Mormonism and polygamy
Teachings about polygamy
Teachings about polygamy
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### Theology

#### Salvation

Polygamy was taught as being essential for [salvation](/wiki/Salvation "Salvation"). Polygamy was seen as "more important than baptism" and the practice of polygamy was required before the [Second Coming of Christ](/wiki/Second_Coming "Second Coming"). 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](/wiki/Priesthood_%28Latter_Day_Saints%29 "Priesthood (Latter Day Saints)") callings. Church president Joseph F. Smith also spoke about 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"](/wiki/Exaltation_%28Mormonism%29 "Exaltation (Mormonism)") 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 was received by divine revelation and that polygamy was a part of God's plan.

#### Women's place in heaven

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.

#### Posterity

One reason given for the practice of polygamy is to increase the Mormon population by childbirth. In the [Millennial Star](/wiki/Millennial_Star "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.

#### Morality and preventing temptation

An early church leader argued that polygamy has historically been the main form of marriage and that polygamy 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.

#### Biblical precedence

Some who practiced polygamy defended it as a religious practice that was taught in the Bible.

#### Teachings on the multiple wives of God and Jesus

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 the late 1850s. In 1853, [Jedediah M. Grant](/wiki/Jedediah_M._Grant "Jedediah M. Grant")—who later become a member of the [First Presidency](/wiki/First_Presidency_%28LDS_Church%29 "First Presidency (LDS Church)")—stated that the top reason behind the persecution of Christ and his disciples was due to their practice of polygamy. Two months later, [apostle](/wiki/Apostle_%28Latter_Day_Saints%29 "Apostle (Latter Day Saints)") [Orson Pratt](/wiki/Orson_Pratt "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](/wiki/Mary_of_Bethany "Mary of Bethany"), [Martha](/wiki/Martha "Martha"), and [Mary Magdalene](/wiki/Mary_Magdalene "Mary Magdalene")—as further evidence in defense of polygamy. In the next two years the apostle [Orson Hyde](/wiki/Orson_Hyde "Orson Hyde") also stated during two general conference addresses that Jesus practiced polygamy and repeated this in an 1857 address.

### Modern teachings of the church

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 the church's website states that early Mormons believed that they would receive blessings from God by obeying the commandment of polygamy.


Can individuals opt out of participating in polygamous marriages?