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President Hinckley attempting to suppress information on Joseph Smith and Brigham Young

By Réal Courchesne

In 1997, President Gordon B. Hinckley and the First Presidency of the Church (the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles) published a manual entitled: "Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young." In which they have altered the teachings of Joseph Smith, even the teachings of the seven first prophets of the Church. How could they forget approximately 48 of Brigham Young's children in that book? How could they forget to mention the number of children of the first seven prophets of the Church and not forgetting those of the succeeding prophets? Or are they attempting to suppress information regarding Joseph Smith and Brigham Young's plural wives?

In this new manual published in 22 languages now used by the Relief Society and the Priesthood, (male and female), they are presenting Brigham Young, as been married to only one wife at the time, when older church records tells us that he had 55 wives in plural marriage?

The manual does contain a "Historical Summary" that mentions President Brigham Young's first wife, Miriam Works by which he had two children. The book states that after Miriam's death he married Mary Ann Angell in 1834 (see page vii). On page 4, we find that "six children were born into their family." Unfortunately, the fact that President Young actually had 55 wives during his lifetime is entirely omitted from the record!

That book is telling old members and especially gullible new members that Brigham Young was monogamist when he was a bigamist. This book is telling some truth about Brigham Young's but says nothing about his 55 wives and his 56 children. I believe that this book is deceiving the readers.

Interestingly, the Deseret News 1997-98 Church Almanac mishandled the matter in the same way. It noted that Joseph Smith was married to "Emma Hale Jan. 18, 1827." The fact that he actually had many plural wives, however, is not found in the "Historical Listing of General Authorities" (see pages 40-41).

The Deseret News 1997-98 Church Almanac as well as the "Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young." are deliberately attempting to mask the first seven presidents of the church that practice polygamy: Joseph Smith, Jr, Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, Joseph Fielding Smith, and Heber Jeddy Grant.

The truth and all the truth. This is not a fact but only an example; lets assume that once or twice a week I come home about one or two hrs late from work, and tell my wife that I stopped at my friend's house (friend which she already knows). And I tell her that I had a chat with him and state some of the things we talked about, which are the complete truth. But I completely omit to say that after talking to my friend for five minutes, I walked into one of his roomer's bedroom and had sex with here as usual and then came home.

Would I have been telling the truth or been lying to my wife when telling here some truth about what my friend and I talked about when stopping at his house?

I believe that when they say that Brigham Young was the second President of the Church, that he was a great colonizer and a builder, a devoted husband and father, a faithful disciple sustaining the kingdom of the Lord, they are telling the truth. But not only they are not telling all the truth concerning Brigham Young's but they are falsifying the information concerning his plural wives and his determination to promote polygamy established by the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Are they trying to cover-up for those like Joseph F. Smith, who served as the 6th president of the church, which made this definite declaration concerning the importance of polygamy?

"Some people have supposed that the doctrine of plural marriage was a sort of superfluity, or nonessential to the salvation of mankind. In other words, some of the Saints have said, and believe that a man with one wife, sealed to him by the authority of the Priesthood for time and eternity, will receive an exaltation as great and glorious, if he is faithful, as he possibly could with more than one. I want here to enter my protest against this idea, for I know it is false... Therefore, whoever has imagined that he could obtain the fullness of the blessings pertaining to this celestial law, by complying with only a portion of its conditions, has deceived himself. He cannot do it. When that principle was revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith,... he did not falter, although it was not until an angel of God, with a drawn sword, stood before him and commanded that he should enter into the practice of that principle, or he should be utterly destroyed, or rejected.... "If then, this principle was of such great importance that the Prophet himself was threatened with destruction,... it is useless to tell me that there is no blessing attached to obedience to the law, or that a man with only one wife can obtain as great a reward, glory or kingdom as he can with more than one,...

"I understand the law of celestial marriage to mean that every man in this Church, who has the ability to obey and practice it in righteousness and will not, shall be damned, I say I understand it to mean this and nothing less, and I testify in the name of Jesus that it does mean that." (Journal of Discourses, vol. 20, pp. 28-31)

In 1891 the First Presidency and Apostles made the following statement in a petition to the President of the United States: "We formerly taught to our people that polygamy or celestial marriage as commanded by God through Joseph Smith was right; that it was a necessity to man's highest exaltation in the life to come." vol. 1, page 18

Brigham Young made this statement on August 19, 1866: "The only men who become Gods, even the Sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy." (Journal of Discourses, vol. 11, page 269)

On another occasion President Brigham Young warned the members:"Now if any of you will deny the plurality of wives and continue to do so, I promise that you will be damned . . . " " (Deseret News, November 14, 1855.

I want you to know that my questions are of serious matters and will not be forgotten or over looked by a certain number of good honest Church members.

This book is a falsification; it teaches old and especially new members that Brigham Young had only two wives when they without a doubt know (from the records of the Church), that he had 55 wives and 56 childrens. By approving the publication of that book the first Presidency are deceiving the people.

I suppose that in the case of loosing their argument against Joseph Smith teachings they could always blame The U. S. Congress for their actions. But remember that The U. S. Congress never forced the Church members to deny the teachings of Joseph Smith but simply forced them to obey the law of the land concerning the practice of plural marriage.

I fully understand and endorse the fact that Church members must obey the law of the land until plural marriage and concubines become legal in the U.S. But fidelity to the teachings of Joseph Smith is required from the leaders of the Church today. I understand that they may find themselves in a very strange situation but completely repudiate the doctrine of polygamy as they are doing today is to deny Joseph Smith's teachings. I hope they are not contemplating to removing the revelation (DC: 132) from the Doctrine and Covenants because it would be admitting that Joseph Smith was a deceiver, and that the church was founded on fraud.

They may believe that vigorously defending Joseph Smith's teachings would probably encourage Church members to enter into the practice which would bring disgrace upon the church. I understand that they maybe in a very strange situation for on the one hand, they must teach the members to obey the law of the land, but on the other, they must protect the teachings of Joseph Smith. Altering or overlooking the teachings of Joseph Smith is certainly not the solution.

According to me, deliberately attempting to mask the first seven presidents of the church that practiced polygamy is an absolute unnecessary reaction. I believe that the Church members would observe the US government law against plural marriage.

I believe that many of the books from which I have taken quotes for my letters during the last two and half years will become collector's items because I know that to be able to support one theory they will have to eliminate the other. And it's now only a matter of time for those books will be altered or removed from the Church book stores.