Comparing women in Mormon polygamy to enslaved people

Women in Mormon Polygamy: Examining Claims of Commodification and Comparison to Slavery

When we compare women in Mormon polygamy to enslaved people, we're examining one of the most provocative, and historically contentious, questions about early Latter-day Saint doctrine and practice. The argument, articulated by some historians and podcast commentators, rests on a specific textual analysis: that Doctrine and Covenants 132, the foundational revelation on polygamy, frames women as commodities transferred between men rather than as autonomous moral agents. This comparison deserves careful examination, not dismissal.

The question matters because it cuts to the heart of how we understand agency, consent, and women's dignity in religious communities. Whether or not one accepts the slavery comparison, the underlying historical record about women's status and choice in polygamous arrangements remains poorly understood by many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Background: The Textual Foundation of Mormon Polygamy

Doctrine and Covenants 132, recorded in 1843, stands as the official scriptural basis for polygamous marriage in Mormonism. The revelation explicitly addresses the practice of taking multiple wives and attempts to establish theological justification through concepts of eternal sealing and divine authorization.

The section contains several passages that modern readers and historians have identified as problematic regarding women's agency. Most notably, the revelation describes conditions under which wives will be "given" to men, language that suggests women as objects of transfer rather than participants in their own marital decisions.