In July, 1845, Parley P. Pratt, in the "Millennial Star," published at Liverpool, had denounced the "Spiritual-Wife doctrine of J. C. Bennett,"—which was one of the earliest manifestations of polygamy in the church,—as a "doctrine of devils" and of "seducing spirits," using this language: "It is but another name for whoredom, wicked and unlawful connection, and every kind of confusion, corruption, and abomination."[228:B]
In May, 1848, Orson Spencer, then editor of the "Star," used the following language:—
"In all ages of the church truth has been turned into a lie, and
the grace of God converted into lasciviousness, by men who have sought to make 'a gain' of godliness, and feed their lusts on the credulity of the righteous and unsuspicious. . . . Next to the long-hackneyed and bugaboo whisperings of polygism, is another abomination that sometimes shows its serpentine crests, which we shall call sexual resurrectionism. . . . The doctrines of corrupt spirits are always in close affinity with each other, whether they consist in spiritual wife-ism, sexual resurrection, gross lasciviousness, or the unavoidable separation of husbands and wives, or the communism of property."[229:A]
In July, 1850, at a discussion held at Boulogne, France, John Taylor, a well-known Mormon Apostle, when charged with the belief and practice of this doctrine, said:—"We are accused here of polygamy, and actions the most indelicate, obscene, and disgusting, such that none but a corrupt and depraved heart could have contrived. These things are too outrageous to admit of belief. Therefore, leaving the sisters of the 'White Veil,' the 'Black Veil,' and all the other veils, with those gentlemen to dispose of, together with their authors, as they think best, I shall content myself by reading our views of chastity and marriage, from a work published by us, containing some of the articles of our faith."[229:B] He then read from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, the article on marriage, already quoted from.
Here we have the following facts:—
In 1830 the Mormon Church organized, and the Book of Mormon was published, in which polygamy is strongly condemned.
In 1831, the same doctrine condemned, in a revelation to Joseph Smith, which was afterward published in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants.
In July, 1843, the revelation in favor of polygamy, said to have been given to Joseph Smith.
In February, 1844, polygamy publicly denounced by Joseph and Hyrum Smith.