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Polygamy, or plural marriage, in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints probably originated with the founder of Mormonism, Joseph Smith, who taught that polygamy was a divine commandment. Smith practiced it personally, by some accounts marrying more than 30 women.〔 Evidence for Smith's position is provided by the church's "sealing" records, public marriage licenses (in many cases notarized), affidavits, letters, and journals and diaries;〔 however, until after his death, Smith and the leading church quorums denied that he preached or practiced polygamy.〔 Smith's son Joseph Smith III, his widow Emma Smith, and the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church, now called the Community of Christ) challenged the evidence and taught that Joseph Smith had opposed polygamy. They instead claimed that Brigham Young, the head of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), introduced plural marriage after Smith's death.〔''Times and Seasons'', vol. 5, no. 6 (p. 423 ): "As we have lately been credibly informed, that an Elder of the Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter-day Saints, by the name of Hiram Brown, has been preaching Polygamy, and other false and corrupt doctrines, in the county of Lapeer, state of Michigan."〕〔''Times and Seasons'', vol. 5, no. 3, (p. 474 ).〕〔''Millennial Star'' 4 (1844 ): 144.〕 In 1852, leaders of the Utah-based LDS Church acknowledged that Smith taught and practiced polygamy. ==1830s: origins == When polygamy was introduced into the Latter Day Saint movement is uncertain.〔"It is difficult to determine exactly when Joseph Smith first felt compelled to practice polygamy." 〕 ===Possible revelation in 1831=== Some scholars believe that Smith transcribed a revelation recommending polygamy on July 17, 1831. This alleged revelation is described in a letter to Brigham Young written in 1861 by an early Mormon convert, William W. Phelps,〔 thirty years after the supposed revelation.〔 This was during a period when LDS Church leaders were justifying the practice and origins of plural marriage, particularly to Mormon splinter groups who did not agree with the practice.〔 The key portion of the revelation proclaims:〔 This wording is comparable with the portion of the 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon, which corresponds to today's 2 Nephi 30:5–6, which states that when Native Americans receive the gospel they will become a "white and a delightsome people." Unlike the 1831 revelation, the 1830 version of the Book of Mormon does not specify that the Native Americans would become "white and delightsome" through plural marriage. A note from Phelps in the same document explains how the conversion of the Native Americans coincided with Smith's plan for a new system of marriage:〔 A reference was made to this revelation five months after its alleged date in a letter by Mormon apostate Ezra Booth to the ''Ohio Star'' on December 8, 1831, in which he refers to the "revelation (the Mormon Elders ) form a matrimonial alliance with the Natives", but the letter makes no reference to polygamy.〔Ezra Booth, letter dated 6 December 1831, ''Ohio Star'' (Ravenna, Ohio), 8 December 1831. Text at (Saints Without Halos ). Reprinted in . "()t has been made known by revelation, that it will be pleasing to the Lord, should they (Mormons ) form a matrimonial alliance with the Natives; and by this means the Elders, who comply with the thing so pleasing to the Lord, and for which the Lord has promised to bless those who do it abundantly, gain a residence in the Indian territory, independent of the agent. It has been made known to one, who has left his wife in the state of N.Y. that he is entirely free from his wife, and he is at liberty to take him a wife from among the Lamanites."〕 This letter is significant in that it confirms the authenticity of the revelation,〔 but some regard it as problematic because had it mentioned polygamy, Booth would have mentioned it in his anti-Mormon agenda. Three authors assert that a second record of the revelation exists, believed to be in the LDS Church's historical department,〔〔 though its existence has not been confirmed by the church. The LDS Church never published Phelps's note or letter, nor has it been canonized as part of Mormon scripture, which was done with many of Smith's other revelations. The church also never adopted a policy requiring or recommending that its members marry Native Americans. In 1943, historian Fawn Brodie stated that LDS Church historian Joseph Fielding Smith told her that a revelation foreshadowing polygamy had been written in 1831 but never published, and that although its existence in the church library is acknowledged, "in conformity with the church policy" Brodie would not be permitted to examine it. Though the 1831 revelation is cited by Mormon historians,〔BYU history professor Hyrum Andrus, who writes "the Prophet understood the principle of plural marriage as early as 1831. … ()ccording to Elder Phelps, the revelation then indicated that in due time the brethren would be required to take plural wives." ()〕 non-Mormon historians,〔 and critics,〔 there are dissenting opinions, and no consensus has been reached.〔 Historians Leonard Arrington and Davis Bitton refer to the Phelps's document as "a copy of a purported revelation," and conclude that "obviously possibilities (polygamy ) were being considered in the early 1830's."〕〔 Richard Van Wagoner questioned the thirty-year gap between the revelation and Phelps's later recollection: "()he Phelps letter has been widely touted as the earliest source documenting the advocacy of Mormon polygamy, () it is not without its problems. For example, Phelps himself, in a 16 September 1835 letter to his wife, Sally, demonstrated no knowledge of church-sanctioned polygamy: 'I have no right to any other woman in this world nor in the world to come according to the law of the celestial kingdom.〕〔 David J. Whittaker contends that in 1861 it is "possible that Phelps added his own understanding thirty years later, Ezra Booth confirms early talk about marrying Indians, but the reasons for doing so probably did not include polygamy or even changing skin color, but rather facilitating entrance into the reservation for missionary work."〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Origin of Latter Day Saint polygamy」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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