Polygamy

Polygamy has been in the news this last month with the fundamentalist Mormon in Utah being charged.

This was one of the topics of one of my letters that I wrote a few years ago to Salt Lake. After being part of the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1995 to 2002, I wanted to know from Salt Lake why they espoused distance publically from the concept of polygamy and they still keep printing those scriptures with Doctorine and Covenants 132 still in them. Yes, Mormons study four scriptures--the Old Testament, the New Testament, The Book of Mormon, and Doctrine and Covenants/Pearl of Great Price. I wanted to know the answer because in Doctrine and Covenants 132, it says that it is God's will that man practice polygamy.

Let's make it clear here that I don't believe in polygamy, but I sure heard comments from members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints about their desire to practice polygamy and how they looked forward to it. The brothers seemed to have a glint in their eye and the sisters looked forward to help with housework.

One of the last times that I received visiting teachers here in Alsea, I was told not to read National Geographic, which they found on my table and I was told to get to know a single sister who quilts so that my husband and I could watch out for her. For one thing, I love reading National Geographic and for another thing, I'm was not interested in polygamy. This sister with the ideas was not some odd ball. Her husband has a high paying job at a large corporation in Corvallis.

I enjoyed the television series on HBO, Big Love. It said a lot of things and told a lot of truth.

I have other alarming concerns about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but one central concern is that they call their Sunday service is a meeting, not a sacred service to worship God or Heavenly Father. It is filled with teachings about the history of the Church and the Book of Mormon. When we lived in Gates for a short time, some of the sisters got together and objected to the fact that there was no picture of Jesus in the church. That was changed. In the Gates Branch, I didn't see any different service for Christmas or Easter. I tried to change this when I was Primary President and had the children perform a Christmas play on the nativity story that I wrote based on the Dickens book, The Year of Our Lord.

Another practice I didn't like was the instruction given to men in priesthood meetings to search for contraband in a member's home. Contraband--meaning coffee, tea, beer, or something that would violate the word of wisdom. A priesthood leader came into my home and searched my cupboards here in Alsea. They are told to ask for a glass of water and then they offer to get it. He picked out a coffee cup at the back of the shelf.

My biggest concern, that I wrote about in a letter to Salt Lake, was discovered when my husband and I were serving as church service missionaries in Salem, Oregon to help people find employment in an eight stake area at the employment center. I found a document that said there was an employment office at the stake center in Hayden Lake, Idaho. Yes, my eyeballs almost popped right out of my head because this is the place where the FBI disbanded the Nazi Party in 1999. Hayden Lake, Idaho is not a big place. If there is a stake center that means the town is full of Mormons. I remembered it on the news. I think it was this letter that the Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Corvallis told my husband to "shut me up and control me."

These are a few of my concerns that resulted in shunning. You do not receive a temple recommend, if you hang around with people who object to the church or cause you to question the teachings of the church. That pretty much wiped out friends.

I have been in the temple as often as three times a week and went faithfully every week when I lived in Salem. I think it was when we lived in Gates, I went to the Portland Temple one day and I saw a temple worker point to me. He was talking to another temple worker. He was close so I heard what he said, "She has more guts than a slaughterhouse floor." I figure that's a compliment for a writer.

I have not violated my temple recommend or commited a serious sin except for drinking coffee, tea, an occasional beer with my husband, speaking my mind, and laughing loud. I've never cheated on my husband. I've never used illegal drugs. I've never smoked cigarettes since my dad died of lung cancer. I've always tried to be good. I've stayed away from people who violate the law or are into witchcraft or use drugs my whole life. And yet...I was shunned when I was wearing a missionary badge. And NO one has said they were sorry. No one. Not one. Letters from Salt Lake said to continue to go to church, that not all leaders are doing what's right, and that I should show my example as a leader. How do you continue when you don't respect?

It's truly hard when you are shunned. It's hard to take off the garments and your faith when you are told that this is the only way your family will be together in heaven and the result is outer darkness. I was doing everything by the book. I was following the directions but when you can't respect what's going on, you are forced to make a choice to swallow your concerns and shut up or speak your mind.