Rescuing the Restoration: Removing the Stain of Polygamy from the Restoration

Whitney Horning speaks at the Rescuing the Restoration conference held in Meridian, Idaho on February 26, 2022. The late Harold Bloom, literary critic, religious scholar, and Professor of Humanities at Yale University called Joseph Smith “an authentic religious genius.” Joseph was one of this world’s greatest Christian thinkers. However, Christians disregard and discount his message because they believe he was a liar, hypocrite, sexual deviant and pedophile. They base their accusations regarding Joseph Smith and polygamy on the historical preponderance of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, previously known as the “Mormons” or the LDS Church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints claims that Joseph Smith was commanded by God to enter into plural marriage, secretly teaching the doctrine to a select group of men and women. They base their beliefs upon the lies of John C. Bennett and others who betrayed Joseph, as well as on the post-martyrdom polygamy of Brigham Young and his followers. Joseph Smith III, oldest living son of Joseph and Emma Smith, established the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1860. Joseph III spent his life exonerating his father from the accusation of plural marriage. His church claimed for many generations that Joseph Smith was a faithful and honorable monogamist. ​ In fulfillment of prophecy, the world has long spoken both good and evil of Joseph Smith. In our day Joseph remains misrepresented, misjudged, and misunderstood, even by those churches who claim him as their founder. If Joseph was who he claimed to be, a messenger sent from the presence of God to teach us, then the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ which he began in 1830 ought to be rescued, preserved, embraced, and lived. To do so requires that we sift through history in order to discover truth. In April 1844, just a little over two months before his death, Joseph told the Mormon saints, “You don’t know me, you never knew my heart.” A few weeks later he declared, “If the doctrine that I preach is true, the tree must be good.” This talk will explore the truth behind polygamy, revealing Joseph Smith to be a man of honor, integrity, and virtue.