View source for Question: How can President Hinckley claim that polygamy is "not doctrinal" if it was a required practice in the 19th-Century Church?

{{FairMormon}}
<onlyinclude>
==Question: How can President Hinckley claim that polygamy is "not doctrinal" if it was a required practice in the 19th-Century Church?==
===The Church no longer teaches polygamy as doctrine, despite the fact that it was doctrine in the 19th-Century Church===

Despite the fact that rules regarding polygamy are outlined in D&C 132, the Church no longer teaches it as doctrine. It ''was'' taught as doctrine in the 1800's, it is ''not'' taught as doctrine today. There is no doctrine that allows the present practice of plural marriage in the Church. Its practice is "not doctrinal."

===Polygamy is illegal today, and Church policy is to respect the law on the matter===

Polygamy is illegal today, and Church policy is to respect the law on the matter. For most of the practice of plural marriage, the Church fought the anti-polygamy laws, and regarded them as violations of the Constitution. Any decision to disobey secular law for conscience sake must be specifically commanded by the Church's leaders. At present, that has not happened.

Many constitutional law scholars--LDS and non-LDS--regard the Supreme Court decisions on the legality of plural marriage as clearly biased and motivated by religious prejudice. The nineteenth century Saints had good grounds for believing that the law was unjust and would eventually be overturned. <ref>{{Periodical:Smith:Polygamy Prophets and Prevarication}} describes these issues in detail.</ref>
</onlyinclude>
{{endnotes sources}}
[[Category:Letter to a CES Director]]
[[Category:MormonThink]]

<!-- PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE ANYTHING BELOW THIS LINE -->

[[es:Pregunta: ¿Cómo puede el presidente Hinckley reclamar que la poligamia no es "doctrinal" si se trataba de una práctica necesaria en la Iglesia 19o siglo?]]
[[pt:Pergunta: Como pôde o Presidente Hinckley afirmar que poligamia não era doutrinária considerando que era uma prática obrigatória na Igreja no século 19?]]