Happy New Year!
During a recent discipleship class, a former polygamy group member began asking questions that indicate the gospel message is sinking in. He is from the Allred polygamy group, and is now a member of the LDS church. He was born and raised in polygamy and suffered immense and intense abuse; he was beaten so bad as a child he almost died from one of the beatings. Now as an adult, he experiences some obvious mental distress. But… he has
always believed, and still believes that Joseph Smith was a true prophet sent by God.
Our bible study focuses on the great doctrines of the Bible that are the foundation of genuine Christianity. He listens but rarely talks—until now. Prayers and the power of God’s Word can make an eternal difference in his heart.
Isaiah 55:11 -- “so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”
We thank God for His Word which brings people to saving faith in Jesus Christ, instead of trusting in their own works for salvation.
We thank you for your support and prayers that enable us to bring the Good News to Mormon polygamists!
To help our readers understand the brainwashing and bondage polygamists face, we present suggested reading material which may give you a better understanding of the dark world of Mormon polygamy. This month our featured book is entitled, The Ghost of Eternal Polygamy, by Carol Lynn Pearson.
The author is a practicing member of the LDS church and boasts of Mormon ancestry. Mormonism has always taught that polygamy is required for eternal life AND that faithful Mormons who achieve the “celestial kingdom” will live polygamy forever in their own personal kingdoms. She wrote this book to record the pain that LDS women continuously face knowing that they will be required to share their husbands in Mormon eternity. She encourages the male leadership of the LDS church to revise their teachings and remove the eternal polygamy doctrine. Doing so will set the females in their church free from such oppressive teachings. We quote from page 8:
“In March of 2014, I reached out to Mormons and former Mormons via social media, asking them to take a survey about their opinions and feelings regarding the LDS concept of eternal polygamy… On the first day more than 2400 people took the survey. Four weeks later more than 8000 had responded.”
She said that 58 percent of those who responded reported feelings of sadness or anger regarding the thought of eternal polygamy and that fewer than 10% had positive feelings towards the idea.
We taped two programs reviewing this book which you can watch the following links:
www.whatloveisthis.tv/episodes/2016/ep944.htm (Episode 9.44, 9 Nov. 2016) and
www.whatloveisthis.tv/episodes/2016/ep945.htm (Episode 9.45, 16 Nov. 2016).
We discussed a huge part of her book. Although we agree that eternal polygamy is a curse to the mind of any woman, we disagree: if God commanded polygamy, how can an LDS woman demand that the male leaders remove the command?
She reveals some of the responses of her survey, many of them heart-broken women that despise the idea of eternal polygamy. From page 9:
“It was always there, that terrible anxiety. As I sifted through my fears, I came to realize the only reason for this terror is because I know that if I die, especially young, my husband will surely remarry and be sealed to another woman, and I will then face an eternity of polygamy.”
We pointed out in our program, that they are fearing and giving in to anxiety based upon a myth! This myth began with a lie from a false prophet. They are living miserable lives because of a false belief of what Heaven is like. If they would only refer themselves to what the Bible teaches, there would be no fear of polygamy in eternity. Their anxiety would decrease if they only believed what Jesus taught, there is no marriage in heaven. This is a very sad book, voicing the fears of hundreds of thousands of LDS women who believe the lie of Joseph Smith, that marriage is eternal, and polygamy is practiced in heaven.
MORMON POLYGAMY HISTORY
“Marriages performed without the sanction of the one holding the sealing keys were not to be binding in eternity; "plural marriages" performed without this sanction were considered
to be adultery. There were those in the Prophet Joseph Smith's day who took plural wives without his sanction and were excommunicated for their misdeeds.
Oliver Cowdery, the Prophet's bosom friend and the co-holder of all the keys of the priesthood, including the keys of sealing restored by Elijah, was guilty of overstepping this of authority. Cowdery was present when the original revelation on plural marriage was given on July 17, 1831. Desiring to enter the practice of polygamy about 1836, he "married" a plural wife without the Prophet's sanction. Later, in referring to this circumstance, Brigham Young, George Q. Cannon, and Joseph F. Smith indicated that it was a transgression, even a grievous sin. Clearly Joseph Smith viewed it in the same light.
“Joseph Smith, speaking on the subject of plural marriage and the authority to perform plural sealings, said on October 5, 1843: “according to the law, I hold the keys of this power in the last days; for there is never but one on earth at a time on whom the power and its keys are conferred; and I have constantly said no man shall have but one wife at a time, unless the Lord directs otherwise. This right was carefully and zealously controlled by the one holding the keys.”
“Hyrum did in one case undertake to seal without counsel and Joseph told him if he did not stop it, he would go to Hell and all those he sealed with him...Such is the declared fate of all who either perform or enter "plural marriages" not sanctioned by the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In fact, culpability did not rest alone with practicing plural
marriage without the President's sanction but extended to merely advocating it without such sanction.”
--J. Max Anderson, The Polygamy Story: Faction and Fact; pgs 100-102
The special prosecutor closed their investigation of the FLDS polygamist community in British Columbia Canada. In 2018, two rival leaders of the FLDS in Bountiful, James Oler and Winston Blackmore, were convicted in a B.C. court of practising polygamy. They were sentenced to house arrest and probation.
James Oler was also convicted and sentenced to 12 months in jail for trafficking a 15-year-old girl into the United States to be married. Two other members of the FLDS in B.C. were tried and convicted for taking a 13-year-old girl to the United States to marry a member of the FLDS there.
The investigation of crimes in the community is ending however, because they don’t believe they have evidence of crimes being committed that can be successfully prosecuted in Canadian court.
CBC News in Canada writes that “Insp. Brent Novakoski, says investigators worked tirelessly to gather information and evidence about historical allegations in Bountiful that spanned the late 1990’s to around 2005.
While the investigation into these specific allegations has now concluded, we will pursue and investigate allegations of this nature and support the victims."
COMMENT: Although illegal in the U.S.A. and Canada, polygamy continues to be practiced openly and unchecked in both countries. How can a law have any teeth to it if it is not enforced?
It is a completely different world for us who were born and raised in Mormon Fundamentalism. We were brainwashed from the cradle to believe that those not in the group are our enemies, not to be trusted.
“I have been a long-time listener to Polygamy What Love Is This. I realize the deception which pulls a person into a group/idea which are presented as if from God. Knowing the persuasive power of deceivers, I am grateful to my parents and other influences to keep me looking to Jesus for the rock I so need.
Years ago, a Mormon neighbor was getting married and she invited 3 Christian families to attend her wedding. As we sat in the chapel, I looked through their hymnal and looked at the church interior. I asked God where He was in all of this. His inaudible reply to me was “I am not welcome here”.
Also, I have a question. Knowing the Mormons’ belief that a woman has to be called by her husband to get into the celestial kingdom, where will the men get more wives for their world? Won’t all the women who are righteous enough to get into the celestial kingdom already be married?” PK
ANSWER:
Mormon apostle Heber C. Kimball preached, “In the spirit world there is an increase of males and females, there are millions of them …”
Kimball claimed that when they die and get to the Mormon celestial kingdom, “we will go to brother Joseph and say, “Here we are brother Joseph; we are here ourselves are we not, with none of the property we possessed in our probationary state, not even the rings on our fingers?” He will say to us, “Come along, my boys, we will give you a good suit of clothes. Where are your wives?” “They are back yonder; they would not follow us.” “Never mind,” says Joseph, “here are thousands, have all you want.” Journal of Discourses, Vol 4 pg 209
Their belief makes no logical sense, but that is what he preached and many actually believe it.
- Please continue to pray for our efforts to bring Biblical truths to polygamists. Polygamists haven’t been in the news spotlight much lately, but there are always crimes silently committed against women and children under the phrase, “God wants this to happen.”
WE ARE available to speak to your group, association, church or organization about the Mormon Fundamentalists of today.
Just call Doris: 801-649-3103, or Email: doris@shieldandrefuge.org |
