The Mormon Apocrypha

This Manifesto, published on  June 17, 1933, was the last manifesto released about polygamy. It once again denounces polygamy and those who practice it. A large portion of it is dedicated to discussing the previous manifestos against polygamy.   Official Statement From the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The First Presidency have recently received letters making inquiry concerning the position of the Church regarding the contracting of polygamous or plural marriages.  It is evident from these letters, as well as from certain published material—some of it distributed during our last General Conference—that a secret and, according to reputation, an oath-bound organization of misguided individuals is seeking to lead the people to adopt adulterous relations under the guise of a pretended and false polygamous or plural marriage ceremony. While the position of the Church since 1893 has been repeatedly set forth, namely, that polygamous o...

During the Reed Smoot hearings, Joseph F. Smith released the 1904 Manifesto. This document reiterated the churches stance on polygamy and more, saying that anyone who officiates or supports plural marriages will be excommunicated. Here is the Manifesto.   [President Joseph F. Smith stated:] Now I am going to present a matter to you that is unusual and I do it because of a conviction which I feel that it is a proper thing for me to do. I have taken the liberty of having written down what I wish to present, in order that I may say to you the exact words which I would like to have conveyed to your ears, that I may not be misunderstood or misquoted. I present this to the conference for your action: OFFICIAL STATEMENT Inasmuch as there are numerous reports in circulation that plural marriages have been entered into contrary to the official declaration of President Woodruff, of September 26, 1890, commonly called the Manifesto, which was issued by President Woodruff and adopted by the Ch...

 Yesterday was World Religion Day, established by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahai's of the United States. To celebrate this day, I want to share a statement given in 1978, by the first presidency under Spencer W. Kimball, about how the LDS church respects all religions. Based upon ancient and modern revelation, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gladly teaches and declares the Christian doctrine that all men and women are brothers and sisters, not only by blood relationship from common mortal progenitors, but also as literal spirit children of an Eternal Father. The great religious leaders of the world such as Mohammed, Confucius, and the Reformers, as well as philosophers including Socrates, Plato, and others, received a portion of God’s light. Moral truths were given to them by God to enlighten whole nations and to bring a higher level of understanding to individuals. The Hebrew prophets prepared the way for the coming of Jesus Christ, the promised Messi...

Reed Smoot was born on 1862, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He attended public schools and the University of Utah, and graduated from Brigham Young Academy (Now Brigham Young University), in 1879. He served a mission in England and got married to Alpha M. Eldredge on Sept. 17, 1884. With Alpha, he fathered six children. He was engaged in several businesses across the Salt Lake Valley before becoming an apostle in 1900. In 1902, he was elected to the Senate. This started four years of battle in the senate, over him being an apostle, the Church's policy over plural marriage over other concerns that became known as the Reed Smoot hearings. In 1907, he was finally allowed to be a U.S. Senator, serving until 1933. After he lost reelection in 1932, he moved back to Salt Lake City. He passed away on Feb. 9, 1941, in Florida. He was quite an influential figure in the early twentieth century church. Repurposed below is his talk from the October 1933 General Conference, about how we are Gods liter...