Joseph Smith’s Polygamy Denials: Carefully Worded Lies, Loopholes, and Lasting Damage

One of the most unsettling aspects of Mormon history is the secret practice of polygamy. Joseph Smith publicly denied practicing polygamy while secretly marrying between 30 and 40 women, including teenagers and other men’s wives, as the church’s published essay confirms (in a footnote).

The exact number of women to whom he was sealed in his lifetime is unknown because the evidence is fragmentary. [Footnote: Careful estimates put the number between 30 and 40. See Hales, Joseph Smith’s Polygamy, 2:272–73.]

LDS Church Website, Gospel Topics Essays: Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo and Footnote 24
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/plural-marriage-in-kirtland-and-nauvoo

This wife count is compiled from LDS apologist Brian Hales’ research (which he shares on his Joseph Smith’s Polygamy website). His data only uses established and documented sealing/marriage dates, so the actual count is likely much higher.

Whether he spoke the denial or was responsible for the publication and distribution, Joseph denied the practice of polygamy on several occasions.

Today, even the Church itself admits that Smith practiced polygamy, though it tries to soften the blow by saying his denials were “carefully worded” and filled with “hidden distinctions.” The official Gospel Topics Essay on plural marriage states:

Rumors prompted members and leaders to issue carefully worded denials that denounced spiritual wifery and polygamy but were silent about what Joseph Smith and others saw as divinely mandated “celestial” plural marriage. [Footnote: In the denials, “polygamy” was understood to mean the marriage of one man to more than one woman but without Church sanction.]

LDS Church Website, Gospel Topics Essays: Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/plural-marriage-in-kirtland-and-nauvoo

The statements emphasized that the Church practiced no marital law other than monogamy while implicitly leaving open the possibility that individuals, under direction of God’s living prophet, might do so. [Footnote: See, for example, “On Marriage,” Times and Seasons, Oct. 1, 1842, 939–40; and Wilford Woodruff journal, Nov. 25, 1843, Church History Library, Salt Lake City; Parley P. Pratt, “This Number Closes the First Volume of the ‘Prophet,’” The Prophet, May 24, 1845, 2. George A. Smith explained, “Any one who will read carefully the denials, as they are termed, of plurality of wives in connection with the circumstances will see clearly that they denounce adultery, fornication, brutal lust and the teaching of plurality of wives by those who were not commanded to do so” (George A. Smith letter to Joseph Smith III, Oct. 9, 1869, in Journal History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Oct. 9, 1869, Church History Library, Salt Lake City).]

LDS Church Website, Gospel Topics Essays: Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/plural-marriage-in-kirtland-and-nauvoo

In other words, when Joseph Smith and early church leaders denied practicing polygamy, they were playing a semantic shell game at best — and outright deception at worst. They weren’t telling the truth; they were redefining the word polygamy to mean something other than what they were actually doing. To them, polygamy referred only to unsanctioned plural marriage — relationships not authorized by church leaders or justified by divine command. But the moment they claimed God had commanded it, the very same practice was rebranded as “celestial marriage” and, in their view, stopped being polygamy at all. So when Joseph and others publicly declared they were not practicing polygamy, what they really meant was that they weren’t marrying anyone unless they said God told them to. And because it’s always the leadership who claims to speak for God, that creates a convenient theological loophole: they can do no wrong, no matter what they do. This rhetorical trick not only allowed them to lie in plain sight while continuing the very behavior they were denying — it still allows modern leaders to justify any action, policy, or deception under the same shield of “divine sanction.”

To see how absurd this logic is, imagine someone accused of theft saying, “I don’t steal — I only take things when God tells me to.” The action doesn’t change, only the justification does. Or picture a politician insisting, “I don’t lie — I just speak prophetic truths that happen to contradict reality.” That’s essentially what early Mormon leaders were doing: redefining plain words into theological jargon to create plausible deniability. By shifting the definition of polygamy from “marrying multiple women” to “marrying multiple women without divine permission,” they could engage in the practice while simultaneously denying it — a rhetorical sleight of hand that fooled outsiders and soothed uneasy believers. It’s not honesty; it’s obfuscation dressed up as revelation.

The hypocrisy is most striking when you place the denials side by side with the reality. In 1842, Joseph Smith published a statement in the Times and Seasons declaring, “We are charged with advocating polygamy… now this is as false as many other ridiculous charges.” At the very moment he wrote those words, he was secretly married to over a dozen women — including some already married to other men. This was not ignorance or misunderstanding; it was calculated deception, justified internally by claiming God’s higher law superseded earthly law.

And that mindset — that divine mandate excuses any action — is still alive in church leadership today. The institution continues to teach that God’s laws stand above human laws, and leaders still claim prophetic authority to override moral or legal norms when “inspired.” This is the same reasoning that once justified defying federal anti-polygamy laws and now justifies policies that discriminate, exclude, and control while insisting they come from heaven. It’s the same thinking behind Hinckley’s claim that the church has “nothing whatever to do” with polygamy — an attempt to distance the modern church from practices it still theologically affirms in eternity. The message is consistent: if God commands it, they are not bound by human definitions, human justice, or even their own prior statements.

If that sounds like a dangerous license for hypocrisy, it’s because it is.

Examples of Denials

These denials are not just vague rumors—they were outright public statements designed to mislead. They are not simply carefully worded denials, as the gospel topic essay suggests, but outright lies.

Joseph Answers Sundry Questions

In his own words, he responds to a question of whether Mormons believe in having more than one wife. He states, No. At this time, according to the church, Joseph Smith had at least 2 wives.

“Do the Mormons believe in having more wives than one?”

“No, not at the same time. But they believe that if their companion dies, they have a right to marry again. But we do disapprove of the custom, which has gained in the world, and has been practiced among us, to our great mortification, in marrying in five or six weeks, or even in two or three months, after the death of their companion. We believe that due respect ought to be had to the memory of the dead, and the feelings of both friends and children.

History of the Church Volume 3. Chapter 3, The Prophet’s Answers to Sundry Questions (May 5, 1838)
https://byustudies.byu.edu/online-book/history-of-the-church-volume-3/volume-3-chapter-3
https://archive.org/details/history-of-the-church-volume-3/page/30/mode/2up

September 1, 1842, Times and Seasons

Joseph Smith was editor of the Times and Seasons when this was published and had at least 13 wives by this time.

Inasmuch as the public mind has been unjustly abused through the fallacy of Dr. Bennett’s letters, we make an extract on the subject of marriage, showing the rule of the church on this important matter. The extract is from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and is the only rule allowed by the church.

“All legal contracts of marriage made before a person is baptized into this church, should be held sacred and fulfilled. Inasmuch as this church of Christ has been reproached with the crime of fornication, and polygamy: we declare that we believe, that one man should have one wife; and one woman, but one husband, except in case of death, when either is at liberty to marry again. It is not right to persuade a woman to be baptized contrary to the will of her husband neither is it lawful to influence her to leave her husband.”

September 1, 1842, Times and Seasons, Vol. 3, No. 21, September 1, 1842, Notice
https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/collection/NCMP1820-1846/id/9945

October 1, 1842, Times and Seasons

Joseph Smith was editor of the Times and Seasons when this document was published. Two of the women who signed the document were Joseph’s plural wives (Sara M. Cleveland and Eliza R. Snow). Bishop Newel K. Whitney had performed a plural marriage of his daughter to Joseph the previous July. John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff had also likely been taught about polygamy by this time. Joseph Smith had at least 13 wives when this was published.

According to the custom of all civilized nations, marriage is regulated by laws and ceremonies: therefore we believe, that all marriages in this church of Christ of Latter Day Saints, should be solemnized in a public meeting, or feast, prepared for that purpose: and that the solemnization should be performed by a presiding high priest, high priest, bishop, elder, or priest, not even prohibiting those persons who are desirous to get married, of being married by other authority. We believe that it is not right to prohibit members of this church from marrying out of the church, if it be their determination so to do, but such persons will be considered weak in the faith of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Marriage should be celebrated with prayer and thanksgiving; and at the solemnization, the persons to be married, standing together, the man on the right, and the woman on the left, shall be addressed, by the person officiating, as he shall be directed by the holy Spirit; and if there be no legal objections, he shall say, calling each by their names: “You both mutually agree to be each other’s companion, husband and wife, observing the legal rights belonging to this condition; that is, keeping yourselves wholly for each other, and from all others, during your lives.” And when they have answered “Yes,” he shall pronounce them “husband and wife” in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by virtue of the laws of the country and authority vested in him: “may God add his blessings and keep you to fulfil your covenants from henceforth and forever. Amen.”

The clerk of every church should keep a record of all marriages, solemnized in his branch.

All legal contracts of marriage made before a person is baptized into this church, should be held sacred and fulfilled. Inasmuch as this church of Christ has been reproached with the crime of fornication, and polygamy: we declare that we believe, that one man should have one wife; and one woman, but one husband, except in case of death, when either is at liberty to marry again. It is not right to persuade a woman to be baptized contrary to the will of her husband, neither is it lawful to influence her to leave her husband. All children are bound by law to obey their parents; and to influence them to embrace any religious faith, or be baptized, or leave their parents with-out their consent, is unlawful and unjust. We believe that husbands, parents and masters who exercise control over their wives, children, and servants and prevent them from embracing the truth, will have to answer for that sin.

We have given the above rule of marriage as the only one practiced in this church, to show that Dr. J. C. Bennett’s “secret wife system” is a matter of his own manufacture; and further to disabuse the public ear, and shew that the said Bennett and his misanthropie friend Origen Bachelor, are perpetrating a foul and infamous slander upon an innocent people, and need but be known to be hated and despised. In support of this position, we present the following certificates:

We the undersigned members of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and residents of the city of Nauvoo, persons of families do hereby certify and declare that we know of no other rule or system of marriage than the one published from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and we give this certificate to show that Dr. J. C. Bennett’s “secret wife system” is a creature of his own make as we know of no such society in this place nor never did.

Signed by 12 men, S. Bennett, [Newel] K. Whitney, George Miller, Albert Pettey, Alpheus Cutler, Elias Higbee, Reynolds Cahoon, John Taylor, Wilson Law, E. Robinson, [Wilford] Woodruff, and Aaron Johnson.

---

We the undersigned members of the ladies’ relief society, and married females do certify and declare that we know of no system of marriage being practised in the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints save the one contained in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and we give this certificate to the public to show that J. C. Bennett’s “secret wife system” is a disclosure of his own make.

Signed by 18 women, Emma Smith, President, Elizabeth Ann Whitney, Counsellor, Sarah M. Cleveland, Counsellor, Eliza R. Snow, Secretary, Mary C. Miller, Lois Cutler, Thirza Cahoon, Ann Hunter, Jane Law, Sophia R. Marks, Polly Z. Johnson, Abigail Works, Catharine Pettey, Sarah Higbee, Phebe Woodruff, Leonora Taylor, Sarah Hillman, Rosannah Marks, Angeline Robinson.

On Marriage – 1842 Times and Seasons, Vol. 3, No. 23, On Marriage
https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/collection/NCMP1820-1846/id/9966

October 5, 1843, Joseph’s Journal

Joseph Smith had at least 27 wives by this time.

Evening at home and walked up and down the street with my scribe. Gave instruction to try those who were preaching teaching or practicing the doctrine of plurality of wives. on this Law. Joseph forbids it. and the practice thereof— No man shall have but one wife.

October 5, 1843, Joseph’s Journal
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/faenrandir/a_careful_examination/d6ee663e933a8cb01b79ddc33fe1232ac3ef12e5/documents/polygamy/oct5-1843/manuscript-history-of-the-church-rough-draft-oct-5-1843-2-720px.jpg

This journal entry was edited by clerks and later included in the History of the Church.

Evening, at home, and walked up and down the streets with my scribe. Gave instructions to try those persons who were preaching, teaching, or practicing the doctrine of plurality of wives: for, according to the law, I hold the keys of this power in the last days; for there is never but one on earth at a time on whom the power and its keys are conferred; and I have constantly said no man shall have but one wife at a time, unless the Lord directs otherwise.

Manuscript History of the Church, Joseph Smith Papers
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1838-1856-volume-e-1-1-july-1843-30-april-1844/118
https://byustudies.byu.edu/online-book/history-of-the-church-volume-6/193#heading-13

February 1, 1844, Times and Seasons

Joseph Smith had at least 30 wives by this time. Hyrum Smith had 3 or 4 wives at this time. Brown was excommunicated for preaching polygamy.

As we have lately been credibly informed, that an Elder of the Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter-day Saints, by the name of Hiram Brown, has been preaching Polygamy, and other false and corrupt doctrines, in the county of Lapeer state of Michigan. 

This is to notify him and the Church in general, that he has been cut off from the church, for his iniquity; and he is further notified to appear at the Special Conference, on the 6th of April next, to make answer to these charges. 

JOSEPH SMITH, 
HYRUM SMITH,
Presidents of said Church. 

February 1, 1844, Times and Seasons, Notice
https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/collection/NCMP1820-1846/id/10070

Testimony against Dissenters

Dissenters, led by brothers William and Wilson Law, issued the Nauvoo Expositor in June 1844, criticizing Joseph Smith’s leadership, including allegations of polygamy. Joseph Smith addressed and denied charges of adultery and other false accusations leveled against him by the dissenters, what is known today as “Address of the Prophet—His Testimony Against the Dissenters at Nauvoo,” on Sunday, May 26, 1844, in Nauvoo, Illinois. In this speech, Smith denied charges of adultery and other false claims, referencing the opposition and persecution he faced, much like the Apostle Paul. Again, this speech was a response to dissenters like William and Wilson Law, whose publication, the Nauvoo Expositor, openly criticized Smith’s leadership, which is seen as a crucial event leading to his martyrdom in July 1844. Joseph Smith had at least 30 wives by this time.

I had not been married scarcely five minutes, and made one proclamation of the Gospel, before it was reported that I had seven wives…

He [William Law] swears that I have committed adultery…

A man asked me whether the commandment was given that a man may have seven wives; and now the new prophet has charged me with adultery. I never had any fuss with these men until that Female Relief Society brought out the paper against adulterers and adulteresses…

Wilson Law also swears that I told him I was guilty of adultery. Brother Jonathan Dunham can swear to the contrary. I have been chained. I have rattled chains before in a dungeon for the truth’s sake. I am innocent of all these charges, and you can bear witness of my innocence, for you know me yourselves. …

What a thing it is for a man to be accused of committing adultery, and having seven wives, when I can only find one. …

I am the same man, and as innocent as I was fourteen years ago; and I can prove them all perjurers.

Joseph Smith, Address of the Prophet—His Testimony Against the Dissenters at Nauvoo, May 26, 1844
https://byustudies.byu.edu/online-book/history-of-the-church-volume-6/210

April 15, 1842, Times and Seasons

Martha Brotherton claimed to have been locked in a room to be persuaded to become a plural wife. Her story was published in the newspaper, and the church openly discussed it in meetings. Joseph Smith had at least 8 wives when he stated publicly that “no person that is acquainted with our principles would believe such lies.”

He [Hyrum Smith] then spoke in contradiction of a report in circulation about Elder Kimball, B. Young, himself, and others of the Twelve, alleging that a sister had been shut in a room for several days, and that they had endeavored to induce her to believe in having two wives… Pres’t. J. Smith spoke upon the subject of the stories respecting Elder Kimball and others, showing the folly and inconsistency of spending any time in conversing about such stories or hearkening to them, for there is no person that is acquainted with our principles would believe such lies, except Sharp the editor of the “Warsaw Signal.”

Times and Seasons, 15 April 1842, Conference Minutes
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/times-and-seasons-15-april-1842/13

Joseph Smith, 1842

“What a thing it is for a man to be accused of committing adultery, and having seven wives, when I can only find one.” (History of the Church, 6:411). At this time, Smith had already secretly married numerous women.

Official Church Periodicals
In Times and Seasons (the church’s newspaper), leaders declared: “We are charged with advocating a plurality of wives,” and that “We unequivocally state that we are not.” John Taylor was editor of the Times and Seasons and had likely been taught about polygamy by this time, and married a plural wife the same year. Joseph had at least 17 wives already by this time, and he lived in Nauvoo when this statement was published.

We are charged with advocating a plurality of wives, and common property. Now this is as false as the many other ridiculous charges which are brought against us. No sect have a greater reverence for the laws of matrimony, or the rights of private property, and we do what others do not, practice what we preach.

Times and Seasons 3, no. 9 (March 15, 1843)
https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/collection/NCMP1820-1846/id/8470/rec/3

Doctrine and Covenants 101:4 (1835 edition)

“We believe that one man should have one wife, and one woman but one husband.” This section remained in the scriptures even while Smith was marrying plural wives in secret.

Inasmuch as this church of Christ has been reproached with the crime of fornication, and polygamy: we declare that we believe, that one man should have one wife; and one woman, but one husband, except in the case of death, when either is at liberty to marry again.

Doctrine and Covenants (1835) 101:4

These collected denials were not innocent misunderstandings. They were deliberate efforts to quiet rumors while Smith continued the practice behind closed doors. They were not even carefully worded denials that can be twisted into technically true statements. They are lies.

The Ethics of “Carefully Worded” Lies

The church now admits these statements were “carefully worded denials,” but come short of admitting that Joseph Smith lied.

Leaders condemned “spiritual wifery” (unauthorized plural marriage) while secretly engaging in their own version of polygamy under Joseph Smith’s authority. George A. Smith later explained that the denials were only condemning “adultery, fornication, brutal lust,” and unauthorized polygamy. But this explanation makes the dishonesty even more blatant: the public heard these denials as “we do not practice polygamy,”—and that’s exactly what Joseph wanted them to think because that’s what he said. There was no distinction or exception.

The ethical problem here is staggering. If God’s “prophet” is willing to lie about his most controversial practice, what else is up for distortion? If leaders are willing to mislead their own people to protect their reputations, can they ever be trusted? Are they justified in lying for the Lord?

A Shelf Item That Breaks Faith

We have multiple examples of Joseph Smith — speaking both for himself and on behalf of the church — flatly denying that he or the church practiced polygamy. These were not “carefully worded” technicalities or clever legal distinctions; they were outright falsehoods and deliberate misrepresentations of the truth. Church leaders lied, repeatedly and publicly, about their practice of plural marriage. Today, the institution attempts to soften and sanitize those lies by calling them “carefully worded denials,” as if rebranding deception as nuance makes it any less dishonest.

Tellingly, the church’s essay does not even cite these denials, instead asking members to take its word for it — a continuation of the same pattern of obscuring the truth. This strategy of revision and euphemism perpetuates the original deception, misleading even faithful members and maintaining control through a narrative built not on transparency, but on denials and distortions.

For many members, polygamy is one of the biggest “shelf items”—those troubling issues in church history that get tucked away in the back of the mind until the shelf finally collapses.

• The inequality of women being asked to “share” a husband in eternity is unbearable for many.
• Mormon women often confess they have nightmares about heaven being an endless polygamous marriage.
• The secrecy and manipulation around Joseph Smith’s plural marriages raise serious questions about consent, honesty, and abuse of authority.

Even though the church officially discontinued polygamy over a century ago, it has never disavowed the doctrine. In fact, the theology still teaches that polygamy is God’s law in the highest heaven. Widowers can be sealed to multiple women, but widows cannot. The inequality continues.

Lies Then, Lies Now

The pattern set by Joseph Smith—lying for the Lord—continues today. When something is embarrassing, leaders spin, downplay, or redefine words to maintain faith in the institution. They present the church in the best light possible, regardless of the truth.

Joseph Smith’s polygamy denials are not just a quirk of the past. They reveal a fundamental problem: a religious system that values its image above honesty, and obedience above transparency.

For those who discover this history, it is devastating. Many faithful members feel betrayed to learn that their leaders have not only lied, but continue to justify those lies. For others, it is the crack that shatters their faith altogether. President Hinckley was quick to state that the “church has nothing whatever to do with those practicing polygamy.” Does he hope history forgets that the church is intimately tied to polygamy?

What is the Church’s position on polygamy?

We are faced these days with many newspaper articles on this subject. This has arisen out of a case of alleged child abuse on the part of some of those practicing plural marriage.

I wish to state categorically that this Church has nothing whatever to do with those practicing polygamy. They are not members of this Church. Most of them have never been members. They are in violation of the civil law. They know they are in violation of the law. They are subject to its penalties. The Church, of course, has no jurisdiction whatever in this matter.

If any of our members are found to be practicing plural marriage, they are excommunicated, the most serious penalty the Church can impose. Not only are those so involved in direct violation of the civil law, they are in violation of the law of this Church. An article of our faith is binding upon us. It states, “We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law” (A of F 1:12). One cannot obey the law and disobey the law at the same time.

There is no such thing as a “Mormon fundamentalist.” It is a contradiction to use the two words together.

More than a century ago God clearly revealed unto His prophet Wilford Woodruff that the practice of plural marriage should be discontinued, which means that it is now against the law of God. Even in countries where civil or religious law allows polygamy, the Church teaches that marriage must be monogamous and does not accept into its membership those practicing plural marriage.

Gordon B. Hinckley, What Are People Asking about Us? General Conference, October 1998
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1998/10/what-are-people-asking-about-us

It’s telling that President Gordon B. Hinckley, speaking as the leader of a church born from polygamy, would so confidently declare that the LDS Church has “nothing whatever to do” with it. This is historical amnesia at its most convenient. Polygamy wasn’t a fringe experiment or a side doctrine — it was a defining feature of early Mormonism, introduced by Joseph Smith himself and practiced openly by Brigham Young and other leaders for decades. It shaped theology, determined leadership succession, and defined the early Saints’ identity, even leading them westward in defiance of U.S. law. The modern church would not exist without polygamy — it is woven into the fabric of its scriptures, its temple ceremonies, and its prophetic claims. Hinckley’s statement attempts to distance the institution from a past that is not merely relevant but comprehensively foundational. To deny that lineage is to deny the very roots of Mormonism itself.

Here’s a revised “Fixed it for you” style statement:

“I wish to state categorically that this Church has nothing whatever to do with those practicing polygamy—except, of course, for the part where church founder, Joseph Smith, introduced it in secret, took over thirty wives (some already married and some still teenagers), and taught it as a divine commandment essential for exaltation. And except for the decades that Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and others publicly defended and practiced it, often marrying dozens of women and declaring plural marriage the ‘most holy and important doctrine ever revealed.’

We also, naturally, have nothing to do with it unless we ignore the fact that the Doctrine and Covenants still contains Section 132, which declares plural marriage as the ‘everlasting covenant.’ And that even after the church issued Official Declaration 1 in 1890 to stop statehood from slipping away, many of our leaders—including Wilford Woodruff himself—continued to secretly enter into plural marriages for years. Nor does it count that the church did not actually enforce a real end to new polygamous sealings until 1904, or that some of our leaders continued to marry plural wives in Mexico and Canada well into the 20th century. And while we’re at it, let’s not mention that current sealing policies allow a man to be sealed to multiple wives in eternity—a celestial polygamy we prefer not to talk about in polite company, but many senior church leaders are currently celestial polygamists.

Those fundamentalists, as seen on TV, ‘have never been members,’ if we conveniently ignore that their ancestors were, and that they are following doctrines our prophets taught were essential to salvation. These polygamists are in violation of civil law, much as Joseph Smith was during his day and continuously lied about to keep from getting in trouble with the law, until the Nauvoo Expositor exposed his secrets and he destroyed it, leading to his imprisonment, and tragic martyrdom. Also, Brigham Young was defiantly in violation of the law when he declared he would ‘rather obey God than man’ and led the Saints in open rebellion against U.S. anti-polygamy laws. Also John Taylor was in violation of the law when he went into hiding, and issued his 1886 Revelation which stated the church could not end polygamy, and Wilford Woodruff who was in violation of the law, until he finally issued the Official Declaration 1 to submit to the Federal Government of the United States rather than have church property confiscated.

They know they are in violation of the law — just as we did until political expediency and the threat of federal seizure forced our hand. That’s why we issued Official Declaration 1: not because God changed His mind, but because the U.S. government forced ths issue. And while we’re on the topic of uncomfortable reversals, we might as well mention Official Declaration 2, in which we quietly reversed over a century of racial priesthood restrictions and then insisted they were never doctrinal.

So yeah, I wish to state categorically that this Church has nothing whatever to do with those practicing polygamy—other than the fact that we invented it, built our theology and identity around it, practiced it for over half a century, proudly trace our genealogy through it, and still quietly uphold its principles in our scriptures and temple rites today.”

No Church President Ever,
Because Honesty and Transparency are not principles Presidents of the Church follow

Even the LDS website today disagrees with Hinckley, while they continue to quote him. This FAQ question excuses past polygamy as simply a time when the Lord revealed a practice contrary to His own standard.

Today, the practice of polygamy is strictly prohibited in the Church. No one can practice it and remain a member. …

The Lord’s standard for marriage is monogamy unless He reveals otherwise. Latter-day Saints believe the period in which the Church practiced polygamy was one of these exceptions.

LDS Website, FAQ: How many wives can Mormons have? > Does the Church Allow Polygamy Today?
https://faq.churchofjesuschrist.org/how-many-wives-can-mormons-have

The church clearly hasn’t stopped polygamy because it feels it is wrong. The practice was stopped because they weren’t allowed to practice it due to it being against the law. Why is it against the law? Because it is a harmful practice.

No amount of “careful wording” can change the reality:

Joseph Smith lied about polygamy. The Church is still covering for him. The Church is more interested in carefully protecting the image of the church and the founders of the church than it is in honesty, goodness, or equality.

Share Your Story

Joseph Smith’s lies about polygamy remind us that the Church has never been honest about its history, its doctrines, or even the people who leave. Leaders continue to frame those who walk away as “offended,” “lazy,” or “wanting to sin.” But those of us who have actually lived it know better. A faith crisis is not caused by weakness—it is caused by discovering that the Church’s truth claims collapse under scrutiny.

That’s why wasmormon.org exists: to give those who have experienced a faith crisis a platform to tell their stories in their own words. Together, these stories form a collective testament against the false narratives the Church spreads about us. By sharing, we heal, reclaim our identities, and show that life after Mormonism is not only possible—it’s better than ever.

If you’ve wrestled with the same doubts, deceptions, and heartbreaks, consider adding your story. Let’s build a chorus of voices that prove leaving a high-demand religion is not failure—it’s freedom.

• https://web.archive.org/web/20180923165604/https://mormonbandwagon.com/bwv549/joseph-smiths-polygamy-denials/
• https://github.com/faenrandir/a_careful_examination/blob/main/documents/polygamy/denials/denial_analysis.pdf
• https://www.reddit.com/r/mormonscholar/comments/66qepx/response_to_hales_challenge_please_show_me_even/
• Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo (lds.org)
• “Thou Shalt not Lie” and Denials of Polygamy (Joseph Smith’s Polygamy site)
• https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/archive/publications/polygamy-prophets-and-prevarication
• https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Joseph_Smith_hid_polygamy_from_the_general_Church_membership