I began this list when I was a full time employee of the LDS
Church Education System (CES). I worked
as a Seminary Principal/teacher, Institute teacher/Director, and Stake CES Coordinator
from 1975 - 2002. My last assignment was
brief. I signed a Letter of Agreement
with CES to serve as the Director of the Pullman, Washington LDS Institute of
Religion adjacent to
As an informal defender, I discovered that those accusing
the church leaders of being dishonest sometimes had the facts on their side
(when I took the time to check). I dealt
with the cognitive dissonance by pointing out that (1) all organizations are
run by humans and if you search hard enough, of course you’ll find a few
isolated examples of deception; and (2) since the leaders are human, they will
err on occasion. I guessed there may
have been occasional isolated examples of premeditated deception but it was not
a pattern or standard practice.
Sometimes I caught myself revealing less than the whole
truth, or embellishing in order to defend the church. I noticed that other members often did the
same thing. I gave myself permission to be
slightly dishonest because I was defending God’s one true church; or so I
reasoned. Eventually I decided to let
the lives and sermons of the church leaders speak for themselves. If detractors
were right some of the time, the church and I would deal with it.
I believed a list of prevarications presented in the proper
context would prove that lying wasn’t actually lying. Instead the list would prove that a perceived
lie was probably a misunderstanding, a remark out of context or a deliberate
misinterpretation of historical events. My
belief was that those who accused church leaders with deception were deceivers
themselves; they twisted words and took remarks out of context. But as I read more church history my list
grew, and at some point it occurred to me that a pattern of institutionalized
deception had been established by Joseph Smith.
Subsequent church leaders,
including those who serve currently, followed Smith’s example of lying to
protect the church. The growing evidence
pointed to a standard practice.
Evidence presented in this essay establishes that when the
church image or its leaders needed protection it was and is, okay to fib,
deceive, distort, inflate, minimize, exaggerate, prevaricate or lie. You will read quotations by church leaders who
admitted that deception is a useful tool to protect the church and its leaders
“when they are in tight spot,” or “to beat the devil at his own game.” They admit engaging in moral gymnastics; that
God approves of deception – if it’s done to protect the “Lord’s Church” or “the
brethren” as the leaders are called.
I was stunned after I learned these uncomfortable truths. I had naively believed that when church
leaders transgressed, they followed the required steps of repentance, as taught
to members and investigators. I believed
they had the courage to face their mistakes and confess their shortcomings, no
matter what the consequences; to live the same standards they set for the
members. I believed they were completely
honest.
D. Michael Quinn called the use of deception by LDS church
leaders, “theocratic ethics.” (The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power,
page 112) Smith lied to protect himself
or the church; which was an extension of himself. Dan Vogel in his excellent work, Joseph Smith: The Making of a Prophet,
described Smith’s viewpoint; he was a pious deceiver. Smith used deception if in his mind; it
resulted in a good outcome. Smith had
Smith believed God also approved of murder if it was for a
good cause. He wrote in the Book of
Mormon that Nephi was inspired by God (1 Nephi 4:6) to deceive and capture a
servant; and then murder another man in order to secure an ancient historical
record on brass plates. And in
Smith re-wrote scripture to demonstrate that God had ordered
the prophet Abraham to lie to protect himself and his wife Sarah from harm
(Abraham 2:23-25).
Before becoming a prophet, Smith’s chosen profession relied
on deception to earn a living. He assured
clients that he could see underground treasure using a magic stone in the
bottom of his hat and clients paid him to locate hidden gold using this
method. He never did of course. Smith’s arrest, trial and conviction in
Joseph Smith was comfortable using deception when it suited
him. He wove it into the fabric of
Mormonism as a way of dealing with those who questioned his authority or who
reported his deception or tasteless behavior.
Excellent historical works record Smith’s deception and the deception of
other LDS leaders. A list of good
authors and their work, who are nevertheless charitable to Smith are: Linda
King Newell and Valeen Tippetts Avery, Mormon
Enigma: Emma Hale Smith, Prophet’s Wife, “Elect Lady”, Polygamy’s Foe. Dan
Vogel, Joseph Smith: The Making of a
Prophet, Signature Books,
Below is a list of notable prevarications by church leaders. Some rate higher on the “deceit-scale” than
others. The list is not exhaustive, and
offers only a sample of some of the well known incidents of deception on the
part of LDS church leaders. Since well over one hundred examples are included, it
is not a comprehensive list, and because lying began with Joseph Smith and
continues today (2007), I concluded that lying is standard operating procedure
for church leaders. I referenced each of
the incidents with the secondary source. It’s easier for the normal reader to locate
information in a secondary source. The footnotes
provided in the secondary sources will provide you with the references for primary
sources if you wish to review them.
At the end of the list is a brief review of recent research
on lying.
1. The official version of the First Vision by Joseph Smith,
fashioned in 1838, nearly 20 years after the event, was unknown to church
members living in the 1830s. It evolved
after years of refining and modifying.
It describes a more spectacular and miraculous event than earlier
versions of the same event. The 1832
account is the original handwritten version and not as dramatic as the 1838
version. The 1832 version does not
mention God the Father one who appeared to Smith, or the religious excitement
causing Smith to pray, persecution by enemies, being attacked by the devil,
being told not to join any apostate
2. The LDS church consistently
describes in sermons and paintings, the visitation of an angel named
3. The LDS Church permits members and others to believe that
the History of the Church was written
by Joseph Smith. Smith dictated the
history of the church to a scribe but was killed before completing the project. The Joseph Smith History was completed in August 1856 by historians
who attempted to make the official history appear as if it was written by
Joseph. Brigham Young required the
historians to use this method. Sixty
percent of the history was written after his death. The church failed to inform its members of
this fact, preferring to let them believe that the official history was written
by Joseph Smith. (Brigham Young University Studies,
Summer 1971, pp.466, 469, 470, 472). In
the middle of the 20th century, after the deception was pointed out
by critics, the church admitted it. When
something in History of the Church
proved embarrassing, such as the Kinderhook Plates hoax (where Joseph was
tricked by pranksters who created fake metal plates – Joseph claimed they were
ancient Egyptian plates), which is written in the first person by Smith, the
practice was/is for LDS apologists to claim that a scribe or someone else must
have written the embarrassing section instead of Joseph Smith. (Jerald and Sandra Tanner, Shadow or Reality? Chapter 7, “Changes
in the Joseph Smith History,” pages 126-142)
4. The famous Rocky Mountain Prophecy was a later addition
to the official church history and not uttered by Joseph Smith as a prediction
that the Mormons would inhabit the
5. Related to changes in the history of the church, Jerald
and Sandra Tanner published the following in The Changing World of Mormonism, “One of the most interesting
changes in the history is the name of the angel who was supposed to have
appeared in Joseph Smith's bedroom. In the history as it was first published by
Joseph Smith, we learn that the angel's name was Nephi: "He called me by
name and said ... that his name was Nephi" (Times and Seasons, vol.
3, p.753). “In modern printings of the History
of the Church, this has been changed to read "
“The
original handwritten manuscript shows that the name was originally written as
"Nephi," but that someone at a later date wrote the word
"Moroni" above the line (see photograph in Mormonism—Shadow
or Reality? p.136). In the book Falsification of Joseph Smith's History,
page 13, Tanners showed that this change was made after Joseph Smith's death.
An examination of the duplicate copy of the handwritten manuscript, Book A-2,
provides additional evidence that the change was not made during Joseph Smith's
lifetime. This manuscript was not begun until about a year after Smith's death.
Like the other manuscript (Book A-1), it has the name "Nephi" with
the name "
“It
is interesting to note that Joseph Smith lived for two years after the name
"Nephi" was printed in Times and Seasons and never published a
retraction or revision. In August, 1842, the Millennial Star, printed in
6.
Official Mormon histories have omitted references to Joseph Smith’s drinking
and use of tobacco in order to create a more inspiring impression of their
prophet, who if living today (2007) would be unable to pass a worthiness
interview and earn a temple recommend in the church he founded. (Changing
World of Mormonism, pages 413-414 and Chapter 18 of the same online book). “Joseph tested the Saints to make sure their
testimonies were of his religion and not of him as a personable leader. Amasa
Lyman, of the First presidency, related: 'Joseph Smith tried the faith of the
Saints many times by his peculiarities. At one time, he had preached a powerful
sermon on the Word of Wisdom, and immediately thereafter, he rode through the
streets of Nauvoo smoking a cigar.
Some of the brethren were tried as was Abraham of old'" ("Joseph
Smith as an Administrator," Master's Thesis,
7.
Leonard Arrington, the official LDS Church Historian for nearly a decade
(1972-1982) lamented the suppression of real Mormon history in favor of a faith
promoting version. Six years previous to
his appointment as church historian, Dr. Arrington wrote: "it is
unfortunate for the cause of Mormon history that the Church Historian's
Library, which is in the possession of virtually all of the diaries of leading
Mormons, has not seen fit to publish these diaries or to permit qualified
historians to use them without restriction." (Dialogue: A Journal of
Mormon Thought (Spring 1966, p.26).
Leonard Arrington was demoted in 1982 transferred from the church
historians office to BYU because of his refreshing honesty; he was a threat to
the faith promoting history the church insisted he support (Deseret News,
Church Section, July 5, 1980; http://library.usu.edu/Specol/manuscript/Arrington/LJAHA1/bio.html). The church does not report accurate unflattering
historical facts about its origins and leaders to the membership or the world,
unless forced to by published disclosures of deception.
8.
Joseph Smith claimed that God revealed truth to him. He declared that God, Jesus and angels
appeared in person. Sometimes they spoke
in an audible voice, and sometimes they spoke in a quiet voice or feeling in
his mind and heart – D&C 8:2; 9:7-9.
He made arrangements to publish a collection of revealed truths in the Book of Commandments but Missourians
destroyed the printing press in 1833 before the venture was completed. A few copies were saved. Two years later he published another version
with original revelations revised and more revelations added and called it the Doctrine and Covenants. Apologists claim that added material was only
to make the revelation seem clearer to the reader. (Melvin J. Petersen "A Study of the
Nature of and Significance of the Changes in the Revelations as Found in a
Comparison of the Book of Commandments and Subsequent Editions of the Doctrine
and Covenants," Master's thesis, BYU, 1955, typed copy, p.147). Those close to Joseph make a different claim.
David
Whitmer, a close associate of Smith’s, was perhaps the most vocal opponent to
the revisions. He considered the original revelations to be
God-inspired. He questioned the revised
revelations which granted all power and authority to Smith. (Letter written by David Whitmer, published
in the Saints' Herald, February 5, 1887). Current LDS members are unaware of the
significant revisions. They do not know that the meaning of some of the “revelations”
was reversed. David Whitmer and others
raise the question of whether Joseph Smith received revelations from God or
whether they originated in his own mind, for his own gain. If Mormons continue to insist that JS was
inspired by God, critics might ask, “Which God? – the one who revealed the
first revelations, or the one who revealed the later ones that contradicted the
first?” (David Whitmer see An Address
To All Believers in Christ. Also The Changing World of Mormonism, online
book, Chapter 3, http://www.utlm.org/onlinebooks/changech3.htm)
9.
Joseph made a career of retrofitting earlier revelations to make it appear as
if church doctrines and practices were revealed by God incrementally, logically
and sequentially, as described by the faith promoting histories of the LDS
church. He referred to this process of
revising God’s written word as continuing revelation. Others call it theological innovation, revelations
of convenience, or creative imagination.
10.
Joseph Smith created the Mormon priesthood after organizing the church, though
faithful followers are unaware of this historical development. His priesthood innovations were an extension
of the practice of revising revelations to match his evolving theological ideas. La Mar Peterson explained, “The important
details that are missing from the "full history" [of priesthood
restoration] of 1834 are likewise missing from the Book of Commandments
in 1833. The student would expect to find all the particulars of the
Restoration in this first treasured set of 65 revelations, the dates of which
encompassed the bestowals of the two Priesthoods, but they are conspicuously
absent.... The notable revelations on
Priesthood in the Doctrine and Covenants, Sections 2 and 13, are missing, and Chapter 28 gives no
hint of the Restoration which, if actual, had been known for four years.”
“More than four hundred words were added to this revelation [on priesthood]
of August 1829 (Section 27 of the Doctrine and Covenants).
The new material added the names of heavenly visitors and two separate
ordinations. The Book of Commandments listed the duties of Elders,
Priests, Teachers, and Deacons and refers to Joseph's apostolic calling but
there is no mention of Melchizedek Priesthood, High Priesthood, Seventies, High
Priests, nor High Councilors. These
words were later inserted into the revelation on Church organization and
government of April, 1830, making it appear that they were known at that
date. But they do not appear in the
original, Chapter 24 of the Book of
Commandments three years later. Similar interpolations were made in the
revelations known as Sections 42 and 68” (Problems In Mormon Text, by
LaMar Petersen, pp.7-8. See also Gregory
A. Prince, Power on High: The Development
of the Mormon Priesthood. Signature Books, 1995. D. Michael Quinn, Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power, Chapter 1, “The Evolution of
Authority.” The Changing Story of Mormonism, Chapter 16).
11.
Joseph Smith and the Mormons’ official publications remove all references to
Joseph Smith’s activities as a professional con man. Documents discovered in 1971 by Dr. Wesley
Walters in
LDS
historian Dr. Francis W. Kirkham, refused to believe that Joseph Smith was a
con man, who bilked people out of money with promises to find buried treasure
through the use of a peep stone in a hat.
He wrote, “if such a court record confession could be identified and
proved, then it follows that his
believers must deny his claimed divine guidance which led them to follow
him.... How could he be a prophet of
God, the leader of the
Hugh
Nibley, famous dissembling LDS apologist also stated, “"...if this court
record is authentic it is the most
damning evidence in existence against Joseph Smith." Dr. Nibley's book also states that if the
authenticity of the court record could be established it would be "the most devastating blow to Smith ever
delivered" (Hugh Nibley, The
Mythmakers p. 142. See also The
Changing World of Mormonism, Chapter 4, “Joseph Smith and Money Digging”).
In
the court record Joseph Smith confessed that "for three years" prior
to 1826 he had used a magic stone placed in his hat to find treasures or lost
property, placing his money-digging activities from 1823 to 1826. Mormon
histories indicate that a heavenly messenger revealed the presence of gold
plates on September 21, 1823. Joseph Smith
was conning overly optimistic treasure seekers out of their money at the very
time he claimed that an angel revealed to him that gold plates lay buried near
his home. He continued these deceptive practices
for at least three of the four years after God was supposedly preparing him to
receive the gold plates. These facts undermine
the credibility of Mormonism’s first prophet and founder. (Dan Vogel, Joseph Smith: The Making of a Prophet, Signature Books, 2004, pp.
80-86)
12.
Members and investigators to Mormonism are not offered details of Smith’s
deception or the court records convicting him.
Church leaders contend that “some [historical] truths are not very
useful” and undermine attempts to create a faith promoting history of Mormonism
(versus an accurate and objective history). (Boyd K. Packer, "The Mantle is Far, Far Greater Than the
Intellect", 1981, BYU Studies, Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 259-271) LDS Historians are fired and sometimes excommunicated
if they publish an objective history rather than a faith promoting version (if
they are employed for the church).
Packer cited above, referred to objective histories of Mormonism as
“disease germs.” Most ethical
historians regard deliberately inaccurate histories to be disease germs
instead.
13.
Joseph Smith claimed that he discovered gold plates with strange engravings,
and special spectacles called "Interpreters." The
Martin
Harris, who also acted as a scribe, lost the first 116 pages of the Book of
Mormon translation. He also said that
Smith claimed that the angel
William
W. Phelps first suggested in 1833 that perhaps the seer stones were the Urim
and Thummim of the Old Testament (The Evening and Morning Star, Jan. 1833). This lent more credibility to Smith’s
story. Historians for the church rewrote the historical accounts to make it
appear that from the beginning the Interpreters or Smith’s peep stone was
referred to as the Urim and Thummim. This
is more tasteful in the minds of some than referring to the instruments used to
translate the Book of Mormon as “the peep stone Joseph found while
digging a well.” (The Changing World of Mormonism, pp.
80-83. See also comment by BH Roberts in
Comprehensive History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
vol. 1, page 129)
14.
Official Mormon histories are not forthcoming about the statement by the three
and eight witnesses respectively, who claim to have seen Smith’s gold plates
and handled them. The faith promoting
histories fail to inform interested students of Mormon origins that in both
cases, their experience was one that took place in their imaginations or as
they called it, “spiritual eyes,” “eyes of our understanding,” “a supernatural
vision,” or “visions of the mind.” To
say that the witnesses handled a literal, physical object is more impressive
than admitting that they merely imagined that they handled literal, physical
objects.
Martin
Harris (one of the 3 witnesses) testified publicly on March 25, 1838 that none
of the signatories to the Book of Mormon saw or handled the actual physical
plates.” He also indicated that Joseph
had prepared an affidavit beforehand and asked the witnesses to sign it, but
because they had not seen a physical object, only a vision of them, some
hesitated to sign; but were finally persuaded by Joseph. David Whitmer also told Zenas Gurley Jr. on
January 14, 1885 when asked if the witnesses actually touched “the real metal,”
“We did not.” The witnesses handled “the
plates” in a vision only, according to Whitmer.
Such is the power of imagination.
(Grant Palmer, An Insider’s View
of Mormon Origins, Chapter 6) There
are other significant problems with the story of the 3 and 8 witnesses
described by Palmer, for those interested in reading more.
The 8 witnesses did not all see the plates or angel at the
same time as the church leads people to believe either. The plates were seen in two groups of four
not all 8 together as popularized in church paintings. (Deseret
Evening News, 6 August 1878, Letter to the
editor from P. Wilhelm Poulson, M.D., typed transcript, p. 2) Only David Whitmer and perhaps Oliver
Cowdery saw the angel together. Martin
Harris removed himself from the group and did not see the angel until some
three days later. (Grant Palmer, An Insider’s View of Mormon Origins,
Chapter 6. Anthony Metcalf, Ten Years
Before the Mast, n.d., microfilm copy, p. 70-71) Info From: http://www.exmormon.org/file9.htm )
The
15.
Smith’s “translation” method was the same used to earn money to locate
subterranean treasure for money. He put
his favorite magic rock in a hat, pulled the hat over his face, and rested his
elbows on his knees, to read the English words and sentences that God caused to
appear on the stone, according to Smith’s faithful scribes. The imaginary plates were never in view, in
the same room, or often never in the house. (Emma Smith, The Saints' Herald,
May 19, 1888, p.310; and Saints' Herald, November 15, 1962, p.16. Martin
Harris, Historical Record, by Andrew Jensen, p.216. David Whitmer, An Address To All Believers
In Christ, p.12. Grant Palmer, An Insider’s
View of Mormon Origins)
16.
This may explain why nothing ancient appears in a book that is supposed to be
of ancient origin, despite claims by the
The
next section deals primarily with purposeful deception by church leaders to
protect the practice of polygamy. The
practice instigated an almost constant stream of untruths, lies, or prevarications. It also introduced the practice of systematic
character assassination. Some apologists
have excused the leaders’ dishonesty, and praised them instead for their extreme
dedication to a principle they believed was revealed by God. This kind of apologetic logic would also
praise those who strap bombs to their bodies or fly airplanes into skyscrapers driven
by fanatical dedication to their particular religious beliefs.
17.
One of Joseph Smith’s first experiments with adultery began with a teen-age
girl named Fanny Ward Alger who worked in the Smith home as a maidservant. William E. McLellin, Mormon apostle,
indicated that Emma Smith “looked through a crack and saw the transaction” in
the barn. (Richard Van Wagoner, Mormon Polygamy: A History, 2nd
Edition, Signature Books, 1989, pages 4-11)
The affair led to a severe rift between loyal follower Oliver Cowdery
and Joseph. Cowdery referred to Smith’s
indulgences with Fanny Alger as “A dirty, nasty, filthy affair.” Church leaders and loyal defenders avoid linking
Smith with his adultery by calling it an authorized “plural marriage.” Todd Compton, author of, In Sacred Loneliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith, 2nd
edition, notes that in February or March of 1833, when Joseph was 27 and Fanny
Alger 17, he had sexual relations with her.
After Emma found out about Joseph’s secret love affair, she turned Fanny
out of their house, where she had been working as a servant. (In
Sacred Loneliness, pp. 34-36) It has
been noted that calling it a marriage instead of an affair raises more
questions. Polygamous marriages were not
legal in
18.
The LDS Church canonized monogamy as God’s marriage arrangement and then later
did an about-face, adopting polygamy as God’s recommended mode of marriage (D&C 42:22-24). Rumors about the Fanny Alger affair and rumors
of another affair with Vienna Jacques, led to the development of an “Article on
Marriage.” LDS leaders presented it to
the general assembly of the church on August 17, 1835. The article was canonized as scripture and
placed in the Doctrine and Covenants where it remained until 1876. It acknowledged that the church [Joseph Smith]
had been “reproached with the crime of fornication, and polygamy” and declared
that “we believe, that one man should have one wife; and one woman but one
husband. . .” (Linda King Newell and
Valeen Tippets Avery, Mormon Enigma: Emma
Hale Smith, Prophet’s Wife, “Elect Lady,” Polygamy’s Foe, Doubleday &
Co. Garden City, NY, 1984, p. 67) The
question arises again after Smith revised revelations from God: Which of God’s
revelations was “inspired”; the one recommending monogamy or the one
recommending polygamy?
19.
Joseph Smith institutionalized the practice of lying, so church leaders could deny
the practice of taking multiple wives and keep Smith out of legal trouble. Straight-faced lies permitted leaders to
deceive with a clear conscience; believing that God permitted and even
encouraged lying to protect the principle.
An
article from the 1886 Deseret News
listed the code words and the rationale for their use. When accused of practicing “polygamy” Joseph
and Hyrum denied it because it was different than “celestial marriage” and “a
plurality of wives.” Polygamy was
after all, a doctrine of men and the devil.
“Celestial marriage” was
different Smith reasoned, because it was a holy doctrine revealed by God. Joseph wanted followers to believe that the
two terms were completely dissimilar.
Other code words were, “eternal
marriage,” “the divine order of
marriage,” “Holy order of marriage,”
“living up to your privileges,” “new and everlasting covenant,” and “a
different view of things.”
If
accusers did not frame their allegations using precisely the right terms, the
leaders felt justified in prevaricating.
Even if the accusers framed their words perfectly, the leaders lied
anyway. Their view was that it was more
important to live the higher law - loyalty to the Prophet - than to expose the
truth to Gentiles. A prominent feature
of Mormonism is that loyalty trumps honesty.
(Linda King Newell and Valeen Tippets Avery, Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith, p. 113. See also B. Carmon Hardy, Solemn Covenant: The Mormon Polygamous
Passage,
20.
Vienna Jacques of Nauvoo heard rumors about “spiritual wifery.” She wanted Emma to ask Joseph if the rumors
were true. Was “spiritual wifery” a
doctrine of the church?” Emma asked and
relayed Joseph’s answer.
21. Contrary to the traditional LDS claim that a first wife
had to give her consent in order for her husband to take another wife, Emma Smith
was unaware of nearly all of Joseph’s “marriages” to other women. Eliza Snow, secretary to Emma in the Relief
Society organization, as well as Sarah Cleveland, Emma’s counselor, who was
legally married to John Cleveland, were secretly married to Joseph, and Emma
knew nothing about the marriages.
According to Newell and Avery, “To live as a secret wife to a friend’s
husband demanded evasion, subterfuge, and deception.” (Mormon
Enigma, p. 119)
22. Joseph Smith secretly married 17 year old Sarah Ann Whitney
in August 1842 without Emma’s knowledge or consent. He had no intention of confessing his conduct
to Emma. He wrote to Sarah and her
parents who approved of the marriage, “The only thing to be careful of is to find
out when Emma comes, then you can not be safe, but when she is not here, there
is the most perfect safety. . . Burn this letter as soon as you read it.” (Mormon
Enigma, p. 125)
23. The Times and
Seasons, August 1842 published an article defending Joseph. It quoted
church scripture, the Doctrine and Covenants.
“ . . . We declare that we believe, that one man should have one wife;
and one woman, but one husband. We know of no other rule or system of
marriage.” The purpose of the article
was to deny that Joseph had taught John C. Bennett the concept of spiritual
wifery, after Bennett seduced several women in Nauvoo under the guise of
God-inspired polygamy. The fact is that
many of those who signed the declaration on monogamy were secretly practicing
polygamy. Joseph had taught Bennett the
principle, and the signatories knew it.
(Mormon Enigma, p. 128) Mormons used the term spiritual wifery (the ungodly form of plural marriage) as an excuse
to deny the charges. But they used the
term themselves to describe the “right” version of polygamy before and after
their exodus to
24. Joseph deceived Emma again when he married two other
women (probably Martha McBride Knight and Ruth Vose Sayers) without her
knowledge or consent in the winter of 1842-43.
(Mormon Enigma, p. 134 and
note 13)
25. Joseph secretly proposed to 19-year-old Nancy Rigdon in
Nauvoo in 1842 (Smith was 36). He wanted
her as a plural wife. She declined, so
Joseph recruited another LDS woman to convince
26. Martha Brotherton, an 18 year old convert from
After being sworn to secrecy and permitted to leave the
room, Martha revealed everything to her parents and wrote it down while the important
details were fresh in her mind. She told
others in Nauvoo about the episode before the family boarded a steamboat bound
for
27. Smith circulated false, lurid stories designed to
blacken the character of those considered enemies when necessary. Character assassination convinced loyal
followers that Smith’s character was unimpeachable and rumors of his adultery
were unfounded. In an article in the Messenger and Advocate (June 18, 1845 )
Sidney Rigdon acknowledged that Parley P. Pratt, advised church leaders how to
support Smith, and advised that "we must lie to support brother Joseph, it
is our duty to do so." Sarah Pratt,
Martha Brotherton, and Nancy Rigdon are a few whose reputation was stained by
Smith and his close associates.
28. Zeruiah Goddard, signed a false statement against Sarah
Pratt. It was added to other slanderous
and libelous statements as part of a smear campaign against Sarah; orchestrated
by Smith. Goddard confessed to Sarah
years later that Hyrum Smith (Joseph’s brother), “came to our house with
affidavits all written out, and forced us to sign them. Joseph and the Church must be saved, said he. We saw that resistance was useless, they
would have ruined us; so we signed the papers.”
Church leaders felt comfortable breaking civil laws to promote polygamy,
were willing to lie to protect polygamy, and willing to resort to character
assassination in the form of slander and libel, of any who exposed Joseph’s
secret, illicit behavior. (Richard Van
Wagoner, Mormon Polygamy: A History, 2nd edition, p. 34 and Footnote
12, p. 38)
29. On March 4, 1843 Joseph deceived Emma when he secretly
married 19 year old Emily Partridge.
Emily was urged to keep the marriage a secret and said, “Of course I
would keep his secret.” At some point,
Emma weakened and gave Joseph, Emily and Eliza Partridge as plural wives. She may have misunderstood, and believed that
Joseph would not consummate the marriages.
Joseph participated in the fake ceremony, but neglected to tell Emma
that he had already secretly married the two sisters some time before. (Mormon
Enigma, p. 138)
30. On May 1, 1843, Joseph deceived Emma and others when he
married 17 year old Lucy Walker while Emma was in
31. Without Emma’s knowledge or consent, Joseph secretly
“slept” with young Emily Partridge according to her own testimony under
oath. She testified that she “roomed”
with Joseph while Emma was somewhere else in the house on the night of their
second marriage. It is likely that Emma
did not understand that Joseph would have sexual relations with the two sisters
Emma presented to him. (Mormon Enigma, p. 144) For information indicating that Joseph
consummated his multiple marriages see http://i4m.com/think/history/joseph_smith_sex.htm
32. According to Benjamin F. Johnson, living in Ramus,
33. Joseph deceived Emma when he proposed to 14 year old Helen
Mar Kimball as a plural wife. She agreed
to marry Joseph because he told her that it “will ensure your eternal salvation
and exaltation and that . . . of your fathers household and all of your
kindred.” She remarked, “I willingly
gave myself to purchase so glorious a reward.”
She later admitted that she may have been deceived by her parents as well
as Joseph. She stated, “I would have
never been sealed to Joseph, had I known it was anything more than a
ceremony.” It is mind-boggling that
Joseph Smith placed the responsibility for Helen’s salvation, but also the
salvation of her family squarely on Helen; in order to persuade (coerce?) her
to submit to his proposal of marriage.
She was 14 years and 11 months old.
One is reminded of the modern Fundamentalists who use identical
tactics. (Mormon Enigma, pp. 146-147; In
Sacred Loneliness, p. 499)
34. Joseph Smith persuaded some women and girls to marry him
by testifying that he had been commanded by and angel with a drawn sword to
take multiple wives. "Joseph was
commanded to take more wives and he waited until an angel
with a drawn sword stood before him and declared that if he
longer delayed fulfilling that command he would slay him."
- Hyrum Smith, Elder Benjamin F. Johnson's Letter to George S. Gibbs,
1903 (link can be found
at http://i4m.com/think/history/angel_sword.htm)
35. Joseph’s polygamous activities were unknown to the vast
majority of the saints in Nauvoo. He
publicly denied that he practiced plural marriage, showing the ability to
consciously mislead his devoted followers without remorse. (Mormon Enigma, p. 147, and Mormon Polygamy, pp. 20-21) When Joseph was confronted about being
married to other wives in Nauvoo he protested, “What a thing it is for a man to
be accused of committing adultery, and having seven wives, when I can only find
one.” In fact, he was sealed to dozens
of women at the time. (Solemn Covenant, p. 365)
36. Cyrus Walker defended Joseph in court after a particular
arrest. In exchange, Joseph promised to
deliver “the Mormon vote” to Cyrus (a Whig) when he ran for Congress. Later however, Joseph reneged on his promise
by stating that Hyrum had received a revelation to vote for the opposition
party (Mr. Hoge, a Democrat). Joseph
stated that Hyrum had never received a false revelation, and in essence
directed the church to vote for the candidate that Hyrum supported instead of
Cyrus Walker. Joseph betrayed Cyrus and
he did not forget it. Cyrus and others
in the party (the Whigs) vowed to drive the Mormons out of the state. (Mormon Enigma, p. 148, 151. also An
Intimate Chronicle: The Journals of William Clayton, George D. Smith
editor, Signature Books, 1995, p. 114)
37. Joseph privately told William Clayton to keep a particular
plural wife but that some of the membership would be troubled about it if they
found out, since most of the saints believed Joseph’s repeated denials about
polygamy. Joseph cautioned Clayton that
if “they raise trouble about it and bring you before me I will give you an
awful scourging and probably cut you off from the church and then I will
baptize you and set you ahead as good as ever.” (An Intimate Chronicle, p. 122)
Fake church discipline and excommunication were effective modes of
deception. Smith used deception to shape
public perception, and maintain control of the flock.
38. Official Mormon histories fail to inform readers of the
competition to get as many plural wives as one could. William Clayton, close associate of Joseph
Smith wrote on August 11, 1843 that with regard to marrying additional wives,
Joseph told him, “You have a right to get all you can.” (An
Intimate Chronicle, p. 115) Those
who accuse Smith of treating women like chattel use this incident as
evidence. Other examples exist in the
speeches of Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball, made after the saints migrated
to the West.
39. After receiving a promise from Joseph that he would stop
the practice of polygamy (a lie), Emma Smith publicly announced that Joseph
supported only the traditional standards of Christian marriage—one husband and
one wife—as stated in the Doctrine & Covenants. Joseph secretly confided to some that he had
no intention of keeping his promise to Emma.
(Mormon Enigma, p. 175) William Clayton recorded in his journal that
“Joseph told me that since E[mma] came back from
40. In August 1843, Emma discovered that sixteen-year-old
Flora Woodworth possessed a gold watch given to her by Joseph. She realized the implications and demanded
that Flora give the watch back. Smith
reprimanded her, but Emma refused to be quiet in the carriage ride home. William Clayton said that Joseph had to
employ “harsh measures” to stop her complaining. (Mormon
Enigma, p. 159) It also raises the
question of whether or not Joseph used both physical force and lies to avoid
divorce. (An Intimate Chronicle, p.
118)
41. The official history of the church states that the
Relief Society was officially disbanded in 1844 shortly after being organized,
“due to the various calamities that befell the saints.” Those writing the official history as well as
the leaders of the church knew it was actually disbanded because Emma Smith was
an outspoken opponent of polygamy. (Mormon Enigma, p. 175) Joseph’s public discourses and written ones
(a letter from the presidency and an article entitled, “The Voice of Innocence,” written by W. W. Phelps with Joseph’s
supervision, denied that polygamy was part of the doctrine of the Latter-day
Saints. These documents were read in
Relief Society meetings in Nauvoo and recommended as the standard by which
saints should conduct themselves. Joseph
needed to silence Emma and take away her forum.
She quoted his denials as evidence that polygamy was not an inspired
principle and not practiced by Smith. (Mormon Enigma, p. 175)
42. Official Mormon histories aware of the marital
arrangements, withheld information about Joseph’s polygamous marriages—namely
that nearly a dozen of his first polygamous wives were legally married to other
men at the time of their marriage to Joseph (polyandry). They have never admitted that Joseph
practiced polyandry. (Todd Compton, In Sacred Loneliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith, Signature
Books, 1997 Introduction. See also http://i4m.com/think/history/Joseph_Smth_mens_wives.htm)
Church instructional manuals often
portray early church leaders as monogamists, and certainly do not disclose
their penchant for deception.
43. Official Mormon histories deceive readers by failing to
point out that Joseph exercised poor judgment, to say it most kindly, in
choosing his friends and other church leaders.
William Clayton’s journal entry for May 16, 1843 records the following:
“President J[oseph] said that the way he knew in whom to confide, God told him
in whom he might place confidence.” Many
of Joseph’s closest associates and those he trusted most brought damage to him
and the church. John C. Bennett of
Nauvoo was a classic example, yet Mormon histories reject the opportunity to
fully investigate these inconsistencies, choosing instead to portray Joseph as
the noble prophet who could discern the intentions of peoples’ hearts. (Intimate
Chronicle p. 102)
44. Official Mormon histories have publicized plural
marriages as being as normal and as affectionate as monogamous marriages. Some may have been. However, Zina Diantha Huntington, when
interviewed by a journalist from the New
York World, in 1869, drew a distinction between romantic love and plural
marriage. Commenting on women who were
unhappy in their polygamous marriages, she said they “expect too much attention
from the husband and . . . become sullen and morose. . .” She insisted that the
successful polygamous wife, “must
regard her husband with indifference, and with no other feeling than that of
reverence, for love we regard as a false sentiment; a feeling which should have
no existence in polygamy.” Lucy Walker,
who had been sealed for time to Heber C. Kimball, after the death of Joseph
Smith said, “There was not any love
in the union between myself and Kimball, and it is my business entirely whether
there was any courtship or not. . . It was the principle of plural marriage
that we were trying to establish, a great and glorious true principle.” (In
Sacred Loneliness, pp. 108, 466-467)
45. Joseph lied about lying when the Expositor was published in Nauvoo, accusing him of lying. During the city council debate over some
allegations made in the Expositor,
Joseph declared that he had not kept the doctrine of polygamy secret but had
taught it openly. William Clayton recorded however, that Emma Smith told him
“it was the secret things which had cost Joseph and Hyrum their lives.” (Solemn Covenant, p. 367)
46. Smith practiced polyandry but this fact is not published
in official church instructional manuals.
Brigham Young continued the practice after the martyrdom of Smith. In a particularly compelling example, which
the church would understandably wish to suppress, Young desired Zina D.
Huntington Jacobs. Smith had taken her
as a plural wife with her husband Jacob’s consent while six months pregnant in
October 1841. Henry Jacobs believed that
“whatever the Prophet did was right.”
Zina and Henry continued to live together as husband and wife though she
would belong to Joseph Smith in eternity.
(Mormon Polygamy, p. 45) It gets more bizarre.
During the trek west, at
47. Lying became such an integral practice with the
Latter-day Saints, church leaders instructed members how to lie about polygamy,
according to the testimony of members given under oath. (Solemn Covenant, p. 365)
48. Loyalty was more important than honesty in the early
church. Joseph’s instruction to the
Twelve in 1839 was that above all else, “do not betray your Friend.” He frequently reminded members that they
should honor friendships above all else even to death.
While the Danites (a Mormon vigilante group) were active in
49. In a well-publicized debate between John Taylor and a
Protestant minister in 1850, John Taylor denied that the church practiced polygamy. At the time, he was the husband of multiple
wives. (Solemn Covenant, p. 367) In
a public discussion in
50. Orson Pratt admitted that when called upon to defend the
practice of polygamy, he deliberately misled his listeners regarding the
practice of polygamy. He did not consider this to be lying. It was done to protect a law higher than
man’s misguided laws. (Solemn Covenant, p. 367)
51. Charles W. Penrose, Apostle
and Counselor to two Presidents of the Church, admitted that after
Joseph’s death, certain facts about him were purposely withheld from church
publications “for prudential reasons.” Expediency became more important than honesty;
deception was accepted as a necessary tool, while grass roots members were
commanded to be honest and disciplined for dishonesty. (Solemn Covenant, p. 367)
52. At the Mountain Meadows Massacre in 1857, 120 innocent
men, women and children as young as eight years old, in an
53. Lying was so prevalent as an institutionalized scheme among
church members during the 1860’s-1880’s, that John D. Hicks alleged that when
“polygamists were prohibited from voting, the Mormons promptly swore that they
were not polygamists; when those who taught or practiced polygamy were
discriminated against, everybody immediately became silent on the subject; and
when members of organizations which advocated polygamy were denied the ballot,
they withdrew. . . from the Mormon Church” to become eligible to vote (Solemn
Covenant, p. 368) This is
reminiscent of the fake excommunication Joseph proposed to William Clayton in
Nauvoo mentioned above.
53. Mormon “children in theocratic, territorial and
polygamous
54. In a letter to President John Taylor in 1887, Charles W.
Penrose expressed concern that “the endless subterfuges and prevarications
which our present condition impose . . . threaten to make our rising generation
a race of deceivers.” (Solemn Covenant, p. 368)
55. While lobbying on behalf of the First Presidency in
56. When explaining whether recommends were being issued to
members to marry polygamously, one church authority said that “he no longer
gave recommends for marrying plural wives but gave them for obtaining whatever blessings the Lord might bestow." He used these code words to subtly affirm
that indeed recommends for plural marriage were still being issued, after
assuring the American public that they weren’t.
(Solemn Covenant, p. 370)
57. The Manifesto of 1890 prohibiting polygamy, was in fact
another attempt to dupe the
58. Thomas J. Rosser was a missionary in
59. In 1903 Wiley Nebeker of Afton, Wyoming wrote to apostle
John Henry Smith complaining that the church made use of deceit and duplicity
to further the practice of polygamy, while assuring the federal government that
church leaders no longer condoned the practice.
He wrote, “To be plain, while I am fully converted to the belief that
this is a true principle, I am not converted to the idea that the Lord
justifies deceit and falsehood.” He did not believe saints ought to be forced
into “apologizing to our own consciences.”
In response, apostle Smith perpetuated the dishonesty by spreading more
disinformation. Rather than address the
central issue of lying, Smith told Nebeker that the doctrine was true but no
longer being practiced. This was a
calculated lie. (Solemn Covenant, p. 371)
60.
61. The practice of deception was frequently discussed in
the leading councils of the church so leaders were counseled not to record
notes from meetings in their personal diaries.
President Joseph F. Smith was afraid that someone might read the diaries
of George Q. Cannon and Abraham H. Cannon and use the information against the
church. To this day, the church
steadfastly refuses to allow researchers to examine the unabridged, uncensored diary
of George Q. Cannon because of damaging evidence, indicating that Church
leaders did engage in institutionalized, systematic deceit. (Solemn Covenant, p. 372)
62. After the 1890 Manifesto banning plural marriage, it
appears that at least 250 plural marriages were performed despite repeated
denials on the part of the church leadership that plural marriage was an
official doctrine and practice. The
church’s current misinformation policy is effective because church members
today and the media are still more likely than not, to believe that the
Manifesto was a good faith effort on the part of church leaders to terminate the
practice of polygamy. John Henry Smith
is alleged to have remarked that the Manifesto was only “a trick to beat the
devil at his own game.” (Reed Smoot
Case, vol. 4, p.13. Solemn Covenant, p. 392)
63. During the 1890s the church tried to answer the
criticism of opponents that a theocracy existed in
64. Matthias F. Cowley stated in a hearing before the Quorum
of the Twleve in 1911 that he had been chastised for asking for permission to
pre-date post-1890 plural marriages to make them appear to have occurred before
the Manifesto. He said he was trying to
illustrate the “training I have had from those over me,” which was to act with
duplicity without asking for permission, in order to preserve the image of
plausible deniability for the church hierarchy.
(Solemn Covenant, p. 373)
65. Ironically, after claiming that he had been taught to
lie by previous leaders, Matthias F. Cowley also claimed “I am not dishonest
and not a liar and have always been true to the work and to the brethren. . .
We have always been taught that when the brethren were in a tight place that it
would not be amiss to lie to help them out.”
(Solemn Covenant, p. 373) The ability to compartmentalize reached its peak
in the minds of church leaders who idolized Joseph Smith and who jousted with
the federal government over polygamy.
66. Related to the above quote, Cowley quoted a member of
the First Presidency who he said had taught him that “he [the member of the
First Presidency] would lie like hell to help the brethren.” (Solemn
Covenant, p. 373)
67. Despite consistent denials that church leaders demanded complete and blind obedience, as well as