Polygamy was practiced by some Mormons from the 1840s to 1890. Polygamy, or plural marriage, remains one of the most controversial practices in Mormon history. There are many half-truths, rumors, and misinformed teachings about polygamy and its practice by the Mormon Church. In the 1830s, the Prophet Joseph Smith, founder and prophet of the Mormon Church, prayed to understand why certain prophets like Abraham and Moses practiced polygamy. In response, the Lord gave him a revelation (now D&C 132). This revelation teaches that God has commanded polygamy at various times been in order to fulfill certain promises He has made to man. The Book of Mormon teaches polygamy, too:
For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none; For I, the Lord God, delight in the chastity of women. And whoredoms are an abomination before me; thus saith the Lord of Hosts. […] For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things (Jacob 2:27-8, 30).
This teaches that sometimes to “raise up seed,” the Lord will command polygamy, but unless God directly commands it through a prophet, men are forbidden from practicing it. According to Joseph Smith, the first wife had to agree to the new marriage, before it could take place. Polygamy became the most widely known practice of Mormons and was associated with Brigham Young most of all. Polygamy was the cause of some of theworst persecution in Mormon history . The U.S. government passed many laws stripping Mormons of their right to vote or hold public office and arrested many Mormon men. By the 1880s the Mormon Church had lost most of its property and thousands of Mormon men were jailed. Finally, after praying about how to end the difficulties, Mormon Prophet Wilford Woodruff received a revelation that the time had come to end the practice of polygamy. Some refused to accept this and left the Mormon Church, but most of the Church accepted it. Today, anyone who practices polygamy is excommunicated from the Mormon Church.