Polygamy

From Sean's Gospel Topical Guide
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The Lord's law of marriage.
Manifesto issued by Wilford Woodruff changing the church's policy on poligamy.
The Lord found the poligamous practices of David and Solomon to be abominable.
Desired that the Nephites should be purified from this evil.
Poligamy should not be practiced among Nephites unless commanded.
It is worth noting that in the cases of David and Solomon, the Lord did, himself, give them multiple wives, but they clearly went to excess and took not only more than was given, but also that which was expressly forbidden. (For example, David took Bathsheba, and Solomon had many foreign wives.)
Conditions that will precede a revival of polygamy.
Women are haughty.
War and pestilence kill off many of the men and leave the women destitute.
The women are left to mourn.
And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.
  • Gordon B. Hinckley, "What Are People Asking about Us?", Ensign, Nov. 1998
(Question 4)
Good succinct explanation of church's stance on poligamy.
  • Josephus, Wars, 1.24.2
Herod's poligamy and the traditions of the Jews.
  • The Dead Sea Scrolls, 11Q19, Col. 57
Sectarian work defining an ideal law of Jerusalem.
The king is to have only one wife at a time.
  • Joseph Smith, compiled by Joseph Fielding Smith, "Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith", p. 120
(May 8, 1838) Joseph Smith states that "we" do not believe in having multiple wives at once.
Some interesting statistical analysis of gender ratios in frontier Utah.
  • “Official Statement,” Apr. 6, 1904, in James R. Clark, ed., Messages of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 6 vols. (1965–1975), 4:84–85.
I dont have easy access to this resource, but it is cited in the Church's website, in the topics section, as documentation of the Church's outright ban on poligamy, despite legality.
Analysis of testes and sperm size indicates that humans are not adapted to be polyandrous, or simply polygamous (by which I mean, in this case, promiscuous as the author uses the term). Polygyny seems most consistent. (It is unclear, based on this article, how the evidence might relate to the possibility that the species is adapted for monogamy.)
Some excellent context for Jacob 2.
Explains some of the issues Jacob was likely trying to address in the context of the mosaic law and scriptural stories of abuse of kingly power.

Changing Attitudes

It's my hypothesis that modern changing attitudes towards polygamy are primarily driven by competition between women; either competing for the best men, or desiring to capitalize on the adoration of multiple leftover men. Women are both getting more picky, as they become more powerful, and they quality (and fertility) of men has been decreasing since at least the 80s. The male sex drive has pushed for polygamy for a long time, with no success, but only recently have polygamous families found an adoring audience among women. I identify this trend as being related to Isaiah 3, though I expect that in rather literal fulfillment of Isaiah 3, there will be a catastrophic war which destroys a huge portion of the male population.

Cross-References

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