The Drawn Flaming Sword of Polygamy – Spiritual Abuse and Manipulation

Joseph Smith secretly practiced polyandry and polygamy, or what the church later called plural marriage. The church freely admits this today (when forced) whereas previously it was all denied as anti-mormon lies. A strange hill to die on since the church is well known for practicing polygamy for decades in Utah. The church was hesitant to state that Brigham Young started the practice, but didn’t want to distract from the preferred narrative of Joseph Smith with discussions of polygamy. He publicly denied his deviance and kept the practice to his inner circle, slowly teaching about it to others. He eventually brought most of the church leaders into the circle, save a few who rejected his invitation and exposed him in the Nauvoo Expositor, an event which led to his death since he destroyed the press and was taken to jail for the last time before being killed.

Joseph Smith would propose a secret marriage relationship with other women, and some deliberated too long for his liking. He resorted to telling them he was commanded to practice polygamy under threat of divine punishment. Joseph claimed that an angel appeared to him with a drawn sword, compelling him to institute and personally practice plural marriage as part of the restored gospel. This narrative is often used to show Joseph’s reluctance and the controversial introduction of polygamy into the early church as something God commanded and us mortals can’t be expected to understand.

Joseph Smith described being visited multiple times by an angel who drew a sword on the third visit. The angel declared that if Joseph did not comply with the commandment to practice plural marriage, he would be destroyed or his prophetic calling would be revoked. The church accounts, portray Joseph as initially resistant to the commandment, but that he ultimately complied due to fear of divine punishment. Following these visitations, Joseph began to practice polygamy secretly. He taught it to select followers and took multiple wives, which led to considerable controversy, both within the Church and among the broader public.

Rationalizing Multiple Wives

Many details about the early practice of plural marriage are unknown. Plural marriage was introduced among the early Saints incrementally, and participants were asked to keep their actions confidential. They did not discuss their experiences publicly or in writing until after the Latter-day Saints had moved to Utah and Church leaders had publicly acknowledged the practice. The historical record of early plural marriage is therefore thin: few records of the time provide details, and later reminiscences are not always reliable. Some ambiguity will always accompany our knowledge about this issue. Like the participants, we “see through a glass, darkly” and are asked to walk by faith…

When God commands a difficult task, He sometimes sends additional messengers to encourage His people to obey. Consistent with this pattern, Joseph told associates that an angel appeared to him three times between 1834 and 1842 and commanded him to proceed with plural marriage when he hesitated to move forward. During the third and final appearance, the angel came with a drawn sword, threatening Joseph with destruction unless he went forward and obeyed the commandment fully.

Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo, Gospel Topic Essay, LDS Church
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/plural-marriage-in-kirtland-and-nauvoo?lang=eng&id=p8-p9#p8

The church paints the story that because the commandment was such a “difficult task,” God sent “messengers to encourage” Joseph. They rationalize that this is simply how God operates, and state that between 1834 and 1842, an angel appears to Joseph and “during the third and final appearance, the angel came with a drawn sword” and threatens Joseph with destruction.

Joseph Smith had been reluctant to enter plural marriage at first, fully realizing the persecution it would bring to the Church. Monogamy was then the only form of marriage legally accepted in the United States, and opposition was sure to be fierce. Joseph himself had to be convinced of the propriety of plural marriage. Three times an angel appeared to him, urging him to move forward as directed. He eventually entered plural marriage and introduced the principle to other followers in Nauvoo as early as 1841.

Church History > Revelations in Context. Mercy Thompson and the Revelation on Marriage (D&C 132) by Jed Woodworth
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/revelations-in-context/mercy-thompson-and-the-revelation-on-marriage

We are expected to believe that God sent an angel with a drawn sword to threaten Joseph Smith’s life if he did not marry “between 30 and 40” women, yet this same God remained silent for 140 years as the church implemented racist doctrines and harmful teachings. Additionally, we are asked to believe that this God continues to give revelations that conveniently align with each prophet’s own worldview while ignoring the significant harm these leaders inflict on marginalized groups such as LGBTQ+ individuals, Black and Native communities, and women. The same God who stays his destroying angel when the world goes to war and millions of people are executed in gas chambers. The same God who does nothing when millions today are hungry and destitute, and barely surviving. This God thought it so important that Joseph secretly “married” dozens of women (some of which were teenagers, some already married, some even simultaneously) that he resorted to angelic threats. God sent an angel with a sword to coerce Joseph into coercing many many (up to 40) women into non-consensual sexual relationships.

The exact number of women to whom he was sealed in his lifetime is unknown because the evidence is fragmentary. (Careful estimates put the number between 30 and 40.)

Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo, Gospel Topic Essay, LDS Church. Footnote 24 included (See Hales, Joseph Smith’s Polygamy, 2:272–73.)
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/plural-marriage-in-kirtland-and-nauvoo?lang=eng&id=p18#p18

Fanny Alger

Joseph was caught in an adulterous affair in the barn with the family’s teenage housemaid, Fanny in Kirtland. Emma was very upset and Oliver Cowdery didn’t even stand by Joseph at the time. Later, in Nauvoo, he used the concept of plural marriage to rationalize and justify this behavior again.

Fragmentary evidence suggests that Joseph Smith acted on the angel’s first command by marrying a plural wife, Fanny Alger, in Kirtland, Ohio, in the mid-1830s. Several Latter-day Saints who had lived in Kirtland reported decades later that Joseph Smith had married Alger, who lived and worked in the Smith household, after he had obtained her consent and that of her parents. Little is known about this marriage, and nothing is known about the conversations between Joseph and Emma regarding Alger. After the marriage with Alger ended in separation, Joseph seems to have set the subject of plural marriage aside until after the Church moved to Nauvoo, Illinois.

Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo, Gospel Topic Essay, LDS Church
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/plural-marriage-in-kirtland-and-nauvoo?lang=eng&id=p8-p9#p8

The gospel topic essay does its best to group the incident with Fanny Alger into plural marriage. They even title the essay Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo. But in reality, there are no recorded plural marriages in Kirtland, only Nauvoo. Church historians must assume there was a plural marriage with Fanny, but as everything was done in secret, like an affair would be, there is no record of it, and the best the gospel topic essay can come up with is stating that “fragmentary evidence suggests” he married Fanny in Kirtland “in the mid-1830s”.

The historical record indicates that Joseph Smith contracted his first plural marriage in 1835 or 1836 in Kirtland, Ohio, with Fanny Alger. Upon learning of the relationship, his legal wife, Emma, and close friend Oliver Cowdery rejected it, considering it adulterous. Evidence supports that afterward the Prophet taught no one about plural marriage or even mentioned the subject during the next five to six years.

Brian C. Hales, “Encouraging Joseph Smith to Practice Plural Marriage: The Accounts of the Angel with a Drawn Sword,” Mormon Historical Studies
https://ensignpeakfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Encouraging-Joseph-Smith-to-Practice-Plural-Marriage-The-Accounts-of-the-Angel-with-a-Drawn-Sword.pdf

The church and apologists are redefining words here. They use “plural marriage” to mean an extramarital affair. They use “plural marriage” to mean sexual relations or any secret sexual encounter of Joseph Smith.

Angels with Drawn Sword

Joseph told associates that an angel appeared to him three times between 1834 and 1842 and commanded him to proceed with plural marriage when he hesitated to move forward. During the third and final appearance, the angel came with a drawn sword, threatening Joseph with destruction unless he went forward and obeyed the commandment fully.

Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo, Gospel Topic Essay, LDS Church
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/plural-marriage-in-kirtland-and-nauvoo?lang=eng&id=p8-p9#p8

When else has God used an angel with a sword? There are only two occurneces in the scriptures. The first is in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Even were expelled for eating from the Tree of Knowledge, God placed cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the tree of life. This is apparently because had they eaten of the Tree of Life too, it would have made God a liar (See Alma 12). So, God uses an angle with a flaming sword to keep himself honest.

Another similar instance is when Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son, Issac. In this case, the angel appeared to stop Abraham’s blade from killing his son. This was merely a test to prove Abraham, and God didn’t want him to kill his promised son. There are a few instances of Joseph proposing marriage to others and then following up that it was just a test. One such example is with Heber C. Kimball, and after fasting for 3 days Heber agreed to let Joseph marry his wife Vilate. But Joseph recanted the proposal saying it was just a test, though he did come away with their daughter Helen as a bride instead.

God also sent an angel with a sword to stop Balaam from going to Moab, though Balaam didn’t see it only his donkey could. The donkey ran into a wall, crushing Balaam’s foot, and Balaam beat it until “the Lord opened the mouth of the ass” and finally “the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand”. (See Numbers 22:22-35)

Quotes about the Angel

Some church historians even question the authenticity of this story, since there is no contemporary first-hand account of it. The accounts are years after the fact and some are secondhand. However, these same historians are quick to accept and defend other stories that are recorded after the fact, like the first vision account which wasn’t recorded or discussed for over a decade and changed over time as well. There are no accounts that are contemporary to Joseph’s because all his plural marriages were done in secret. The essay is clear on this:

Many details about the early practice of plural marriage are unknown. Plural marriage was introduced among the early Saints incrementally, and participants were asked to keep their actions confidential. They did not discuss their experiences publicly or in writing until after the Latter-day Saints had moved to Utah and Church leaders had publicly acknowledged the practice. The historical record of early plural marriage is therefore thin: few records of the time provide details, and later reminiscences are not always reliable. Some ambiguity will always accompany our knowledge about this issue. Like the participants, we “see through a glass, darkly” and are asked to walk by faith.

Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo, Gospel Topic Essay, LDS Church
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/plural-marriage-in-kirtland-and-nauvoo?lang=eng&id=p8-p9#p8

Joseph didn’t want anyone (including history) to know about his practices with women. Why would there be such secrecy? Most likely because he knew what he was doing. He knew that this wasn’t a command from God and no angel forced him with the threat of destruction. The only coercion was from Joseph using his spiritual authority to get his sexual desires fulfilled. Joseph used his gift of storytelling and his position as spiritual leader and authority to manipulate women (and men, as husbands and fathers) to do his bidding, even when and especially if it didn’t align with the Gospel. This didn’t align with the teachings of the day or any day.

The angel may have stayed his sword, but it certainly didn’t offer protection when Joseph was in Carthage jail shortly after his plural marriage occurrences exploded by dozens. God was happy to allow men to kill his prophet he’d groomed into an obedient servant, even though he used a destroying angel to pressure Joseph into secretly having more sex with more and more women.

Hyrum Smith Mentions Demon Angel

The secrecy of Joseph’s escapades kept many unaware. Hyrum spoke against the practice and even said that if an angel was enforcing the doctrine, it must be an imposter and agent of the devil.

“He said there were many that had a great deal to say about the ancient order of things as Solomon and David having many wives and concubines, but it is an abomination in the sight of God. If an angel from heaven should come and preach such doctrine, some would be sure to see his cloven foot and cloud of darkness over head, though his garments might shine as white as snow. A man might have one wife but concubines he should have none.”

Levi Richards, Journal, May 14, 1843, Church History Library
https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/e8d44719-6577-4503-86b8-1641367be6b9/0/0

This would lead us to believe that either he hadn’t been brought into Joseph’s confidence, or that he was as good a liar as his brother was and bound to secrecy. Hyrum was Joseph’s closest brother and he said this just months before his first polygamous marriage. Maybe Joseph brought him into the practice right after this. The church does share the story of Hyrum converting to the principle of plural marriage once his first wife died, and he had remarried. Joseph taught him about sealings and Hyrum wanted to be sealed to both, and Joseph reasoned with him that this was no different than plural marriage. Joseph then told about a deceased friend who had visited him to persuade his widow to marry Hyrum, her brother-in-law, as she was Hyrum’s second wife’s sister. Thus we see that it isn’t always angels and their swords who do convincing for Joseph, but he’ll use whatever he needs to bring others to his side.

During that summer, an angel visited Joseph Smith. It was Robert Thompson, his former clerk. He “appeared to [Joseph] several times telling him that he did not wish me to live such a lonely life,” Mercy recounted. The angel proposed a shocking solution: Hyrum was to “have me seal’d to him for time,” Mercy recalled. In other words, Robert Thompson requested that Hyrum marry Mercy as a plural wife for this life, “for time.” Mercy and Robert, meanwhile, would remain sealed in the eternities…

Eternal marriage struck Mercy Thompson far more favorably than plural marriage did. By training and disposition, she opposed marrying an already married man. The prospect of living in the same home with her sister and closest friend, Mary, did nothing to diminish her unease. Joseph sent Mary to open up the subject with Mercy, thinking it would be better received. The choice of emissary had no effect. “This subject when first communicated to me,” Mercy recounted, “tried me to the very core all my former traditions and every natural feeling of my Heart rose in opposition.”

Hyrum spoke to her next. He was sympathetic to Mercy’s feelings, having once opposed plural marriage himself. Joseph had sought to gauge his brother’s feelings, holding back this most difficult and controversial of teachings until Hyrum was open to persuasion. Hyrum was ultimately converted to the principle when he realized that he had married two women on earth whom he could not bear to part with in eternity. On the same day he was sealed to Mary for time and eternity, Mary stood as proxy while he was sealed to Jerusha, thus sealing Hyrum to both his wives for eternity.

Church History > Revelations in Context. Mercy Thompson and the Revelation on Marriage (D&C 132) by Jed Woodworth
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/revelations-in-context/mercy-thompson-and-the-revelation-on-marriage

Heber C. Kimball

The 1888 Biography of Heber C. Kimball, by his grandson, Orson F. Whitney, states:

“A grand and glorious principle had been revealed, and for years had slumbered in the breast of God’s Prophet, awaiting the time when, with safety to himself and the Church, it might be confided to the sacred keeping of a chosen few. That time had now come. An angel with a flaming sword descended from the courts of glory and, confronting the Prophet, commanded him in the name of the Lord to establish the principle so long concealed from the knowledge of the Saints and of the world—that of plural marriage.”

Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, An Apostle: The Father and Founder of the British Mission (Salt Lake City, UT: Bookcraft, 1979), 321.

More than 20 accounts have been found about the angel visiting Joseph with a drawn sword. Historians debate the veracity of some accounts, but they include many witnesses, and 4 of Joseph’s plural wives are on record about the angel with the sword. A couple of the accounts are even from apostles and future church presidents. Accounts are confirmed by many, such as Lorenzo Snow and Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner, who heard Smith recount this story.

Joseph F. Smith

Joseph F. Smith, Joseph’s nephew and later president of the church, wrote about the pressure Joseph felt and the hesitance in practicing plural marriage.

“Joseph Smith was commanded to take wives, he hesitated and postponed it, seeing the consequences and the trouble that it would bring and he shrank from the responsibility, but he prayed to the Lord for it to pass as Jesus did, but Jesus had to drink it to the dregs so it was with Joseph Smith, the Lord had revealed it to him, and said now is the time for it to be practiced—but it was not until he had been told he must practice it or be destroyed that he made the attempt.”

Joseph F. Smith, comments at quarterly conference held March 3–4, 1883, Utah State Historical Society, Salt Lake City, Utah; also Church History Library.

Joseph Lee Robinson

“The Lord instead of releasing [Joseph Smith] from that burden, he sent an holy angel with a drawn sword unto him, saying unto him, Joseph, unless you go to and immediately teach that principle (namely polygamy or plural marriage) and put the same in practice, that he, Joseph, should be slain for thus saith the Lord, that the time has now come that I will raise up seed unto me as I spoke by my servant Jacob as is recorded in the Book of Mormon, therefore, I command my people.”

Joseph Lee Robinson. Oliver Preston Robinson ed., History of Joseph Lee Robinson (n. p.: History Comes Home, 2007), 27.

Lorenzo Snow

“[Joseph Smith] said that the Lord had revealed [the doctrine of the plurality of wives] unto him and commanded him to have women sealed to him as wives, that he foresaw the trouble that would follow and sought to turn away from the commandment, that an angel from heaven appeared before him with a drawn sword, threatening him with destruction unless he went forward and obeyed the commandment.”

Lorenzo Snow. Joseph F. Smith, Affidavit, August 18, 1869; Joseph F. Smith Affidavit Books, 2:19, MS 3423, fd 5, Church History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.3

“[Joseph Smith] explained to me the principles of plural marriage distinctly and clearly, and told me that the Lord had revealed the principle and had commanded him to enter into that practice. And that he had received a revelation to that effect. He said that he had demurred to doing so as he foresaw the trouble that would ensue, but that an angel of the Lord had appeared before him with a drawn sword commanding him to do so and he could not go backward.”

Lorenzo Snow. Testimony, Temple Lot Case (part 3, question 258), 124.

“Pres[iden]t Lorenzo Snow stated that he was in England with Bro[ther] [Parley] Pratt when reports came from Nauvoo to the effect that the doctrine of plural marriage was bring taught. Upon his return to Nauvoo in the spring of 1843 he had a long talk with the Prophet Joseph Smith, who fully explained to him the doctrine of plural marriage, and stated that an angel with a drawn sword had visited him and commanded him to go into this principle, and President Smith told Bro[ther] Snow to enter into plural marriage.”

Lorenzo Snow. Heber J. Grant, Diary, April 1, 1896, Church History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Benjamin F. Johnson

Benjamin F. Johnson, a confidant of Joseph Smith, recorded that Smith told him of being visited by an angel with a sword who demanded obedience to the practice of polygamy.

“[Joseph Smith declared] that an angel appeared unto him with a drawn sword, threatening to slay him if he did not proceed to fulfill the law that had been given to him.”

Benjamin F. Johnson, Affidavit, 1869, Joseph F. Smith Affidavit Books, 2:8, MS 3423 fd 5, Church History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

“Hyrum said to me, ‘Now, Brother Benjamin, you know that Brother Joseph would not sanction this if it was not from the Lord. The Lord revealed this to Brother Joseph long ago, and he put it off until the Angel of the Lord came to him with a drawn sword and told him that he would be slain if he did not go forth and fulfill the law.’”

Benjamin F. Johnson, My Life’s Review, reprint (Mesa, AZ: 21st Century Printing, 1992), 95–96.

“Brother Hyram [Smith] at once took me in hand, apparently in fear I was not fully Converted and this was the manner of his talk to me—‘Now Benjamin, you must not be afraid of this new doctrine for it is all Right. You Know Brother Hyram dont get carried away by worldly things, and he faught this principle untill the Lord Showed him it was true. I know that Joseph was Commanded to take more wives and he waited untill an Angel with a drawn Sword Stood before him and declared that if he longer delayed fulfilling that Command he would Slay him.’”

Benjamin F. Johnson. Dean R. Zimmerman, ed., I Knew the Prophets: An Analysis of the Letter of Benjamin F. Johnson to George F. Gibbs, Reporting Doctrinal Views of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young (Bountiful, UT: Horizon, 1976), 43.

Eliza R. Snow

Eliza R. Snow, sister of Lorenzo Snow, played a significant role in the early history of the LDS Church. In June 1842, she married Joseph Smith as a plural wife, a detail supported by various historical records. Later that summer, she organized a petition with over a thousand female signatures refuting claims that Smith practiced polygamy. As Secretary of the Ladies’ Relief Society, she published a declaration in October 1842 denouncing polygamy. Despite this public stance, William Clayton recorded that Smith had informed him in February 1843 of Eliza’s plural marriage to him. After Joseph Smith’s death, Eliza married Brigham Young in 1844, remaining with him until his passing in 1877.

“She [Eliza R. Snow] spoke of Plural marrage said it was a perfect law. said she had her own prejuse about it said she did not know much about it when she was married to Joseph Smith said she did not know if ever she would be owned as a wife spoke of the Angel standing with a drawn sword in his hand and told Joseph if he did not comply with the requirement of heaven that his priesthood should be taken from him”

Eliza R. Snow. Glenwood Ward, Sevier Stake, Relief Society Minutes, September 28, 1880, 224, Church History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

“Joseph told [my brother] Lorenzo Snow that he had ‘hesitated and deferred from time to time, until an angel of God stood by him with a drawn sword and told him that, unless he moved forward and established plural marriage, his Priesthood would be taken from him and he should be destroyed!’”

Eliza R. Snow, Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret News Company, 1884), 69–70.

“[Joseph Smith] received the revelation in 1837, but he was himself afraid to promulgate it until the angel came and stood beside him with flaming sword and bade him do the command of God. Not until then did Joseph enter into polygamy, or get any of his disciples to take plural wives.”

Eliza Roxcy Snow. “Two Prophets’ Widows A Visit to the Relicts of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young,” J. J. J., in St. Louis Globe-Democrat (St. Louis, MO), August 18, 1887, 6.

Orson Pratt

Orson Pratt (1811–1881) was an influential early leader in the church. He joined the church in 1830, shortly after its founding, and became one of the original members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1835. Pratt was a notable theologian, mathematician, and scientist who contributed significantly to LDS doctrine and scripture. He was instrumental in publishing church materials, including the 1879 edition of the Book of Mormon, which introduced chapter and verse divisions still used today. Pratt often engaged in theological debates, and his writings shaped many foundational LDS doctrines. However, his intellectual approach sometimes led to tensions with other leaders, including Brigham Young, especially regarding the nature of God and plural marriage. Pratt practiced polygamy, having ten wives and fathering many children.

Orson Pratt was the first to publicly announce and defend the LDS Church’s practice of polygamy, under the direction of Brigham Young. In August 1852, during a special conference in Salt Lake City, Pratt delivered a discourse officially declaring polygamy as a doctrine revealed by God to Joseph Smith. This event marks the church’s first and formal acknowledgment of the practice, which had been observed secretly since the 1840s (or the 1830s if we include Joseph’s affair with Fanny Alger).

Pratt’s address, known as the 1852 Revelation on Celestial Marriage, laid out theological justifications for polygamy, linking it to the restoration of ancient patriarchal practices and eternal exaltation. This public declaration came after years of secrecy, during which polygamy was practiced quietly by Joseph Smith and select church leaders. The announcement sparked widespread controversy and contributed to the growing tensions between the LDS Church and the broader American society.

“I had a pleasant conversation… of the trials of the Prophet Joseph in first introducing the doctrine of Celestial marriage in Nauvoo and quoted the statement of the late apostle and church Historian [Orson Pratt d. 1881], that the angel of the Lord appeared unto the Prophet Joseph with a drawn sword and declared that if He, Joseph did not go to and teach and practice the Holy commandment He would slay him.”

Orson Pratt. A. Karl Larson and Katherine Miles Larson, eds., Diary of Charles Lowell Walker, 2 vols. (Logan, UT: Utah State University Press, 1980), 2:814–15, entry for March 5, 1896.

Zina Diantha Huntington Jacobs Smith Young

Zina D. Huntington (1821–1901) was known for her deep faith and complex personal life, which intersected with multiple prominent LDS leaders. She joined the church with her family in the 1830s and traveled to Nauvoo, Illinois, where she became part of the inner circle of the LDS Church. In 1841, she married Henry Bailey Jacobs, but in 1842, she also became a secret plural wife of Joseph Smith. After Smith’s death in 1844, she was then sealed to Brigham Young in 1846 for a time, although she continued her civil marriage to Jacobs for a time before they ultimately separated.

“Zina D. Young told of Bro. Joseph’s remark in relation to the revelation on celestial marriage. How an angel came to him with a drawn sword, and said if he did not obey this law he would lose his priesthood; and in the keeping of it he, Joseph, did not know but it would cost him his life.”

Zina Huntington. “The Prophet’s Birthday,” Deseret News, January 12, 1881, 2.

“[Joseph] sent word to me by my brother, saying, ‘Tell Zina I put it off and put it off till an angel with a drawn sword stood by me and told me if I did not establish that principle upon the earth, I would lose my position and my life.’”

Zina Huntington. “Joseph, the Prophet, His Life and Mission as Viewed by Intimate Acquaintances,” Salt Lake Herald Church and Farm Supplement, January 12, 1895, 212

Helen Mar Kimball Whitney

Helen Kimball (1828–1896) was the daughter of Heber C. Kimball, a close associate of Joseph Smith and an early LDS Church leader. In 1843, at the age of 14, Helen was married to Joseph Smith in a plural marriage, a practice that was kept secret at the time. Helen later wrote extensively about this experience, describing her initial reluctance and the promises of eternal blessings tied to polygamy. Following Smith’s death in 1844, Helen married Horace Whitney, with whom she had children, including Orson F. Whitney, who became an LDS apostle. Helen was a significant voice in defending polygamy and documenting the early history of the church.

“This angel, [Joseph] states, stood over him with a drawn sword prepared to inflict the penalty of death if he should be disobedient.”

Helen Mar Kimball Whitney, Plural Marriage as Taught by the Prophet Joseph: A Reply to Joseph Smith, Editor of the Lamoni Iowa “Herald.” (Salt Lake City, UT: Juvenile Instructor Office, 1882), 13.

“Had it not been for the fear of His displeasure, Joseph would have shrunk from the undertaking and would have continued silent, as he did for years, until an angel of the Lord threatened to slay him if he did not reveal and establish this celestial principle.”

Helen Mar Kimball Whitney, Why We Practice Plural Marriage (Salt Lake City: Juvenile Instructor Office, 1884), 53.

Erastus Snow

Erastus Snow (1818–1888) was a prominent leader in the early church and a key figure in the early colonization of Utah. Upon joining the church in 1836 he quickly became an active missionary and church leader, soon as an Apostle. As was required for early LDS leaders, Snow practiced polygamy. His polygamous family aligned with the church’s practice under the teachings of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. Snow’s commitment to polygamy and his role as a church leader were integral to the early development of Mormon communities.

“Spoke of the Angel of the Lord meeting Joseph with a drawn sword and of his going to slay him for his being neglectful in the discharges of his duties and of Joseph having to plead on his knees before the Angel for his life.”

Erastus Snow. A. Karl Larson and Katherine Miles Larson, Diary of Charles Lowell Walker, 2 vols. (Logan, UT: Utah State University Press, 1980), 2:611, entry for June 17, 1883.

“The Prophet Joseph had said to him [Erastus Snow] also ‘I have not been obedient enough to this holy law and the Lord was angry with me and an angel met me with a drawn sword but I pled with the Lord to forgive me and he did so and I made the sacrifice required of my hand and by the help of the Lord I will obey his Holy Law.’”

Erastus Snow, St. George Utah Stake Conference, General Minutes, June 17, 1883, LR 7836 11, reel 1, Church History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner

Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner (1808–1882) became a member of the LDS Church in 1830, soon after its founding. She was closely involved in the early days of the church, known for her role in saving the Book of Mormon manuscript pages during an early incident of persecution. She was married to a non-member, Adam Lightner but moved to Nauvoo with the saints.

Mary married Joseph Smith as one of his plural wives in 1842. She was already married with children and in her early 30s at the time of their marriage. Smith was already married to several other women by then, and the practice of polygamy was becoming increasingly prominent within the LDS leadership. Later she accepted the offer to be sealed to Brigham Young in 1845.

Though she didn’t marry Joseph until 1842, he had longed for her long before. Mary stated that Smith had a private conversation with her when she was only 12 (in 1831). He told her then that she “was the first woman God commanded him to take as a plural wife.” In 1834, Joseph approached her again, but she instead married Adam Lightner in August 1835. Mary recounted that Joseph told her an angel had threatened to take his life unless he obeyed God’s command to practice plural marriage. Mary said she would not marry Smith until she received confirmation from God. After praying about it, she reported seeing an angel pass through her room. Mary agreed to marry Smith, but the sealing did not dissolve her marriage to Adam her husband, though he was away at the time of the marriage and it is still unclear if the marriage had his consent or even knowledge.

“In 1834 he was commanded to take me for a wife. I was a thousand miles from him. He got afraid. The angel came to him [Joseph Smith] three times, the last time with a drawn sword and threatened his life.”

Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner, Statement, February 8, 1902, Vesta Crawford Papers, MS 125, bx 1, fd 11, Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Original in the possession of Mrs. Nell Osborne, Salt Lake City, Utah. See also Juanita Brooks Papers, MSB103, bx 16, fd 13, Utah State Historical Society, Salt Lake City, Utah

“Joseph told me that he was afraid when the angel appeared to him and told him to take other wives. He hesitated, and the angel appeared to him the third time with a drawn sword in his hand and threatened his life if he did not fulfill the commandment.”

Mary E. Lightner to A. M. Chase, April 20, 1904, quoted in J. D. Stead, Doctrines and Dogmas of Brighamism Exposed ([Lamoni, IA]: RLDS Church, 1911), 218–19.

“An angel came to [Joseph Smith] and the last time he came with a drawn sword in his hand and told Joseph if he did not go into that principle, he would slay him. Joseph said he talked to him soberly about it, and told him it was an abomination and quoted scripture to him. He said in the Book of Mormon it was an abomination in the eyes of the Lord, and they were to adhere to these things except the Lord speak . . . Said he . . . ‘The angel came to me three times between the years of 1834 and 1842 and said I was to obey that principle or he would slay me.’”

Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner, Remarks, April, 14, 1905, Brigham Young University, vault MSS 363, fd. 6, 2–3, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.

“God Commanded him to take as a plural wife, in 1834 he was very much frightened about [it] until the Angel appeared to him three times. It was in the early part of Feb, 1842 before that he was compelled to reveal it to me personally, by the Angel threatening him.”

Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner to Emmeline B. Wells, Summer 1905, MS 282, Church History Library; copy of holograph in Linda King Newell Collection, MS 447, bx 9, fd 2, Marriott Library, University of Utah; also in Juanita Brooks Papers, MSB 103, bx16, fd 13, Utah State Historical Society, Salt Lake City, Utah.

William Clayton, Joseph Smith’s personal secretary, documented Joseph’s claim of being visited by an angel with a sword. Later leaders, including Brigham Young and others, referenced this story as part of their defense of plural marriage, emphasizing its divine mandate. The modern LDS Church acknowledges Joseph Smith’s role in introducing polygamy.

Context and Controversy

The introduction of polygamy caused significant turmoil. It was kept secret for years, even as public denials were issued. Critics within and outside the Church viewed polygamy as immoral and an abuse of power, especially given Joseph’s marriages to young women and women already married to other men. The LDS Church disavowed polygamy in 1890 and today views it as part of its historical narrative, emphasizing Joseph’s supposed reluctance and divine compulsion. The church seeks to distance itself from the practice and leaders state emphatically there is no polygamy in the church.

The story of Joseph Smith being commanded to practice polygamy under threat from an angel with a drawn sword is a key point in church history. Joseph claimed that an angel appeared to him multiple times, commanding him to practice plural marriage. On one occasion, the angel reportedly held a drawn or flaming sword, threatening Joseph with destruction if he did not comply. This narrative has been cited to explain why Smith began practicing and teaching polygamy, despite its controversial nature. The angel-with-a-sword story has been interpreted as a way to absolve Joseph Smith of personal responsibility by framing polygamy as a commandment from God. It remains a highly debated topic among historians, theologians, and critics of the church.

Joseph Smith reportedly resisted the command for some time, due to the personal and social consequences. However, the angelic mandate was framed as a divine ultimatum, leaving him no choice but to comply. The introduction of polygamy occurred in Nauvoo, Illinois, in the early 1840s. At the time, Smith began privately marrying plural wives while teaching the practice to select followers. Public acknowledgment of polygamy by the church did not occur until years after Smith’s death. Critics view the account of angel visitation as a narrative designed to justify the practice, while believers often interpret it as evidence of Smith’s role as a prophet carrying out divine commands despite personal reluctance.

I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do , because I notice it always coincides with their own desires.

Susan B. Anthony
https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/susan-b-anthony#quotes

Perhaps we should question those who tell us what God wants us to do. Their motives can never be absolved, because if God really wanted us to do something, rather than tell someone else with an angelic visit or threat, why wouldn’t He tell us directly? What are your thoughts on Joseph Smith’s claim that an armed angel forced him into practicing and teaching polygamy? Is there evidence he was against it? Perhaps it makes more sense that he was never against it but used his spiritual authority and position to coerce others into following his will. He can say all day long that he did not want to be intimate with dozens of women, but that’s exactly what he did. He has a long history of creative ways of getting what he desired. Would he been as persuasive had he not stories of angels and commands from God backing him up? What would you do being approached by Joseph Smith to become his plural wife? Would an angel visiting him be enough to sway your mind? Some would demand the angel visit them rather than trust it to Joseph. What if Joseph approached you to marry your teenage daughter? How many angels would that take?

• https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/plural-marriage-in-kirtland-and-nauvoo
• http://www.mormonthink.com/joseph-smith-polygamy.htm
• https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Did_Joseph_Smith_coerce_women_to_marry_him%3F
• https://mormonpolygamydocuments.org/master-index/
• https://ensignpeakfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Encouraging-Joseph-Smith-to-Practice-Plural-Marriage-The-Accounts-of-the-Angel-with-a-Drawn-Sword.pdf
• https://josephsmithspolygamy.org/beginnings-mormon-polygamy/
• https://josephsmithspolygamy.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/10.-Emmas-Path-through-Plural-Marriage-2022.pdf
• https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/alma/12?lang=eng
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Joseph_Smith%27s_wives