Did Joseph Smith Practice Polygamy?

by Anonymous | Jan 28, 2026 | Joseph Smith Secrecy, Polygamy

Executive Brief: Did Joseph Smith Practice Polygamy?

Core question: Did Joseph Smith begin the practice of plural marriage, or did Brigham Young introduce it after Joseph’s death?

Timeline Overview

1830–1835: Public monogamy; possible sealing to Fanny Alger.
1841–1844: Joseph secretly seals to 30+ women in Nauvoo. D&C 132 dictated in 1843.
June 1844: Nauvoo Expositor exposes polygamy. Joseph and Hyrum killed.
1852: Brigham Young announces polygamy and publishes D&C 132.
1860: RLDS founded under Joseph Smith III, denying Joseph practiced polygamy.

Evidence That Joseph Smith Originated Polygamy

D&C 132: Dictated July 12, 1843 by Joseph Smith; scribed by William Clayton. Validated by Clayton, Hyrum Smith, and Kingsbury.
Plural Wives: Sealed to 29–33 women including Eliza R. Snow, Emily Partridge, Helen Mar Kimball. (Compton, Hales)
Sexual Relations: Emily Partridge and Melissa Lott testified under oath to conjugal relations with Joseph.
Church Acknowledgment: The LDS Church confirmed Joseph practiced polygamy in the 2014 Gospel Topics essay.
Scholarly Consensus: Confirmed by Bushman, Compton, Hales, and even modern RLDS historians.

The Case That Brigham Young Originated or Exaggerated Polygamy

Public Denials: Joseph publicly said he had only one wife, even weeks before his death.
Emma Smith: Denied Joseph ever practiced or taught polygamy.
RLDS Tradition: Joseph Smith III gathered affidavits supporting his father’s innocence.
D&C 132 Skepticism: Not published until 1852. Survives only in copies. Edits by Willard Richards raise timeline questions.
Scriptural Conflicts: Book of Mormon (Jacob 2:24) and Joseph’s JST edits condemn David & Solomon’s plural marriages.

Comparative Analysis

Category	Joseph Started It	Brigham Invented It
Historical Evidence	Dozens of journals, affidavits, and sealing records	No contemporary documents from Joseph; D&C 132 published posthumously
Witness Testimony	Emily Partridge, Malissa Lott, Eliza Snow, William Clayton	Emma Smith, Joseph Smith III, William Marks, RLDS statements
Church Position	LDS acknowledges Joseph introduced it	RLDS originally denied it, now acknowledges it historically
Conspiracy Burden	No whistleblowers from 70+ alleged participants	Requires massive, silent conspiracy by Brigham and all Utah leaders
Scriptural Support	D&C 132, patriarchal precedents	Jacob 2, JST changes, 1835 D&C monogamy clause

Conclusion: What We Know and What Remains Uncertain

We know:

Joseph Smith secretly practiced polygamy in Nauvoo.
Brigham Young openly continued and expanded it in Utah.
The LDS Church affirms Joseph’s involvement; RLDS once denied it but later conceded to the evidence.

Uncertain:

Joseph’s private feelings and motivations
Whether all sealings were consummated
Emma’s true level of knowledge and emotional coping
Why no children resulted from plural unions

“Joseph Smith did practice plural marriage—even if he kept it secret. Brigham Young didn’t invent it; he exposed it. That’s what the evidence shows.”

Want more?

Did Joseph Smith Use Secret Knowledge to Control His Followers?

by Anonymous | Jul 20, 2025 | Joseph Smith, Joseph Smith Secrecy

Did Joseph Smith Use Secret Knowledge to Control His Followers?

Claim: Joseph Smith claimed exclusive access to God, withheld evidence like the plates and seer stone, and used it to manipulate his followers.

Reality: Historical evidence shows that 11 official witnesses saw or handled the gold plates, and many were aware of Joseph’s use of the seer stone. The Church has openly acknowledged these tools today. Read the witness testimonies here.

Prophetic authority, like that claimed by Joseph Smith, is consistent with biblical precedent. Leaders such as Moses, Elijah, and Paul also spoke as conduits of divine will, often calling for obedience through their revelations.

“By their fruits ye shall know them.” — Matthew 7:16

Joseph Smith’s revelations were often public and recorded by scribes, later published in the Doctrine and Covenants—a pattern that reflects transparency, not manipulation.

Conclusion: The accusation that Joseph Smith used secrecy and withheld evidence to control his followers is not only incomplete, but deeply misleading when weighed against the historical record.