Quote:
Originally Posted by MorningStar
Fiannan, those people are only married in their imaginations. By definition, they are committing adultery no matter which religious standards they are going by. They are not legally and lawfully married. It sounded like you were saying from your viewpoint, they were following God's commandments.
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MorningStar, you say
no matter which religious standards they are going by they are committing adultery.
The point here is that-- that simply isn't true. If these people were convinced that the teaching of Joseph Smith on polygamy was a true doctrine.... and if they never had a religious leader that THEY accept as a prophet-- tell them otherwise, they are probably sacrificing much to follow what they still believe is a commandment of God. We who have stayed with the main body of the church and not one of the splinter groups have it easy. Our ancestors went through the torment of being driven from their homes, of living the law of polygamy, of having husbands thrown in jail. And we rejoice that the law of polygamy was taken off of us. Our lives have been greatly comforted by it. We murmur about modern-day prejudices that we see.
The FLDS and similar groups are still undergoing the persecutions that earlier LDS went through. For their beliefs they are arrested and thrown in jail. For their beliefs hundreds of children have been siezed UNCONSTITUTIONALLY and placed in foster homes. These are not a people out to overthrow a country. They seek to quietly live their lives and worship God in the way they belief they should. And the sorrow of the families in Texas is just as bad as the bloody footprints that early saints left in snow.
And it is for their beliefs. It is FAITH that keeps them on their path, it is not adultery. They may not be "legal" but they believe without a doubt that they are "lawful." Many scriptures teach them that, and the scriptures are their ultimate law. They are more concerned with pleasing God than with pleasing man.
I have read a journal of a polygamist ancestor... it was painful and difficult. They did it because they believed they were called of God to do so. I think it's wrong to call it adultery. It calls for much greater faith than most of us exhibits.
Sister of Jared