Did Joseph Smith Deny Polygamy?
Research by Kerry A. Shirts
Critics will sometimes contend that Joseph Smith in the History of the Church denied Polygamy. Is this an accurate assessment of his words though? I honestly, after reading through the entire entry, instead of the mere paragraph critics will quote, don’t see how Joseph Smith is denying Polygamy. The quote from Joseph Smith goes like this:
"I had not been married scarcely five minutes, and made one proclemation of the Gospel, before it was reported that I had seven wives....This spiritual wifeism! Why, a man does not speak or wink, for fear of being accused of this....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 perjerurs"-Joseph Smith (History of The Church 6:410-411)
Critics contend that:
(1) This is a denial of involvement in any type of plural marriage.
In reading JS History Vol. 6: pp. 408-411, it is a fascinating account of how so many were bearing false witness against the Prophet, and with affidavits.
If I am understanding this correctly, the Prophet says "I had not been married scarcely five minutes, and made one proclamation of the Gospel, Before it was reported I had 7 wives." (p. 410). I am wondering if he is referring to his marriage to Emma, way back earlier in his life... The the Prophet says William Law swore that Joseph himself said he himself was committing adultery! But notice what the Prophet said next: "Why, a man dares not speak or wink, for fear of being accused of this."
Law vacillated between claiming he would lay his life down for Joseph Smith, which he DIDN'T do, and then claiming Smith admitted to committing adultery. Law was unstable so far as an honest man goes. He was not honest, as he turned against Joseph Smith, instead of sticking with him and giving his life for the Prophet as he had apparently bragged he would do if necessary. In other words, if Law lied about that, he very well could be lying about Jospeh Smith committing adultery.
I understand all this to mean rumors were spreading all over, and Joseph was being talked about wrongly. That is the entire context of this part of his history. On p. 411 the Prophet is showing how witnesses are contradicting each other all over the place. Law claims Smith told him that he (Smith) was committing adultery. Another witness, Jonathan Durham, swore the opposite case. The Prophet declares he is innocent of these charges (the adultery).
When he says he is the same man he was fourteen years ago, and innocent, his innocence is that of not committing adultery. He didn't commit it fourteen years ago, and he wasn't committing it then at his accusation trial (if that is what it was, I haven't read much more than the few pages you mentioned).
All in all, his accusations of him committing adultery is what he is denying. I honestly don't see this as his denying polygamy at all.
The provenance of this entry and others is also interesting and important to note as well. Dean Jessee, the author of the finest book on what Joseph Smith said The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, as well as author of numerous articles on the Prophet noted that many of Joseph’s sermons and sayings in the History of the Church were recorded after Joseph was dead, by scribes, such as Thomas Bullock, which this account apparently comes from. Some of his materials have been supervised by a committee, and Joseph Smith comes across differently from their vantage point than he would have originally. Scribes editing the History only could do the best that they remembered in some cases. See Dean C. Jessee, "Priceless Words And Fallible Memories: Joseph Smith As Seen In The Effort To Preserve His Discourses," BYU Studies, 31 (Spring 1991), pp. 19-40.
Interestingly, Cook and Ehat in their book The Words of Joseph Smith noted that some of the material by the scribes are either lost or misplaced. Cook and Ehat, _The Words Of Joseph Smith_, p. 406, note 1 under date 26 May 1844. Their entry under the same page at 26 May, 1844 note 5 reports that many scribes and clerks were employed in keeping Smith’s diaries, letterbooks, and accounts, such as Willard Richards, James Mullholland and William Clayton and Robert B. Thompson. This accords well with what Joseph Smith said in the above account, that he had kept many men busy for the last three years recording what he had been saying and doing, so no court of law could hang him. He had many witnesses, hence the false affidavits were shown to be such.
Robert L. Millet, in his article "Joseph Smith’s Translation of the Bible and the Doctrine and Covenants," in Robert L. Millet, Kent P. Jackson, eds., Studies in Scripture: Doctrine and Covenants, Vol. 1, Randall Book Co., 1984: 135, records that D&C 47:1 commands Joseph to keep a diary and regular history and he was to have assistants in helping him transcribe the happenings to the church and himself. This pattern of having scribes help Joseph was involved with the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Joseph Smith Translation, the Book of Abraham papyri, and the History of the Church.
In my personal opinion, the critics just want to have something…anything against Joseph Smith to keep them from searing their conscience for not looking into Mormonism honestly. It’s that simple.