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FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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+ | [[fr:Joseph Smith/Polygamy/Illegal]] |
Critics claim that the practice of polygamy was against the law.
To see citations to the critical sources for these claims, [[../CriticalSources|click here]]
Polygamy was certainly declared illegal during the Utah-era anti-polygamy crusade, and was arguably illegal under the Illinois anti-bigamy statutes. This is hardly new information, and Church members and their critics knew it. Modern members of the Church generally miss the significance of this fact, however: the practice of polygamy was a clear case of civil disobedience.
The Church believes in honoring and sustaining the law, but it does not believe that members must surrender their religious beliefs or conscience to the state. Elder James E. Talmage taught that members should obey the law, unless God commanded an exception:
Not surprisingly, the question comes down to whether Joseph was a Prophet and whether God commanded his actions.
FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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