The Quest for Joseph Smith's Descendants

[Indy Coug]

Originally Posted by SoonerCoug

Instead of hating Emma, the Church is now using her to create an illusion. (I think it could be an effort--perhaps even a subconscious effort--to minimize polygamy.) When the Church starts making movies about all the other wives and explains the logistics of sleeping with 33 different women, then I'll be satisfied.

It didn't appear to me that the church was making the Emma Smith movie.

[Tex]

Originally Posted by Indy Coug

Weird. I've never heard or read anything about Emma that wasn't respectful of who she was and what she went through. The same goes with her "leaving" the church after Joseph's death.

It was vogue some years ago (mostly before my time, although I occasionally still hear it) to put a little Barry-Bonds-style asterisk next to her name, "Yeah, but she didn't remain faithful."

The first time I remember an effort being made to dispel this was maybe a decade or so ago. Some lady wrote a nice Ensign article on Emma, detailing the things she went through and the services she did for the church, including saving most of the CG-maligned JST pages on the exodus from Missouri. Seems like at least since then (and perhaps before) an effort has been made to give Emma her just due.

[MikeWaters]

Goat, so BY was keen to present JS as someone who practiced polygamy (did he do this publicly?)? Whereas the opposite is true today.

[Goatnapper'96]

Originally Posted by SoonerCoug

Instead of hating Emma, the Church is now using her to create an illusion. (I think it could be an effort--perhaps even a subconscious effort--to minimize polygamy.) When the Church starts making movies about all the other wives and explains the logistics of sleeping with 33 different women, then I'll be satisfied.

I think the illusion and apologizing on her behalf is driven more by the potential threat to the legitimacy of the BOM and the restoration as a consequence.

[MikeWaters]

You can't understand the issues around affirmative action if you've never heard of slavery.

You can't understand the church's efforts around Emma, if you don't know the history.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

Goat, so BY was keen to present JS as someone who practiced polygamy (did he do this publicly?)? Whereas the opposite is true today.

Yes. At one point there was a battle going on between the Reorg church and the Utah church over the issue of whether or not JS practiced polygamy. Many of his wives came forward and completed affidavits.

[Goatnapper'96]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

Goat, so BY was keen to present JS as someone who practiced polygamy (did he do this publicly?)? Whereas the opposite is true today.

I think without question. Brigham adored Joseph beyond what words could describe and he felt Emma made things difficult on him. He did not take kindly to that and seems to lack empathy for her situation. Even before Joseph died there were not fond feelings between the two. After Joseph died and BY ascended to being Prophet and President and Emma thought that should be her son the feelings intensified. When Emma began claiming Joseph was not a polygamist Brigham was incensed. Personally, I believe he was motivated threefold. 1.) He believed Polygamy was from God. 2.) He felt Emma's influence was a threat to his legitimacy as the Prophet and President of the Church and 3.) He did not care for Emma.

When JSIII and DH came to SLC to reclaim the Brighamites BY made the polygamy issue the center of the debate as JSIII and DH were adamant that JS never practiced polygamy while everyone else in SLC were totally sure he had. It was the easiest issue to discredit both Emma and them in their quest to take converts from the LDS Church to the RLDS Church. BY arranged for the other wives to be prominently displayed, save perhaps Eliza who was now a BY wife, along with the children who were Joseph's. It apparantly really shook up DH. I don't think the boys had any success in SLC but they did attract some folks from Malad to head back to the midwest. Malad had become a location for dissidents of BY to congregate so there they had a very eager audience.

[SoonerCoug]

Originally Posted by Indy Coug

It didn't appear to me that the church was making the Emma Smith movie.

I didn't express myself very well. I think the Church minimizes polygamy through overemphasis of Emma and complete neglect of the other wives.

[BYU71]

Originally Posted by Tex

It was vogue some years ago (mostly before my time, although I occasionally still hear it) to put a little Barry-Bonds-style asterisk next to her name, "Yeah, but she didn't remain faithful."

The first time I remember an effort being made to dispel this was maybe a decade or so ago. Some lady wrote a nice Ensign article on Emma, detailing the things she went through and the services she did for the church, including saving most of the CG-maligned JST pages on the exodus from Missouri. Seems like at least since then (and perhaps before) an effort has been made to give Emma her just due.

Was this done, the asterik, by members in the church or anti's. I admit I haven't been one to read church history or get into these type of discussions until a few years ago, but I don't remember the asterik type thing.

Now this will sound real silly, but it is the honest truth. I will bet I it was within the last 10 years that I knew JS had more than 2-3 wives. I certainly was not taught in my youth he had more than 2 or 3 and it never came up in any church events I ever attended.

[Clark Addison]

I think Emma is very popular with Mormon women, more so than others because everyone likes her. The conservatives like her because she was Joseph's true love and started the Relief Society. The liberals like her because she put up with a lot of crap, and BY didn't like her (BY is not real popular among more liberal Mormon women in my experience). Talking about Emma in RS is like talking about LaVell in CG.