Matthew J. Tandy Posted March 30, 2012 Posted March 30, 2012 I am in recent contact with a less-active member from an Elder's Quorum I used to be president of. He and his wife have apparently "mostly" left the church, but seem to be wavering and considering coming back. The reason they left is they feel the policies of the church are mostly "by men". They are pretty liberal (which is fine, I mention it only for world-view perspective). In a recent conversation he asked:"what's a good book to read on Mormon polygamy? I'm mostly interested in the 1880-1910 period (to encompass the Edmunds laws, manifestos, Smoot hearings, etc.)."I realized I hadn't put together any good resources on this. Any suggestions? Book or articles seem fine. Obviously I prefer something that is not leaning towards antagonistic.
Nominee Posted March 30, 2012 Posted March 30, 2012 I am sorry, I don't have any good resources on this. Actually, I will be watching this thread for them because I, too, am interested.I am wondering though:"by men" meaning not women ? or"by men" meaning not God ?
Matthew J. Tandy Posted March 30, 2012 Author Posted March 30, 2012 "by men" meaning not women ?or"by men" meaning not God ?Both. One leads to the other for them.
Nominee Posted March 30, 2012 Posted March 30, 2012 (edited) Both. One leads to the other for them.That's a bummer. I sure hope they can work through it and find the answers that bring them closer to Heavenly Father. Edited March 30, 2012 by Nominee
why me Posted March 30, 2012 Posted March 30, 2012 I am in recent contact with a less-active member from an Elder's Quorum I used to be president of. He and his wife have apparently "mostly" left the church, but seem to be wavering and considering coming back. The reason they left is they feel the policies of the church are mostly "by men". They are pretty liberal (which is fine, I mention it only for world-view perspective). In a recent conversation he asked:"what's a good book to read on Mormon polygamy? I'm mostly interested in the 1880-1910 period (to encompass the Edmunds laws, manifestos, Smoot hearings, etc.)."I realized I hadn't put together any good resources on this. Any suggestions? Book or articles seem fine. Obviously I prefer something that is not leaning towards antagonistic.I think that your friends are in a difficult situation. Most likely they reached their conclusions by reading sites that are critical of mormonism and latched onto the male and the priesthood problem of leadership. They don't seem to realize that women also have much say in the church and in the family. Also, they may see polygamy as a decision not from god by from men to have more control over women's lives and have read just how miserable life was for polygamous women. Which is not necessarily true.You need to find good sources on mormon polygamy but the time frame that you mentioned seems to be the tame time of polygamy. Most likely they know much about the polygamy before those dates mentioned in your post from critical sites about mormonism.On critical sites, the priesthood and polygamy goes hand in hand with the idea that the church is run by men.
zielkee Posted April 12, 2012 Posted April 12, 2012 I recommend Mormon Polygamy: a History, by Richard S. Van Wagoner. http://www.amazon.com/Mormon-Polygamy-Richard-Van-Wagoner/dp/0941214796/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334194486&sr=1-1 I studied this as an independent research topic in grad school 20 years ago; I'll see what else I can locate. This is a good beginning. 1
zielkee Posted April 12, 2012 Posted April 12, 2012 This book by B. Carmen Hardy won a Mormon history award: Doing the Works of Abraham, Mormon Polygamy: Its Origin, Practice, and Demise (Kingdom in the West: The Mormons and the American Frontier) [Hardcover] http://www.amazon.com/Doing-Works-Abraham-Mormon-Polygamy/dp/0870623443/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b
cinepro Posted April 12, 2012 Posted April 12, 2012 (edited) If they're already familiar with the "basics", this book is a really interesting look at Utah polygamy up to 1910 from an academic perspective:More Wives Than One Edited April 12, 2012 by cinepro
kolipoki09 Posted April 12, 2012 Posted April 12, 2012 "what's a good book to read on Mormon polygamy? I'm mostly interested in the 1880-1910 period (to encompass the Edmunds laws, manifestos, Smoot hearings, etc.)."I'll give you six that I've found rather useful, with considerable agreement between all of them with regard to the polygamy issue in the time period you're looking for. Some are better than others, but I suggest reading things from different perspectives and drawing your own conclusions with balance. Solemn Covenant: The Mormon Polygamous Passage by B. Carmon HardyThe Mormon Church on Trial: Transcript of the Reed Smoot Hearings by Michael Paulos. The Politics of American Religious Identity: The Seating of Senator Reed Smoot, Mormon Apostle by Kathleen FlakeThe Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power by D. Michael QuinnSetting the Record Straight: Mormon Fundamentalism by Brian C. HalesMormonism in Transition: A History of the Latter-day Saints, 1890-1930 by Thomas G. Alexander
Recommended Posts