I'm using discretion. The youngest to my knowledge of facts, not speculation, was 16. In addition, I feel it's important to take the time in which he lived into consideration. It wasn't uncommon for teenagers to marry around 15. Also, a pedophile is defined as "A person aged 16 years old or older who is mostly or only sexually attracted toward prepubescent children." PREPUBESCENT.
I don't condone any of his behavior, including being a false prophet, but people are diminishing the power of the term pedophile by misusing it, in my opinion. I take these matters seriously and mean no offense to anyone. Smith was married to many women. Some old.
...okay, so? He's been dead for 160-170 years. What does this have to do with what the church actually teaches, and the church today?
People who base their religious believes only on men are nothing but fools. If people want to reject the message of a church based on stories of the actions of men who have been dead for the better part of two centuries, and who themselves are not the subject of worship, then that doesn't say much for their understanding of the religion in the first place, it only speaks for their lack of it.
Polygamy must be approved by God and his prophet. That approval ended with Wilford Woodruff's revelation and the reception of it by the church.
Women must agree to it. If the first spouse(s) says no, then no. Husbands had no choice.
Husbands must provide for families. Thus, only wealthy husbands could participate. It meant more work.
Oftentimes widows and unmarriable women were used, to ensure they had someone they could demand food, clothing and shelter from, as well as supply the needs of their children. As Mark Twain said, anyone who would marry more than one of those pioneer women deserved to go to heaven.
Joseph Smith practiced marriage that was not physical at all, but only spiritual. We say "eternity but not time." For instance, they already had a husband not of our faith but they would be married to someone else eternally. (This doesn't make any sense unless you understand what we teach on eternal families, and this practice ended with Brigham Young.)
We never removed anyone from the church who did not accept the teaching, nor did we require belief of it to join. You should read Joseph F. Smith's testimony to congress on this.
If women were unhappy with the arrangement, they were free to divorce and remarry. Many of Brigham Young's wives left him through divorce, and married single men. Thus we see that, contrary to malicious reports, single marriage was preferred to polygamy.
It was taught as a temporary practice to address a temporary need - the lack of faithful men to be husbands and fathers, and the surplus of faithful women. God needed more kids raised by faithful men, so he commanded us to practice it temporarily.
There is much more to say on the matter. Unfortunately most of the writing on the subject is by those who never experienced it or even witnessed it. Contemporary accounts show that sexual gratification had nothing to do with it, and women more often were more enthusiastic about it than the men.
Oh, I thought we were talking about the LDS, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The FLDS are heretics and apostates and will burn in hell.
Joseph Smith himself was a pedophile. This is undisputed fact. Former Mormon here.
That's not quite fair. Being a polygamist does not equal being a pedophile.
Look at the ages of his wives when he married them. Don’t be a sheep.
Were they different than the ages of other women who married back then?
150 years ago girls married at 13&14.
I'm using discretion. The youngest to my knowledge of facts, not speculation, was 16. In addition, I feel it's important to take the time in which he lived into consideration. It wasn't uncommon for teenagers to marry around 15. Also, a pedophile is defined as "A person aged 16 years old or older who is mostly or only sexually attracted toward prepubescent children." PREPUBESCENT.
I don't condone any of his behavior, including being a false prophet, but people are diminishing the power of the term pedophile by misusing it, in my opinion. I take these matters seriously and mean no offense to anyone. Smith was married to many women. Some old.
Also he was having sex with them beforehand. Read Emmas accounts.
Fanny Alger, 16
Sarah Ann Whitney, 17
Lucy Walker, 17
Flora Ann Woodworth, 16
Emily Dow Partridge, 19
Sarah Lawrence, 17
Maria Lawrence, 19
Helen Mar Kimball, 14
Melissa Lott, 19
Nancy M. Winchester, [14?]
(*ages when these girls "married" Smith, but he was having sex with many if not all beforehand)
...okay, so? He's been dead for 160-170 years. What does this have to do with what the church actually teaches, and the church today?
People who base their religious believes only on men are nothing but fools. If people want to reject the message of a church based on stories of the actions of men who have been dead for the better part of two centuries, and who themselves are not the subject of worship, then that doesn't say much for their understanding of the religion in the first place, it only speaks for their lack of it.
No, the FLDS are not.
Polygamy, as revealed by Joseph Smith, is entirely different from the FLDS.
My ancestor had many wives. It was nothing like what they are doing.
Describe the differences. Change minds. Come on man BE THE CHANGE as you so preach. How is JSs polygamy different from how FLDS practices it?
Oh, I should add... at the time polygamy was LEGAL.
There is much more to say on the matter. Unfortunately most of the writing on the subject is by those who never experienced it or even witnessed it. Contemporary accounts show that sexual gratification had nothing to do with it, and women more often were more enthusiastic about it than the men.