Brigham Young is famous for having fifty-six wives. He was a champion of polygamy and is credited with integrating polygamy publicly within the Mormon religion. While Joseph Smith participated and started the practice of polygamy, he did it in secret. After Joseph Smith was killed, Brigham Young moved the church and most of the members to the desert of what is now Utah. There he established a theocratic state and ruled both the religion and region as prophet and Governor. He instituted doctrinal and cultural racism and sexism as a whole. He also dared to claim “with confidence” that nowhere on earth gives more “respect to females than do this people.” At the time, he already had 50 wives. He did claim that women were respected and enjoyed privileges, but not that they were equally respected or privileged.
I can say with confidence, that there is no people on the face of this earth that pay more respect to females than do this people. I know of no community where females enjoy the privileges they do here.
Brigham Young (Husband to 55 wives), Robbing the Dead—Dancing, not a Part of the Saints’ Religion—Kindness in Government—More Telegraphic Wires, Journal of Discources, Volume 9, Discourse 37, Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, February 9, 1862
https://journalofdiscourses.com/9/37
https://jod.mrm.org/9/191
Brigham Young believed in literal curses from God and used this belief to justify his sexist views and his racist views. According to Brigham Young and current Mormon doctrine curses are real. Eve, by eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden, brought a curse upon all women. Cain slew his brother, and as a result was cursed with dark skin, the same curse that is repeated multiple times in the Book of Mormon when discussing the Nephites and Lamanites.
In case some consider this quote taken out of context, here’s the full section of his talk. He doesn’t make anything better by talking about women as being “old and withered and so dried up that you have to put weights on her skirts to keep her from blowing away” and the “curse that was in the beginning placed upon woman.”
I can say with confidence, that there is no people on the face of this earth that pay more respect to females than do this people. I know of no community where females enjoy the privileges they do here. If anyone of them is old and withered and so dried up that you have to put weights on her skirts to keep her from blowing away, she is so privileged that she is in everybody’s dish or platter—her nose is everywhere present—and still she will go home and tell her husband that she is slighted. Here we see the marked effect of the curse that was in the beginning placed upon woman, their desire is to their husbands all the time. It is also written, “and he shall rule over you.” Now put the two together. Nobody else must be spoken to, no other body must be danced with, no other lady must sit at the head of the table with her husband.
A few years ago one of my wives, when talking about wives leaving their husbands said, “I wish my husband’s wives would leave him, every soul of them except myself.” That is the way they all feel, more or less, at times, both old and young. The ladies of seventy, seventy-five, eighty, and eighty-five years of age are greeted here with the same cheerfulness as are the rest. All are greeted with kindness, respect, and gentleness, no matter whether they wear linsey or silks and satin, they are all alike respected and beloved according to their behavior; at least they are so far as I am concerned.
It may be all well enough if a woman can attain faith to throw off the curse, but there is one thing she cannot away with, at least not so far as I am concerned, and that is, “and he shall rule over thee.” I can do that by causing my women to do as they have a mind to; and at the same time they do not know what is going on. When I say rule, I do not mean with an iron hand, but merely to take the lead—to lead them in the path I wish them to walk in. They may be determined not to answer my will, but they are doing it all the time without knowing it. Kindness, love, and affection are the best rod to use upon the refractory. Solomon is said to have been the wisest man that ever lived, and he is said to have recommended another kind of rod. I have tried both kinds on children. I can pick out scores of men in this congregation who have driven their children from them by using the wooden rod. Where there is severity there is no affection or filial feeling in the hearts of either party; the children would rather be away from father than be with him.
In some families the children are afraid to see father—they will run and hide as from a tyrant. My children are not afraid of my footfall; except in the case of their having done something wrong they are not afraid to approach me. I could break the wills of my little children, and whip them to this, that, and the other, but this I do not do. Let the child have a mild training until it has judgment and sense to guide it. I differ with Solomon’s recorded saying as to spoiling the child by sparing the rod. True it is written in the New Testament that “whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth.” It is necessary to try the faith of children as well as of grown people, but there are ways of doing so besides taking a club and knocking them down with it. “If you love me, keep my commandments.” “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest to your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” There is nothing consistent in abusing your wives and children. There is quite a portion of the Elders of Israel who do not know how to use one wife well. I love my wives, respect them, and honor them, but to make a queen of one and peasants of the rest I have no such disposition, neither do I expect to do it.
Brigham Young (Husband to 55 wives), Robbing the Dead—Dancing, not a Part of the Saints’ Religion—Kindness in Government—More Telegraphic Wires, Journal of Discources, Volume 9, Discourse 37, Remarks by President Brigham Young, made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, February 9, 1862
https://journalofdiscourses.com/9/37
https://jod.mrm.org/9/191
He states that “one of [his] wives, when talking about wives leaving their husbands said, ‘I wish my husband’s wives would leave him, every soul of them except myself.’ That is the way they all feel, more or less.” He then explains that they are all equally respected, the only way this can be true is that he respects none of them. This statement is massive gaslighting by the church leader to entice everyone to believe (at least those who wish to believe it) that women are/were treated fairly in the church. This is impossible with a practice and doctrine like polygamy.
It’s much like the claim church leaders make today stating that the church has always stood against racism in all its forms. This is not even close to true. It is laughably, categorically, and demonstrably false. Both of these claims are false, and the speaker knows it, they have weak arguments to back up their grand claims, and when you honestly look at it – the whole claim falls apart.
How did you experience the respect and privileges females enjoy in Mormonism? Is the church doing better now than it was in 1862 when Brigham Young made this claim? How did this affect your personal faith or your faith crisis? Was the patriarchy on your shelf? Share your story of deconstructing Mormonism at wasmormon.org.
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