In this article we are going to offer you all the information you need about Mormons and polygamy, this way you can better understand both phenomenon and practices. The polygamy was called back in the 19th century by the Mormons as “plural marriage” and the modern; today’s fundamentalists are calling it “the Principle”.
The polygamy is also known as plural marriages and it means that a man can have two or more wives at the same time. The official message of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-days Saints says that there are no active contemporary members that are practicing it.
The polygamy was taught almost more than 1/2 of the 19th century by the leaders of the LDS Church (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). And everything was practiced publicly from 1852 up until the year 1890.
The Churches that have been practicing polygamy were and they will always be controversial at both the western society and the church. After that the Puritan America was fascinated and at the same time it was also horrified by this practice and they have condemned while considering it to be an act of barbarism just like slavery. The curch manages to clarify the big difference between the doctrine and the practice.
According to the Mormons Church they have come up with a certain passage from the bible in order to back up what they are doing. And here is the quote from the Mormon Church about why they can practice polygamy: “The standard doctrine of the church is monogamy, as it always has been, as indicated in The Book of Mormon (Jacob chapter 2): “Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none. For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things.”.
Along with all that the US federal government has taken a lot of actions against polygamy. The actions that were taken are dating back to the middle of the 19th century. Here are some of the most important actions that were taken against the mormons polygamy:
1857-1858 Utah War
1862 Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act
1882 Edmunds Act
1887 Edmunds-Tucker Act
1890 Manifesto banning plural marriage
Right now the Mormonism does not practice polygamy officially but at the same time they have never claimed that practicing it is something wrong or the fact that they were practicing it in a very large number in the past is wrong. They are now saying that the polygamy is a practice which was commanded by God with the help of the living prophets and at the same time it was also forbidden by God via prophets.
