United Church of Canada: While we are on the subject of marriage, Judge, I think it would be interesting to disclose a little Mormon history. We find in the past three religions that have been founded on sex. We learn of the Oneida Perfectionists that have been founded on sex, believing that every woman was every man's wife, in other words, they formed a free love colony. Then we had Mother Ann Lee and her Shakers, who taught that Ann Lee was none other than Jesus Christ manifest as a woman. Ann Lee, the majority of her life, walked the street as a "call girl". Then the Latter-day Saints, who taught and practiced polygamy or the giving of many wives to one man. In the "Twenty-Seventh Wife," some of the horrors that actually went on under these evil conditions were described by Mrs. Brigham Young. Now, let's examine this practice from the standpoint of the Holy Scriptures. In Matt. 19:1-9 we learn that "Man shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be one flesh," and the Savior went on to point out that it was through "hardness of their hearts" that divorces were given. He then taught if a man were to marry another while his wife lived it was adultery. We then read from in Jacob 2:23-24 which states "For behold thus saith the Lord: These people begin to WAX IN INIQUITY, they understand not the scriptures for they seek to excuse themselves in committing whoredoms, because of the things which were written concerning David and Solomon, his son. Behold, David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was ABOMINABLE BEFORE ME, SAITH THE LORD." Even your Book of Mormon powerfully condemns polygamy. The Lord in that same Book of Jacob went on to say that a man must cling to one woman, and have no concubines. He said that whoredoms were an abomination before him, and the land would be cursed for their sakes by its practice. Therefore, Judge, we have presented a case before you of a people who disobeyed God's moral law and through a prophet's command went against the writings of the Bible and to satisfy the lusts of their flesh. What was it you said, elders, by their fruits ye shall know them?
Missionaries: Gentlemen I maintain that polygamy is a principle of God when He thus commands it. I challenge the representative of the United Church to dispute the points I will bring up. Paul said, "to the pure all things are pure, but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure." I believe you, sir demonstrated which category you fit under this afternoon. He first quoted "The Twenty-Seventh Wife" written by a wife of Brigham Young, I would imagine that the defense could build a stronger case than that by reading anti-Mormon trash. If you wanted to learn of Christ as He was stumbling towards the cross, would you go to the apostle John or would you go to a Roman soldier? You have used the very same logic. It would seem to me that intelligent people would go to the unbiased sources. This woman was a liar and a false witness because Brigham Young had eighteen other wives to bear witness of his tender love and affection to them and their families. Incidentally, she was the nineteenth wife, not the twenty-seventh as she stated. The truth is available from the official government documents available for anyone to investigate which should prove that the book is a worthless bunch of lies. You used Matt. 19:1-9 and your hasty interpretation completely destroyed your correct interpretation of the scripture. The Pharisees were not talking about polygamy but were talking about divorcees. Christ told them that a man and his wife were one flesh and that they were not to be put away for the cause of divorce. Those that practiced polygamy were not married before, (among the women), nor divorced and neither had husbands that were still living so they wouldn't have even figured in the explanation the Savior was giving about divorce. There is absolutely no part or parcel dealing with polygamy in either scripture merely divorce. Then you have pulled a beautiful scripture rail split, in Jacob. You got all the way to verse 29 in Jacob 2 but then stopped. Why didn't you read on to verse 30 like an honest individual seeking the truth? It would have answered your question for you. It reads "For if I will saith the Lord of Hosts raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise, they shall hearken unto these things." Notice He said "Unless I build up a seed, you shall hearken to verses 22-24."
United Church of Canada: The Lord there said that those people were excusing their deeds because of what they read of David and Solomon and their deeds. The Lord said that they had been "Abominable before him." You can't dispute it.
Missionaries: Have you read the Old Testament, sir? Have you now? You must ask WHY it was abominable. Apparently, David and Solomon did something to make it that way since polygamy had been practiced by many others in the Old Testament without the Lord condemning it. Christ in Matt. 5:48 said that "God was perfect.” We then read 2 Samuel 12:8 where Nathan the Prophet speaking in the name of the Lord, said: "Thus saith the Lord God, speaking to David, I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's WIVES." It was none other than the God of Israel, the God of our fathers that gave David his wives. According to your own words, you have this day accused God of wickedness by your hasty interpretation of the Bible. If you had read the Old Testament, you would have found out why polygamy was abominable before the Lord's eyes. 2 Sam. 12:9 reads "Wherefore hast thou (David) despised the commandments of the LORD,....thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the Children of Ammon." It is pointed out again in 1 Kings 15:5 that "David did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, and turned not aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, SAVE ONLY IN THE MATTER OF URIAH THE HITTITE." That is why it was abominable, David had left those wives that God had given him, and committed adultery. The reason it was wicked with Solomon is answered in 1 Kings 11:1-11 and particularly in verses 9-11. As it points out Solomon turned his heart from the "God of Israel" and loved MANY STRANGE WOMEN of which the Lord said it had been wicked. The Son of God came from this same polygamous seed of David; and proudly I say to you as you facetiously asked me, "by their fruits I do know them". I look at Jesus Christ, David, Abraham and the greatest men of all time and say "By their fruits, ye shall know them." God sanctioned it, gave these prophets their wives, and called it righteous. He made provision for its practice in, and I know that it is a righteous commandment, and was given to the prophet by the Lord.