Joseph Smith's Reasons for the Practice of Plural Marriage: To Raise Up Righteous Seed

Perhaps the second most common explanation (after restored Old Testament plural marriage) advanced by polygamy apologists is based upon the doctrine of the premortal existence, which is unique to the LDS Church. Plural marriage allows faithful men to sire a greater number of children, thus providing more physical bodies for premortal spirits to inhabit on earth where they can be raised under the influence of believing fathers and mothers.

It appears that Joseph Smith personally discussed this as a benefit of earthly polygamy. He explained: “…for they [plural wives] are given unto him to multiply and replenish the earth… for their exaltation in the eternal worlds, that they may bear the souls of men…” (D&C 132:63).

Nauvooan Charles Lambert recalled: “The Prophet used to hold meetings in a log house of his sometimes… at one of these he said he wished he had a people that he could reveal to them what the Lord had shown to him. But one thing I will say, there are thousands of spirits that have been waiting to come forth in this day and generation. Their proper channel is through the priesthood, a way has to be provided. But the time has come and they have got to come away.”[1] Helen Mar Kimball wrote: “It was revealed to the [Joseph Smith] that there were thousands of spirits, yet unborn, who were anxiously waiting for the privilege of coming down to take tabernacles of flesh, that their glory might be complete.”[2]

Brigham Young explained: “This revelation [authorizing plural marriage], which God gave to Joseph, was for the express purpose of providing a channel for the organization of tabernacles, for those spirits to occupy who have been reserved to come forth in the kingdom of God, and that they might not be obliged to take tabernacles out of the kingdom of God.”[3] In 1847 he also expounded:

Admitting the Lord created the same number of women as men at the beginning and were commanded to multiply and replenish the earth and to fill up the measure of their creation in righteousness; the question is did they do it? Answer No. They soon disobeyed every commandment and plunged themselves into wickedness and rendered themselves unworthy to raise up seed unto the Lord and in fact used every means in there power to cut off life and hinder woman answering the end for which they were created; nine tenth of them would rebel against the very thing he was created to do. Hence you see the propriety of the Lord's calling upon men who bears the priesthood to take to themselves wives from among the daughters of men and raise up a righteous seed unto him that he might fill up the measure of there creation.[4]

I have told you many times that there are multitudes of pure and holy spirits waiting to take tabernacles, now what is our duty?--to prepare tabernacles for them; to take a course that will not tend to drive those spirits into the families of the wicked, where they will be trained in wickedness, debauchery, and every species of crime. It is the duty of every righteous man and woman to prepare tabernacles for all the spirits they can; hence if my women leave, I will go and search up others who will abide the celestial law, and let all I now have go where they please; though I will send the Gospel to them. This is the reason why the doctrine of plurality of wives was revealed, that the noble spirits which are waiting for tabernacles might be brought forth.[5]

Years later Brigham counseled: “If we could make every man upon the earth get him a wife, live righteously and serve God, we would not be under the necessity, perhaps, of taking more than one wife. But they will not do this; the people of God, therefore, have been commanded to take more wives.”[6]

Orson Pratt taught in 1852 that before mortality, there were spirits in the premortal world who “were called the great and mighty ones, reserved until the dispensation of the fulness of times, to come forth upon the face of the earth, through a noble parentage that shall train their young and tender minds in the truths of eternity, that they may grow up in the Lord, and be strong in the power of His might, be clothed upon with His glory, be filled with exceeding great faith; that the visions of eternity may be opened to their minds; that they may be Prophets, Priests, and Kings to the Most High God.”[7] Polygamy would increase the possibility that these noble spirits might be born into mortality unto “noble parentage.”

Parley P. Pratt agreed:

Again, it was a law of the ancient Priesthood, and is again restored, that a man who is faithful in all things, may, by the word of the Lord, through the administration of one holding the keys to bind on earth and heaven, receive and secure to himself, for time and all eternity, more than one wife.

Thus did Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, the Patriarchs and Prophets of old.

The principle object contemplated by this law, is the multiplication of the children of good and worthy fathers, who will teach them the truth, and train them in the holy principles of salvation. This is far preferable to sending them into the world in the lineage of an unworthy or ignorant parentage, to be educated in error, folly ignorance and crime.[8]

Despite these obvious advantages, it might be observed that the more wives and children in a patriarch’s family, the less personal time he has to spend with each one. Accordingly, his direct influence is paradoxically diluted. However, his beliefs might remain strong as his wives reflect his convictions in their interactions with their own children and his literal fatherhood provides an expanded lineage of the House of Israel through which spirits could be born.

[1] Charles Lambert, “Autobiography,” CHL; quoted in Danel W. Bachman, “The Authorship of the Manuscript of Doctrine and Covenants Section 132,” in Sidney B. Sperry Symposium: A Sesquicentennial Look at Church History, January 26, 1980, Provo, Utah: Religious Instruction, BYU, 1980, 43en44.

[2] Helen Mar Kimball Whitney, Why We Practice Plural Marriage, Salt Lake City: Juvenile Instructor Office, 1884, 7.

[3] Brigham Young, July 14, 1855, Journal of Discourses, Vol.3, p.265; see also 16:166.

[4] Scott G. Kenny, ed., Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 1833-1898, typescript, 9 vols., Midvale, Utah: Signature Books, 1983-85, 3:129, February 16, 1847; see also Charles Kelly, ed., ed., The Journals of John D. Lee 1846-47 and 1859. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1984, 79-80.

[5] Brigham Young, September 21, 1856, Journal of Discourses, 4:56.

[6] Brigham Young, August 31, 1873, Journal of Discourses, 16:166.

[7] Orson Pratt, August 29, 1852, Journal of Discourses, 1:62.

[8] Parley P. Pratt, Key to the Science of Theology, Liverpool: F. D. Richards, 1855, 161-63; emphasis in original.