I've spoken with many a plural wife that want to leave her marriage - yet when it comes down to the wire, she stays because she's afraid of God's retaliation if she abandons the vows she made in connection with her polygamous marriage. When Joseph married his 31st plural wife, Melissa Lott, they both made vows in the ceremony to keep themselves “wholly for each other, and from all others during your lives.” (Todd Compton, In Sacred Loneliness, pg 597-598.)
It is strange that a plural marriage would include vows of exclusivity, especially for the male. Both Smith and Melissa knew he was a polygamist, yet he still vowed to keep himself just for her! A wedding vow like that is nothing more than a sham.
Yet there are many who continue to give Joseph Smith and plural marriage a free pass refusing to see the reality of the inequality and bondage it places on the females. They claim adults should do what they want, if the female agrees to it, what business is it of ours? And "And to some degree, they are right; however, when they invoke God's name, that makes it our business!" When they preach that God commands plural marriage and withholds eternal life from those who don’t comply, we must “contend for the faith once for all given to the saints.” They besmirch God’s character and change His plan for eternal life. It invalidates Jesus’ death on the Cross for our sins, and places “salvation by works” as their ladder to Heaven. We want Mormon polygamists to know that polygamy does not endear them to God—His love and grace through Jesus Christ ALONE is the only way—it is by Grace we are saved, not by works. Thank you for your prayers for them and for us as we reach out to them proclaiming His indescribable gift.
Most who are born and raised in Mormon polygamy groups go to their graves believing that their loyalty to their polygamy group has indebted God to them. They look forward to waking up in heaven and rewarded with the promotion to godhood. They believe that since the beginning—God was a polygamist who begat millions of spirit babies each with the potential of becoming a god in their own right through righteous living and polygamy. They need the truth!!
Colossians 1:13-14 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
God has rescued us, may He use us as POWER TOOLS to help rescue them. We are available to speak to your group about Mormon
polygamy. Just call Doris at 801-649-3103
“Hello, I was wondering if you could provide information on covenants made by fundamentalist Mormons at the beginning of Mormonism. I believe there has been a lot of changes in the temple covenants of modern LDS since the beginning. Also there may be more private covenants for higher leadership that is more secretive. I was wondering if you could provide any help in my research. I was LDS and great grandma was from a polygamist relationship. My family was LDS from the beginning and held high positions like apostle, stake pres., mission leader. ... I have been a Christian for 3 years now and am looking for help in this area...” Many thanks. JD
ANSWER:
In the beginning the early Mormon plural marriage covenants were exactly the way Joseph Smith dictated them to be. You can find some details in a book entitled "Tell It All" by Fanny Stenhouse. PDF copies of the book are available. You can begin about page 365. This is a non copyrighted book and the PDF copy is a little rough, but the information is there.
Not a lot is known about the current secret rituals of today’s polygamists because they are secret and those who leave have chosen not to talk about them. Some groups have identical rituals as the LDS, except that the wording and intent include plural wives. I do know that they contain the oaths of secrecy and some still include the penalty portion of the oaths that the LDS church stopped using about 1990.
On June 26, 2018 the B.C. Canada Supreme Court judge
pronounced sentences on Winston Blackmore and Jeff Oler who have been found guilty for the crime of polygamy.
Blackmore was sentenced to six months house arrest in his Bountiful, Canada B.C. home and will be allowed to go to work and attend to medical emergencies. James Oler sentenced to three months house arrest and will serve his time where he works and lives in Alberta. Both sentences are followed by 12 months probation. Both men were also sentenced to perform community work service, Blackmore 150 hours. Blackmore had 2 dozen wives, nine of them were under 18 years old and two of them were only 15 years old. Oler had five wives.
There has been an uproar against these light sentences by former members of polygamy groups. Many of them assert the sentences do not send a “wake-up call” to practicing polygamists, but instead reinforces how soft the courts are to those who break the law.
Sally Armstrong, a Canadian journalist and activist who has written about polygamy and child marriage, said in an email to The Salt Lake Tribune: “The cults won. The women and girls lost.” (https://vancouversun.com/news/crime/polygamy-sentences-a-wake-up-call-to-bountiful-or-a-win-for-the-cult?)
Another comment mocked the sentences as though they were saying: “I’m going to punish you by sending you home to continue living and preaching polygamy.”
Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people. ~ Proverbs 14:34
Please pray for a mother with two very small children who is considering leaving her polygamist husband with several wives, one of them being her own sister.
In this space are stories of some of the people and families that A Shield and Refuge Ministry have helped escape from polygamy. Real names places and dates are changed to keep the privacy, confidentiality and safety of those we’ve helped.
A woman called me a few years ago who had been on the run from her family— especially her father who had started his own religious community which included the “many wives” doctrine. He would pressure and guilt trip his family to believe and behave according to what he said God commanded in the Bible. As is always the case, the Bible is made to say what they want it say by lifting passages out of context and placing them in a context that fits their own twisted dogma.
This woman had three very young children and had been finding it difficult to get help from an organization she could trust, one that wouldn’t take advantage of her situation. One place she had gone for help turned very sour, she and her children became victims of their manipulations and she wanted to know if we would or could help her.
We found a place for her to stay with a lovely Christian family who offered her their home for a few weeks. This woman was completely shocked by the kindness and grace that she experienced in their home. She had never in all her religious experience known the love and grace of God and especially as it flows to others through His children. After staying with that family a few weeks, another empty home became available, and with donations of household items to our ministry, we helped her move into that home where she stayed until she was able to be on her own. While she was under our care, she needed extensive dental work, and again, donations to our ministry helped pay for emergency dental work. During the time she was with us, many Christians reached out to her in fellowship and friendship. She was amazed, many times over, at the non-judgmental treatment she received from the Christians who befriended her. Emotional and spiritual healing can be very difficult after the trauma these women have endured. There are times when questioning and doubting the truth of everything and anything holds the former victim emotionally hostage. Fear is a huge factor for them to overcome. Making bad decisions during difficult times is not unusual. But she received wonderful, Christian counseling from different sources and she slowly, but surely and steadily began to
experience healing and a view of authentic reality.
She became a believer in the Biblical Jesus and the Biblical gospel which made her progress even faster and stronger. When she left our care, she and her children were completely different people. We keep in touch with her, and true to God’s promise to hold onto His own, she remains in His love and daily care, and does not hesitate to tell others about God’s unconditional love and saving Grace!
Once again we THANK all our supporters, for your prayers and the diverse helps so many give us to make these things happen. God does the miracles as we do the work, and all to the Glory of God.
"I think polygamy to be an institution of Satan." "On the contrary, I think it an institution
peculiarly adapted to increase our numbers, and, consequently, our strength. I am deeply interested in the prosperity of the church, and so I advise every man to take all the wives that he can get."
The pulpit was a platform raised on a wagon, beneath the wide-spreading branches of a green tree. The subject of his discourse, polygamy, which he attempted to justify from Scripture, and the example of the ancient patriarchs. His reasoning was something like this: That if it was right to have one wife, it was right to have two, or even more, ...That the law of the United States, which allowed one wife to every man, and denied his right to more than one, was highly tyrannical; that in many cases the practice of polygamy was attended with many benefits, especially in cases of sickness, and where household burdens could not be otherwise than troublesome... that the purpose of marriage being the perpetuation of the human species, it followed that when the wife ceased bearing, or was otherwise incapable or unwilling to raise a family, it became the husband's duty to take another wife ... he proved by the example of Abraham and Jacob. David, he said, had several wives, yet the Lord never reproved him for it, and if it was right then, it remains so yet.
This doctrine, though nothing new to me, excited the surprise and consternation of many women. They were not prepared for such a state of things. They had been converted to Mormonism by the missionaries whom Smith had sent out, with instructions to deal only in the pure milk of the Gospel, by which he meant those parts of Mormonism the most [comfortably received] reserving the meat — such things as polygamy and spiritual wifeage — for those more advanced in the knowledge of the blessings designed for the Faithful. It was easy to perceive that these doctrines were rather unpalatable to the majority of the females, though the men seemed pleased, and many of them really exultant. Not a few began immediately to direct their glances where stood a bevy of blooming girls, and greatly to the chagrin of their companions, four or five passed directly over to them, and commenced a Conversation.”
Alice Young Clawson, Life Among the Mormons, pgs 283-284, 1872
We are always interested in what our readers and supporters find interesting regarding the topic of polygamy.
If you have a particular question, or would like more information on a news event or topic relating to the practice of plural marriage or have a concern, we invite you to send your request to us via email: doris@shieldandrefuge.org
We also like to receive suggestions for topics to cover on our weekly internet and Roku broadcasts. Feel free to let us know what’s on your mind.
Also, if you know anyone who is in polygamy who has questions or may want to escape, they can contact us at: Toll free 1-877-425-9993
Pray for a woman who is healing from growing up in FLDS. We are doing regular Bible Study with her, she has trusted Jesus and is learning the life of Biblical faith. Pray also that God would protect and grow her as she responds to various opportunities for outreach that God is giving her.
Pray for another ex-FLDS woman who is afraid of life outside of her former polygamist community. Pray for us as we reach out to her, that God’s wisdom, gentleness and grace will calm her troubled mind.
Last month we reported that Rachel Kingston was going back to court asking for custody of her three daughters be restored to her. Utah courts are generally not responsive to former plural wives. She attended the court, but her ex-polygamist husband and his attorney did not show up. The Guardian at Litem presented his opinion that the girls should be given back to Rachel. The case has been continued. Please continue to pray for her.
The Kingston polygamy group owns several pawnshops in Utah. They were recently raided and $1.5 million of stolen merchandise was confiscated. We will report more details when more information is available.
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