Mormon History
Clear, sourced answers to the questions people actually ask about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
21 articles
What Did Brigham Young Teach? Every Contested Claim
What did Brigham Young teach — and which contested claims hold up? Every teaching quoted from the primary record, classified by the Church’s own test.
Did Joseph Smith Lie About Polygamy? The Denials, Explained
Did Joseph Smith lie about polygamy? He publicly denied it while practicing it — the Church's own essay calls the denials 'carefully worded.' What they targeted (Bennett's spiritual wifery), the lethal stakes, and the honest residue.
Doctrine and Covenants 132, Explained
What does D&C 132 actually teach? Its enduring doctrine is eternal marriage; plural marriage was its historical occasion, ended in 1890. Why a canon section governs an ended practice, and how to read its hardest verses.
Emma Smith: Polygamy, the Church, and What She Knew
Was Emma Smith ever excommunicated? No — never. What Emma knew about polygamy and when, the four sealings she facilitated, the revelation she burned, why she stayed, and how to read her 1879 denial. The whole record.
How Many Wives Did Joseph Smith Have? The Honest Count
How many wives did Joseph Smith have? One civil wife (Emma); 30–40 sealed per the Church's own essay; 33 documented. Why the counts differ, what sworn testimony settles, and what DNA settled — the honest count.
John C. Bennett: The Critics' Most Lurid Source
Who was John C. Bennett? The Nauvoo insider turned exposer whose 1842 book seeded 180 years of lurid polygamy claims — and whom the very historians critics cite treat as the least reliable source in the field. A consider-the-source study.
Joseph Smith’s Wives: The Complete List & Their Own Words
Who were Joseph Smith’s wives? The complete documented list with ages (14–58), the women’s own testimony, and what happened to them — from the record.
Polyandry or Eternity-Only? Joseph Smith’s Married-Woman Sealings
Did Joseph Smith commit polyandry? He was sealed to ~14 civilly married women — documented fact. But the fullest research (Hales) finds no credible evidence of sexual relations in any; they’re best read as eternity-only sealings.
Seven Common Criticisms of Joseph Smith — A Comprehensive Mormonism Explained Response
A comprehensive, research-grounded response to thirteen of the most common criticisms of Joseph Smith, drawing exclusively on official Church publications and Latter-day Saint scholarship.