Do mainstream Mormons practice polygamy today, as portrayed
on HBO Big Love?
No,
they do not. The mainstream Mormon Church officially ended
the practice of polygamy in 1890.
Why
did Mormons first institute polygamy?
Church founder, Joseph Smith, said he received a revelation
from God, which is still canonized Mormon scripture as
Doctrine and Covenants Section 132. In the revelation,
the Lord commands him to take virgins "an hundredfold
in this world" for the purpose to "multiply
and replenish the earth" so "that they may bear
the souls of men." This was the only published reason
Joseph Smith ever gave for the Mormon practice of polygamy.
(D&C 132: 55, 62-63)
Joseph
Smith also testified an angel
with a sword came to him many times and commanded
him to practice polygamy or else he would lose his life.
The
second church leader, The Prophet Brigham Young, stated
that the reason polygamy was instituted by the Lord was
so that "noble spirits which are waiting for tabernacles
(bodies) might be brought forth." (J of D 4:56)
When
did Mormon polygamy start?
According to historical records, Mormon founder Joseph
Smith first taught plural marriage as early as 1831. However,
he did not start practicing it until around 1835. See:
Joseph
Smith's Polygamy Visual Timeline.
The
practice remained secret until the official church announcement
on polygamy in 1852. Church leaders Brigham Young and Orson
Pratt introduced the doctrine at a special church-wide conference
in Temple Square, Salt Lake City, Utah.
 Did
early Mormons marry and have sex with teen brides, like
the FLDS today?
According
to church history, Mormon Church founder Joseph Smith
married eight underage girls, including one 14 year-old,
two 16 year-olds and his own foster daughters. These marriages
were not normal for the 1840s, especially to a man in
his thrities that was already married. See:
Teen polygamy in Early Mormonism.
Is
oral sex in Mormon marriage really prohibited, like portrayed
on Big Love?
Both
the current LDS leaders as well as past leaders have condemned
oral sex in marriage as an "unnatural, impure, or
unholy" act which married members should never practice.
If they do, it is considered a sin which makes them unworthy
to participate in Mormon temple ceremonies. See: LDS
Church Stand Against Oral Sex.
How
many Mormons were involved in polygamy?
Church historian Larry Logue's study indicated that in
the 19th century, about 33% of Mormon households were
polygamist.
 How
many wives were Mormons allowed to have?
In 1894, President Wilford Woodruff said that Brigham
Young declared to him that since Solomon was chastised
for having 1000 wives and concubines, it was felt that
Latter-day Saints should not exceed 999. (Journal
of Abraham H. Cannon, Vol. 18 April 5, 1894, pp 66-7)
How successful were polygamist marriages?
There were over 2000 divorces granted prior to the 1890
Manifesto. Brigham Young himself granted 1,645. Of the
72 general authorities who were polygamists, 39 had broken
marriages, including 54 divorces, 26 separations and 1
annulment. (Utah Historical Quarterly, Winter 1978,
p4)
How many wives did Mormon Church leaders have?
Church
leader Joseph Smith probably had 33 wives. One was 14.
Five others were 17 or under. He married five pairs of
sisters. Two of which were his own adopted daughters.
After his death, another 335 women were sealed to him,
many of whom he did not know. (Religion and Sexuality,
p 156)
 Second
church leader Brigham Young had 55 wives. Ten of them
divorced him. At his death, Brigham Young's oldest child
was 52 and his youngest was 7.
Third church leader John Taylor had 15 wives. Three wives
divorced him. (A Book of Mormons, 1982, pg 354)
Fourth church leader Wilford Woodruff had at least 10
plural wives. According to his record, he was also sealed
to 336 dead single women.
Fifth church leader Joseph F. Smith married at 20 and
then married five others later. His first wife divorced
him on the grounds of "adulterous intercourse" with his
"concubines."
Did polygamist marriages produce more children than
monogamous marriages?
No, plural marriages produced fewer children than monogamous
marriages. "Plural marriage, including monogamous remarriage,
actually slightly suppressed the total number of children
born." (The Mormon People: Their Character and Traditions
1980)
I've heard that there were more women than men in the
Mormon Church at that time. Is that true?
No, that is not correct. The U.S. census from 1850 to
1940 and all available records of the Utah church show
that men outnumbered women in the church and in Utah.
(Joseph Smith: The First Mormon, 1977, p360 and Utah
Census and Polygamy)
Was polygamy legal when it began or was it ever legal?
No, polygamy was illegal everywhere the Mormon Church
practiced it including Illinois, Mexico, Canada, and Utah.
(See: Mormon
Polygamy was never legal)
 I
heard a Mormon say that Jesus was a polygamist. Did the
Mormon Church ever teach that?
The Mormon Church has taught that Jesus was married and
a polygamist. Church President Joseph F. Smith taught
that at the marriage in Cana at Galilee, Jesus was the
Bridegroom and Mary and Martha the brides. (Wilford
Woodruff Journal, July 22, 1883)
The
Prophet Brigham Young taught "The Scripture says that
He, the Lord, came walking in the Temple, with His train;
I do not know who they were, unless His wives and children."
- The Prophet Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses Vol.
13, p.309
Was polygamy ever a requirement in the Mormon Church?
In an 1884 general conference, church president John Taylor
asked for all monogamists serving in ward bishoprics or
stake presidencies either make preparations to marry a plural
wife or to offer their resignations to the church office.
(Abraham H. Cannon Journal, April 6, 1884, Vol. I pp 177-8)
Monogamous
marriage has been condemned by the Mormon Church as an
evil system. For decades the church criticized monogamy
and declared polygamy as the only marriage system in heaven.
(See: Mormon
Marriage Teachings)
What happened when the United States Congress passed
laws against polygamy?
Polygamists in the Mormon Church went into hiding. Church
leader John Taylor spent the last two years of his life
hiding on the Underground. (John Taylor Papers, Vol
II, p. 337)
Were
Mormon polygamists caught and arrested?
Yes. Over 1300 men and a few women were put in prisons in
Arizona, Michigan, South Dakota, Idaho, and Utah. Of that
number, 1035 were imprisoned in Utah. (Utah Historical
Quarterly, Vol. 47, No. 1 Winter 1979, p. 24)
When did the church issue the Manifesto -- officially
ending polygamy?
Church leader Wilford Woodruff issued the Manifesto in 1890.
Many members were caught by surprise. Only three apostles
approved the Manifesto in manuscript and half the quorum
were barely supportive when they met just before the church
conference to discuss the newly published document. (Dialogue,
Spring 1985, pp 46-7)
Did the polygamists follow the Manifesto ending polygamy?
No, many did not. In fact, church President Joseph F. Smith's
wives bore him 13 children after the Manifesto, even though
he publicly testified he was not "cohabiting" with them.
(Dialogue, Spring 1985, p.83)
At least 3,300 children were born to Mormon men who married
polygamously with official LDS Church authority from 1890
through 1904. (Dialogue, Spring 1985, pp. 3-104)
What do you mean "with LDS Church authority?" Did the
church sanction polygamy after the Manifesto?
Yes, church leaders continued the practice. Many top church
leaders, including apostles were known to have taken additional
wives after the 1890 Manifesto. (Utah Historical Quarterly,
Winter 1980, pp. 9, 19)
There is also strong evidence that Church President Wilford
Woodruff, 8 years after issuing the Manifesto outlawing
polygamy, married a Madame Mountford in Sept. 1897. (Wilford
Woodruff Journals, 1896-97)
Is polygamy officially discussed in the Mormon church
now?
Not any more. All church manuals and documents no longer
refer to polygamy. Even almanacs that give a biography of
church leaders only list the first wife and no plural wives.
Members
who are caught practicing polygamy are typically ex-communicated.
Do Mormons believe polygamy will be practiced in heaven?
Many do. However, there will not be enough females in heaven
for polygamy. Mormons believe that all children who die
before the age of 8 are "automatic" heirs to the highest
heaven. An analysis indicates that of the 70 billion people
or so that have been born on earth, the gender ratio has
been about 104 males to 100 females. An estimated 47% of
males and 44% of females have died before age eight. That
means 1.7 billion more males than females have so far made
it to the highest heaven.
So, Mormons have completely abandoned polygamy on earth?
 Church
Apostle Bruce R. McConkie stated: "Obviously the holy practice
(of polygamy) will commence again after the Second Coming
of the Son of Man and the ushering in of the millennium."
(Mormon Doctrine, 1966 edition)
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