Polygamy in Mormonism
In 1843, the principle of plural marriage was given by God through Joseph Smith. The Prophet and some of the leaders in the Mormon Church were commanded to enter into this practice. After President Brigham Young, the second president of the church, led the saints to the Salt Lake Valley, plural marriage was taught and practiced until the year of 1890.
Mormon polygamy was practiced because the Lord commanded it. Sometimes, we do not know why God has asked us to do certain things, but we do it because of our faith in Him and our desire to be obedient. Why was Abraham asked to sacrifice his son Isaac? Abraham did not know except that the Lord required it of him; the Lord required his obedience.
On September 24, 1890, President Wilford Woodruff, President of the Church at that time, having received a revelation from God, issued an Official Declaration, The Manifesto, stating that the Mormons should cease the practice of entering into plural marriage [Mormon Polygamy]. The Lord showed President Woodruff in a vision that ‘unless the practice of plural marriage was ended, the United States government would take over the temples, thus ending work for the living and the dead.’
On October 6, 1890, the declaration was put before the body of the church and it was unanimously sustained to forego the practice of polygamy.
There are those who continue to this day to practice polygamy. However, they are not associated with the Church and are not members of the Mormon Church. "All who pretend or assume to engage in plural marriage in this day, when the one holding the keys has withdrawn the power by which they are performed, are guilty of gross wickedness."
In an interview with Larry King in 1998, President Gordon B. Hinckley, now the President of the Mormon Church, stated the following: "We are faced these days with many newspaper articles on this subject [Mormon polygamy]… I wish to state categorically that this Church has nothing whatever to do with those practicing [Mormon] polygamy. They are not members of this Church. Most of them have never been members. They are in violation of the civil law. They know they are in violation of the law. They are subject to its penalties… If any of our members are found to be practicing plural marriage, they are excommunicated, the most serious penalty the Church can impose. Not only are those so involved in direct violation of the civil law, they are in violation of the law of this Church…More than a century ago God clearly revealed unto His prophet Wilford Woodruff that the practice of plural marriage should be discontinued, which means that it is now against the law of God…the Church teaches that marriage must be monogamous and does not accept into its membership those practicing plural marriage."