Polygamy Apologetics: Calling it "Spiritual Wifery" & more | Ep. 1691 | LDS Discussions Ep. 29

The Language of Justification: How Mormon Apologetics Reframe Polygamy as "Spiritual" Rather Than Doctrinal

When the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints faces difficult historical questions, the answers often hinge on semantic precision. One of the most consequential examples involves how modern Mormon apologetics attempt to reconcile polygamy's central place in nineteenth-century doctrine with its complete abandonment in 1890. By reframing polygamy as something other than what historical documents explicitly claim, sometimes calling it "spiritual wifery" or divorcing it from the "New and Everlasting Covenant", apologists have created interpretive frameworks that allow both belief in the doctrine and disavowal of its practice. Understanding these argumentative strategies is essential for anyone seeking to grasp how official LDS positions navigate the historical record.

Why Polygamy Apologetics Matter Today

The polygamy question extends far beyond historical curiosity. Doctrine and Covenants 132, canonized scripture still taught in the LDS Church, contains explicit language about plural marriage being "everlasting" and tied directly to the New and Everlasting Covenant itself. If that language is taken at face value, the 1890 abandonment of polygamy represents a fundamental contradiction with revealed doctrine, and potentially signals that modern prophets do not receive guidance from God on core theological matters.

For believing members navigating mixed-faith marriages, grappling with fundamentalist offshoots, or simply reading early Mormon texts, this tension creates profound cognitive dissonance. The apologetic moves are designed to resolve it.

The Official Defense: Gospel Topics Essays and Semantic Separation