Skip to content
  • Give me access to SECRET EPISODES
  • Episodes
  • Watch
  • Listen
  • Subscribe
  • Episodes
  • Watch
  • Listen
  • Subscribe
  • Give me access to SECRET EPISODES
PrevPrevious EpisodeLDS Literacy of Biblical Polygamy
Next ExpisodeWas Oliver Cowdery a Polygamist?Next

Emma’s Up and Down Relationship with Polygamy

Table of Contents: Emma’s Up and Down Relationship with Polygamy

Click to Support
Gospel Tangents

Emma Smith often vacillated between accepting and rejecting polygamy.  In our next conversation with Dr. Bill Smith we will talk about how she vacillated between these two extremes.

YouTube player

Bill:  Like I said, she was up and down about it.  At some point apparently in May 1843 she had accepted the idea at least in a limited way.  Then later she becomes very negative about it.  During this period when the revelation is given in July 12, 1843, she has become very, very negative about the idea.

We don’t know everything that happened with her, what she heard.  She was in Relief Society, and you know how in small towns, Nauvoo was a relatively small town we would think of it so today.  In that day it was a fairly large place, so you knew practically everybody and people talked about what they saw, who was doing what.  So, the kind of knowledgebase that Emma had, we don’t know for sure but she probably had her finger on what was going on in the female population and the male population of Nauvoo.

Don’t forget to check out our previous conversations with Bill on the origins of polygamy and LDS literacy of biblical polygamy.  Check out our conversation…..

emma - Emma’s Up and Down Relationship with Polygamy - Mormon History Podcast

[paypal-donation]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 11:02 — 10.2MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Email | RSS | More

Love this? Donate or Subscribe

Do you love the friendly, non-bashing interviews about Mormonism here on Gospel Tangents? 
Please show your support for Gospel Tangents by becoming a donor or subscriber:

Make me a Donor
Make me a Subscriber
No related products found.

More Podcasts with these Guests:

  • Joseph Smith’s Protology: How are Spirit Babies Created?
  • Breaking Sealings: Who has the Power?
  • How 132 Would Affect Future Revelations on Women & Gays
  • Is Polygamy a Ticket to Heaven?
  • Was Oliver Cowdery a Polygamist?

Get more information on the people and things discussed in this episode:

  • Guest: Bill Smith
  • Theology: Mormon Scripture, Polygamy
  • Historical Mentions Mormon History
  • Tags: GT Podcast, iTunes

Tell me when the next episode drops!

PrevPrevious EpisodeLDS Literacy of Biblical Polygamy
Next ExpisodeWas Oliver Cowdery a Polygamist?Next
  • Date: March 22, 2018
  • Guest: Bill Smith
  • Theology: Mormon Scripture, Polygamy
  • Historical Mentions Mormon History
  • Tags: GT Podcast, iTunes
  • Posted By: RickB

Subscribe

I passed my class! Please help support Gospel Tangents and subscribe to the podcast!

Rick Bennett, Host

Rick Bennett is the friendly host of Gospel Tangents LDS Podcast: The Best Source for Mormon History, Science, and Theology. Book Rick for your fireside or conference.

More Interviews

  • Ben Spackman
  • David Ostler
  • Denver Snuffer
  • Lachlan McKay
  • Lindsay Hansen Park
  • Margaret Toscano
  • Richard Bushman
  • Sally Gordon
  • Terryl Givens
  • Ugo Perego...
View all 100+ Interviewees

Proud to be an Amazon Associate

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Subscribe

Go ad-free, get written transcripts, and talk to Rick one-on-one!
Stop Seeing Ads

Rick Bennett, Host of Gospel Tangents

Rick Bennett is the friendly, independent historian at the heart of Gospel Tangents LDS Podcast: The Best Source for Mormon History, Science, and Theology. When he isn't interviewing Mormon scholars, prophets, and others, he is teaching math and statistics at Utah Valley University. He also freelances as a research biostatistician in the fields of Dermatology and Traumatic Brian Injuries, as well as in the network television/cable T.V. industries as a sports statistician. Rick holds a Master of Statistics Degree from the University of Utah.

Contact Rick
Book Rick for your Event
Podcast Episodes
0 +
People Interviewed
0 +
  • Home
  • About
  • Episodes
  • Subscribe
  • Fan Shop
  • Book Rick
  • Contact Us
  • Home
  • About
  • Episodes
  • Subscribe
  • Fan Shop
  • Book Rick
  • Contact Us
Copyright 2025, Gospel Tangents. All Rights Reserved.