Polygamy is in the news again

On Tuesday (17 January 2006) the FBI offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Warren Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), a Mormon Fundamentalist denomination. Mr. Jeffs has been on the Fugitives Wanted By The FBI list since August 2005. He is wanted for sexual conduct with a minor. The FLDS group believes the early doctrines of the LDS Church—which recognized the practice of polygamy as a binding commandment—are still in force today.

On Saturday (14 January 2006) Deseret News reported that HBO will debut a new series on Utah polygamists in March. Big Love will star Bill Paxton, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Ginnifer Goodwin and Chloe Sevigny as a non-Mormon independent polygamous family consisting of a man, his three wives, and their seven children. Set in Sandy, Utah, the producers say there will be many familiar landmarks filmed in the series, including the Salt Lake Temple. The LDS Church is concerned that viewers will be confused and associate today's polygamy with Mormonism; therefore, "a disclaimer will run at the end of each episode stating that the LDS Church does not condone polygamy."

Last Friday (13 January 2006) the Toronto Star reported on a study in Canada which calls for the legalization of polygamy. The article noted that "polygamy is openly practised [sic] in the religious community of Bountiful, near Creston, B.C., by a breakaway group of Mormons calling themselves the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints." The study suggests "Canadian laws should be changed to better accommodate the problems of women in polygamous marriages, providing them clearer spousal support and inheritance rights." Reports of the study also appeared in US newspapers, including the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The Spectrum, southern Utah's newspaper located in St. George, included a short editorial, Canada going too far on polygamy, apparently prompted by the Canadian study. This editorial in turn prompted a letter to the editor that I found really…interesting.

On 18 January 2006 The Spectrum published this letter:

Concubines aren't a covenant marriage

By using and following the principle and doctrine of God's laws, you shall know all things. Let's take the law that "no marriages are given in heaven." Concubines aren't a covenant marriage, it's a principle. Many wives is a doctrine law.

All things weren't told in Genesis on a day-for-day basis. Just things in general are all you needed to know at that time. We are to understand one, Eve. Doctrine claims that God has many wives. Adam indeed was a God who was chosen and set apart to be Adam. It took the fall of three Eves or more before Adam decided to follow Eve. This action gave Adam three wives or more to fulfill the doctrine law of many wives. Repentance and baptism, period.

Many generations passed until the Gods saw it fit and proper to give Adam his principle of the law - his "concubines." That made Adam's godhood bound on earth. This principle and doctrine had to be given to Adam in order for it to be handed down to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David and Solomon. What is bound on earth is bound in heaven? Are we bound on earth?

If we practice not this principle and doctrine, we enter not in heaven! No short cuts, no excuses for not upholding freedom for God's church and for God's law that was agreeable to the laws of this land until you, we, and us didn't do our job to elect just men. Please Lord, bring down Zion. To do the job that we have no guts or righteous desires to do so.

John Robb
St. George

Hmmm…