✨ Joseph the Monogamist #5
✨ Joseph the Monogamist
📝 Their Words
(Original blog post, preserved for authenticity)
Question we have been asked: Do you still believe Joseph Smith was a prophet?
Answer: 100%, Yes. Where we likely differ is that we believe Joseph Smith told the Truth.Joseph taught about the Holy Order of God. He said:
"It is the channel through which the Almighty commenced revealing His glory at the beginning of the creation of this earth, and through which He has continued to reveal Himself to the children of men to the present time, and through which He will make known His purposes to the end of time."So what kind of person would God trust with this channel? With His words, let alone His power? What kind of man would God call and elect into this order? Would He trust a murderer? Would He reveal Himself to a thief? Would He confer His power on an adulterer? Would He anoint a liar?
On May 25, 1844 in front of a large gathering of the saints, Joseph, one who claimed to have been a member of the Holy Order, stood (having been accused of practicing spiritual wifery) and made a lengthy and vigorous defense of himself said, "What a thing it is for a man to be accused of committing adultery and having seven wives when I can find only one."
Joseph denied the practice and doctrine of polygamy adamantly and with strong language. There is not a single instance of Joseph advocating polygamy. On the contrary, all of his recorded public and private statements renounced it. Arguably in the last three years of his life Joseph spent more time and effort trying to eradicate the practice of spiritual wifery or polygamy than he did on almost anything else, with the exception of preparing the saints for the temple. One month after Joseph testified he had only one wife in front of thousands of saints in his speech, "Address of the Prophet -- His Testimony Against the Dissenters at Nauvoo," he was dead.
The Times and Seasons are full of his repudiation of the practice. The Nauvoo High Council minutes reveal his constant effort to excommunicate any instances of spiritual wifery (which is interesting behavior for one who is reported to have married between 20 and 50 women). Of Joseph's 1844 denial and his many public and private actions, Joseph's grandson, RLDS patriarch Albert A. Smith III perhaps said it best:
"There is no halfway ground. Either Joseph Smith was true and clean, open and above board...or else he was a hypocrite and a fraud through and through as his enemies claim."
It is a fundamental question of Mormonism and their offshoots: Did Joseph Smith tell the truth?
Joseph never had children with anyone but Emma (extensive DNA testing has been done with women who claim their children were from Joseph always coming up with zero connection to Joseph). There have been papers written about this perspective, one of which is linked at the bottom of this post if interested.
When Joseph Smith was Prophet:
Men and women were taught to have only one wife/husband
People were re-baptized frequently
Members were sealed to “the fathers” (i.e. those that had their calling and election made sure) and were not sealed through familial lines
All these things, and more, were later altered. And Joseph was dead and unable to speak for himself, thereby taking the blame.
A lot to ponder on and ask the Lord about. Most people I talk to about this say, "The issue of Polygamy doesn't matter." To that I say… the truth matters and deserves its day. If you believe the Prophet of the restoration lied to his wife and to an entire church, what else could he have lied about? How can he be trusted at all? Why is it easier to say that Joseph, who spoke with God and angels and has no posterity but through Emma, lied repeatedly — but Brigham, who said he had never seen the Lord and had 55 wives, was perfectly honest?
🔥 My Reflection
This testimony cuts right to the heart of things. Either Joseph was a prophet of truth, or he was a fraud. There is no middle ground. And the family who wrote these words is bearing the same kind of integrity Joseph showed: refusing to compromise on truth, even if it costs everything.
📖 Scripture echoes loudly here:
“Thou shalt not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14) — the Lord would not establish His Holy Order through deception or immorality.
“And also it is not expedient that there should be a king; for thus saith the Lord: Ye shall not esteem one flesh above another.” (Mosiah 23:7) — God does not play favorites with men’s lusts or power.
“By their fruits ye shall know them.” (Matthew 7:20) — the fruit of Joseph’s testimony is one wife, Emma. The fruit of Brigham’s doctrine is 55 women.
Polygamy is not a side issue. It’s a test of integrity. If Joseph lied, he cannot be trusted at all. If Joseph told the truth, then the narrative that pins polygamy on him is a fraud.
This is why truth matters. Not to win arguments, but to clear the mud from the fountain and let Christ’s light shine through again.
🕊️ The Invitation
The question “Did Joseph tell the truth?” isn’t just history — it’s personal. It asks each of us:
Will you love the truth, even if it offends traditions?
Will you hold fast to integrity, even when others accuse?
Will you glory not in men, but in Christ who is Truth Himself?
This family’s answer is clear: Yes, Joseph was true. And yes, Jesus is the Bridegroom.
🔗 Walking with Jesus — A Family’s Story
This post is part of an ongoing series sharing the six-year testimony of a family who walks closer with the Savior than anyone I know. Read their words, feel the Spirit, and let Jesus meet you where you are.
Post #6 — Joseph the Monogamist
Previous: Post #5 — False Lovers vs The Bridegroom
Next: Post #7
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