DID JOSEPH SMITH GIVE A REVELATION ON
POLYGAMY OR MULTIPLICITY OF WIVES?

On June 7,1844, the “Nauvoo Expositor” (a one issue newspaper printed by some who had been in very high leadership places in the church, but were upset over new doctrines being introduced by Joseph Smith) published some articles and affidavits — two of which claimed to have seen a “written document” said to be a revelation; which “revelation authorized certain men to have more wives than one at a time in this world and in the world to come” (page 2), and another affidavit by the former first counselor to the president of the church, Austin Cowles, in which he claimed to have been in a High Council meeting in the summer of 1843 in which Hyrum Smith read “what he said was a revelation given through the prophet” which revelation contained “the doctrine of a plurality of wives or marrying virgins” (page 2). The church through its City Council of which Joseph Smith was mayor, responded to this issue of the “Expositor”; declaring it a public nuisance and ordering the destruction of the press. Because of the legal action which followed the destruction of the “Expositor’s” press, the “Nauvoo Neighbor” (a weekly church newspaper with one of the apostles as editor) printed on June 19, 1844, the proceedings of the city council’s meeting explaining the decision to destroy the press.

In those printed proceedings there are three references to the revelation with which the “Expositor” charged Joseph Smith. EACH TIME THE EXISTENCE OF THE REVELATION IS ACKNOWLEDGED BUT ITS INTENT IS CLAIMED TO BE MISINTERPRETED. One statement in the proceedings “referred to the REVELATION READ TO THE HIGH COUNCIL OF THE CHURCH, which caused so much talk about a multiplicity of wives; THAT SAID REVELATION was in answer to a question concerning things which transpired in former days, and had no reference to the present time” (page 2). This statement acknowledges a revelation was, read in the High Council meeting in the summer of 1843 concerning plurality of wives as claimed by Austin Cowles.

In another place in the proceedings, Hyrum Smith “proceeded to show the falsehood of Austin Cowles…in relation to the REVELATION REFERRED TO, THAT IT WAS in reference to former days….” Then Joseph Smith declared “he had never preached THE REVELATION in private, as he had in public — had not taught it to the anointed in the church in private….” Joseph is also quoted as saying, “…they make it criminality for a man to have a wife on the earth, while he has one in heaven, according to the keys of the holy PRIESTHOOD.” (page 3). BUT ALL OF THESE STATEMENTS MADE BY EITHER JOSEPH OR HYRUM SMITH AND PUBLISHED IN THE CHURCH NEWSPAPER EIGHT DAYS BEFORE THEIR DEATH, ACKNOWLEDGE THE EXISTENCE OF THE REVELATION GIVEN BY JOSEPH SMITH WHICH IS CAUSING ALL THE TROUBLE.

Also the first issue of “The True Latter Day Saints’ Herald” published by the Reorganized Church in January 1860, verifies there was a revelation. Isaac Sheen wrote, “Joseph Smith repented of his connection with this doctrine (spiritual-wife-doctrine) and said that it was of the devil. HE CAUSED THE REVELATIONS ON THAT SUBJECT TO RE BURNED…. (page 27). AGAIN WE HAVE THE ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THERE WERE REVELATIONS ON THE SUBJECT OF SPIRITUAL ­WIVES WHICH JOSEPH CAUSED TO BE BURNED.

In July 1872, William E. McLellan wrote to Joseph Smith, the president of the Reorganized Church encouraging him to ask his mother, Emma Smith, concerning his father’s connection with polygamy. He wrote that in 1847, he visited Emma and while there questioned her concerning things he had heard about Joseph’s conduct. Emma told him, “…one night after she and Joseph had retired for the night, he told her that the doctrine and practice of polygamy was going to ruin the church. He wished her to get up and BURN THE REVELATION. She refused to touch it even with tongues (sic). He arose from his bed and pulled open the fire with his fingers, and put THE REVEALMENT in and burned it up. But copies of it were extant, so it was preserved.” (Copy of letter in R.L.D.S. Library). AGAIN WE FIND THE ACKNOWLEDGING OF THE EXISTENCE OF A REVELATION ON POLYGAMY.

Since the teaching of the Doctrine and Covenants limited the receiving of revelations to Joseph Smith, Jr., only (Sec. 27:2), and required the church to “give heed unto all his words…for his word ye shall receive as if from” God’s “own mouth,” (Sec. 19:2), the church had no choice except to receive the doctrine or else reject Joseph’s so-called prophetic leadership. All this system of receiving Joseph’s words as from the mouth of God began with the bringing forth of the Book of Mormon. For the Book of Mormon was the springboard which launched Joseph Smith as a seer and taught that “A SEER IS GREATER THAN A PROPHET…. A SEER IS A REVELATOR, AND A PROPHET ALSO; AND A GIFT WHICH IS GREATER CAN NO MAN HAVE, EXCEPT HE SHOULD POSSESS THE POWER OF GOD, WHICH NO MAN CAN…” (Mos. 5:76-77).

When God is supposed to be explaining to Oliver Cowdery why he failed in the translation process after God had told him to help Joseph with the translation of the Book of Mormon, he is told his failure came because he thought God would give it to him. The truth was that he must study it out in his own mind, then ask God. If his conclusions were right his bosom would burn—he would feel it was right. But if his conclusions were wrong he would have a stupor of thought that would cause him to forget the thing that was wrong; therefore he could not write that which was sacred, save it would be given him from God. (D&C, Sec. 9:3-4). If this was the process by which Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon, while claiming to be acting as a seer; one can easily understand why he never used the plates, but buried his face in a hat with a stone in it. Such a process needs nothing but the ability to think and feel. If Joseph also had the same or a similar system for receiving and testing his supposed revelations from God, one can easily perceive how the doctrines of plurality of Gods and plurality or multiplicity of wives came.

The Bible teaches, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” And they revealed, “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” (2 Pet. 1:21 and lsa.8:20).