Trib article about the church's recent changes of it's polygamy cartoons for Primary children.

[Calm]

2 hours ago, Peacefully said:

I had illustrated Book of Mormon and bible stories for my kids and they were great. I just think we can explain polygamy without a picture story. Just explain it in a way they understand and move on. Just my 2 cents:) 

As far as I can tell the version I had used didn’t have anything about polygamy in it.  I hadn’t looked at the second version.  Anyone have a link to the pre revised copy?

I assume there is more than just these?

Added:  As far as I can tell they just removed the two pictures that had Emma and Brigham below and simplified the text…a lot?

 

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) A scene from a cartoon released by the church to teach children about the faith’s history of polygamy shows church founder Joseph Smith praying. The panel reads, "A few years later, the Lord told Joseph to marry other women. Joseph didn’t want to marry other wives. But he knew it was a commandment from the Lord. When Joseph asked a woman to marry him, he told her to pray about it. He wanted her to know from the Lord that it was right."

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) A scene from a cartoon released by the church to teach children about the faith’s history of polygamy shows Joseph Smith conversing with his wife, Emma. The panel reads, "This commandment was also hard for Joseph’s first wife, Emma. Sometimes, Emma helped Joseph decide who he should ask to marry him. Other times, Emma did not want Joseph to marry other women."

 

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) A scene from a cartoon released by the church to teach children about the faith’s history of polygamy shows Brigham Young praying with his wife, Mary Ann. The panel reads, "Brigham Young and his wife Mary Ann prayed a lot to the Lord about what to do. They learned that they should obey the commandment of plural marriage."

 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) A scene from a cartoon released by the church to teach children about the faith’s history of polygamy shows then-church President Wilford Woodruff presenting a "revelation" that marked the beginning of the end to the practice of plural marriage. The panel reads, "In 1890, the Lord told Wilford Woodruff, the president of the church, that men should not marry more than one wife anymore. The leaders of the church shared this commandment with the Saints. This is still the Lord’s commandment today — a man should be married to only one wife."

 

Edited February 24, 2025 by Calm

[Dario_M]

3 hours ago, ZealouslyStriving said:

They started out good, then Kody went off the deep end.

There are really good fundamentalist families out there. 

I'm so agree with you. 🏆

[Teancum]

On 2/22/2025 at 2:15 PM, ZealouslyStriving said:

The are many wonderful plural marriages among the "other groups". The Warren Jeff's era FLDS and the Kingstons just get all the attention.

CFR for there are wonderful plural marriages in other groups as well as which groups.

[ZealouslyStriving]

41 minutes ago, Teancum said:

CFR for there are wonderful plural marriages in other groups as well as which groups.

Personal observation in the Peterson Group.

I'm positive the AUB is filled with good families.

Are you implying the no plural marriage arrangement can be successful and happy?

Edited February 24, 2025 by ZealouslyStriving

[Tacenda]

6 minutes ago, ZealouslyStriving said:

Personal observation in the Peterson Group.

I'm positive the AUB is filled with good families.

Are you implying the no plural marriage arrangement can be successful and happy?

I think there are good families. Many of the women like the freedom, as in Janelle Brown, she said in the Sister Wives episode that it gave her freedom to pursue a career. While Christine, the other sister wife would mainly be in charge of child care. So there are those situations. It's only harmful when these situations might continue incest patterns from generation to generation. And if a woman isn't free to choose whom she marries or if she's a very young bride and doesn't want to marry a much older man. Basically some of the groups marry off child brides. And there are occurrences of sex trafficking where young girls are trafficked and married off to older men. Also, if it's legal maybe this will open up the closed societies somewhat. 

[ZealouslyStriving]

2 minutes ago, Tacenda said:

I think there are good families. Many of the women like the freedom, as in Janelle Brown, she said in the Sister Wives episode that it gave her freedom to pursue a career. While Christine, the other sister wife would mainly be in charge of child care. So there are those situations. It's only harmful when these situations might continue incest patterns from generation to generation. And if a woman isn't free to choose whom she marries or if she's a very young bride and doesn't want to marry a much older man. Basically some of the groups marry off child brides. And there are occurrences of sex trafficking where young girls are trafficked and married off to older men. Also, if it's legal maybe this will open up the closed societies somewhat. 

Again, the media focuses on the FLDS and Kingstons because that what brings in viewers.

The Apostolic United Brethren (the largest group), the Righteous Branch, Centennial Park, and various independent families who fellowship together don't have those issues.

[manol]

1 hour ago, ZealouslyStriving said:

Personal observation in the Peterson Group.

 

51 minutes ago, ZealouslyStriving said:

The Apostolic United Brethren (the largest group), the Righteous Branch, Centennial Park, and various independent families who fellowship together don't have those issues.

 

I am long-term friends with multiple families who fall into these categories and agree with your observations. 

[Injeun]

4 hours ago, MustardSeed said:

No it’s not.  Respectfully.  It might be uncomfortable for you to hear me say that I don’t believe everything the prophets do and say are dictated by God, but IMO its not apostasy- or maybe by your definition it is.  So that would be your opinion which is fine.  

Brought to its natural conclusion, either the Church is in apostasy if it was ever true, or you are heading to that end by your own divergence, if you ever had a testimony that it is Gods true Church. If the Church is only as true as the doctrines with which we agree, then it isn't Gods restored Church, but is our built Church, and there is no God in it. 

[Peacefully]

2 hours ago, Frank11 said:

Thank God I don't have to explain all this to my 9-year-old daughter. Now she would still ask me why Joseph Smith introduced polygamy, at the latest when she becomes a teenager, she will first ask an AI like ChatGPT and then just confront me with the result.

AI has all the answers. Iol. 

[MustardSeed]

12 minutes ago, Injeun said:

Brought to its natural conclusion, either the Church is in apostasy if it was ever true, or you are heading to that end by your own divergence, if you ever had a testimony that it is Gods true Church. If the Church is only as true as the doctrines with which we agree, then it isn't Gods restored Church, but is our built Church, and there is no God in it. 

I think God is in many of the worlds churches , as I think He is in ours.  If I leave the church some day I’ll do so thoughtfully but I don’t see that happening TBH.  There’s a lot of good here!  And it’s the scaffolding that provides structure for my relationship with God.  I don’t like the polygamy history, and I don’t like a few of our traditions,  but I know God is with me when I worship there and that’s good enough for me.  

[Tacenda]

25 minutes ago, Injeun said:

Brought to its natural conclusion, either the Church is in apostasy if it was ever true, or you are heading to that end by your own divergence, if you ever had a testimony that it is Gods true Church. If the Church is only as true as the doctrines with which we agree, then it isn't Gods restored Church, but is our built Church, and there is no God in it. 

I'm not sure if the church is the only true church, but like that it adapts to our times, unlike many other religions. It seems more Christ like when it adapts to the changing times. And it doesn't say the Bible is true word for word. I can get behind that. 

[Peacefully]

58 minutes ago, MustardSeed said:

I think God is in many of the worlds churches , as I think He is in ours.  If I leave the church some day I’ll do so thoughtfully but I don’t see that happening TBH.  There’s a lot of good here!  And it’s the scaffolding that provides structure for my relationship with God.  I don’t like the polygamy history, and I don’t like a few of our traditions,  but I know God is with me when I worship there and that’s good enough for me.  

I can relate!!!

[sunstoned]

On 2/23/2025 at 6:01 PM, ZealouslyStriving said:

Yep, nothing good has come out of "Mormonism"- nothing but pure unadulterated evil. It should probably be outlawed- Gov. Boggs was ahead of his time.

😐

 

I wouldn't go that far.

[JLHPROF]

7 hours ago, Calm said:

As far as I can tell the version I had used didn’t have anything about polygamy in it.  I hadn’t looked at the second version.  Anyone have a link to the pre revised copy?

I assume there is more than just these?

Added:  As far as I can tell they just removed the two pictures that had Emma and Brigham below and simplified the text…a lot?

 

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) A scene from a cartoon released by the church to teach children about the faith’s history of polygamy shows church founder Joseph Smith praying. The panel reads, "A few years later, the Lord told Joseph to marry other women. Joseph didn’t want to marry other wives. But he knew it was a commandment from the Lord. When Joseph asked a woman to marry him, he told her to pray about it. He wanted her to know from the Lord that it was right."

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) A scene from a cartoon released by the church to teach children about the faith’s history of polygamy shows Joseph Smith conversing with his wife, Emma. The panel reads, "This commandment was also hard for Joseph’s first wife, Emma. Sometimes, Emma helped Joseph decide who he should ask to marry him. Other times, Emma did not want Joseph to marry other women."

 

(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) A scene from a cartoon released by the church to teach children about the faith’s history of polygamy shows Brigham Young praying with his wife, Mary Ann. The panel reads, "Brigham Young and his wife Mary Ann prayed a lot to the Lord about what to do. They learned that they should obey the commandment of plural marriage."

 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) A scene from a cartoon released by the church to teach children about the faith’s history of polygamy shows then-church President Wilford Woodruff presenting a "revelation" that marked the beginning of the end to the practice of plural marriage. The panel reads, "In 1890, the Lord told Wilford Woodruff, the president of the church, that men should not marry more than one wife anymore. The leaders of the church shared this commandment with the Saints. This is still the Lord’s commandment today — a man should be married to only one wife."

 

Wow - no matter what your opinion on polygamy that's just not good history at all.

It's kinda almost true, but so watered down it comes across a bit misleading to anyone who has studied the history.

Edited February 25, 2025 by JLHPROF

[JLHPROF]

11 hours ago, Peacefully said:

How we teach the children is important and tricky. Teach them the truth but on their level. No need for cartoons. 

Agreed.

But teach the actual truth.  I would hope the Church had learned that they save no testimony by limiting, oversimplifying, or Disneyfying history.

How many lost testimonies when the essays on polygamy were published and people felt misled?

[Injeun]

16 hours ago, MustardSeed said:

I think God is in many of the worlds churches , as I think He is in ours.  If I leave the church some day I’ll do so thoughtfully but I don’t see that happening TBH.  There’s a lot of good here!  And it’s the scaffolding that provides structure for my relationship with God.  I don’t like the polygamy history, and I don’t like a few of our traditions,  but I know God is with me when I worship there and that’s good enough for me.  

So you have no testimony that the Church is Gods true and restored Church. May I ask if you were born into the Church. I ask because no one converts to a Church with which they disagree unless it is a partial conversion.

[Senator]

26 minutes ago, Injeun said:

So you have no testimony that the Church is Gods true and restored Church. May I ask if you were born into the Church. I ask because no one converts to a Church with which they disagree unless it is a partial conversion.

"Lord, I believe, Help thou mine unbelief"

[Injeun]

17 hours ago, Tacenda said:

I'm not sure if the church is the only true church, but like that it adapts to our times, unlike many other religions. It seems more Christ like when it adapts to the changing times. And it doesn't say the Bible is true word for word. I can get behind that. 

That it is the only true Church, restored by the living God thru Joseph Smith, is the Church's claim to fame or it's only divine foundation. If that isn't true, then it is a lie, and is just another man made religion, borrowed from this and that.

[Tacenda]

27 minutes ago, Injeun said:

That it is the only true Church, restored by the living God thru Joseph Smith, is the Church's claim to fame or it's only divine foundation. If that isn't true, then it is a lie, and is just another man made religion, borrowed from this and that.

If it's true to you and the members of the church, of course.

[manol]

2 hours ago, Injeun said:

So you have no testimony that the Church is Gods true and restored Church.

Rather than telling @MustardSeed what she believes, you could ask her what she believes. 

Edited February 25, 2025 by manol

[MustardSeed]

54 minutes ago, manol said:

Rather than telling @MustardSeed what she believes, you could ask her what she believes. 

I’m not sure there’s a curious bone there.  Just a self righteous need to correct.  
I can live with that.  

[Injeun]

55 minutes ago, Senator said:

"Lord, I believe, Help thou mine unbelief"

That the living God restored his true Church thru Joseph Smith is a basic tenet of his Church. If we don't believe that, then we have no foundation on which to build. Without Joseph Smith, whom God chose along with the Prophets and Apostles who followed, the Church would not be. And we'd all be left to ourselves and to our lives alone. The Prophet Joseph is at the nexus of it all. Either it is of God, or it is all fantasy and cosplay like the bible based religion parading as Christianity. Christianity, with its kaleidoscope of doctrines and gospels drove Joseph Smith to his knees to seek Gods wisdom as to which Church of them to join. And of course, God told him to join none of them. So here we are. Is there a God. Is he real. Does he answer prayers. Do boys have questions. Is God a respecter of persons. Are prophets real human beings, or unleavened words on pages of ancient script without heart and soul.

[Senator]

28 minutes ago, Injeun said:

That the living God restored his true Church thru Joseph Smith is a basic tenet of his Church. If we don't believe that, then we have no foundation on which to build. Without Joseph Smith, whom God chose along with the Prophets and Apostles who followed, the Church would not be. And we'd all be left to ourselves and to our lives alone. The Prophet Joseph is at the nexus of it all. Either it is of God, or it is all fantasy and cosplay like the bible based religion parading as Christianity. Christianity, with its kaleidoscope of doctrines and gospels drove Joseph Smith to his knees to seek Gods wisdom as to which Church of them to join. And of course, God told him to join none of them. So here we are. Is there a God. Is he real. Does he answer prayers. Do boys have questions. Is God a respecter of persons. Are prophets real human beings, or unleavened words on pages of ancient script without heart and soul.

Care to take a stab at the meaning of the quote I gave in relation to the your condescension towards MustardSeed?

[manol]

@Injeun, here is a link to an article you might find interesting.  Briefly, it describes two types of Latter-day Saints:  "Iron Rodders" and "Liahonas".  When I first read this article in the late 1980's I was an "Iron Rodder".  The article helped me to somewhat understand and feel less uncomfortable with and/or less threatened by the "Liahonas" in our ward. 

WhatTheChurchMeans.pdf (staylds.com)

Edited February 25, 2025 by manol

[Teancum]

On 2/23/2025 at 6:42 PM, sunstoned said:

This is nice, but shifting focus and ignoring this issue does not resolve anything.  Unless the church steps up and addresses issues about polygamy and Joseph Smiths actions, many will continue to be frustrated and leave the church.

As much and the apologists attempt to defend and explain away the abominable way in which Joseph rolled out plural marriage it will continue to be a albatross around the neck of the church and will be one of the main reasons active members end up rejecting Smith as a prophet. It is so plain to see but a believer must defend it or risk rejecting Joseph's prophetic claims.  I am not sure how the church resolves it.