The Interpreter Foundation just posted an article by Brian C. Hales, author of works such as the three-volume Joseph Smith's Polygamy (Greg Kofford Books, 2013) refuting the nonsense claim that Joseph Smith never engaged in plural marriage, contra many RLDS and dissident LDS (e.g., Denver Snuffer) claims.
Joseph Smith: Monogamist or Polygamist (pdf)
Here are the abstract and conclusion to whet one's apetite:
Conclusion
Joseph Smith: Monogamist or Polygamist (pdf)
Here are the abstract and conclusion to whet one's apetite:
Abstract: In
the past decades much of the debate regarding Joseph Smith and plural
marriage has focused on his motivation — whether libido or divine inspiration
drove the process. Throughout these debates, a small group of observers and
participants have maintained that Joseph did not practice polygamy at any time
or that his polygamous sealings were nonsexual spiritual marriages. Rather than
simply provide supportive evidence for Joseph Smith’s active involvement
with plural marriage, this article examines the primary arguments advanced by
monogamist proponents to show that important weaknesses exist in each line of
reasoning.
. . .
Conclusion
The documents and observations above support that
Joseph Smith introduced and engaged in plural marriage in Nauvoo in the
early 1840s, while alternative explanations seem insufficient. History
describes many instances in which sincere, intelligent, and devoted individuals
were capable of discounting vast quantities of evidences that contradict their
accepted views regarding history, science, or religion. Joseph defended the position that “all men are,
or ought to be free … to think, and act, and say as they please.” Yet he also emphasized that “truth is
knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come” and invited everyone to embrace it.