Polygamy Powerpoint

FUNDAMENTAL MORMONISM AND THE PRACTICE OF POLYGAMY

Overview

  • Discussion of polygamy within Mormon fundamentalism and its historical context.

Modern Day Polygamist: Tom Green

  • Background: Tom Green was the first modern-day polygamist to go public.

  • Legal Issues: 1. Convicted in Utah on May 18, 2001:

    • Four counts of bigamy.

    • One count of failure to pay child support.

  • Marriages:

    • Married seven teenage wives.

    • Involved with a woman, her sister, and both daughters aged 14 and 15.

  • Criminal Convictions:

    • Convicted of child rape (June 24, 2002); had sex with 13-year-old Linda Kunz.

    • Sentenced to five years in prison for bigamy and five years to life for child rape.

    • Released on parole in 2007.

  • Life History:

    • First convicted of polygamy in Utah in over 50 years.

    • Died on February 28, 2021; survived by three wives, 34 children, and 54 grandchildren.

Joseph Smith: Founder of Mormonism

  • Revelation and Translation:

    • Visited by angel Moroni in 1823 leading to discovery of golden plates.

    • Translated plates using Urim and Thummim (two stones set in a breastplate).

    • Translation published in 1830 as the Book of Mormon.

  • Church Formation:

    • Organized the Church of Christ on April 6, 1830, in Fayette, New York.

    • Believed in restoration of true Christian church, modern-day prophet, and new scripture.

Early Polygamy

  • Smith received a command in 1834 to introduce polygamy.

The Polygamy Covenant

  • Doctrine & Covenants, #132:

    • Emphasizes acceptance of polygamy or damnation.

    • Key verses discuss the necessity of multiple wives and obedience to the covenant.

Levels of Heaven

Celestial Kingdom

  • Highest kingdom; residence of God and Jesus; eternal joy.

Terrestrial Kingdom

  • Second degree of glory; presence of Jesus but not God.

Telestial Kingdom

  • Lowest kingdom; joy without presence of God or Jesus, visited by Holy Ghost.

U.S. Laws Against Polygamy

  • Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act (1862):

    • Made polygamy illegal in U.S. territories.

  • Reynolds v. United States (1878):

    • Supreme Court ruled polygamy not protected by the Constitution.

  • Manifesto (1890):

    • Issued by LDS Church President Wilford Woodruff; declared the discontinuation of new plural marriages.

Fundamental Mormonism and Polygamy

  • Fundamentalist groups follow Smith's original writings, viewing polygamy as essential for exaltation.

  • Generally accept underage marriages and other controversial practices.

  • Allowances for domestic violence and sexual abuse within fundamentalist communities.

Polygamy Groups

Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS)

  • Leadership: - Led by Warren Jeffs, serving life sentence for crimes involving underage marriages.

  • Size: Approximately 6,000 to 10,000 members.

  • Isolation: Members live in secluded communities.

Apostolic United Brethren (AUB)

  • Leadership: Controlled by a council of leaders.

  • Size: 7,500 to 10,000 members.

  • Interactions: More open to mainstream society; featured in media.

Centennial Park Group (CPG)

  • Size: 1,500 to 2,000 members; offshoot of FLDS.

  • Separation: Formed over leadership disputes in the 1980s.

Kingston Clan (Latter Day Church of Christ)

  • Size: Approximately 3,000 to 4,000 members; emphasis on communal living.

Church of the Firstborn and the General Assembly of Heaven

  • Size: Fewer than 100 members; small and radical group.

The True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days (TLC)

  • Size: Between 100 and 500 members; founded in the 1990s.

Other Fundamentalist Beliefs

  • Patriarchal Order: Men as spiritual leaders of families.

  • Strict Obedience: High devotion to church leaders; little dissent allowed.

  • Law of Consecration: Members give material wealth to the sect.

  • Blood Atonement: Idea that some sins require severe consequences for redemption.

Warren Jeffs

  • Background: Leader of the FLDS; became a fugitive due to illegal marriages.

  • Legal Consequences: Convicted of rape as an accomplice and faced multiple sexual assault charges; life sentences in Texas following a raid of an FLDS property.

Images and Details

  • Warren’s Wives: Subjects of ongoing controversy and legal issues.

  • Yearning for Zion Ranch: Key location associated with Jeffs and the FLDS.