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123-709: All pioneers who gathered to the Utah Territory between 1847 and the mid-1850s under the direction of Brigham Young, whether members of the LDS Church or sympathetic non-members, were welcome as long as they helped to build up Zion . Developing the land required heavy physical labor. Church members who were willing to physically strengthen the Mormon settlements were so valued that "problems they might have with smoking, drinking, profaning, Sabbath breaking, and even immoral living did not normally cost them their standing in

246-555: A " Second Manifesto ", calling for all polygamous marriages in the church to cease, and established excommunication as the consequence for those who disobeyed. Several small "fundamentalist" groups, seeking to continue the practice, split from the LDS Church, including the Apostolic United Brethren (AUB) and the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church). Meanwhile,

369-405: A case. Under LDS Church policy, a man whose sealed wife has died does not have to request any permission beyond having a current temple recommend and an interview with his bishop to get final permission for a living ordinance, to be married in the temple and sealed to another woman, unless the new wife's circumstance requires a cancellation of sealing. However, a woman whose sealed husband has died

492-437: A course that seemed to be agonizingly more and more clear. As he explained to church members a year later, the choice was between, on the one hand, continuing to practice polygamy and thereby losing the temples , "stopping all the ordinances therein" and, on the other, ceasing to practice polygamy in order to continue performing the essential ordinances for the living and the dead. Woodruff hastened to add that he had acted only as

615-403: A deathbed affidavit telling her she was Smith's daughter. LDS Church president Brigham Young had 51 wives, and 56 children by 16 of those wives. LDS Church apostle Heber C. Kimball had 43 wives, and had 65 children by 17 of those wives. Mormons responded to polygamy with mixed emotions. One historian notes that Mormon women often struggled with the practice and a belief in the divinity of

738-523: A distance". The plan did not allow a city to become too large; once a city had reached the 20,000 limit it was envisaged that other cities would be built: "When this square is thus laid off and supplied, lay off another in the same way, and so fill up the world." While never utilized, the plat ultimately served as a blueprint for subsequent Mormon settlements in the Mormon Corridor . Today, Latter Day Saints are counseled by their leaders to build up

861-780: A geneticist with the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation stated that they had shown "with 99.9 percent accuracy" that five of these individuals were in fact not Smith descendants: Mosiah Hancock (son of Clarissa Reed Hancock), Oliver Buell (son of Prescindia Huntington Buell), Moroni Llewellyn Pratt (son of Mary Ann Frost Pratt), Zebulon Jacobs (son of Zina Diantha Huntington Jacobs Smith ), and Orrison Smith (son of Fanny Alger ). The remaining seven have yet to be conclusively tested, including Josephine Lyon, for whom current DNA testing using mitochondrial DNA cannot provide conclusive evidence either way. Lyon's mother, Sylvia Sessions Lyon, left her daughter

984-573: A governmental system. In this way, Zion must be distinguished from the ideal political system called theodemocracy , which Latter Day Saints believed would be adopted upon Christ's Second Coming . However, "Zion" maintains several possible meanings within the Latter Day Saint lexicon. Latter Day Saints also believe in the construction of a New Jerusalem on the American continent, which is also referred to as Zion. Latter Day Saints believe

1107-407: A marriage ceremony had taken place (only that a couple had lived together), was a misdemeanor punishable by a $ 300 fine and six months imprisonment. It also revoked the right of polygamists to vote or hold office and allowed them to be punished without due process. Even if people did not practice polygamy, they would have their rights revoked if they confessed a belief in it. In August, Rudger Clawson

1230-446: A more normal pattern. The Reformation appeared to have ended completely by early 1858. Several sermons by Willard Richards and George A. Smith that had been delivered earlier in the history of the LDS Church had touched on the concept of blood atonement. The idea of blood atonement was that apostates and those who committed certain sins, such as murder, were beyond the saving power of the blood of Christ and could be redeemed only by

1353-533: A newly appointed territorial governor to replace Brigham Young, dispatched 2,500 federal troops to Utah to seat the new governor, thus setting in motion a series of misunderstandings in which the Mormons felt threatened. In 1862, the Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act became law. The Act criminalized the practice of polygamy, unincorporated the church, and limited the church's real estate holdings. The Act

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1476-548: A prominent leader in the church, was denied a non-voting seat in the U.S. House of Representatives due to his polygamous relations. This revived the issue of polygamy in national politics. One month later, the Edmunds Act was passed by Congress, amending the Morrill Act and made polygamy a felony punishable by a $ 500 fine and five years in prison. "Unlawful cohabitation", in which the prosecution did not need to prove that

1599-434: A second wife. A deceased woman may also be sealed to multiple men, but only through vicarious sealing if they are also deceased. In the case where a man's first wife dies, and the man remarries, and both of the marriages involve a sealing , LDS authorities teach that in the afterlife, the man will enter a polygamous relationship with both wives. Current apostles Russell M. Nelson and Dallin H. Oaks are examples of such

1722-598: A specific piece of geography (Jackson County, Missouri) began to lose its importance. Zion also became a euphemism for wherever the Saints were gathered. "In Missouri and Illinois, Zion had been a city; in Utah, it was a landscape of villages; in the urban diaspora, it was the ward with its extensive programs." However, Latter Day Saints still held on to the idea of building a Zion in Jackson County, Missouri, particularly

1845-401: A symbol of their determination to reform their lives. The zealous message spread from Kaysville to surrounding Mormon communities. Church leaders traveled around the territory, expressing their concern about signs of spiritual decay and "backsliding", and calling for repentance. Members were asked to seal their rededication with rebaptism, and a new baptismal font was dedicated on the east side of

1968-528: A temple for the New Jerusalem. President Lorenzo Snow taught that "there are many here now under the sound of my voice, probably a majority who will have to go back to Jackson county and assist in building the temple.". The responsibility of building the New Jerusalem temple continued to belong to Ephraim, and not the Lamanites. Bruce R. McConkie taught: "An occasional whiff of nonsense goes around

2091-485: A third of the valley's cattle perished due to the cold. During the winter of 1855–56, flour and other basic necessities were very scarce and very costly. Heber C. Kimball wrote his son, "Dollars and cents do not count now, in these times, for they are the tightest that I have ever seen in the territory of Utah." In September 1856, as the drought continued, the trials and difficulties of the previous year led to an explosion of intense soul-searching. Church leaders had viewed

2214-513: Is Zion, the mountain of the Lord's house is in the center of North and South America.". The Latter Day Saints were finally driven from Missouri in 1838 as a consequence of the Mormon War and Governor Lilburn Boggs ' Extermination Order . On March 1, 1842, Smith wrote 13 statements of belief which would later be adopted as the faith's articles of faith . He wrote that "Zion will be built on

2337-569: Is all nonsense and folly in the extreme. The wicked slay the wicked, and they will lay it on the Saints. The Reformation also had an effect on the culture and society that had begun to develop among the Mormon community in Utah, due in large part to the Polysophical Society, which had been organized in 1854 by Lorenzo Snow and his sister, Eliza R. Snow . The society promoted large-scale public education through lectures, musical presentations, literature readings, and poetry writing. At

2460-684: Is believed by the Latter-day Saints to be the revelation of Joseph Smith (D&C 57:1–5, LDS Church ed.), this is said to be located in Jackson County, Missouri , and its county seat, Independence . The Latter Day Saints were expelled from Jackson County in 1833. The region of Kansas City Metropolitan Area remains important today in the doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and Community of Christ , as well as many smaller branches and offshoots of

2583-503: Is coming when justice will be laid to the line and righteousness to the plummet; when we shall take the old broadsword and ask, Are you for God? And if you are not heartily on the Lord's side, you will be hewn down." By the end of September 1856, the Reformation had gained enough momentum to carry it to the rest of the Mormon settlements. Throughout the winter, special meetings were held, and church members urged each other to adhere to

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2706-647: Is none to deliver." In January 1831, Parley P. Pratt took these teachings to the Lenape , a mission which many Mormons expected to be very successful and dominated Latter Day Saint thought in Kirtland. Pratt taught the Delaware Indians that they were descendants of the Book of Mormon people, and that according to the Book of Mormon, they would recover their ancestral lands. However, by February 1831,

2829-458: Is referred to as "the fulness of the gospel" in righteousness. It is a worldwide movement in which the faithful work towards becoming a pure people, willing to serve God. The community of such faithful church members are referred to metonymically as "the pure in heart" in their scriptures. The ancient people of Enoch sum it up by saying "the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there

2952-611: Is the most moral form of marriage. Polygamy was sometimes explained as a way to prevent men from falling into sexual temptation, while monogamy was immoral and increased the likelihood of sexual temptation. Some who practiced polygamy defended it as a religious practice that was taught in the Bible. Top leaders used the examples of the polygamy of God the Father and Jesus Christ in defense of it and these teachings on God and Jesus' polygamy were widely accepted among Latter-day Saints by

3075-663: The American Indians to Mormonism. They viewed themselves as repentant Gentiles that would assist the American Indians in building the New Jerusalem, They warned Americans who did not repent would be destroyed by the American Indians to make way for the New Jerusalem, based on a scripture in the Book of Mormon that warns the Gentiles to repent, "lest a remnant of the seed of Jacob shall go forth among you as a lion, and tear you in pieces, and there

3198-633: The Book of Mormon was published. The Book of Mormon prophet Ether taught that a remnant of the house of Joseph would build a holy city in the Americas. Afterwards, there would be a New Jerusalem that would come down from heaven where the remnant would live. Latter Day Saints believe that this refers to the City of Enoch, and that it will return to the earth from heaven at the Second Coming . Later in

3321-519: The Book of Mormon , a key part of the Latter Day Saint canon, and 268 times in the LDS Church's version of the Doctrine and Covenants , a part of its canon consisting of what members believe to be modern-day revelation and written down by Smith mostly in the 19th century. Following the disappointments and strife which took place in Missouri during initial attempts to establish a "City of the Saints" in

3444-530: The Endowment House on Temple Square for the purpose of rebaptism. Rebaptism as a practice was not unique to the Reformation, and the practice, which had begun in the 1830s, continued to be commonplace throughout the nineteenth century. It was later discouraged by the First Presidency in 1879. The meetings conducted by Grant and Young during the Reformation were similar to those held during

3567-575: The Latter Day Saint movement , Zion is often used to connote an association of the righteous. This association would practice a form of communitarian economics, called the United Order , which were meant to ensure that all members maintained an acceptable quality of life, class distinctions were minimized, and group unity achieved. While Zion has often been linked with theocracy , the concept of Zion did not theoretically require such

3690-604: The Relief Society , encouraged by its president, Emma Smith , also wrote their experiences that disproved Bennett's statements. They also began a petition in support of Joseph Smith's character which they delivered to the Governor of Illinois. Mormon polygamy was one of the leading moral issues of the 19th Century in the United States, perhaps second only to slavery in importance. Spurred by popular indignation,

3813-577: The Smoot hearings made it clear that polygamy had not been completely extinguished. The ambiguity was ended in the General Conference of April 1904, when Smith issued the " Second Manifesto ", an emphatic declaration that prohibited new polygamous marriages and proclaimed that offenders would be subject to church discipline . It declared that any who participated in additional plural marriages, and those officiating, would be excommunicated from

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3936-578: The Zion at Jerusalem . Latter Day Saints believe that, at the Second Coming , Zion the City of Enoch will return to the earth from heaven, a belief based on the part of the Scripture that stated this return and that "its inhabitants shall join with the New Jerusalem, which shall then be established." It is taught that the Zion of America will be reunited with the Zion of Enoch but, that first, it must equal to

4059-431: The "land which I have appointed and consecrated for the gathering of the saints." The revelation further stated, "Behold, the place which is now called Independence is the center place; and the spot for the temple is lying westward   ..." Smith later envisioned the temple as being the starting point for the creation of a New Jerusalem : "Verily this is the word of the Lord, that the city New Jerusalem shall be built by

4182-570: The 1830s when the saints resided in Ohio , contained the same types of religious experiences. These types of manifestations, however, had largely been absent from the Nauvoo and earlier Utah experiences, such as speaking in tongues , prophesying , and seeing visions. The Reformation was endorsed by all three members of the First Presidency, as well as several apostles , who gave fiery sermons in favor of greater orthodoxy, and rebaptism in preparation for

4305-505: The 1940s and 1950s. In 1943, the First Presidency learned that apostle Richard R. Lyman was cohabitating with a woman other than his legal wife. As it turned out, in 1925 Lyman had begun a relationship which he defined as a polygamous marriage. Unable to trust anyone else to officiate, Lyman and the woman exchanged vows secretly. By 1943, both were in their seventies. Lyman was excommunicated on November 12, 1943. The Quorum of

4428-471: The American continent." For the rest of the century, Latter Day Saints were encouraged to gather to Zion by gathering to the centers of the church population in different places in America, such as Nauvoo, Illinois and Utah . However, in the twentieth century, Zion began to be reinterpreted as a spiritual gathering where one changed their heart rather than their home. After this time, the concept of Zion as

4551-487: The Book of Mormon timeline, Jesus visited the Nephites in the Americas and taught that they were a remnant of the house of Joseph. After they were brought to the knowledge of the Lord, they would be given the Americas as their inheritance. Repentant Gentiles will assist them in building the New Jerusalem. Early Latter Day Saints interpreted these scriptures to mean that there would be a sudden and dramatic conversion of

4674-539: The Church acclaiming that the Lamanites will build the temple in the New Jerusalem and that Ephraim and others will come to their assistance. This illusion is born of an inordinate love for Father Lehi's children and of a desire to see them all become now as Samuel the Lamanite once was. The Book of Mormon passages upon which it is thought to rest have reference not to the Lamanites but to the whole house of Israel. The temple in Jackson County will be built by Ephraim, meaning

4797-684: The Church as it is now constituted." In the 1970s, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints modified the 10th Article of Faith to read "Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built on the American continent," a clarification that was now needed with multiple understandings of the term Zion. A comprehensive plat was devised by Smith in 1833, describing the planned city as an organized grid system of blocks and streets, with blocks house lots that alternated in direction by columns of blocks between north-south streets. Designed around Latter Day Saint principles of agrarianism order and community,

4920-503: The FLDS Church) continues to practice polygamy. Although the LDS Church has abandoned the practice of plural marriage, it has not abandoned the underlying doctrines of polygamy. It is still the practice of monogamous Mormon couples to be sealed to one another. However, in some circumstances, men and women may be sealed to multiple spouses. Most commonly, a man may be sealed to multiple wives: if his first wife dies, he may be sealed to

5043-565: The LDS Church continues its policy of excommunicating members found practicing polygamy, and today actively seeks to distance itself from fundamentalist groups that continue the practice. On its website, the church states that "the standard doctrine of the church is monogamy" and that polygamy was a temporary exception to the rule. Adherents of various churches and groups from the larger Latter Day Saint movement continue to practice polygamy. Historian Richard van Wagoner reports that Smith developed an interest in polygamy after studying parts of

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5166-654: The LDS Church itself. Many U.S. politicians were strongly opposed to the practice; the Republican platform even referred to polygamy and slavery as "the twin relics of barbarism." " " Joseph Smith , founder of the Latter-day Saint movement, first introduced polygamy privately in the 1830s. Later, in 1852, Orson Pratt , , a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles , publicly announced and defended

5289-467: The LDS Church: eternity-only and time-and-eternity. Eternity-only polygamous marriages applied only in the afterlife and time-and-eternity marriages applied both in mortal life and in the afterlife. Smith had sexual relations with some of his wives; others, he had no sexual relations with. Polygamy was taught as being essential for salvation . Polygamy was seen as "more important than baptism" and

5412-421: The Latter Day Saint movement, who view it as having a crucial role to play in their Christian Millennialist theology. In its broadest sense, Zion is regarded by Latter Day Saints as an association of the "pure in heart". Central to Zion's philosophical underpinnings was a sense of community cohesiveness and unity, a concept which seemed to be unraveling in the world of Jacksonian Democracy . Smith taught that

5535-551: The Latter-day Saints at the General Conference and unanimously approved. While many church leaders in 1890 regarded the Manifesto as inspired, there were differences among them about its scope and permanence. Contemporary opinions include the contention that the manifesto was more related to an effort to achieve statehood for the Utah territory. Some leaders were reluctant to terminate a long-standing practice that

5658-609: The Lord directed. In 1879, the Supreme Court ruled that a defendant cannot claim a religious obligation as a valid defense to a crime and upheld the Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act in Reynolds v. United States . The Court said that while holding a religious belief was protected under the First Amendment right of freedom of religion, practicing a religious belief that broke the law was not. Reynolds vs. United States

5781-465: The Mormon fundamentalist movement, Ogden Kraut , summarized the fundamentalist/dissident position on "Zion" as follows: The Saints failed to live the higher laws in the center stake of Zion in Missouri so they were expelled. During the four years at Nauvoo, there was not even an attempt to live the United Order, for example, so they were again driven out. They became like the children of Israel in

5904-476: The Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act for refusing to stop practicing polygamy. The act stripped away some of Utah's powers and gave the federal government greater control over the territory. Among other powers, the act gave US district courts jurisdiction in the Utah Territory for all court cases. The Poland Act was a significant threat to Mormons practicing polygamy as it allowed for men who had multiple wives to be criminally indicted . In February 1882, George Q. Cannon ,

6027-618: The Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act in Reynolds v. United States . The Wade, Cragin, and Cullom Bills were anti-bigamy legislation that failed to pass in the US Congress. The bills were all intended to enforce the Morrill Act's prohibition on polygamy with more punitive measures. The Wade Bill of 1866 had the power to dismantle local government in Utah. Three years after the Wade Bill failed, the Cragin Bill, which would have eliminated

6150-536: The New Jerusalem added to the existing conflict between Latter Day Saints and their non-Latter Day Saint neighbors. This made it difficult for the Latter Day Saints to build Zion. By July 1833, Smith said he received an additional revelation stating that Zion was the pure in heart. The Latter Day Saints no longer viewed the building of Zion as imminent. A revelation in December 1833 through Smith states

6273-400: The New Jerusalem will be built in Jackson County, Missouri by a remnant of the house of Joseph , assisted by repentant Gentiles . Depending on context, "Zion" can have multiple meanings in the Latter Day Saint movement. Examples include: In one interpretation, Zion refers to a specific location to which members of the millennial church are to be gathered together to live. Stipulated by what

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6396-560: The Old Testament in which prophets had more than one wife. In the 1830s or early 1840s, Latter Day Saint movement founder Joseph Smith secretly initiated a practice of religious polygamy among select members of the Church of Christ he founded. In Nauvoo, Illinois, Smith introduced ecclesiastical leaders to the practice of polygamy, and he married several plural wives. On July 12, 1843, Smith dictated and had recorded what he said

6519-449: The Reformation's appeal to the spiritual and emotional lives of Latter-day Saints, actions taken during the movement had lasting impacts on church members, their families, and the church organization. Among the main outcomes of the Reformation were personal recommitment, communal economic innovation, strengthened unity among church members, and an increase in the number of those entering plural marriage. Gustive O. Larson writes that "Mormonism

6642-558: The Reformation. Ward missionaries were asked to visit each family in the ward, assess their material needs, and provide help wherever possible. They were also asked to inquire into family members' spiritual commitment, including asking searching questions about religious practices. After some months of these missionary visits, Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City and surrounding communities who had not yet been rebaptized were asked to do so as an expression of their ongoing commitment to

6765-592: The Twelve provided the newspapers with a one-sentence announcement, stating that the ground for excommunication was violation of the law of chastity . Over time, many of those who rejected the LDS Church's relinquishment of polygamy formed small, close-knit communities in areas of the Rocky Mountains. These groups continue to practice "the Principle". In the 1940s, LDS Church apostle Mark E. Petersen coined

6888-663: The U.S. Congress passed the Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act , prohibiting polygamous marriage in the territories. Despite the law, many Latter-day Saints continued to practice polygamy, believing it was protected by the First Amendment . However, in 1879, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Morrill Act’s constitutionality in Reynolds v. United States , asserting that while laws could not interfere with religious belief, they could regulate religious practices. In 1890, when it became clear that Utah would not be admitted to

7011-498: The U.S. government took a number of steps against polygamy; these were of varying effectiveness. Anti-polygamy laws began to be passed ten years after the church publicly announced the practice of polygamy. The first legislative attempt to discourage polygamy in Utah was presented in the 33rd Congress. The bill was debated in May 1854. The bill included the provision that any man who had more than one wife would not be able to own land in

7134-635: The Union while polygamy was still practiced, church president Wilford Woodruff issued the 1890 Manifesto , officially terminating the practice of polygamy within the LDS Church. Although this manifesto did not dissolve existing polygamous marriages, relations with the United States markedly improved after 1890, such that Utah was admitted as a U.S. state in 1896. After the manifesto, some church members continued to enter into polygamous marriages, but these eventually stopped in 1904 when church president Joseph F. Smith disavowed polygamy before Congress and issued

7257-610: The Utah Territory. This bill was defeated in the House of Representatives after multiple representatives argued that the federal government did not have the authority to legislate morals in the states. As the church settled in what became the Utah Territory, it eventually was subjected to the power and opinion of the United States. Friction first began to show in the James Buchanan administration and federal troops arrived (see Utah War ). Buchanan, anticipating Mormon opposition to

7380-510: The announcement, however, the Latter-day Saints in Utah experienced a period of hardship. The population of the Utah territory had increased rapidly as converts from Europe joined American Saints in their migration across the Great Plains . In 1855, a drought struck, due to light snowfall during the winter of 1854. In addition to the damage caused by drought, an infestation of grasshoppers and crickets destroyed their meager crops, and around

7503-424: The beginning of the Reformation, Jedediah M. Grant and Heber C. Kimball attacked the society, with Grant saying that it possessed an "adulterous spirit". In a possible tongue-in-cheek diary entry, Hannah Tapfield King responded to Grant's. King wrote, "Well, there may be, for he says there is, and probably he understands it. To me it all seemed good and nice, of course a little vanity and folly, and that one sees in

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7626-405: The belief that the Latter Day Saints were unable to establish Zion in "consequence of their transgressions". The revelation says that among the Saints there were "jarrings, and contentions, and envyings, and strifes, and lustful and covetous desires among them; therefore by these things they polluted their inheritances." Instead, Joseph Smith began teaching that "The whole of North and South America

7749-461: The cause of Zion, and prepare themselves to be worthy of such a society. They look to the City of Enoch as an ideal to follow. Enoch's exclusion of teaching black people was used to justify the racial exclusion policy before 1978. Once this system is applied to the modern day Zion, it will be referred to as the United Order or the Order of Enoch. The modern-day Zion comes after the Zion of Enoch and

7872-652: The cause. He has been described by contemporary authors as being sensible, generous, well-educated, and given to robust oratory, all of which aided the Reformation. At a quarterly conference in Kaysville, Utah , Grant and Joseph Young of the First Council of the Seventy delivered various sermons over the span of four days, calling for repentance and a general recommitment to moral living and religious teachings. Five hundred people presented themselves for rebaptism as

7995-533: The church publicly opposed the Cullom Bill. Op-eds in church-owned newspapers declared the bill as unjust and dangerous to Mormons. The introduction of the Cullom Bill led to protests by Mormons, particularly Mormon women. Women organized indignation meetings to voice their disapproval of the bill. The strong reaction of Mormon women surprised many onlookers and politicians. Outside of the church, Mormon women were seen as weak and oppressed by their husbands and

8118-545: The church were opposed to polygamy as they saw the practice as a violation of American values and morals. Opponents of polygamy believed that polygamy forced wives into submission to their husbands and some described polygamy as a form of slavery. The overall opposition to polygamy led the Republican Party's platform to refer to it as one of the "relics of barbarianism". Sensational and often violent novels provided fictional stories about polygamy which fueled

8241-798: The church's website states that early Mormons believed that they would receive blessings from God by obeying the commandment of polygamy. Among historians, there is disagreement as to the precise number of wives Smith married. D. Michael Quinn reports 46, George D. Smith 38, Todd M. Compton 33 (plus eight "possible wives"), and Stewart Davenport 37. It is unclear how many of the wives Smith had sexual relations with. Some contemporary accounts from Smith's time indicate that he engaged in sexual relations with some of his wives. As of 2007 , there were at least twelve early Latter Day Saints who, based on historical documents and circumstantial evidence, had been identified as potential Smith offspring stemming from polygamous marriages. In 2005 and 2007 studies,

8364-488: The church, Orson Pratt, defended polygamy by arguing that the practice was a result of divine revelation and that it was protected under the US Constitution as a religious freedom. Following the public announcement of polygamy, members of the church published pamphlets and literature defending the practice. Mormon missionaries were also directed to defend polygamy. The majority of Americans who were not members of

8487-422: The church. Paul H. Peterson asserts that those who refused to be rebaptized might "lose their membership in the church. In Britain, zealous application of Reformation principles resulted in trimming from church rolls a large number of the less-committed." A modest number of less zealous church members left the Utah area, returning to the east or traveling on to California . Zion (Latter Day Saints) Within

8610-536: The church. Those disagreeing with the Second Manifesto included apostles Matthias F. Cowley and John W. Taylor , who both resigned from the Quorum of the Twelve . Cowley retained his membership in the church, but Taylor was later excommunicated. Although the Second Manifesto ended the official practice of new polygamous marriages, existing ones were not automatically dissolved. Many Mormons, including prominent church leaders, maintained their polygamy into

8733-700: The commandments of God and the practices and precepts of the church. Preaching placed special emphasis on the practice of plural marriage , adherence to the Word of Wisdom , attendance at church meetings, and personal prayer. Various sermons also focused on improving personal appearance, dress, and hygiene. In one sermon, Jedediah Grant urged members to uphold their baptismal covenants through "observing cleanliness in their persons and dwellings, setting their families in order, [and] carefully cultivating their farms and gardens..." Although Grant died of pneumonia in December 1856 at age forty, shortly after one of his winter tours,

8856-413: The community and the Church." Consequently, by the early 1850s, many communities within the Mormon settlement region were prosperous and secure, yet contained a segment of inhabitants whose personal practices were not within the exacting standards of the LDS Church. In 1852, Brigham Young felt that the church in Utah was secure enough to announce the practice of plural marriage to the world. Shortly after

8979-606: The conflict, known as the Utah War , Mormon militia were asked to engage in diversionary action on the plains and in Wyoming . Also, church members were prepared, under Brigham Young's direction, to abandon and destroy their homes, farms, and businesses and move again to the White Mountains of Arizona , which Young had selected as a possible place of refuge if full-scale war were to begin. Historians have also asserted that

9102-423: The descendants of Cain , who were black and had no place among them. This city became so righteous and pure that it was translated (taken) from the presence of the earth and brought into the presence of God, leaving behind on earth only Methuselah and his family (including Noah ) to repopulate the earth with righteous people. It was described as populated by an organization of people who are common owners of

9225-402: The desert with only the hope of keeping Zion's laws. But here in the valleys of the Rocky Mountains we have done worse than in Missouri and Illinois. For a few years after the pioneers arrived, an attempt was made to live the United Order and plural marriage, but both leaders and members failed to continue those important laws. Thus, the Church has gone astray from keeping all the laws of Zion, and

9348-575: The eastern United States as he lectured about the church. In his lectures, Bennett included claims of sexual misconduct among church leaders, secret rituals, and violence. In 1842, Bennett published a book entitled The History of the Saints: Or, An Exposé of Joe Smith and Mormonism which includes alleged stories of sexual misconduct by Smith and other church leaders. The church responded to Bennett's claims about Smith by gathering affidavits and printing contradictory evidence in newspapers. The women of

9471-439: The economic disasters of the previous years as acts of God, and sensed that something was needed to assist the Saints in their quest for temporal survival and spiritual salvation. Brigham Young, at a church meeting on September 21, 1856, stated: "We need a reformation in the midst of this people; we need a thorough reform." Jedediah M. Grant, a counselor in the First Presidency and a well-known conservative voice, took interest in

9594-611: The emotional rhetoric of church leaders contributed to the defensive dialogue and actions in Southern Utah, which ultimately burst forth in the Mountain Meadows massacre . Additionally, leaders at church headquarters established a policy of assigning two "home" or ward missionaries in each congregational unit. A similar program still exists today within the LDS Church in the form of ministering (formerly known as visiting or home teaching), though much has changed since

9717-404: The following: 1) The Jerusalem of Judah; 2) The New Jerusalem in America; and 3) The Lord's people and their gathering places around the world. Exoterically (mundanely) considered, a gathering place in the modern Latter Day Saint organizational context refers to wards (basic congregational units), stakes (groups of several wards), and homes or communities where believers are striving to live what

9840-610: The full practice of "celestial law" in Utah Territory prior to the Second Coming , which they suspected would be soon. Brigham Young played a key role in the circulation of the Mormon Reformation with his emphasis on plural marriage , rebaptism , and passionate preaching and oration. He also introduced various controversial doctrines, such as blood atonement and the Adam-God doctrine , both of which were rejected by other church leaders. According to Brigham Young: "The time

9963-436: The gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple, which temple shall be reared in this generation." While Latter Day Saints were anxious to gather to Missouri, Smith said he received another revelation to stay in Kirtland for five years, during which time the wicked would not be destroyed. Teachings about Zion, the New Jerusalem and the accompanying destruction of unrepentant Gentiles to build

10086-408: The gospel" and as "ordinances", specific commandments which have long set this movement apart from mainstream Christianity. The two most frequently noted requirements are the United Order (a form of agrarian communalism) and plural marriage , both of which are de-emphasized in the mainstream LDS Church and, in the case of plural marriage, expressly prohibited and denounced. A modern-day proponent of

10209-533: The house of Joseph, through Ephraim. Instead of building New Jerusalem together with the Native Americans, they began seeing it as two different places, with Zion being built upon the hills and the Lamanites in the wilderness. On July 20, 1831, Smith stated that he had received a revelation that designated a physical location for the Saints to start to build Zion, which he taught would be the future New Jerusalem . The revelation designated Missouri as

10332-503: The influence of the Reformation spread throughout the Mormon colonies and settlements. On December 30, 1856, the entire all-Mormon Utah territorial legislature was rebaptized for the remission of their sins, and reconfirmed under the hands of the Twelve Apostles . To encourage reformation, certain adjunct theocratic committees may have attempted to ensure order and conformity by censuring local troublemakers. Dissident Mormons of

10455-625: The late 1850s. In 1853, Jedediah M. Grant —who later become a member of the First Presidency —stated that the top reason behind the persecution of Christ and his disciples was due to their practice of polygamy. Two months later, apostle Orson Pratt taught in a church periodical that "We have now clearly shown that God the Father had a plurality of wives", and that after her death, Mary (the mother of Jesus) may have become another eternal polygamous wife of God. He also stated that Christ had multiple wives— Mary of Bethany , Martha , and Mary Magdalene —as further evidence in defense of polygamy. In

10578-474: The law might have its course." Young reiterated the concept in several other sermons during the Reformation period. Although the belief was never widely accepted by church members, it became part of the public image of the church at the time and was pilloried, along with the practice of polygamy, in newspapers in the Eastern United States. During the subsequent history of the church, the concept

10701-613: The men of the church. The political activism in support of polygamy of Mormon women was unexpected from a group that had been portrayed as powerless. Following the failure of the Wade, Cragin, and Collum Bills, the Poland Act was an anti-bigamy prosecution act that was successfully enacted by the 43rd United States Congress . The Poland Act, named after its sponsor in the US House of Representatives , attempted to prosecute Utah under

10824-470: The mission was cut short when the missionaries didn't have the correct permits. Also around this time, the Book of Moses started being published in the church newspapers Evening and Morning Star and Times and Seasons , which would later be canonized in the Pearl of Great Price . According to the narrative, Enoch , the son of Jared , founds a city for the righteous descendants of Adam , except for

10947-468: The necessity of practicing polygamy in order to receive salvation. Members of the church in St George, Utah report being taught in the late 1800s that there is no "exaltation" without polygamy. In a church-owned newspaper, an article speculates that men and women who refuse to practice polygamy will have a lesser station in the afterlife. Polygamy was also explained as being a commandment of God that

11070-476: The next two years the apostle Orson Hyde also stated during two general conference addresses that Jesus practiced polygamy and repeated this in an 1857 address. In a teaching manual published by the church in 2015, the practice of polygamy is described as a "test of faith" that brought Latter-day Saints closer to God. Other recent church documents point to an increase in children as being why Mormons believe God commanded them to practice polygamy. An article on

11193-404: The night with the Lord regarding the path that should be pursued. The result was a 510-word handwritten manuscript which stated his intentions to comply with the law and denied that the church continued to solemnize or condone polygamous marriages. The document was later edited by George Q. Cannon of the First Presidency and others to its present 356 words. On October 6, 1890, it was presented to

11316-435: The people of Zion would have all things in common ( see United Order ), and would not allow others in their community to suffer because of the principles of love, unselfishness, and work for the common good which would be imbued in the individuals capable of maintaining such a society. Zion therefore stands in contrast to proverbial Babylon , where wickedness, disunity, and poverty prevail. The word "Zion" appears 53 times in

11439-421: The period by Brigham Young and Jedediah Grant that would seem to give vigilante-style bloodshed a religious basis. Young denied that any such acts were condoned by him or the church leadership. In a speech in 1867 Young said: Is there war in our religion? No; neither war nor bloodshed. Yet our enemies cry out "bloodshed," and "oh, what dreadful men these Mormons are, and those Danites! how they slay and kill!" Such

11562-425: The plan called for 24 temples at the city's center, reflecting the central role played by the church in the community. The temples were to be used for education, administration, cultural events and worship. The plan called for a city of 15,000 to 20,000 people living in a 1-square-mile (2.6 km ) city with agricultural land to be reserved on all sides of the city, enough to supply the city "without going too great of

11685-434: The polygamy commandment was often necessary in accepting it. Records indicate that future church leaders, such as Brigham Young, John Taylor , and Heber C. Kimball , greatly opposed polygamy initially. Documents left by Mormon women describe personal spiritual experiences that led them to accept polygamy. Another historian notes that some Mormon women expressed appreciation for polygamy and its effects. An early leader of

11808-592: The practice at the request of then-church president Brigham Young . Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the LDS Church and the United States remained at odds over the issue. The church defended polygamy as a matter of religious freedom, while the federal government, in line with prevailing public opinion, sought to eradicate it. Polygamy likely played a role in the Utah War of 1857–1858, as Republican critics portrayed Democratic President James Buchanan as weak in opposing both polygamy and slavery. In 1862,

11931-467: The practice of polygamy is to increase the Mormon population by childbirth. In the Millennial Star , a church owned and operated newspaper, an article teaches that monogamous marriages result in offspring that are physically and mentally lesser than offspring of polygamous marriages. An early church leader argued that polygamy has historically been the main form of marriage and that polygamy

12054-429: The practice of polygamy was required before the Second Coming of Christ . Brigham Young said that any male member of the church who was commanded to practice polygamy and refused would be damned. Other leaders of the church taught that men who refused to have multiple wives were not obeying God's commandments and that they should step down from their priesthood callings. Church president Joseph F. Smith also spoke about

12177-409: The property and none being richer or poorer. After Pratt's unsuccessful mission, the concept of the New Jerusalem started being reinterpreted and integrated with the teaching of Zion. Instead of being built by the Native Americans, the New Jerusalem was to be built by white Latter Day Saints. Instead of seeing themselves as repentant Gentiles, they began seeing themselves as also being a remnant of

12300-576: The public's dislike for the practice and Mormons. However, some non-Mormons held more positive views of polygamy. For example, after surveying the Utah Territory, Captain Howard Stansbury concluded that most polygamous marriages were successful and there were good feelings between families. John C. Bennett was a member of the church and close friend of Joseph Smith who was disfellowshipped and later excommunicated for adultery. Following his excommunication, Bennett began to travel around

12423-464: The redemption of Zion is seldom even mentioned. Joseph Smith wrote of Zion even before the organization of the Latter Day Saint church . In April 1829, he dictated a revelation which urged him and his scribe, Oliver Cowdery , to "seek to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion." The attempt to reach that goal became a driving force in early Latter Day Saint history, and remains a powerful influence among Latter Day Saints today. In March 1830,

12546-435: The region, the concept of Zion evolved to encompass a less geographically specific idea similar to the orthodox Christian concept of the "ekklesia" (See Ecclesia (Church) ) or community of believers regardless of location. This concept is hinted at in such scriptural passages as the following: "Therefore, verily, thus saith the Lord, let Zion rejoice, for this is Zion— THE PURE IN HEART ; therefore, let Zion rejoice, while all

12669-408: The right to a jury for bigamy trials, was introduced but not passed. After that, the Cullom Bill was introduced. One of the most concerning parts of the Cullom Bill for polygamists was that, if passed, anyone who practiced any type of non-monogamous relationship would not be able to become a citizen of the United States, vote in elections, or receive the benefits of the homestead laws. The leadership of

12792-422: The sin. On September 21, 1856, while calling for sincere repentance by church members, Brigham Young took the idea further, stating: "I know that there are transgressors, who, if they knew themselves and the only condition upon which they can obtain forgiveness, would beg of their brethren to shed their blood, that the smoke might ascend to God as an offering to appease the wrath that is kindled against them, and that

12915-641: The stature of Enoch's Zion in order to be worthy to join with it. Mormonism and polygamy Polygamy (called plural marriage by Latter-day Saints in the 19th century or the Principle by modern fundamentalist practitioners of polygamy ) was practiced by leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for more than half of the 19th century, and practiced publicly from 1852 to 1890 by between 20 and 30 percent of Latter-day Saint families. Polygamy among Latter-day Saints has been controversial, both in Western society and within

13038-416: The tabernacle and everywhere." Historian Dean L. May noted that the more zealous reformation efforts were not universally accepted in Utah. As in similar American religious reformation and revival movements, the enormous enthusiasm and dramatic signs of repentance could not be sustained. By the spring of 1857, with the return of more familiar spring rains, the religious life of Mormon communities returned to

13161-487: The teachings and practiced polygamy. The number of members aware of polygamy grew until the church started openly practicing polygamy in early 1852, eight years after Smith's death. According to some historians and then-contemporary accounts, by this time, polygamy was openly taught and practiced. The doctrine authorizing polygamy was canonized and first published in the 1876 version of the church's Doctrine and Covenants . There were two types of polygamous marriages in

13284-467: The term " Mormon fundamentalist " to describe such people. Fundamentalists either practice as individuals, as families, or as part of organized denominations. Today, the LDS Church objects to the use of the term "Mormon fundamentalists" and suggests using the term "polygamist sects" to avoid confusion about whether the main body of Mormon believers teach or practice polygamy. The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (also referred to as

13407-654: The territorial government, and many members and leaders were being actively pursued as fugitives. Without being able to appear publicly, the leadership was left to navigate "underground". Following the passage of the Edmunds–Tucker Act, the church found it difficult to operate as a viable institution. After visiting priesthood leaders in many settlements, church president Wilford Woodruff left for San Francisco on September 3, 1890, to meet with prominent businessmen and politicians. He returned to Salt Lake City on September 21, determined to obtain divine confirmation to pursue

13530-440: The time reported rumors that committees resorted to summary judgments with punishments meted out by enforcers colloquially termed " Danites " or "destroying angels". For example, the southern Utah pioneer and militia scout of the time John Chatterley later wrote that he had received threats from "secret Committee, called... 'destroying angels'" in late 1856 and early 1857. Contemporary commentators have pointed to pronouncements during

13653-483: The voluntary shedding of their own blood. In a sermon given in March 1856, just before the start of the Reformation, Brigham Young preached that the death and Atonement of Jesus Christ could not cleanse endowed members of the church of certain transgressions, such as adultery, apostasy, and first-degree murder. For these offenses, Young believed that only the voluntary offering of the sinner's own life would be able to expunge

13776-577: The wicked shall mourn." Esoterically considered, "Zion" as used in this context is a dualistic term connoting a sanctified group of people living according to the commandments and ordinances as revealed to them. Latter Day Saints use the name to signify a group of God's followers, or any location pertaining to where they live. As well as signifying a group and place it is also applied to more than one situation and may be fulfilled at more than one time. Thus, "Zion" has several related but not necessarily synonymous applications. These applications make reference to

13899-422: Was 65 percent higher in 1856–57 than in any other two-year period in Utah history. The Reformation also resulted in an increase in practical and emotional unity among church members. Historians James Allen and Glen Leonard point out that the Reformation "may have accounted for the fact that the following year the Saints were emotionally prepared to confront the army of the United States en route to Utah." During

14022-477: Was a civilizing force at work in the Great Basin . Not unlike the experience of some other Christian communities, it threshed its harvest of converts vigorously, lost some of them together with the tares, but produced thereby a better product. The call to repentance in the Reformation was generally heeded and as a result, in the words of historian Andrew Neff, 'the spiritual tone of the entire Mormon commonwealth

14145-468: Was a revelation from God describing the theology and purpose of polygamy, relating it to biblical portrayals of polygamous marriage by Old Testament patriarchs such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. When he dictated the document, Smith said he already "knew the revelation perfectly from beginning to end". At the time, the practice was kept secret from most people, both adherents and not. The church publicly denounced polygamy, and only some membership knew about

14268-487: Was frequently criticized by church members, given that both the Book of Mormon and church doctrine teach that the sacrifice of Christ forms part of an "infinite atonement". Blood atonement was formally repudiated as church doctrine by a manifesto published in the Deseret Weekly in 1889, and again by a letter published by apostle Bruce R. McConkie speaking on behalf of the First Presidency in 1978. In addition to

14391-538: Was imprisoned for continuing to cohabit with wives that he married before the 1862 Morrill Act. In 1887, the Edmunds–Tucker Act allowed the disincorporation of the LDS Church and the seizure of church property; it also further extended the punishments of the Edmunds Act. On July 31 of the same year, U.S. Attorney General George Peters filed suit to seize all church assets. The church was losing control of

14514-565: Was largely understood to be unconstitutional and was only enforced in rare cases. While, the Act outlawed bigamy in the US territories, it was seen to be largely weak and infective at preventing people from practicing polygamy. However, due to the continuous threat of legislation targeting polygamy and the church, Brigham Young pretended to comply. On January 6, 1879, the Supreme Court upheld

14637-401: Was markedly raised.'" According to historian Paul H. Peterson, the pledges of conformity with church practices led to a measurable increase in plural marriages throughout the Mormon region. Many men who had previously resisted plural marriages were sealed to one or more plural wives. Stanley S. Ivins's statistical research reveals that the number of plural marriages in relation to population

14760-457: Was no poor among them". In the Mormon fundamentalism movement, a more literal interpretation of Zion as a specific geographical location is held to more strongly and a more stringent emphasis is placed upon individual and community lifestyle requirements that are considered, to be necessary prerequisites to establishing such a community. These requirements are often referred to as "the fulness of

14883-420: Was received by divine revelation and that polygamy was a part of God's plan. Latter-day Saints believed that a woman could secure her place in heaven by being sealed to a righteous man who held the priesthood. Some women embraced polygamy because of this teaching and their desire to receive divine blessings. The salvation of women was understood to be dependent on their status as wives. One reason given for

15006-462: Was regarded as divinely mandated. As a result, over 200 polygamous marriages were performed between 1890 and 1904. It was not until 1904, under the leadership of church president Joseph F. Smith , that the church completely banned new polygamous marriages worldwide. Not surprisingly, rumors persisted of marriages performed after the 1890 Manifesto, and beginning in January 1904, testimony given in

15129-473: Was the Supreme Court's first case in which a party used the right of freedom of religion as a defense. The ruling concluded that Mormons could be charged with committing bigamy despite their religious beliefs. The final element in Woodruff's revelatory experience came on the evening of September 23, 1890. The following morning, he reported to some of the general authorities that he had struggled throughout

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