Polygamy Pageant in Manti
The Manti Miracle Pageant, which finishes its annual run next weekend, was invaded by the wives of Joseph Smith.In the spirit of street theater, dozens of evangelical Christian women dressed as Smith's wives mingled with the crowd attending the Miracle Pageant that extols the LDS Church's roots.
On the blog Mormon Coffee, Aaron Shafovaloff reports:
I didn’t personally hear of complaints of the display being called offensive (although I’m sure I’ll hear them soon enough; it’s not fun for Mormons to have to explain to their fellow members the history represented by this). . . .For photos go here.
One poster, responded:
This isn’t an attempt to ‘provoke thought and start evangelistic conversation.’ This is crass caricature – disrespectful of other’s religion. Intended to shock. Unworthy of anyone who would call themselves Christian. Shameful.
28 Comments:
Someone should go to evangelical events and have a mock slave auction, since it was southern evangelicals who were the primary participants in American slavery. Evangelical preachers used the Bible to justify slavery.
Sure, the Southern Baptist Convention apologized for this, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen.
And maybe we should all dress up like Klansmen at their events as well.
no way! religious bigotry on display? in utah? spotlighted for fun by warchol and the trib?
color me shocked.
not.
Man, I totally agree with the above comment. Yes, we LDS do go and proselyte people on streets and yes, we do contact people in their homes, and yes, these people are legally entitled to practice their religion,but the fact is that we don't go to their events and protest. You don't see Mormon missionaries out protesting the Pope's most recent visit, do you?
No, it's an event for Catholics and we weclome him. Do you see us protesting at evangelical music concerts? No.
It's time for a change. Not to hurt anyones feeling, but to show them how disturbing these tactics are.
This is a reply to Anonymus: The fact that the Curch of Josepg Smith send missionaries all over the world to tell people that their beliefs are wrong is already a lack of respect.
Why are the LDS faithful afraid of their past?
What's disturbing is that, of his roughly 30 wives, Joseph Smith married at least nine women who simultaneously had (other) living husbands. That's not mere polygyny, that's polyandry. Add to that the fact that Smith sent men on missions and then married their wife. Jesus said that false prophets and false teachers would come with bad fruit... Non-Mormon outsiders look at Smith's life and are appalled.
Fortunately, evangelical Christians have the courage to take some unpopular hits in order to get the truth to people. So many ex-Mormon had a crisis of conscience over "flicks" of Mormon history (as Gordon B. Hinckley so offensively called them). I'd rather people adopt a forthright honesty than the passive-aggressiveness that Mormonism fosters. Almost everyone criticizes other religions. Mormonism was started with a rebuke of the religion of Joseph's day ("all their creeds are an abomination", anyone?). Apostle Holland has given traditional Christianity a public scolding and bashing from Conference pulpit. It's incredibly hypocritical for people to attempt to take the moral high ground by claiming they don't criticize other religions when this kind of stuff happens. Why not just be adults and bring truth-claims to the table, both positive and negative?
By telling evangelical Christians to basically "shut up" and not participate in public religious engagement, positive and negative, you're basically exercising a form of your own bigotry and intolerance against Christians who feel sincerely called to love people and show them the truth. You're also telling evangelical Christians to disobey their own scripture:
"Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, 'Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.'" Ephesians 5:11-14
As an active LDS, if my son were to see this display in Manti I would explain that "yes, Joseph Smith married several women." Mormons don't talk much about it, but it's any more scandalous than B.Y. marrying several women. History is history. The world has changed since then.
"You're also telling evangelical Christians to disobey their own scripture:"
The one about doing unto others as you would have them do unto you seems to be kind of a blind spot, doesn't it?
Who could have known this would happen. I feel intospective. I really am proud of evangelicals who protest deaths. What a wonderful thing to do-protest a mans death (keith ledger) and (gordon b hinckley)-I wish I had the courage to go to funerals and protest peoples death because I disagreed with what the people did in there lives. Evangelicals are really brave people! I think evangelicals should b a little more brave and start burning all biblical text where holy prophets had more than one wife, such as Abraham, isaac, jacob......most evangelicals are quite stupid. They fully embrace a cannon of holy prophets that practiced polygamy - when in fact their idealogy and religion fully embraces polygamist prophets of the bible and then these idiotic evangelicas go and protest Joseph smith for being polygamist! Talk about a bunch of naive idiots that claim to believe in the bible. I demand that all evangelicals protest their own bible prophets for being polygamist. I thought we weren't sapposed to add or take away anything from the bible??? Should evangelicals accept polygamy than-like the great prophet abraham? No! But of course-evangelicals don't realize that the abandonment of polygamy has more to do with being Americanized. Where in the bible does it condemn Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for being polygamist? The truth is evangelicals hate Mormons, flds, and Muslims because they follow the Abraham with the practice of polygamy. Evangelicals have way too much time on their hands when they don't even understand their own history. Why didn't they dress up as Abraham's different wives? Why cuz they are ignorant bigots who like to pick and choose who they want to persecute-but if evangelical self righteous idiots are going to protest Mormon polygamist than they need to b honest with themselves and start protesting against their own bible. Why don't u self righteous evangelical bastards go find another funeral to protest! That makes a lot of sense-protesting a person who is dead - why don't u just pour salt on to the cut!
The bcs is a sham and has been the downfall of collsge football - I wish evangelicals would go protest something that really matters like the bcs championship series. That is the real joke of the world!
bcsrevolution.com
Anonymous, can you think of any example of Biblical prophets practicing any formed of condoned polyandry? Joseph Smith married women who were already married to other living husbands.
Also, where does God condone Abraham sleeping with a concubine, etc.?
If you are so confident of polygamy being ethical, why don't you think the Church is more forthright about Joseph Smith's relationships? Why do many Mormons think polygamy started with Brigham?
To confuse the evangelicals who do evangelism at Manti with the funeral-protesting Fred Phelps gang is a huge error. I'd invite you to actually do some talking and meeting before, in bigotry, confusing the two groups. Ironically, bigotry seems to be the driving force behind those who would want Phelps to represent traditional Christians. This kind of bigotry seems like a way of convincing oneself not to take a group like evangelicals seriously. It'd be like an outsiders letting Warren Jeffs representing mainstream Mormonism.
It would be interesting to see Mormons give evangelicals a taste of their own medicine.
Mormons get targeted by evangelicals and secularists because they don't fight back.
Taken from the bigot's website.
"Nancy’s marriage to Joseph is undocumented, although according to Mormon Church Historian Andrew Jenson, Nancy married Joseph sometime before his death in June of 1844."
Liars use UNDOCUMENTED HERESAY for their claims. The Evangelical bible says "No liars in heaven."
Uh, are you quoting from wivesofjosephsmith.org? I think that might actually be run by a Mormon.
Joseph, Brigham and all those old goats were fist of all child molesters. Wolves in sheeps clothing. Hey Mormons, deal with it.
This display would not be complete without the angel and his flaming sword used to command Joseph to take on the extra wives.
Warchol is happy that he has pissed you all off.
Ignore the bastard and he'll stop writing his hateful Mormon bashing.
When you consider the history of evangelicals who owned and abused black people for years and who perpetuated the hateful practices of the KKK, SUDDENLY, the practice of polygamy among Mormons doesn't seem that offensive.
Mormons maybe have a weird bend in their history, but Evangelicals are downright dangerous and hateful.
Of course, (fellow) anonymous, the founder of Christianity was not a slaveholder . . . or a polygamist.
The FACT that Joseph Smith married-and-or-stole multiple wives from others is history, just as his successor, BY, did.
The LDS love to ignore history, even to the point of playing down the "divine principle" of polygamy, or even leaving out all mention of it in their sanitized publications on JS.
BTW, when is that next revision of the BOM coming?
Just to set the record straight, we need to recognize the evengelicals who were in the abolition movement to free the slaves and who operated the underground railroad. Also please count up the number of evengelicals who fought and died to free the slaves. The evangelical pastor Charles Finney started Oberlin College that admited blacks and women and allowed them all to be in the same classroom. Billy Graham, another evengelical, would not allow segragated seating at his crusades from the beginning. A little history to balence out the hysteria. Actually I'd love to see Mormons protest at evengelical gatherings. It would be a wonderful opportunity to introduce Mormons to the real Gospel of Jesus Christ instead of Joseph Smith's invention.
I'd like to mirror the last person that posted. Just because there are and have been some really evil intentioned people out there who call themselves Christians, doesn't mean that Christianity is the bad apple. It's founder, our Lord Jesus Christ, is perfect. He didn't practice polygamy, and especially didn't practice polyandry, nor is it EVER commanded in the Bible. The prophets in the Bible have sinned taking on more than one wife, just as Joseph Smith. The only difference is that Joseph Smith (and subsequent prophets) taught it was essential to be polygamous in order to live with God in the celestial kingdom, which is heresy and blasphemy. Also, he got himself into polyandrous relationships, and relationships with mere teenagers.
Sickening.
By the way, my name is Jeff, not anonymous. I'm just too lazy to create a login, haha.
To all of you who want to come and protest Christians, I say bring it on!!! The "Wives" weren't protesting and they weren't being "anti". They were speaking the truth. Isn't that what the pageant is all about, "the true church". If it's all about the truth then why is it that so many people didn't know it. And yes I was there. It's not about being contensious. It's about the truth. Maybe if the people of the mormon church knew the mormon church they wouldn't follow it so blindly. It's laziness. Think for yourself, read for yourself, and most of all decide for yourself. Because if the christians are wrong they are going to end up in the lowest level of heaven, but in the mormon is wrong they are going to hell.
Before you call evangelical Christians idoits I think you better check your facts. The term evangelical means a believer in the gospels of Jesus Christ. The prophets you are sighting are all old testament prophets. And we're not denying that they did it. However, even in smith's own book of mormon he states in Jacob 2:23-28 he says it is "abominable" to God to have more that one wife or and concubins. So why did he do it? If as the intro states to the bom, it is the fullness of God, then wasn't he done with it? So why changes? Oh yea js was a prophet right? Test it. If it doesn't come true he is not a prophet. For example was the temple built in Missouri d&c84 or did David Patten fulfill his mission d&c 114? No But in Duet. and Matt. God tells us to test the prophets and if just one doesn't come true the he is a false prophet. However your calling us stupid. I was there friday night and there was a huge percentage of mormans who didn't even realize that js had many wives. Understandably so since that's what the "church" wants them to believe. I agree it's just laziness. Get out your book and read for yourself. Your smart enough to work a computer so you should be able to read.
You better watch it Glenn. If the church doesn't like you they will come and smash your computer like they did in navoo with the printing press.
Its little things like this that we lead people away from the lies of Smith, to a relationship with Jesus Christ.
I pray that the LDS will learn that it's about a relationship with Jesus, not the false religion Smith created.
You guys are CRAZY!!!
Joseph smith had ONLY ONE Wife!!
Emma Smith!! How could true LDS people say he had mulitpule wifes! You protestors are all con artists, trying to make people believe you are ACTIVE LDS when you really arn't YOU have stooped down to the most pathetic level ever thought possible!!
Sorry you guys are like that!
It makes me sick!!
To the last comment, We are not "crazy" nor are we "con artists". We are educated, well intentioned people who want you to see the truth. If you really think that JS had only one wife then you don't even believe LDS published history. Stop being a lamb lead astray by false teachings. Stop taking the churches word for things and read for yourself. I'm amazed at how many smart people are fooled by this false prophet. What do you have to loose by researching it for yourself. If we're wrong we'll go to the lowest level of heaven. If your wrong, your going to hell.
Its so frustrating to me that LDS members don't realize what they believe is so wrong and well...silly. Yeah Joseph Smith wanted some sort of a Utopia, good luck to all of you trying to succeed at being perfect.
It is interesting that some Mormons acknowledge that JS had multiple wives as true, yet they minimize it by stating that it is a bend in history, or compare it to the flaw of Southern Baptists who had slaves or compare it to mistakes made by other religions. The problem with this Mormon approach is that Joeseph Smith as a Prophet of God ordained polyandry as righteous and necessary for salvation, the LDS Church considers polyandry and polygamy as necessary and commanded from God for Salvation, the practice is an essential and core component of Mormonism. Mormons who minimize the LDS history of polygamy don't understand the LDS Doctrine. Such Mormons fail to see how the FLDS practice is closer to BY's and JS's Mormonism than the SLC based LDS Church is. They fail to see how the LDS Church is actually an apostate version of JS's and BY's Mormonism. Mormonism is false on various levels, but misunderstanding their own religion is really interesting.
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