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Home » The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints » LDS Deep Doctrine » Polygamy: The Exception and NOT the Rule (And no man taketh this honour unto himself . . . .)
Re: Polygamy: The Exception and NOT the Rule [message #3792 is a reply to message #3791] Thu, 12 December 2019 08:14 Go to previous messageGo to previous message
brrgilbert is currently offline  brrgilbert
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Registered: December 2012
Location: Nampa, Idaho
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The following analysis will be a dissection of Doctrine and Covenants 132 and an identification of some "red herrings," inherent, therein:

Initially, the revelation known as Doctrine and Covenants 132, was "elicited" from questions asked by the Prophet Joseph Smith as identified in the following verses:

Quote:
Doctrine and Covenants 132:
1 Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you my servant Joseph, that inasmuch as you have inquired of my hand to know and understand wherein I, the Lord, justified my servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as also Moses, David and Solomon, my servants, as touching the principle and doctrine of their having many wives and concubines--
2 Behold, and lo, I am the Lord thy God, and will answer thee as touching this matter.

and, also, the following question:

Quote:
Doctrine and Covenants 132:
41 And as ye have asked concerning adultery, verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man receiveth a wife in the new and everlasting covenant, and if she be with another man, and I have not appointed unto her by the holy anointing, she hath committed adultery and shall be destroyed.
42 If she be not in the new and everlasting covenant, and she be with another man, she has committed adultery.
43 And if her husband be with another woman, and he was under a vow, he hath broken his vow and hath committed adultery.
44 And if she hath not committed adultery, but is innocent and hath not broken her vow, and she knoweth it, and I reveal it unto you, my servant Joseph, then shall you have power, by the power of my Holy Priesthood, to take her and give her unto him that hath not committed adultery but hath been faithful; for he shall be made ruler over many.
45 For I have conferred upon you the keys and power of the priesthood, wherein I restore all things, and make known unto you all things in due time.

This gives rise to the first "red herring." Highlighted in red are "conditionals" included in the explanation; answer. This infers that there are "exceptions." We very well might read it as saying, "Under the new and everlasting covenant, if a wife is with another man and has been appointed so by the holy anointing," she has NOT committed adultery. Verse 44 would collaborate that she could be given to another. This would give credence to the idea that Polygamy could pertain equally to women depending upon the "holy anointing."

I am of the opinion that Doctrine and Covenants 132 does contain truth, but that there are parts of it that appear to be "additions" with insinuations of "transgression" on the part of the Prophet and/or Emma. There are things that do not ring true to the nature of Heavenly Father who respects agency.

The actual pronouncement of the "sealing power" given to Joseph Smith in this section opens up the door for a myriad of "justifications" for that which God has prohibited by nature:

Quote:
46 And verily, verily, I say unto you, that whatsoever you seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven; and whatsoever you bind on earth, in my name and by my word, saith the Lord, it shall be eternally bound in the heavens; and whosesoever sins you remit on earth shall be remitted eternally in the heavens; and whosesoever sins you retain on earth shall be retained in heaven.
47 And again, verily I say, whomsoever you bless I will bless, and whomsoever you curse I will curse, saith the Lord; for I, the Lord, am thy God.
48 And again, verily I say unto you, my servant Joseph, that whatsoever you give on earth, and to whomsoever you give any one on earth, by my word and according to my law, it shall be visited with blessings and not cursings, and with my power, saith the Lord, and shall be without condemnation on earth and in heaven.

A principle is established with reference to the keys of this priesthood in the following excerpt:

Quote:
Doctrine and Covenants 132:
7 And verily I say unto you, that the conditions of this law are these: All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections, associations, or expectations, that are not made and entered into and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, of him who is anointed, both as well for time and for all eternity, and that too most holy, by revelation and commandment through the medium of mine anointed, whom I have appointed on the earth to hold this power (and I have appointed unto my servant Joseph to hold this power in the last days, and there is never but one on the earth at a time on whom this power and the keys of this priesthood are conferred), are of no efficacy, virtue, or force in and after the resurrection from the dead; for all contracts that are not made unto this end have an end when men are dead.

and, then, you have the following reference:

Quote:
Doctrine and Covenants 132:
39 David's wives and concubines were given unto him of me, by the hand of Nathan, my servant, and others of the prophets who had the keys of this power; and in none of these things did he sin against me save in the case of Uriah and his wife; and, therefore he hath fallen from his exaltation, and received his portion; and he shall not inherit them out of the world, for I gave them unto another, saith the Lord.

How many on the earth at one time have the keys and power to this law? Perhaps a contradiction?

Quote:
Doctrine and Covenants 132:
13 And everything that is in the world, whether it be ordained of men, by thrones, or principalities, or powers, or things of name, whatsoever they may be, that are not by me or by my word, saith the Lord, shall be thrown down, and shall not remain after men are dead, neither in nor after the resurrection, saith the Lord your God.
14 For whatsoever things remain are by me; and whatsoever things are not by me shall be shaken and destroyed.

Certainly, you, the reader of this information, are well aware of the "shaking" and neigh "destruction" that faced the Church as a result of practicing Polygamy.

Quote:
Doctrine and Covenants 132:
34 God commanded Abraham, and Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham to wife. And why did she do it? Because this was the law; and from Hagar sprang many people. This, therefore, was fulfilling, among other things, the promises.
35 Was Abraham, therefore, under condemnation? Verily I say unto you, Nay; for I, the Lord, commanded it.

There is a subtlety in the foregoing verse that bears and examination of the record to determine if, in fact, God commanded Abraham to have children through Hagar:

Quote:
Genesis 15:
Genesis 15:
1 After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
2 And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.
4 And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Quote:
Genesis 16:
1 Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
3 And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.
4 ¶ And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
5 And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the Lord judge between me and thee.
6 But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.
7 ¶ And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.
8 And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.
9 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.
10 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
11 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
13 And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?
14 Wherefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
15 ¶ And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.
16 And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.

In the record, it is not given that God commanded Abraham to procreate with Hagar. Hagar, the bondwoman, was given to Abraham by Sarah, thus establishing the "Law of Sarah." God prophesied to Abraham and gave him a promise of what would be. It was not a command.

The Abrahamic Test? or "Reversal?"

Quote:
Doctrine and Covenants 132:
50 Behold, I have seen your sacrifices, and will forgive all your sins; I have seen your sacrifices in obedience to that which I have told you. Go, therefore, and I make a way for your escape, as I accepted the offering of Abraham of his son Isaac.
51 Verily, I say unto you: A commandment I give unto mine handmaid, Emma Smith, your wife, whom I have given unto you, that she stay herself and partake not of that which I commanded you to offer unto her; for I did it, saith the Lord, to prove you all, as I did Abraham, and that I might require an offering at your hand, by covenant and sacrifice.

Quote:
Doctrine and Covenants 132:
54 And I command mine handmaid, Emma Smith, to abide and cleave unto my servant Joseph, and to none else. But if she will not abide this commandment she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord; for I am the Lord thy God, and will destroy her if she abide not in my law.
55 But if she will not abide this commandment, then shall my servant Joseph do all things for her, even as he hath said; and I will bless him and multiply him and give unto him an hundred-fold in this world, of fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, houses and lands, wives and children, and crowns of eternal lives in the eternal worlds.

Personal "Weakness" or "Transgression?"

In consideration of verse 50 cited, above and in view of the following admonition:

Quote:
Doctrine and Covenants 132:
56 And again, verily I say, let mine handmaid forgive my servant Joseph his trespasses; and then shall she be forgiven her trespasses, wherein she has trespassed against me; and I, the Lord thy God, will bless her, and multiply her, and make her heart to rejoice.

In view of what can be gleaned from several passages in this section, an inference is made that Joseph and Emma are both guilty of "trespasses" and that God was making a way of escape. Note: the initial question giving rise to this "revelation" had to do with "justification" for seeming "adultery" and an explanation as to how a woman under the new and everlasting covenant and anointing would not be guilty of such. For me, this borders on T.M.I., if this section is, indeed, totally legitimate. There is a subtlety that I do not like and; therefore, have to question those things that do not seem to fit.


A violation of Agency?? Would God force someone to comply with His law?

Quote:
Doctrine and Covenants 132:
3 Therefore, prepare thy heart to receive and obey the instructions which I am about to give unto you; for all those who have this law revealed unto them must obey the same.

http://mormonhistoricsites.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Encouraging-Joseph-Smith-to-Practice-Plural-Marriage-The-Accounts-of-the-Angel-with-a-Drawn-Sword.pdf

Is the "Law of Sarah" legitimate or does it even matter?

Quote:
Doctrine and Covenants 132:
61 And again, as pertaining to the law of the priesthood--if any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another, and the first give her consent, and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins, and have vowed to no other man, then is he justified; he cannot commit adultery for they are given unto him; for he cannot commit adultery with that that belongeth unto him and to no one else.
62 And if he have ten virgins given unto him by this law, he cannot commit adultery, for they belong to him, and they are given unto him; therefore is he justified.

Quote:
Doctrine and Covenants 132:
64 And again, verily, verily, I say unto you, if any man have a wife, who holds the keys of this power, and he teaches unto her the law of my priesthood, as pertaining to these things, then shall she believe and administer unto him, or she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord your God; for I will destroy her; for I will magnify my name upon all those who receive and abide in my law.
65 Therefore, it shall be lawful in me, if she receive not this law, for him to receive all things whatsoever I, the Lord his God, will give unto him, because she did not believe and administer unto him according to my word; and she then becomes the transgressor; and he is exempt from the law of Sarah, who administered unto Abraham according to the law when I commanded Abraham to take Hagar to wife.

There has been a "cultural mindset" that has taken years to eliminate and that has to do with considering a wife as "property" and that she can be "over-ridden." This has got to cease.


In the next installment on Doctrine and Covenants 132, we will examine what is "right" about it and that the New and Everlasting Covenant involves "A" wife - singular.


"I must endure the presence of a few caterpillars if I wish to become acquainted with the butterflies."

The Little Prince by St. Exupery
 
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