Polygamy, Polygyny, and Plural Marriage

I was up late last night, like 2:30 AM late. After the movie, I came home to finish up my lesson for today. I'd already spent many, many hours on it, but it's a subject where I need to strengthen my testimony, and it's also a touchy subject for many, so I wanted to get it right and know that I could answer any questions that might come up. I just fretted about it a lot.



Let me tell you how this started. Jason and I teach Sunday School class to the 16-18 year olds in our ward. (Technically, it's supposed to be the 16 and 17 year olds, but many stick around until they leave on their missions or head to college or the military. And we love having them, so we don't kick them out!) We set up a website where they could go anonymously ask any question they would like to discuss in class, whether it be a 5 minute answer or an entire lesson. We've gotten questions about everything from horses in the Americas during the time of the Nephites to how to feel secure in your own spirituality when you leave home. The last question we got was:

Why did the church practice polygamy?

If you've tried to research this at all, you know there are very few sources that are reliable on the subject. The church websites and books all state the matter very similarly, so I kept finding the exact same material over and over that way. And beyond that, you risk getting into opinions rather than facts, or worse yet, distortions and partial truths. As I started to dig, I found that the Lord doesn't tell us directly why our predecessors had to practice this spiritual law, but there are a lot of hints if you look at the timeline of the church, so I made a HUGE timeline! It's about 12 feet long.

(Yes, the ends are being held down by little boy toys. That's how we roll in our house.) As you look at where the saints are and what they are focusing on as time goes by, you can see different ways in which plural marriage would be a blessing for them. At the beginning of the lesson, one student asked, "So was plural marriage in our dispensation commanded of God?" My answer was, "That's what I want you to decide for yourself as we go through the timeline." Our teenagers are amazing and ask insightful questions like that all the time. There were several other questions during the lesson that were just as powerful and well thought out. Those kids amaze us every Sunday. It's hard to even call them kids when they are so close to adulthood.

I'm so thankful that we get to be influenced by these great teenagers. I'm also thankful that Jason and I are called together on this. It's our first calling as a couple in our entire marriage, and it's fun to teach with him. It's great to prepare lessons and get into in depth discussions while doing so. I love being able to get to know each person in our class as an individual. They all have such great challenges AND great strengths. It's a privilege to watch them grow.