What IS the Current Church Position on Polygamy?

“How many wives do YOU have?” I first heard this jibe in about the 5th grade… in the 70’s… and man it just never gets old, right?

I believe that polygamy is:

– the most embarrassing aspect of the church in an era when the church wants to be viewed as more mainstream

– a major barrier of entry for potential investigators

– one of the biggest, if not THE biggest, catalysts in the growing number of faithful members reaching a faith crisis

So, I’ve thought a lot about what, exactly, the church believes to be official doctrine regarding polygamy. There is a lot of folklore, like there are more righteous women than men, that men can marry more than one woman for Time and All Eternity, but a woman can’t marry multiple men, that a man must have multiple wives in the hereafter in order to be exalted, etc, etc, etc… but what is the ACTUAL doctrine?

Obviously, there is section 132 of the D&C, but that carefully-worded persuasive essay falls short of being a clear declaration. To me, it seems like it’s trying to justify something that is a priori knowledge for the reader, and, as such, is hard to parse when reading it as a sole source for doctrine. Yet, the pertinent part can be found in D&C 132:61-65, highlighted here: https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/132.61-65?lang=eng

From this canonical description of plural marriage, I think I can gather the following specific doctrines:

– A man can marry two women at the same time, and it is not adultery, as long as both are virgins, and the first wife gives consent (v61) and as long as it is part of the “law” which I take to mean sealed for time and all eternity by priesthood ordinance. (v62)

– No specific revelation or commandment from God is required, only that the man desires it. (v61)

– In fact, as long as this same pattern is followed, the man can marry as many wives as he desires. The example of 10 is given, but the implication is that there is no limit. (v62)

– If the first wife doesn’t give consent, even though the man is righteous and following the above, then it is a sin (v 65), and she will be “destroyed”, which I take to mean spiritually (v64), and the man is to go forward with the plural marriages anyway, exempt from needing her consent. (v 65)

– If a woman married in polygamy “shall be with another man”, that is a sin (adultery), and she will be destroyed. (v 63)

– The purpose of plural marriage is to 1) allow righteous men to fulfill the commandment to multiply and replenish the earth 2) allow for the exaltation of righteous men, as their way to have children in the eternal worlds. (v 63)

So, yeah… ugh… But then OD1 declares that the church has already ended the official practice (prior to 1890) and that:

“Inasmuch as laws have been enacted by Congress forbidding plural marriages, which laws have been pronounced constitutional by the court of last resort, I hereby declare my intention to submit to those laws, and to use my influence with the members of the Church over which I preside to have them do likewise… And I now publicly declare that my advice to the Latter-day Saints is to refrain from contracting any marriage forbidden by the law of the land.” — Wilford Woodruff

It doesn’t do anything to rescind the doctrine, nor to address plural marriage in places outside of the US, nor does it answer the question of plural marriage in the hereafter. The only accomplishment of the Manifesto is to relegate the New and Everlasting Covenant of Marriage to a notch behind “the law of the land.” It did essentially, however, end the pervasive PRACTICE of polygamy.

Today, the church is very quiet. Yet there are a small number of statements in the church’s lesson manuals, that I will assume reflect the current doctrine…

In the Gospel Doctrine Teachers Manual for the BofM, lesson 12 addresses Jacob’s condemnation of polygamy:

https://www.lds.org/manual/book-of-mormon-gospel-doctrine-teachers-manual/lesson-12-seek-ye-for-the-kingdom-of-god?lang=eng

In this section, the church states the following:

– the default law is one wife, unless the Lord directs otherwise.

– The Lord did give such direction in Section 132, but later “withdrew His sanction of plural marriage when conditions changed.”

– The law of the Lord today is the same as in Jacob’s time.

In the Gospel Doctrine Teachers Manual for the D&C, lesson 31 addresses plural marriage as described in Section 132. In the manual the church states:

https://www.lds.org/manual/doctrine-and-covenants-and-church-history-gospel-doctrine-teachers-manual/lesson-31-sealed—for-time-and-for-all-eternity?lang=eng

– At various times throughout history, God has commanded people to practice plural marriage

– such was the case in the time of JS, when “the Lord commanded some of the early Saints” to do it.

– It was a challenging thing for JS, BY, HCK and others, but they obeyed.

– WW received a revelation in 1890 to cease teaching the practice of plural marriage.

– GBH stated in 1998 that “this church has nothing whatever to do with” modern polygamists, and any attempt to practice polygamy will garner you an excommuncation.

In the Seminary Student Study Guide for the D&C covering sections 131 and 132, the church states:

https://www.lds.org/manual/doctrine-and-covenants-and-church-history-student-study-guide/the-church-in-nauvoo-illinois/doctrine-and-covenants-131-132-the-new-and-everlasting-covenant-of-marriage?lang=eng

– “Plural marriage is not essential to salvation or exaltation”

– When it was in effect, it was only valid if authorized by the President of the Church

– The Lord ended the practice through President Wilford Woodruff in 1890.

While the church is emphatic about how it has ended the practice here on earth, it is silent about what it means in the afterlife. Note that the church doesn’t make the statement that it doesn’t know… rather, the topic is simply ignored… and I take that to mean that Section 132 is the “eternal” doctrine, even if the practice is suspended.

Please feel free to add evidence for the current position of the church on polygamy. I dislike how it just sits there, like an elephant in the room, and the church still tries to serve herbal tea to everyone. What else is part of the doctrine?