In
general, the frank, open discussion of Brigham Young and plural marriage as
contained in the numerous Brigham Young biographies published over the course
of the past 15 years stands in sharp contrast to the recent stance assumed by
Latter-day Saint church officials and spokesman, who have sought to avoid the
topic. In explaining the rationale for ignoring polygamy in the LDS church
curriculum manual, Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young,
David Marsh, manager of LDS church curriculum development asserts the volume’s
focus is on those teachings of Young that “have application to what the Lord is
directing his church leaders to teach today.” He further explains that “certain
practices which [were]relevant in one time may not be as relevant in another
time period.” “Since plural marriage is not relevant in our day,” he
continues,” it was deemed prudent not to include information about this and
other practices that we no longer adhere to.”
Marsh
further explains: “It was also deemed wise not to include the plural wives” of
Young in the introductory biographical sketch. He frankly confessed, “polygamy
is a very hot topic both in and out of the church and personally, I think it
was a good decision to avoid the possibility of discussions of this topic in
church meetings by not including [Young’s] plural wives” (David Marsh email to
Newell G. Bringhurst and Craig Foster, April 26, 2012).
But,
at the same time, evidence of Latter-day Saint ambivalence is the mere fact of
its mention, albeit briefly, in two subsequent LDS manuals, specially—Teachings
of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith and Teachings of the
Presidents of the Church: John Taylor. But, at the same time, plural marriage
is nowhere referenced in three other Teachings of the Presidents of the
Church manuals, specifically those on Wilford Woodruff, Joseph F. Smith,
and Heber J. Grant—all of whom, also, had plural wives!
The
specific reasons for polygamy’s mention of the Teachings of the Presidents
of the Church: Joseph Smith are less than clear. On the one hand, David
Marsh confessed that he did not know precisely why the paragraph on polygamy
was included. He theorized: “It could have been a function of the makeup of”
the writing committee producing the manual, and stated “we like to give them
autonomy.” He further suggested that the topic’s inclusion was designed “to
illustrate a few of the doctrines or principles that do not have application
today and which are therefore not included” in the main part of the pamphlet.
He then took care to state that such inclusion was “not a response to critics
who think the church has not been straightforward about its involvement with
plural marriage in the nineteenth century” (Peggy Fletcher Stack, “New manual
on Joseph Smith mentions polygamy,” Salt Lake Tribune, January 19, 2008,
c-2). (Newell G. Bringhurst, “Where Have All of Brigham Young’s Wives Gone?:
Latter-day Saint Ambivalence over Its Polygamous Past,” in The Persistence of
Polygamy: From Joseph Smith’s Martyrdom to The First Manifesto, 1844-1890,
ed. Newell G. Bringhurst and Craig L. Foster [Independence, Miss.: John Whiter
Books, 2013], 110-11)
