LDS Church acknowledges Joseph Smith's polygamy for the first time

[afleitch]

Man makes up a religion. As part of that he gets to legitimise being a sexual predator by gifting himself a harem.

[afleitch]

Man makes up a religion. As part of that he gets to legitimise being a sexual predator by gifting himself a harem.

And yet despite that, the fact is that as a group Mormons are probably some of the nicest people one can meet, so long as you don't meet any of those that still practice polygamy.

I've not had that experience. Even with those as a couple that we know but refused to attend our wedding. Or my gay former Mormon friend who's family don't speak with him and tried to deny access to his sons.

[afleitch]

Is a 14 year old wife really a sexual predator in the old west? I feel like it would be more commonplace, though the harem would not be.

I didn't say that.

[afleitch]

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About time someone here got it right.

This particular 'revelation' lends particular credence to the once contemporary understanding that Mormonism was initially a sex cult.

EDIT: I'll modify this a little. It would be more correct to say that Joseph Smith was clearly, by not only modern but contemporary standards, a sexual predator who manipulated men and women through contrived 'doctrine' for his own sexual desires. We know that Joseph Smith married his friends wives, his friends daughters, his wives maids and impressionable young girls one of whom he would later marry; Mary Rawlins. Some famously said no, despite experiencing what we would now under stand to be sexual harassment; Nancy Rigdon or Sarah Pratt who he publicly slandered. Joseph often explained that an angel of the Lord had revealed the doctrine of plural marriage to him three times since 1834. He would always say how repugnant he was at first and then said that the final time the angel brandished a sword and said he had to obey this or would be slaughtered. Sure Joseph.