An early innovation by Joseph Smith was the practice of plural marriage or polygamy – a man marrying more than one wife.
Although many mainstream Mormons seek to distance themselves from the practice, polygamy first arose in the Mormon context in 1831 when Joseph Smith Jr., founder of the Mormon Church, also known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, claimed to have a revelation that it was his duty to restore plural marriage to the earth.
The practice was partially motivated and legitimated by the polygamy practiced by some of the patriarchs of the Old Testament, Joseph Smith recognized the strong opposition of the American community, including most Mormons, to polygamy and tried to keep the practice of plural marriage secret and limited it to himself and his close associates.
Polygamy was introduced privately among a few Mormons before the death of Joseph Smith in 1844, but it was not publicly acknowledge until 1852. At this time polygamy was susceptible to political, economic and religious trends in Utah and in the nation at large.
According to Mormon polygamy it was more than populating – more precisely it was shaping a population into a new religious culture. The presence of polygamy verified the Mormon’s unusual purpose - they were building the kingdom of God on earth.
The cultural objections to Mormonism that formed the sources for tension between Mormonism and American culture in respect to polygamy were varied. Some focused on the damage that the practice did to women, and others focused on the physiological impact on polygamy on children born of those unions.
Polygamy in Mormon Church
