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Fundamentalist Mormons & Polygamy. Matthew Aquino Jose Alvarado Brandon Washington Selena Palomares Jeannae Carmichael Alison Gutierrez . History of Polygamy within the Mormon Church. Joseph Smith Founder of LDS Translated the Book of Mormon (Golden Plates)
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Fundamentalist Mormons & Polygamy Matthew Aquino Jose Alvarado Brandon Washington Selena PalomaresJeannae Carmichael Alison Gutierrez
History of Polygamy within the Mormon Church • Joseph Smith • Founder of LDS • Translated the Book of Mormon • (Golden Plates) • Seen as a prophet to followers • Seen as a charlatan to outsiders
Mormons Ostracized (Historically) • Multiple objections to Mormonism (Mainly Polygamy) • Faith-based objections • Family-values-based objections • Political Objections (Masking a greater debate)
The Civil War • Civil war became background for Mormon question • North wanted Government intervention • South wanted government to stay out of the issue of Polygamy
Representative Alexander H. Stephens of Georgia “If we discriminate to-ay against Mormons, to-morrow, perhaps, we shall discriminate against Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, or Catholics. The evils of such discrimination …have been wisely provided against in the Constitution.”
Smith Teaching Polygamy • The affair with Fanny Alger • Keeping quiet • Recurring Visions • Afraid of both outcomes • Eventually taught polygamy as the word of God
Brigham Young • Key Spiritual Leader of Mormon church • Adopted Polygamy through Smith’s teaching • BYU is named after him
Historical Polygamy • Brigham Young was one of the finest candidates • Unusual to have more than 4 wives (Most had 1-2) • Freeing for women in some respects • Mormon acceptance was slow • Societal acceptance was near impossible
Section of Order 44 • ”The Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the state if necessary for the public peace--their outrages are beyond all description. If you can increase your force, you are authorized to do so to any extent you may consider necessary.”
The end of the beginning • Many objections to the Mormon faith, spiritual, social, and political. • This led to a long history of persecution that led to the death of their spiritual leader, the loss of their homes, and an assault on their spiritual beliefs. • This most likely causes the Fundamentalist Mormons to be more resolute and not give in to societal pressures.
The Split of Polygamy and the Mormon Church • Mormon Fundamentalists • Seek to uphold tenets and practices no longer held by mainstream Mormons (members of the LDS Church) • Principle most often associated with Mormon fundamentalism is plural marriage
The Split of Polygamy and the Mormon Church • Many of the views are essential for obtaining the highest degree of exaltation in the celestial kingdom. • Today, the LDS Church will excommunicate any of its members who practice plural marriage or who otherwise closely associate themselves with Mormon fundamentalist practices.
Start of Fundamentalist Mormonism • Laws Passed Against Polygamy: • 1862 – The Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act • 1874 – The Poland Act • 1882 – The Edmunds Act • 1887 – The Edmunds-Tucker Act • 1904 – “Second Manifesto” by Joseph Smith
Warren Jeffs • Born: December 3, 1955 • After his fathers’ death, he became the prophet • He was raised to be the “Chosen One"
JEffs’ Beliefs/Roles in polygamy • He ran everything in his “colony” • Jobs • Education • Money • Children • Wives
jeffs’ Beliefs Continued • Jeffs was later arrested for sexually abusing the young girls. • Warren Jeffs is currently in Jail for the things he did in the “colony” with the women. • Sexual Abuse • Forced Marriage • Plural Marriages
Warren Jeffs Now • He continues to run the church from jail • He still continues to arrange marriages
Polygamy Today • Polygamy in the US has been present for a very long period of time. • When the European settlers, came they very often took native wives and the tribes since have adopted the practice.
Polygamy Today • Some of these tribes have also continued to use the polygamy practice in the 20th century • These practices began the spread of polygamy in the US • More precisely members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) still participate in polygamy today
Busting Myths • Not proving wrong, but rather exposing lack of hard evidence • Sex and Polygamy (Celestial Sealing) • Polygamy and Harems • Frontier Life
Polygamous families • My Five Wives • Husband to five wives dad to twenty four children • “Believing in equality for everyone and a God who loves and accepts all -- a belief system Brady and his family call progressive polygamy -- the Williams family emphasize that their choice to be together is more about their mutual love and commitment than it is about religion. Though their beliefs and their decision to leave their church have led them to be shunned by their community and estranged from many family members, the Williams believe their sacrifices are worth it.”
Polygamous Families • Sister Wives • “The family at the center of the reality show Sister Wives is celebrating after a federal judge ruled that key parts of Utah’s anti-polygamy laws are unconstitutional, and that polygamous families could no longer be arrested on felony charges.”
