygamy. Less than 5% of the Mormon church practiced polygamy at it's height. It was denounced over 100 years ago and hasn't been practiced since. Currently you cannot practice polygamy and be a Mormon.

There are some (not many) polygamists in Utah (as well as Colorado, Texas and other states). They are not Mormon.
Some claim to believe in Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon but are small offshoots (with total membership usually in the dozens at most).

Polygamy is pretty aggressively prosecuted in Utah. However, it can be difficult to prove. Just because an NBA star fathers 10 children with 10 women, it doesn't make him a polygamists. Or the guy that cheats on his wife. What about Hugh Hefner and his constant live in girlfriends. Anyway the practicing polygamists try to do things so that the law has a hard time nailing down.

Answer 3

Mormon is actually a nickname for LDS members. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints hasn't practiced polygamy for over a hundred years, and members will be disciplined (not considered members anymore) if they do.

Polygamy now is a corrupt, corrupt practice and those that practice it (ie marry 14 year old girls) are not members of the LDS church. Its sort of how mainstream muslims think of Al Qaeda or how evangelical christians feel about the KKK. Very similar thing.

Well, it doesn't happen so if you were a member later in life it wouldn't be an issue because Mormons don't practice it. That being said, I grew up in the west, so I knew people who weren't LDS or left the church and practiced it. I condone the practice, but I don't condone the people. There's good people who practice it, just like there's good and bad in any group.

Answer 4

Believes or lives it? The teaching of Joseph Smith on plural marriage is part of the LDS scripture. It's in their 132 Section of the Doctrine and Covenants. Since then the Salt Lake entered Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has abandon the practice. This happened over a hundred years ago. But the practice of polygamy has been lived by many off shouts of the main church that see it as abandoning a fundamental teaching of Joseph Smith and therefore they see that main Mormon church as being apostate.. IHS Jim

Answer 5

No. The LDS church abandoned polygamy in the late 1800's, as indicated in so many of the answers here. And yes, it is several different churches altogether.

In the US there are several practicing polygamy groups. There is the FLDS (Rulon and Warren Jeffs), who also have an organization in Canada (see Winston Blackmore). There is the latter-day Church of Christ (the Kingston Clan), the Church of the Lamb of God (LeBarons), the Apostolic United Brethren (Allreds), the TLC (James Harmston), Alex Joseph, Tom Greene, Orson Black, Adam Swapp, and a handful of individual polygamists. There is also a United Order Church located in the west desert of Nevada/Utah. Of these, they are located mostly in the west (Utah, Arizona, I think Jeffs had a compound in Texas, etc). At least Tom Greene (a few years ago - up for parole recently) and now Warren Jeffs have been prosecuted for polygamy. If you are interested, there is a fairly good information sight -
http://www.rickross.com/groups/polygamy.html

I personally do not condone polygamy. I have seen it in practice as I have lived in different parts of the west all my life. While the people as individuals are nice and polite people on the whole, I think it is destructive and prohibitive, not allowing growth to females as individual, thinking, artistic human beings. But that is just my opinion. I have nothing to base it on except my own outside views. I have been aware of this practice most of my life, and have never been able to condone it.

If you wish to know more about the LDS religion, which is apparently the one your friend patronized - go to
http://lds.org/portal/site/LDSOrg
It is a good information sight for this religion.

Answer 6

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints practiced polygamy in the mid 1800s. Mormons today are not polygamists. Any Mormon that has more than one spouse is excommunicated from the church (AKA kicked out).

Polygamy was practiced on a very limited basis. Since many men had been killed by mobs, the women needed help. The early church members were not "sex crazed perverts."

None of my ancestors were polygamists.

Answer 7

Joseph Smith was NOT a polygamist, and LDS/Mormon members DO NOT practice, support or live polygamy. They think it is disgusting, immoral and WRONG. It is against the law and against the church completely. Only ignorant listen-to-everybody-else-but-the-direct-... people believe that OLD OLD OLD tale. Come on people, wake up! (I live in Utah, have a HUGE family, none of which practices, and yes I do know polygamists, but they HATE mormon's/LDS members and DO NOT believe as the LDS do).

Answer 8

Mormons do not practice polygamy. At one time, before 1890 they did. However, the Mormon Church no longer practices it and has not since 1890. Members who do are ex-communicated. If a person chooses to practice it, they no longer are Mormons but are doing it themselves and are not part of the Mormon Church.

Answer 9

Well, you already have several good answers. I am the product of a plural marriage, my second great grandfather's second wife. Plural marriage had a purpose to serve, both practical and spiritual. It helped take care of the overabundance of ladies in the Church membership, widows having claim upon the elder's of the Church, and it helped increase the population of the Saints in the early days. Just as God raised up a generation of Israelites to follow Moses and live by the spiritual blessings given to them, so also, God raised up a generation taught by the prophets of God instead of the precepts of men to build modern Israel in this land of ours.
In the larger picture, plural marriage became a "refiner's fire" testing the Saints to see whether they would obey every word that came from the mouth of God via His prophets. It was a very hard test that challenged the men and women of the Church. Those that were obedient, became stronger in the faith because of their sacrifice.
By 1890, when the feds made it permanently illegal, it had served its purpose and the Lord discontinued the practice. We still have it as doctrine because in the heavens plural marriage will probably still be around, righteous men having been sealed to more than one spouse because I believe there will be way more righteous women in heaven than men. Will God deny those dear sisters their eternal blessings just because there aren't enough good men to share? No, those that are righteous will receive more abundantly.

Answer 10

There are a number of "Mormon" churches. The largest is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (that's the one I belong to). We stopped practicing polygamy in the late 1800's. It is still part of our doctrine. We believe that God commands His people to practice it when it is needed, and forbids it at all other times.
Other "Mormon" churches believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet until he declared this doctrine. They think he became a fallen prophet. They have never accepted it.
Others, like the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints still practice polygamy.