Episode 73: Acknowledging the Elephant—A Conversation About Polygamy with The Faithful Feminists
If you ask a Latter-day Saint woman what she keeps on her metaphorical faith “shelf,” there’s a good chance polygamy will be there. It’s largely unacknowledged in our official church conversations and teachings, a historical wound that continues to fester in our doctrine, making it easier to ignore than to heal. Many friends and family members can’t even share their true feelings about it with each other. But what are the consequences of our silence around polygamy? How long will we be able to collectively carry an enormous weight we never allow ourselves to set down? Channing and Elise from The Faithful Feminists podcast join Cynthia and Susan for an honest exploration of where we’ve been, where we are, and where we might go next.
Notes & Quotes:
The Birth of Pleasure, by Carol Gilligan
Polygamy in Pieces - Part One: Timeline (Doctrine & Covenants 132), The Faithful Feminists podcast, 11/08/2021
I hold that 132 is a mixed bag.
Which makes it hard to completely throw out.
It contains a baby (verses 4 to 33) in dirty bath water (most of the remaining parts of the section.)
The dirty bath water of polygamy likely came in Joseph's dark moments like during Liberty Jail.
Trauma leads to escapism.
Error is nearly always mixed with truth to make it stick.
It was not just women that were victimized by polygamy.
Polygamy resulted in thousands of forced bachelors within the church as there were slightly more men than women in Utah while it was practiced.
The men that practiced it were also burdened by it.