Posts Tagged ‘prophet’

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Dear Procrustes, I’m going to kill you!

Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008

Dear Procrustes,

You are a moron, with your liberal anti-Christian views, and you’d better shut your site down, or I’m going to find you and your family and I’m going to crack your skull with a baseball bat and mutilate your family.

Signed,
Hypothetical

Yes, fortunately this is still a hypothetical situation for me, but it’s certainly real enough for a number of rational activists out there, including, fairly recently, PZ Myers, a biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris, who blogs at Pharyngula.1 On July 13, PZ Myers received an email with the subject line: “your short life.” The sender went on to state that if PZ Myers did not cease and desist his job (for the sake of his children), the PZ Myers would get his “brains beat in.”2

I’m not going to bother addressing the fact that someone who purports to follow a higher spiritual code is threatening the life of someone (and his kids) who follows a code of reason. Instead, I’d like to cite a few more examples, and then ask the readers if anyone else has had similar experiences, what have they done in those situations, and what can be done if we ever find ourselves in such a situation.

Before I jump into other examples, I’ll give some closure to the PZ Myers issue. First of all, PZ Myers made it quite clear that he reserved the right to post any emails (in full, with metadata) that contain threats of violence. What, pray tell, must have someone endured to require such a disclaimer! Word got around, and AIGBusted, from Answers in Genesis Busted, sent an email to the threatener’s employer3 (since the email threat was sent from a work address). It turns out that the threatener, Melanie Kroll, who, ironically, worked for 1-800-Flowers, was fired over the matter.4 Although it’s unknown how many readers possibly sent similar emails, AIGBusted appropriately feels no guilt over the firing. “I don’t feel guilty about reporting her. I think it is important for atheists to realize that large numbers of us wield a fair amount of power in these situations.”5

Apparently that is true. We have shown that we have the ability to do more than just sit idly by, wondering how valid a threat is. But how many of us (and by us, I mean anyone in the non-believing, rational, atheist, etc., community) are actually being threatened, how consistently, and, most importantly, how viable are these threats?

Where to begin? Of course, with the blog post that prompted Melanie Kroll’s threat.

July 12, 2008:
PZ Myers wrote, in a blog entry: “Christian Lunatics Issue Death Threats Over a Cracker… Unlike those nutty Muslims who are always taking offense over cartoons, these people have serious grievances.” And went on to describe and criticize the overreaction by the Catholics, media, and others, to Webster Cook’s forcible removal of The Body of Christ from a church.6 Accused of having “kidnapped” the equivalent of Jesus Christ, Cook began receiving death threats shortly after the media exploded the issue beyond repair, and PZ Myers, in turn, received a death threat for reporting about it. (Yes, I’m anxiously anticipating my day in the sniper scope.)

July 17, 2007:

Professors in Colorado Receive Death Threats for Teaching Evolution
Letters from a Christian extremist last week threatened the lives of evolution biology professors at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The letters claimed to be on behalf of a group, but newspapers and at least one blog have reported that an individual, Michael Korn, a Jew-turned-Christian extremist, is likely behind the threats (an image from his web site is at right). CU police spokesman Brad Wiesley told me they haven’t officially named a suspect but the Colorado Daily wrote that others “close to the case” named Korn.7

July 7, 2007:
J.K. Rowling announces the end of her beloved Harry Potter series of books, indicating that although it was a wonderful experience for her, there was a darker side to writing something Christians didn’t agree with: “Rowling says her success has been “the experience of a lifetime.” But it also has brought an intense level of pressure, scrutiny and criticism. In the United States, her book tours have attracted thousands of screaming children, but also death threats. Some Christians have called for the books to be banned, claiming they promote witchcraft.”8

March 28, 2008:
“Popular video site LiveLeak have been forced to remove the controversial film critical of Islam FITNA [by Geert Wilders9] after it received death threats from primitive, violent intolerant muslims.”10 Both Geert Wilders and some LiveLeak staff received a variety of threats of death and violence.

July, 2008:
Army Spc. Jeremy Hall’s “sudden lack of faith, he said, cost him his military career and put his life at risk. Hall said his life was threatened by other troops and the military assigned a full-time bodyguard to protect him out of fear for his safety.”11

June, 2002:
Michael Newdow, a TIME Person of the Week, received multiple death threats for his attempt to challenge the constitutionality of the “under God” phrase in the Pledge of Allegiance, which was recited every morning at his daughter’s public school. 12 (As a side note, I met Mr. Newdow during that time period, and heard him discuss his various issues. He has also advocated for the removal of “In God We Trust” from U.S. currency,13 and he has won the Freethought Hero Award.14 )

October, 2006:
Robert Redeker is “a writer and high school philosophy teacher who has been under police protection and in hiding with his family since the newspaper Le Figaro published his op-ed piece about Islam on Sept.19. Entitled “Faced with Islamist intimidations, what should the free world do?”" “Redeker writes that he and his family are being forced to move every two days. “I’m a homeless person,” he complains. “I exercised a constitutional right, and I’m being punished for it right here on the territory of the Republic.” Redeker is only the latest in a lengthening list of Europeans who have been subjected to death threats from Muslims outraged by criticism of their faith and prophet.”15

1988:
Salman Rushdie had a fatwa issued against him for his publication of The Satanic Verses.16

November, 2004:
Mohammed Bouyeri shot Theo van Gogh, the Dutch film director and critic of Islam, eight times, killing him, and then nearly decapitated him by cutting his throat. Then Bouyeri stabbed van Gogh in the chest. A few weeks prior to the murder, Imam Fawaz of the as-Sunnah Mosque in The Hague gave a sermon, calling van Gogh a “criminal bastard” and beseeching Allah to inflict an incurable disease upon him. 17

These examples are frightening and real, and they can all be Googled rather easily. But are the numbers of threats against the rational much higher? Have you ever received a threat of violence, death, or other retaliatory act for something you’ve done or that you’ve believed in? Please share!

If you’ve received a threat, did you take it seriously? How did you react to it? (did you reply, post the message, contact the authorities?) Regardless of whether you’ve received a threat, do you have any advice or suggestions for those who do?

Is this a trend we should be worried about?

  1. Pharyngula, “Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal.” http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/ [<]
  2. http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/07/mail_dump.php [<]
  3. Did I Get a Woman Fired? Answers in Genesis Busted. http://aigbusted.blogspot.com/2008/07/did-i-get-woman-fired.html [<]
  4. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/071608-woman-fired-over-death-threat.html [<]
  5. http://aigbusted.blogspot.com/2008/07/did-i-get-woman-fired.html [<]
  6. Christian Lunatics Issue Death Threats Over a Cracker, AlterNet. http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/91269/ [<]
  7. Professors in Colorado Receive Death Threats for Teaching Evolution, Wired.com. http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/07/professors-in-c.html [<]
  8. Rowling bids her boy wizard goodbye, USATODAY.com. http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2007-07-19-rowling-potter_N.htm [<]
  9. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geert_Wilders [<]
  10. LiveLeak Remove “Fitna” After Death Threats, GBG Atheist News. http://godbegone.blogspot.com/2008/03/liveleak-remove-fitna-after-death.html [<]
  11. Atheist soldier sues Army for ‘unconstitutional’ discrimination, CNN.com. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/07/08/atheist.soldier/index.html [<]
  12. Person of the Week: Michael Newdow. http://www.time.com/time/pow/article/0,8599,266658,00.html [<]
  13. Michael Newdow’s “In God We Trust” Lawsuit Dismissed, Austin’s Atheism Blog. http://atheism.about.com/b/2006/06/13/michael-newdows-in-god-we-trust-lawsuit-dismissed.htm [<]
  14. Freethought Hero Award, Freedom From Religion Foundation. http://ffrf.org/awards/special/2004_newdow.php [<]
  15. Did a Critic of Islam Go Too Far?, TIME.com. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1541776,00.html?cnn=yes [<]
  16. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salman_Rushdie [<]
  17. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theo_van_Gogh_%28film_director%29 [<]

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Posted in Atheism, Morality, Religion | 3 Comments »

Kabbalah Unearthed

Monday, March 3rd, 2008

Kabbalah is a set of esoteric teachings intended to reveal the mystical aspects of Judaism.  Followers of Kabbalah consider its teachings to be the true meaning of Judaism, whereas other Jews consider the doctrines of Kabbalah to be heretical.  Kabbalists believe Jewish mysticism originated in Eden, although historians have noted that virtually all Kabbalistic works falsely claim, or are ascribed, ancient authorship.  Kabbalists believe that over time, Jewish patriarchs, prophets, and sages interwove their knowledge into Jewish writings and culture through oral transmission, resulting in the current teachings and practices.

Kabbalists believe that in ancient Israel in the 10th century BCE, the teachings of Kabbalah were common knowledge and practiced by over one million people.  However, there is very little historical evidence to support this.1  They believe that the Jewish spiritual leaders at that time (the Sanhedrin) were forced to hide these teachings, because foreign conquests posed a risk that the information might fall into the wrong hands.  The Sanhedrin also feared that Jews who were deported on conquest to other countries would be led to practice in incorrect and forbidden ways without proper supervision and guidance by the masters.  As a result, they believe the Kabbalah became secretive and forbidden for two and a half millennia.

The Zohar, a mystical commentary on the Torah written in medieval Aramaic, is widely considered the most important work of Kabbalah.  Torah study is considered an inherent duty of observant Jews,2 and the Zohar divides this study into four levels.  Peshat is the simple meaning of the text.  Remez refers to biblical allusion and allegory.  Derash is Rabbinic scriptural exegesis.  And finally, Sod is the secret inner meaning of the Torah, i.e. the kabbalah.3  Kabbalah teaches that there are hidden meanings contained in every Hebrew letter, word, number, and even the accent on words in the Hebrew Bible.  Kabbalists practice methods such as Gematria to attempt to ascertain these hidden meanings.

Another famous work, and possibly the earliest extant book on Jewish esotericism, is the Sefer Yetzirah, which kabbalists claim dates back to the patriarch Abraham.  Also revered is astro-magical text the Sefer Raziel HaMalach which, according to kabbalists, was revealed to Adam by the angel Raziel.  Yet, the Sefer Raziel HaMalach draws heavily from the Sefer Yetzirah, and it cannot be shown to predate the 13th century.  Skeptical scholars find attempts to date these works to the pre-Israelite Ancient Near East to be implausible.  Much of the central doctrine did not begin to develop seriously until the 12th century CE, and it seems far-fetched to believe that this doctrine existed undocumented within Judaism from the time of the Assyrian empire (which, ironically, some scholars believe is the source of Jewish mysticism) until it “resurfaced” approximately 17 to 18 centuries later.4

Kabbalists can be defined as monistic panentheists.  They envision two aspects of God, (a) God Himself, whom they consider to be impersonal and unknowable, and (b) the revealed aspect of God that created the universe and interacts with mankind.  They believe God’s existence is beyond anything that can be expressed in the material world, yet they believe all things are linked to God in perfect unity.  Rather than viewing these two aspects as a paradox, Kabbalists believe that through divine emanations they can come to see how they complement one another. 5

Kabbalah teaches that there are ten attributes with which God created the universe and reveals Himself, called the Ten Sefirot (literally, the Ten Emanations).  Kabbalists believe that the differences between these levels are not changes in God but in mankind’s ability to perceive God.  The ten levels are: Keter (will), Chochmah (wisdom), Binah (understanding), Chesed (loving kindness), Din (judgment), Tiferet (harmony), Netzach (victory), Hod (glory), Yesod (foundation), and Malchut (sovereignty).6

The Zohar teaches that there are three elements to the human soul: the nefesh, which is the lower “animal” part of the soul linked to instincts and bodily cravings, the ruach, the middle “spirit” soul containing moral virtues, and the neshamah, the higher “intellect” soul, which allows one to have awareness of God and to benefit from the afterlife.  The nefesh is said to enter the body at birth, whereas the ruach and neshamah are said to develop over time depending on the actions and beliefs of the individual.  Most Kabbalistic works assume a fundamental difference between Jewish and non-Jewish souls.  The Zohar posits that Gentile souls have an evil, demonic aspect to them that is not present in Jews.  Two additional parts of the soul, the chayyah (awareness of the divine life force) and yehidah (fullest union with God possible), are mentioned in the Raaya Meheimna, a section of teachings spread throughout the Zohar, but these higher levels of cognition are considered to be within the grasp of only a few chosen individuals.

-Laura

  1. Aryeh Kaplan “Jewish Meditation: A Practical Guide” [<]
  2. The Written Law (The Torah) [<]
  3. Imbued with Holiness [<]
  4. Parpola S. (1993) “The Assyrian Tree of Life: Tracing the Origins of Jewish Monotheism and Greek Philosophy” Journal of Near Eastern Studies [<]
  5. JewishEncyclopedia.com – Bible Exegesis [<]
  6. http://www.newkabbalah.com/sefirot.html [<]

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Posted in Atheism, Religion, Unearthed | No Comments »

Jehovah’s Witnesses Unearthed

Thursday, February 7th, 2008

In the late 19th century, Charles Taze Russell, an American Protestant Evangelist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, founded a religious movement known as the Bible Student movement.  He and his followers believed mainstream Christianity had been corrupted and that their movement was a restoration of first-century Christianity.  Russell was greatly interested in Biblical prophecy and came to adopt the eschatology of Nelson H. Barbour, who predicted Christ would return in 1873.  When Barbour’s prediction failed, he revised the year to 1874.1 After this second disappointment, he decided Christ had indeed returned that year but had done so invisibly in heaven.  Russell adopted this belief and together with Barbour wrote the book The Three Worlds, in which they described their belief that in 1878 there would be a gathering of the saints to heaven and that 1914 would mark the end of Gentile control of Jerusalem and the end of rule by “human” governments. 2

In 1879, Russell broke ties with Barbour and began publishing his own magazine, Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence (now known as The Watchtower.) Russell then established Zion’s Watch Tower Tract Society in 1881, a legal entity which still advises today’s Jehovah’s Witnesses.  “The Society” published a series of seven books (six written by Russell) entitled Studies in the Scriptures.  The early editions of these books mirrored many of Barbour’s claims, such as the “invisible” second coming of Jesus in 1874, a year he believed was marked by the lengths of the internal passages of the great pyramid of Egypt.  Russell wrote that the great pyramid at Gizeh is God’s Stone Witness and Prophet and that the Pleiades star cluster is the place of the eternal throne of God.3

After Russell’s death in 1916, there was a struggle for power amongst the Board of Directors for The Society.  The group that followed the original Watch Tower Society adopted the name “Jehovah’s Witnesses,” in reference to Isaiah 43:10: “Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.”  The name Jehovah is an English form of the Hebrew Tetragrammaton YHWH, and Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that making this name known to others is a requirement for true worship.

Most people are probably familiar with Jehovah’s Witnesses through their proselytization efforts.  Witnesses are required to devote as much time as possible to going door-to-door, distributing literature from the Watchtower publications.  In order to be considered members, they must report monthly on the time they’ve spent preaching.  In 2007, Jehovah’s Witnesses reported an attendance of over 17 million at their annual memorial celebration of Christ’s death.  However, these are merely considered adherents.  About 7 million are considered worthy of the title member.4

The memorial celebration, held in March or April, is their most important annual event and the only celebration they believe is sanctioned by the Bible.  They typically do observe weddings, funerals and anniversaries, but religious or national holidays such as birthdays, Thanksgiving and Christmas are considered unchristian and are not celebrated.  They consider such celebrations, as well as patriotism, to be tantamount to worshipping an idol.  They are expected to obey the laws of the country in which they reside, but they refuse to serve in the military, salute any flag, or sing any nationalistic songs.5

Jehovah’s Witnesses consider the Bible to be the inspired word of God and do interpret many scriptures literally, but they believe that much of it is merely symbolic.  They consider the New World translation, first published by their own Watchtower Bible and Tract Society in 1950, to be the most correct translation.  They rely on a “Governing Body” of Jehovah’s Witnesses to interpret scripture correctly and are not permitted to interpret anything themselves.  They are forbidden from reading any material that is not sanctioned by the Watchtower Society, and they are strongly discouraged from attending colleges and universities.

Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Jesus‘ death was necessary to atone for the sins brought upon the world by Adam and that he is the means of salvation for all those who are worthy, but they reject the doctrine of the Trinity, believing that Jesus is the archangel Michael and God’s first creation.  Instead of a cross, they believe he died on a “torture stake.”  They line up with typical conservative Christians in believing that homosexuality and premarital sex are sins, abortion is murder, gambling is sinful, and the husband is considered the final authority in the family structure.6  They believe that a war of Armageddon is imminent wherein the wicked will be destroyed.  They differ from most Christians in that they believe blood is not to be eaten, stored, or transfused.  Any Jehovah’s Witness who accepts a blood transfusion will be subject to organized communal shunning, and many have chosen death because of this.  They also differ in that they do not believe in any Hell of fiery torment, instead believing that the wicked that die are truly dead and have no consciousness.   They believe that only 144,000 people will get to heaven and that these will be co-rulers with Jesus over the rest of the humans who manage to survive the Armageddon.  Since many have already died whom they consider to be worthy of heaven, the vast majority of Jehovah’s Witnesses expect to live eternally on the earth, after it is renewed to a paradisiacal state, not in heaven.7

-Laura

  1. Barbour, N.H. (1874). The Midnight Cry and Herald of the Morning [<]
  2. Russell, C.T. (1876). “Gentile Times: When Do They End?“. Bible Examiner [<]
  3. Russell, C.T. (1902). “The Time is At Hand.” Watch Tower [<]
  4. Wah, C., (June 2001) “Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Responsibility of Religious Freedom: The European Experience,” Journal of Church and State [<]
  5. (September 2002) “Salvation Belongs to Jehovah.” Watchtower: 21. [<]
  6. (1995) “Knowledge That Leads to Everlasting Life.” Watchtower. 120. [<]
  7. (July 1998) “Death Is to Be Brought to Nothing.” Watchtower: 19–24. [<]

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Posted in Atheism, Religion, Unearthed | 7 Comments »

Mormonism Unearthed: Part 3 of 3

Thursday, November 29th, 2007

Most Mormons participate in a Temple Endowment Ceremony, which they hold to be very sacred. At the time Joseph Smith introduced this endowment ordinance, he was an active Mason. Many scholars have noted the strong resemblance between this ceremony and Masonic ritual.1

In 1990, the Church changed or omitted many parts of the original script of the endowment ceremony, but until that time its resemblance to the Masonic Initiators Ceremony was striking. Some of the similarities include: ritual anointing of body parts, a drama representing a spiritual journey, bestowal of a secret name, special garments worn including temple robes and aprons, secret handshakes and tokens, promises to fulfill moral obligations, sworn penalty oaths, progression through three degrees toward perfection, and the word exalted to signify becoming kings in connection with the Royal Arch degree. Smith also used many Masonic symbols such as the beehive, the all-seeing eye, the clasped hands, two triangles forming a six-pointed star, and the sun, moon, and stars. The Masonic square and compass are cut into the temple garment on the breast and a slash is made across the knee. There is also a slash in the garment across the abdomen, symbolic of the disemboweling that would be the fate of anyone who reveals the sacred oaths.2

In the early days of the Mormon Church, Freemasonry was considered by the public to be an elite institution. Joseph Smith’s father and brother were both prominent Masons, and many of the other early members of the Mormon Church became Masons as well. Smith wrote: “In the evening I received the first degree in Freemasonry in the Nauvoo Lodge.” The next day he stated: “I was with the Masonic Lodge and rose to the sublime degree.”3 The degree he refers to is Master Mason, the highest degree of Freemasonry. Seven weeks after his Masonic initiation, Smith established his own Temple Endowment Ceremony by performing the ritual himself. Early Mormons were quite open about the connection between the endowment ceremony and Masonry.

In 1827, Capt. William Morgan, who had become disillusioned with Freemasonry, published a book entitled Freemasonry Exposed. In it, he gave a detailed description of Masonic ceremonies, complete with illustrations. Three months later, Morgan was murdered, allegedly by members of his own lodge, provoking an anti-Masonic furor among the public. Tensions remained high over time, and as the Mormons began to gain prominence in Masonry, the public began to relate them as two parts of one cultish secret society. When Smith established his Temple Endowment Ceremony, he and other Mormons were expelled from the Masonic order for violating their oaths. Smith believed that the Masons had corrupted the ceremony by removing and changing parts that were originated by God in Solomon’s time. He believed his own version of the ceremony was divinely inspired and a restoration to the original and pure form of Adam’s time.4 Many of the men who later murdered Smith were identified as Masons. Eventually, the Grand Masonic Lodge of Utah publicly announced its anti-Mormon stance, and since that time many attempts have been made both by Mormons and Masons to downplay their relation.5

Capt. Morgan played another interesting role in the correlation between Mormonism and Masonry through his widow, Lucinda Pendleton Morgan. Despite vowing eternal widowhood, she married George W. Harris less than three years after her husband’s death, later converting with him to Mormonism. In 1838, while still married to Harris, Lucinda became one of the first plural wives of the prophet Joseph Smith. Mrs. Sarah Pratt, a great friend of Mrs. Harris, after being propositioned by Joseph Smith in 1842, related the following in an interview with W. Wyl: “When Joseph made his dastardly attempt on me, I went to Mrs. Harris to unbosom my grief to her. To my utter astonishment, she said, laughing heartily: “How foolish you are! Why, I am his mistress since four years.’”6

In Joseph Smith’s time racism was rampant, and when Joseph established his endowment ceremony he included the conditions that anyone with any known trace of black African ancestry, even if they were a worthy member of the Mormon Church, was not permitted to participate in the ceremony, nor even enter a Mormon temple. They also, as well as women, could not hold any position of leadership. (Women still cannot hold positions of any real authority today.) Joseph Smith taught that African Americans are the descendants of Cain.7 Brigham Young said, “Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African Race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so.” He also said “…if the priesthood was ever given to the Blacks, on that very day and hour, if we should do so, the priesthood will be taken from this church.”8 Joseph Fielding Smith said, “They are an inferior race, and their intelligence is stunted.” Apostle Bruce McConkie said, “The Negroes were less valiant in the preexistence, and therefore spiritually restricted.”

It wasn’t until 1978 that then President Kimball claimed to have received revelation overturning the Church’s 148-year-old policy against the ordination of Blacks. The Salt Lake Tribune reported that President Kimball refused to discuss this revelation, saying it was a personal thing. Kimball said, “The revelation came at this time because conditions and people have changed. It’s a different world than it was 20 or 25 years ago. The world is ready for it.”

-Laura

  1. Mormon America: The Power and the Promise, Richard Ostling, Joan K. Ostling. Harper Collins, 1999, p. 188 [<]
  2. Masonry & The Mormon Temple Ceremony Chapter XVIX [<]
  3. History of the Church, vol. 4, p. 552 [<]
  4. Mormon America: The Power and the Promise, Richard Ostling, Joan K. Ostling. Harper Collins, 1999, p. 194-5 [<]
  5. The Mormon Church and Freemasonry by Terry Chateau [<]
  6. No Man Knows My History by Fawn Brodie, p. 460. [<]
  7. Joseph Smith History, vol. 4, p. 501 [<]
  8. Brigham Young Addresses, p. 61 [<]

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Posted in Religion, Unearthed | 2 Comments »

Mormonism Unearthed: Part 1 of 3

Wednesday, November 14th, 2007

This is the first of a series of Religions Unearthed, where resident author Laura will explore the development and impact of specific religions, denominations, and other belief systems worldwide. We will begin with Mormonism. Enjoy. -Procrustes

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, originally known as the Church of Christ, currently claims nearly 13 million members worldwide. Its adherents are usually referred to as Latter-day Saints, LDS, or Mormons.1 It is widely believed that their reported membership is inflated through counting inactive members, those who have moved on to other churches, those who have had their names removed from the rolls, and even excommunicated members. In 1998 their President, Gordon B. Hinckley, who they consider to be a modern-day prophet, stated: “We are experiencing a combined growth of converts and a natural increase of some 400,000 a year. Every single year, that is the equivalent of 160 new stakes of 2,500 people each.” This statement has been widely quoted as evidence of the Church’s rapid growth, yet these numbers are incorrect. The Church has never in its history experienced an increase as high as 400,000 members in one year, nor have they ever formed as many as 160 stakes.2

The founder of Mormonism, Joseph Smith, Jr., wrote that in 1820 at 14 years of age, he went into the woods to pray and had a vision of God, the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ (referred to as the First Vision in Mormonism). This is the derivation of the Mormon belief that God, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three different beings and that the Father and Son have physical bodies. According to Smith, God told him during this vision that all of the existing sects of Christianity were “wrong” and “an abomination in his sight.”3

In 1823, Smith claims to have had another vision, this time of a resurrected prophet named Moroni, who led Joseph to a hill near his home where he unearthed a book inscribed on golden plates, a record of God’s dealings with the ancient Israelite inhabitants of the Americas. Mormons believe a Great Apostasy occurred soon after Jesus’ ascension and continued until the truth was restored through Smith’s revelations and his interpretation of these plates (the Book of Mormon). Mormons view the Council of Nicaea as an example of how pagan philosophy corrupted Christianity early on.4

After Smith was murdered by an angry mob in 1844, several groups split off, the largest of which is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The LDS Church came under the direction of Brigham Young, who introduced Smith’s teachings of plural marriage to the public. Most estimates put the number of Joseph Smith’s wives at about 33 at the time of his death, although this was kept highly secret at the time, even among all but a few Mormons.5 Although Smith’s first documented plural wife was married to him in 1831, he did not record the polygamy commandment until 1843. Joseph’s first wife, Emma Hale Smith, was publicly opposed to polygamy and did not follow Brigham Young after her husband’s death, instead forming her own sect with her son as the head. Further evidence of Emma’s abhorrence of the practice can be found in the recorded revelation itself, wherein “God” directly addresses Emma: “And let mine handmaid, Emma Smith, receive all those that have been given unto my servant Joseph, and who are virtuous and pure before me;… But if she will not abide this commandment she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord; for I am the Lord thy God, and will destroy her if she abide not in my law.”6 Over 50 other denominations (many now defunct) have been documented to have formed since Smith’s death, several of which continue the practice of plural marriage today, often employing legal loopholes to avoid committing a criminal act.

When Brigham Young led the Mormons west to the Utah territory, they began to participate in national politics. On July 8, 1862, President Lincoln signed the Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act into law, which forbade the practice of polygamy in US territories. The measure had no funds allocated for enforcement, and President Lincoln chose to leave the Mormons alone. In 1887, Congress passed the Edmunds-Tucker Act, which disincorporated the LDS Church and authorized the federal government to seize all of the church’s assets. By September 1890, the church was losing control of the territory government, members and leaders were being pursued as fugitives, and federal officials were preparing to seize the Church’s four temples, when Wilford Woodruff, the Church President at the time, announced that he had received revelation from Jesus Christ that the Church should cease the practice of plural marriage.7 The timing speaks for itself. There were differences among members regarding the scope of Woodruff’s declaration, and so it was not surprising when the Smoot hearings of 1904 revealed that the practice was continuing unofficially. That year, under President Joseph F. Smith, the church finally and completely banned plural marriage everywhere in the world.

-Laura

  1. Official LDS Website [<]
  2. The Salt Lake Tribune [<]
  3. Joseph Smith-History, Pearl of Great Price [<]
  4. The Great Apostasy: Considered in the Light of Scriptural and Secular History by James Edward Talmage, 1909 [<]
  5. In Sacred Loneliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith by Todd Compton [<]
  6. Doctrine and Covenants 132 [<]
  7. Wilford Woodruff, “Remarks”, Deseret Weekly, Salt Lake City, Utah [<]

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