Why did the LDS stop practicing polygamy?
352770
Polygamy was originally started because of a revelation from the Lord.  The church had suffered a lot of persecution, and a lot of the men of the church had been killed.  This left a lot of widows, and a lot of single young women with nobody to marry.  So the Lord instituted polygamy, for a few members of the church, who had the means to care for a very large family.  This alowed for the women of the church to be taken care of, and for more children to be born and raised in the church, increasing the membership.  Later, there came a time when the Lord revealed that it should be stopped.  Nobody can know for sure what the Lord's reasons are, but most likely it was because the numbers in the church were reaching the point where they were evening out, and it was no longer necessary, and because the laws of the land were changing, and polygamy was outlawed.  The church teaches that you should follow the laws of the land, and therefore, the Lord told them to discontinue this practice.
370918
I'm a Mormon--I haven't seen any of the episodes, I wouldn't mind checking it out but I just don't get HBO. \n\nIt is unfortunate that the show, whether intentionally or not, draws lines between Polygamist groups in Utah and the official LDS (Mormon) church. Any degree of research or life experience would show you that the two are very separate. The LDS church is intricately structured with an effective leadership hierarchy. It is not as though a single Mormon church group could decided to practice or support polygamy without any higher up leadership finding out. If they do anything so far out of line, they would be excommunicated. In that respect, the LDS church exercises nearly complete control over officially sponsored doctrine and practices to the individual church level. If you had the chance to see this process in action--it would be much easier to understand. \n\nWith this in mind, the highest LDS leadership over 100 years ago decreed that Polygamy was no longer needed and it's practice was to end. Today, that stance is even more firm. I have complete faith that any person who is a member of the official LDS church will be excommunicated if they practice polygamy. \n\nWith that all said, yes the Mormon church did practice polygamy. It is not a secret, however we do try to distance ourselves from it today since for one it is no longer in effect, and for another Polygamist groups aren't usually very pleasant for PR and we simply have no relation to them, therefor it is unfair to be associated with them. \n\nBut do take this in context. Mormons have a history of Polygamy. So do Christians in general if they believe in the Old Testament. So do the Jews and so do Muslims. So you can say what you want, but you practically can't be religious if you want to have a real argument against polygamy in religious life.
22945
Well, there’s only a few hints in the New Testament. You decide what they mean:\nJesus comments divorce: "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery." (Matt 19.8-9, pp. Mark 10.1-12)\nPaul, Romans 7: So then, if she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress, even though she marries another man. (Rom 7)\nGodly leaders had special rules, though believers should fellow their example: Phil 3.17; 4.9; 1 Thess 1.6,7; 2 Thess 3.7,9; 1 Tim 4.12; Tit 2.7; 1 Pet 5.3; 1 Cor 4.6; 1 Cor 11.1.\nAnyway, these rules were made in a Bedouin society thousands of years ago. So why worry about them today? These societies suppressed women. And today, polygamy is only allowed in very macho countries where women has no rights at all, like Saudi Arabia and other conservative countries in the Middle East. In most modern societies polygamy is not allowed.
267359
It became illegal in the U.S. territories in 1862, probably because people were very upset that the Mormons were practicing this form of marriage.  The LDS church eventually gave up polygamy in 1890, because the US government came down so hard on them. Utah was allowed to become a state in 1896. \nI think that originally this was something outlawed by each individual state, but not the federal government because hardly anyone was interested in doing it. In the 1800's women had an increasingly louder voice in politics, and they no doubt pushed men to outlaw the practice.
429156
It all leads back to ownership of women as chattel. The Judaic and Christian ideas of women being owned by their fathers and then more or less sold to their husbands. Christian morality is generally senseless, and certainly in most cases isn't based on ethics, but on economics. Polyamoury was probably advocated by Yeshua ben yeoseph, \n(The historical Jesus)\nand we know for certainty that Gender equality was. We also\nknow that Yeshua ben yeoseph advocated for a return to a gender balanced concept of Deity, and for community or communitarian or "socialist" communities.\n\nfor the longest period of human evolutionary history, humans lived in packs or tribes without the convention of marriage, and had sex with whom they felt like when they felt like it. This is probably the best overall solution ethically, limitations on sexual behaviors really don't\nserve any good purpose other than to slow the spread of disease. Obviously, we need limitations of some kind to deal\nwith problems like incest, unwanted pregancy, and so forth,\nbut monogamy is really just sexual ownership, and is contrary to human nature.
1098141
I've heard  a lot of bad things about the LDS Church. I would like to mention that one of the answers before me mentions what they have heard about the Church MEMBERS and not about the church.  Every church has less than Perfect to even really bad members.  Polygamy is also the worst thing I have probably heard although there are some outrageous tales of the LDS church doing all sorts of things.  I don't believe a lot of the tales because my Brother is a LDS member.
239844
read my post in your another question about polygamy. i have mentioned some of sad social effects.\n\n  the main problem in india was that hinduism did not officially allowed divorce. socially some lower casts and ribes were more open minded. their own "Panchayat" (you can say a jury or some local respected head of that cast or tribe) listen to such cases and sometimes allowed the separation . but upper casts thought it was a real bad custom. actually they considrerd it insulting to divorce or let remarry their women. and slowly it was banned altogether in absence of social acceptence.\n\n  men got a way and more popularised polygamy so they can get another partner. \n\n  nobody likes to struggle and compete for love and attention constantly. it they have to then the problems are bound to come up. \n\n   iam glad that government went ahead and tried to restore some dignity to women by banning polygamy and strnghthening their position in their marriage.
1144224
Even though the Bible did not spell out word for word that God allows polygamy, but from the example of Abraham and Jacobs, God never condemned it. God went on blessing Abraham and Jacob because of their righteousness and obedience.\nIf Abraham and Jacob were not right on polygamy, I am sure God would not have bless them so and would have said something.\nOn the other hand, King David and Solomon also practice polygamy, but God condemns that, because of their lustful wickedness.\n\nSo I could conclude that, the practice of polygamy has to be done\nrighteously, if and only if God commands it or allow it to be practiced.\nWhen I say righteously, I mean that the wife willingly agrees to it,\njust like the wife of Abraham and the wife of Jacob, and God has to allow it of course.
23886
It might lead to it in the long run, polygamists might eventually get the court precidence if gay marriage goes through. Legally speaking, it could easily happpen. There really hasn't been "homosexual marriage" in history, but there have been hundreds of societal examples of it being extremely common, and expected, valued, and practiced - the greeks, the spartans, the japanese, etc. It has only been considered 'unnatural' in some western cultures over the past 1,000 years or so. In many cultures, it has only become 'unnatural' in the last 200 years or less, and that is simply because of Western ideals being imported.
1167228
Mormons are no longer allowed to be practicing polygamists.\n\nWanton, purposeless lust is also not allowed...\n\nSo no and no and no.
41810
Polygamy refers to a form of marriage with more than two participants. That is to say their can be one husband and many wives (polygyny), one wife and many husbands (polyandry), or multiples of both (polyamory).\n\nGod Bless,\n\nRobert
454992
I don't know about polygamous (marrying multiple people), but I think they are more promiscuous by nature. I think men have a biological desire to 'spread their seed around.'
311540
Yes, Mormons are Christians.\n\nMormons practiced polygamy until 1890.  It was then abolished.  For more information about the abolishment of polygamy, go here: http://scriptures.lds.org/od/1.\n\nAs far as the Bible, we believe the Bible to believe the word of God as far as it is translated correctly.  There are some mistranslations in the Bible, and as far as the translations are true, the Bible is true in our eyes.\n\nWe do not have our "own Bible".  We do however have the Book of Mormon.  It does not replace the Bible.  To best explain it, it is another set of historical and spiritual documents that were translated into English (just like the Bible was).  For more information about exactly what the Book of Mormon is, go here: http://scriptures.lds.org/bm/intrdctn.\n\nLet me know if you have any further questions.\n\n(Modification:  All scriptures that the Mormons, aka LDS, uses can be found in their entirety here: http://scriptures.lds.org/contents.
541928
We have tried to get it legalized but the government is very slow when it comes to changing the law. Hopefully, polygamy will be legal by 2008. I hope you agree that this is good news, even if we have to wait awhile.
1125692
Just one thing?\n\nWell, aside from the basis of the Religion itself, the "vision" by Joseph Smith that started it all, it would definitley be the view on polygamy they held for so long, and then suddenly dropped.\n\nOh yea, the poster above me has another good one.
1078113
No, I think they are having the same problem that Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and a few other states are having with polygamist cults.  A lot of the woman that are in that situation were born into these compounds, forced to get married as girls (12-15) and incest happens in these situations as well.  The bigger problem is most are brainwashed like most cult members and guard the cult leader when he goes from compound to compound.  These places are in such desolate locations that is hard to know they are there until they are well established.  It is also speculated that child trafficking is how they get new members to increase their population and stabilize the gene pool.
1059437
It's a crazy cycle. They go to church and worship their deity, and then go home and tell a lie, or cheat on their spouse. Personally, I think organized religion should be eradicated. They're putting their faith in to one man behind a podium reading off scripture, and speaking FOR god, and yet he's a less than perfect human being with flaws of his own.