If you read the literature of LDS1, you will know that Joseph Smith had sex with many Mormon girls, after an angel appeared to him with a sword, threatening to kill him if he did not do so. Joseph Smith called it "Principle of Celestial Marriage", a term taught to him by that 'angel'.
You will also know that a girl consented to 'be sealed to' Joseph Smith, after seeing "a brilliant light", in her own words, (taken from Autobiography of Lyman Omer Littlefield, for the period (1819-1848)) (NOTE : Another girl consented to that after seeing an "angel" appearing in brilliant light.)
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In the year 1842, President Joseph Smith sought an interview with me, and said: "I have a message for you. I have been commanded of God to take another wife, and you are the woman." My astonishment knew no bounds. This announcement was indeed a thunderbolt to me. He asked me if I believed him to be a prophet of God. "Most assuredly I do," I replied. He fully explained to me the principle of plural or celestial marriage. He said this principle was again to be restored for the benefit of the human family, that it would prove an everlasting blessing to my father's house, and form a chain that could never be broken, worlds without end. "What have you to say?" he asked. "Nothing." How could I speak, or what could I say? He said, "If you will pray sincerely for light and understanding in relation thereto, you shall receive a testimony of the correctness of this principle. I thought I prayed sincerely, but was so unwilling to consider the matter favorably that I fear I did not ask in faith for light. Gross darkness instead of light took possession of my mind. I was tempted and tortured beyond endurance until life was not desirable. Oh that the grave would kindly receive me, that I might find rest on the bosom of my dear mother. Why should I be chosen from among thy daughters, Father, I am only a child in years and experience, no mother to counsel; no father near to tell me what to do in this trying hour. Oh, let this bitter cup pass. And thus I prayed in the agony of my soul. The Prophet discerned my sorrow. He saw how unhappy I was, and sought an opportunity of again speaking to me on this subject, and said: "Although I cannot, under existing circumstances, acknowledge you as my wife, the time is near when we will go beyond the Rocky Mountains and then you will be acknowledged and honored as my wife." He also said, "This principle will yet be believed in and practiced by the righteous. I have no flattering words to offer. It is a command of God to you. I will give you until tomorrow to decide this matter. If you reject this message the gate will be closed forever against you." This aroused every drop of Scotch in my veins. For a few moments I stood fearless before him, and looked him in the eye. I felt at this moment that I was called to place myself upon the altar a living sacrifice--perhaps to brook the world in disgrace and incur the displeasure and contempt of my youthful companions; all my dreams of happiness blown to the four winds. This was too much, for as yet no shadow had crossed my path, aside from the death of my dear mother. The future to me had been one bright, cloudless day. I had been speechless, but at last found utterance and said: "Although you are a prophet of God you could not induce me to take a step of so great importance, unless I knew that God approved my course. I would rather die. I have tried to pray but received no comfort, no light," and emphatically forbid him speaking again to me on this subject. Every feeling of my soul revolted against it. Said I, "The same God who has sent this message is the Being I have worshipped from my early childhood and He must manifest His will to me." He walked across the room, returned and stood before me with the most beautiful expression of countenance, and said: "God Almighty bless you. You shall have a manifestation of the will of God concerning you; a testimony that you can never deny. I will tell you what it shall be. It shall be that joy and peace that you never knew." Oh, how earnestly I prayed for these words to be fulfilled. It was near dawn after another sleepless night when my room was lighted up by a heavenly influence. To me it was, in comparison, like the brilliant sun bursting through the darkest cloud. The words of the Prophet were indeed fulfilled. My soul was filled with a calm, sweet peace that "I never knew." Supreme happiness took possession of me, and I received a powerful and irresistible testimony of the truth of plural marriage, which has been like an anchor to the soul through all the trials of life. I felt that I must go out into the morning air and give vent to the joy and gratitude that filled my soul. As I descended the stairs, President Smith opened the door below, took me by the hand and said: "Thank God, you have the testimony. I too have prayed." He led me to a chair, placed his hands upon my head, and blessed me with every blessing my heart could possibly desire. The first day of May, 1843, I consented to become the Prophet's wife, and was sealed to him for time and all eternity, at his own house by Elder William Clayton. |
She later married another man,
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Since 1845, I have been the wife of President Heber C. Kimball, by whom I have had nine children, five sons and four daughters, have lived in the same house with other members of his family, have loved them as dearly as my own sisters, until it became necessary, as our children began to grow up around us, to have separate homes. Every mother has her own mode of government, and as children grow in years, it is more pleasant to have them under the immediate dictation of their own mother. I can truthfully state, however, that there is less room for jealousy where wives live under the same roof. They become interested in each other's welfare; they love each other's children. Besides, in my experience, I find the children themselves love each other as dearly as the children of one mother. In sickness, it has been a pleasure to minister to those in need of assistance. |
Now let us read Moses' words,
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If a prophet arises among you, or a dreamer of dreams, and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder which he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, 'Let us go after other gods,' which you have not known, 'and let us serve them,' you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or to that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your GOD is testing you, to know whether you love the LORD your GOD with all your heart and with your soul. [Deut 13:1-3] If any man takes a wife, and goes in to her, and then spurs her, and charges her with shameful conduct, and brings an evil name upon her, saying, 'I took this woman, and when I came near her, I did not find in her the tokens of virginity,' then the father of the young woman and her mother shall take and bring out the tokens of her virginity to the elders of the city in the gate; and the father of the young woman shall say to the elders, 'I gave my daughter to this man to wife, and he spurs her; and lo, he has made shameful charges against her, saying, "I did not find in your daughter the tokens of virginity." And yet these are the tokens of my daughter's virginity.' And they shall spread the garment before the elders of the city. Then, the elders of that city shall take the man and whip him; and they shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver, and give them to the father of the young woman, because he has brought an evil name upon a virgin of Israel; and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days. But if the thing is true, that the tokens of virginity were not found in the young woman, then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has wrought folly in Israel by playing the harlot in her father's house; so you shall purge the evil from the midst of you. [Deut 22:13-21] |
Let us also read Lord Jesus' teachings,
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The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question, saying, "Teacher, Moses said, 'If a man dies, having no children, his brother must marry the widow, and raise up children for his brother.' Now there were seven brothers among us; the first married, and died, and having no children left his wife to his brother. So too the second and third, down to the seventh. After them all, the woman died. In the resurrection, therefore, to which of the seven will she be wife ? For they all had her." But Jesus answered them, "You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of GOD. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by GOD, 'I am the GOD of Abraham, and the GOD of Issac, and the GOD of Jacob? He is not GOD of the dead, but of the living." [Mt 22:23-32] |
Finally, let us read the message in "Book of Mormon",
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[Jacob 3:5-7] Behold, the Lamanites your brethren, whom ye hate because of their filthiness and the cursing which hath come upon their skins, are more righteous than you; for they have not forgotten the commandment of the Lord, which was given unto our father--that they should have save it were one wife, and concubines they should have none, and there should not be whoredoms committed among them. And now, this commandment they observe to keep; wherefore, because of this observance, in keeping this commandment, the Lord God will not destroy them, but will be merciful unto them; and one day they shall become a blessed people. Behold, their husbands love their wives, and their wives love their husbands; and their husbands and their wives love their children; and their unbelief and their hatred towards you is because of the iniquity of their fathers; wherefore, how much better are you than they, in the sight of your great Creator? |
Also in the Book of Mormon, LORD explained why He wanted us to have no concubines,
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[Jacob 2:31-35] For behold, I, the Lord, have seen the sorrow, and heard the mourning of the daughters of my people in the land of Jerusalem, yea, and in all the lands of my people, because of the wickedness and abominations of their husbands. And I will not suffer, saith the Lord of Hosts, that the cries of the fair daughters of this people, which I have led out of the land of Jerusalem, shall come up unto me against the men of my people, saith the Lord of Hosts. For they shall not lead away captive the daughters of my people because of their tenderness, save I shall visit them with a sore curse, even unto destruction; for they shall not commit whoredoms, like unto them of old, saith the Lord of Hosts. And now behold, my brethren, ye know that these commandments were given to our father, Lehi; wherefore, ye have known them before; and ye have come unto great condemnation; for ye have done these things which ye ought not to have done. Behold, ye have done greater iniquities than the Lamanites, our brethren. Ye have broken the hearts of your tender wives, and lost the confidence of your children, because of your bad examples before them; and the sobbings of their hearts ascend up to God against you. And because of the strictness of the word of God, which cometh down against you, many hearts died, pierced with deep wounds. |
Now I will state my position : even if an angel, or even Lord Jesus, or even LORD Almighty, appears before me, (or even having performed some terrible miracles before my eyes) and tells me to do a thing, which is contrary to the precepts (kindness, mercy, steadfast love, faithfulness, forgiving, jealous against evil, graciousness, slow to anger, pure as a child, humble as a child, .... ) or His other commandments I have learned from the Bible, I will NOT do it.
Even if that angel, or Lord Jesus, or LORD himself threatens to kill me if I do not obey, I will not yield.
One day, I will have to stand before the Judgement Seat, I will reason my case before all angels, before all brothers and sisters who have gone before, and I would like to see LORD's judgement.
I will not tell you what to do, but I hope you will firmly remember : ONE DAY YOU WILL STAND BEFORE THE JUDGEMENT SEAT, ATTENDED BY ALL RIGHTEOUS PEOPLE RESURRECTED, AND BY LORD'S OTHER ANGELS, AND BY LORD ( = TRUTH ) HIMSELF, AND THEY ARE ALL PEOPLE OPEN TO REASONS, and you will have to answer for all your actions. Obeying a "direct" order from angel or even LORD is no excuse for wrong action, just as in the Nuremberg trial of German soldiers after the Second World War.
But I make an earnest appeal to Native Americans : listen to your fathers of old, and NOT listen to Joseph Smith on this.
Bible was compiled many years ago, over 1900 years (?), and has undergone severe scrutiny and searching of hearts by millions of brothers and sisters, and only the best of the ancient writings, were included in it. This is the book I trust. Book of Mormon re-affirms precepts in Bible, but adds, essentially, nothing new.
I live in 2000, whereas Joseph Smith and the Mormon girls lived in the 1800's, and they did not know many things we know : Mathematics, Computer Programming, Engineering, Science, .... Therefore I think they were easier to tempt compared to us.
I will not relent my watchfulness, I remember firmly Lord Jesus' teachings : "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell." [Mt 5:29-30]
The chance of my soul being destroyed in the pool of fire (second death), or worse still, eternal punishment, are ever present, and I cannot be sure until the day I am no longer in my body.
Note :
1 LDS Latter Day Saints, another name for Mormon Church in Utah. Literature of LDS, especially autobiographies of many early Mormons may be found in
http://www.math.byu.edu/~smithw/Lds/