Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Which is the Breakaway Group?

I've been following the Jeffs trial in the Deseret News. Since they started allowing anonymous comments to be posted on stories, there have (predictably) been some pretty nasty things said. Internet trolls will be internet trolls. At the risk of feeding the trolls, I had some thoughts on what one of them said, something along the lines of "the FLDS church follows the religion founded by Joseph Smith more closely than the LDS church does." No justification given.

OK, I'll just have to read his mind. The FLDS church is most famous for its practice of polygamy, so I can only assume that's what he's talking about. LDS: clearly not practicing it any more. LDS 0, FLDS 1. But wait, the idea of polygamy wasn't even introduced until 1831, the religion "as founded by Joseph Smith" did not include polygamy. But hey, I'm feeling generous, let's leave the score as it is.

Now, Joseph Smith clearly taught that everyone had their own agency, especially including those entering into polygamous marriages. FLDS practices arranged marriages, and when a girl like the witness in the Jeffs trial asks not to be a part of it, she is told to give herself to her arranged husband. Agency? I'm afraid I'm going to have to dock a point. LDS 0, FLDS 0.

Joseph Smith did not break up marriages as a punishment for apostasy, so far as I know. Many ex-FLDS have testified that their wives were given to other men when they left. Without hearing what the wives have to say, I hesitate to change the score based on this one.

Enough about polygamy. What was the religion "as founded by Joseph Smith" really based on? The Book of Mormon is a pretty key part. I don't know how much the FLDS uses the Book of Mormon, but I'll be generous again. LDS 1, FLDS 1. Continuing revelation? LDS 2, FLDS 2. Ahh, but who has the authority to receive revelation for the church? The current prophet, including (in 1890) (drum roll...) Wilford Woodruff. FLDS believes that Wilford Woodruff led us astray when he abandoned polygamy. LDS 3, FLDS 2. Joseph Smith taught that a man cannot take authority upon himself, that he "must be called of God by prophecy..." I don't know where the Jeffs family gets their authority, but it wasn't given by Wilford Woodruff. LDS 4, FLDS 2. Another important teaching was the gathering of Israel, aka missionary work. Does FLDS have missionaries? LDS 5, FLDS 2.

Perhaps all I've succeeded in doing is criticized FLDS in the same way that our critics attack us. Or shown my own ignorance about FLDS. Or fed the Internet trolls. (Good thing I haven't publicized this blog, huh?)