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Podcast: Church History Matters
Episode: 012 Why Did Plural Marriage Begin in the Church?
Description: Plural marriage—a form of religious polygamy (or polygyny to be technical)—is one of the most controversial and faith-challenging aspects of the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was difficult when it was first introduced in the early Church and, although it was discontinued over 130 years ago, it is still a difficult issue for many both within and outside of the Church to reckon with.
So why was it introduced into the Church in the first place? When did Joseph Smith first learn that this practice would be restored? Why did he de...