Plural Marriage

Joseph Smith began teaching plural marriage privately in the early 1840s. The Church's essay tells you up front who his plural wives were, including Helen Mar Kimball (age 14), and explains the religious nature of these sealings. Helen herself later wrote about hers as a powerful spiritual experience.

The doctrinal basis for plural marriage came by direct revelation, recorded as Doctrine and Covenants 132. This essay walks through the theology, places it in the long line of Old Testament prophets who also practiced it, and is honest about the sacrifice it required of the families who lived it.

After Joseph Smith was killed, plural marriage continued under President Brigham Young in pioneer Utah. This essay shows how it actually worked — most Latter-day Saint men did not practice it — and what daily life looked like for the families who did.

In 1890, President Wilford Woodruff received guidance from the Lord and issued the Manifesto, ending the practice. This essay walks through what led up to it — including federal pressure on the Church — and the years of transition that followed. The fundamentalist polygamist groups you see in the news today have nothing to do with the Church.

Joseph Smith taught some big things about the spiritual roles of women, including founding the Relief Society and bringing women into temple ordinances. This essay covers what he actually taught.