Polygamy History Wars
Karen Hyatt
Karen’s greatest contribution is showing how unphased she is by being “unfriended” by the “Court of Love” and thus how irrelevant the LDS version of the Spanish Inquisition has become.
Saints and Sources: Restoration History
“Damn Fool Doctrine” Hyrum Smith’s Hidden Polygamy Talk
Like Joseph, Emma & Hyrum Smith I am a polygamy denier
LDS Polygamy Deniers Loose Temple Recommend
Perhaps the LDS Church’s claim that Joseph Smith practiced polygamy is a huge Mandela Effect.
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Joseph Smith declared:
“…What a thing it is for a man to be accused of committing adultery, and having seven wives, when I can only find one. I am the same man, and as innocent as I was fourteen years ago; and I can prove them all perjurers.” (History of the Church, vol 6, p. 411)
Joseph Smith made this statement preaching from the stand to the Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo on Sunday May 26, 1844.
Emma Smith consistently stated that:
- Joseph Smith never practiced polygamy
- She was unaware of any plural wives during his lifetime
Emma maintained this position until her death (1879).
– Tom Irvine
I asked AI to write a song about Karen’s experience. Music can be therapeutic & healing.
Verse 1
There’s a stack of old journals, dust on the spine, Ink from a century crossing time. They told her the story was settled and sealed, But the cracks in the record would not stay concealed. She followed the footnotes, followed the trail, Read every denial, every torn veil. They said, “Be careful where questions go,” But truth doesn’t stop when the answers say no.
Refrain
And you don’t need a vision just to feel the strain, When asking the questions is counted as blame. If history trembles when the light comes through, You’ve got to wonder who’s afraid of the truth. Yeah, you’ve got to wonder who’s afraid of the truth.
Verse 2
She said Joseph stood firm, one wife, one vow, Said the record was altered—look at it now. Said polygamy marched in after the gun, When the prophet was gone and the power had won. They said, “That can’t be right, that can’t be so,” But the dates didn’t bend and the ink didn’t go. When the shelves start breaking under their load, Some people shoot messengers instead of the code.
Refrain
And the words in the minutes don’t line up clean, With the version approved by the in-between. When silence is safer than saying what’s true, You’ve got to wonder who’s afraid of the truth. Yeah, you’ve got to wonder who’s afraid of the truth.
Verse 3
She spoke on a camera, calm and plain, No fire and brimstone, no hunger for fame. Just documents, context, dates in a row, Let the people decide, let the evidence show. But a boundary was crossed when she wouldn’t retreat, When conscience outranked institutional heat. They called it apostasy, called it a crime, For trusting the sources closer to time.
Refrain
If faith needs a blackout to stay alive, That’s a hard kind of faith just to justify. When belief can’t survive a historical view, You’ve got to wonder who’s afraid of the truth. Yeah, you’ve got to wonder who’s afraid of the truth.
Verse 4
Excommunicated, name struck down, Not for what she denied—but what she found. No new revelation, no different god, Just reading the record instead of the nod. History’s heavy when it won’t obey, When it says yesterday wasn’t taught today. And the cost of conviction is painfully clear, When honesty’s punished and doubt’s what they fear.
Final Refrain / Outro
So the pages stay open, the questions remain, You can’t discipline facts into falling in line. You can silence a voice, you can bar a pew, But you can’t unwrite what the record proves true. And we’re not at the end, but we’re closer than youth— When belief meets the mirror of historical truth. Yeah, belief meets the mirror of historical truth.
The Appearance of a Watergate-like Cover-up
Writing this article makes me sick to my stomach. I pray for the victims.
The famous Watergate-era line is:
“What did the President know, and when did he know it?”
It was asked by Senator Howard Baker during the 1973 Senate Watergate Committee hearings directed originally to John Dean.
It became one of the most iconic questions of the scandal, encapsulating the core issue: whether President Richard Nixon knew about, or helped cover up, the Watergate break-in and related crimes.
Many people now paraphrase it more generally as:
“What did you know, and when did you know it?”
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Elder D. Todd Christofferson (now an LDS Apostle & First Presidency Counselor) had a direct personal connection to the Watergate investigation when he was a young man. Here is the clear, factual summary:
In 1972–1973, while a young law clerk, D. Todd Christofferson served as a law clerk to Judge John J. Sirica, the chief judge of the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C.
Judge Sirica was the federal judge who presided over the Watergate trials.
Because of this position, Christofferson was:
- One of the clerks who had early access to evidence submitted to Judge Sirica.
- Present during internal court discussions related to the Watergate defendants.
- Involved in reviewing material from the White House tapes after they were turned over.
- Present during historic moments — Christofferson says he was in the courthouse the night Judge Sirica received the Watergate tapes.
Christofferson later described Watergate as a “life-changing” experience that shaped his views on integrity and public trust.
Did he investigate Nixon?
No. Christofferson was not an investigator, prosecutor, or political actor. His role was purely judicial support:
- He assisted Judge Sirica, who handled the criminal cases.
- He helped with legal research, clerical tasks, and document handling.
- He had no decision-making power in the investigation.
Why this connection is remembered
His Watergate role is often referenced because:
- It was historically significant.
- Few future religious leaders were that close to the center of Watergate events.
- He has spoken publicly about the experience in LDS General Conference and interviews.
Key Quote (Christofferson reflecting on Watergate)
He later said he observed firsthand the consequences when leaders “[lose] their moral bearings and integrity.”
This has influenced some of his teachings about honesty and accountability as an LDS leader.
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D. Todd Christofferson’s brother Wade Christofferson was excommunicated from the LDS Church in approximately 1996. He was later rebaptized, and his membership record was cleared so that he could serve in LDS leadership positions.
Wade C. was arrested on November 20, 2025. Official DOJ Link
What did LDS Church leaders know of Wade’s abuse patterns, and when did they know about it? Did they compromise their moral bearings and integrity when they cleared his membership record?
See also Wade C. Floodlit link.
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Matthew 18:6
“But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”
Luke 8 8:17
“For nothing is hidden that will not be revealed, nor anything concealed that will not be known and come to light.”
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Doctrine & Covenants 45:31
“And there shall be men standing in that generation, that shall not pass until they shall see an overflowing scourge; for a desolating sickness shall cover the land.”
Child abuse and its cover-up are desolating sicknesses.
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What is gained by cover-ups of sexual abuse?
– Tom Irvine
Food for Thought from Jim Palmer
The following points are from Jim Palmer and deserving of further discussion. May we all find our own “Healthy Religion.”
As you know, I once was an evangelical megachurch pastor and my pastoral career stretched over many years. Eventually, I could no longer teach Christian doctrine with a good conscience and realized this teaching was not truly changing people’s lives… and so I walked away from the whole enchilada.
Below are 14 things that the misguided religious establishment doesn’t want you to know. Speaking for myself and my personal experience, I was not able to see or admit these things to myself. I truly got into ministry initially because I wanted to make a difference and help people, and I relied upon the belief-system I learned as the proper framework to achieve this. It took a lot of post-religion reflection to see the ways this belief-system was hurting people.
I offer the below list in hopes that you might disentangle yourself from harmful beliefs and attitudes impacting your life.
14 things the misguided religious establishment doesn’t want you to know:
1. Toxic religion is rooted in fear, especially fear about the afterlife. It leverages the false doctrine of hell to win converts and demand holiness. The fear of God’s disapproval, rejection, abandonment and punishment is another hallmark of toxic religion.
2. Clergy have no innate authority. Holding a church leadership position or having a theological degree does not imbue a person with special divine authority or superiority. The terms “anointed”, “called”, or “chosen” or titles such as “pastor”, “priest”, “bishop”, “elder”, “evangelist” or “apostle” do not confer any innate authority on an individual or group.
3. We hold sacred what we are taught to hold sacred, which is why what is sacred to one community is not sacred to another.
4. The stories in our sacred books aren’t history, nor were they meant to be. The authors of these books weren’t historians but writers of historical fiction: they used history (or pseudo history) as a context or pretext for their own ideas. Reading sacred texts as history may yield some nuggets of the past, but the real gold is in seeing these stories as myth and parable, and trying to unpack the possible meanings these parables and myths may hold.
5. Prayer doesn’t work the way you think it does. You can’t bribe God, or change God’s mind through obedience, devotion, or groveling. The underlying theistic premises of prayer are untenable.
6. Anything you claim to know about God, even the notion that there is a God, is a projection of your psyche. What you say about God—who God is, what God cares about, who God rewards, and who God punishes—says nothing about God and everything about you. If you believe in an unconditionally loving God, you probably value unconditional love. If you believe in a God who divides people into chosen and not chosen, believers and infidels, saved and damned, high cast or low caste, etc. you are likely someone who divides people into in–groups and out–groups with you and your group as the quintessential in-group. God may or may not exist, but your idea of God mirrors yourself and your values.
7. Religion is a narrative into which a person is born, conditioned and indoctrinated. Born in Nagpur, you’re probably Hindu. Born in Nishapur, you’re probably Muslim. Born in Nashville, you’re probably Christian. Born in Narathiwat, you’re probably Buddhist. Born in Nesher, you’re probably Jewish. People become Christian because they are raised or evangelized into it. It’s not like they sat down and critically investigated a menu of alternative views about ultimate reality and the meaning of life.
8. Theology isn’t the free search for truth, but rather a defense of an already held position. Theology is really apologetics, explaining why a belief is true rather than seeking out the truth in and of itself. All theological reasoning is circular, inevitably “proving” the truth of its own presupposition.
9. Becoming more religious cannot save us. Religion is a human invention reflecting the best and worst of humanity; becoming more religious will simply allow us to perpetuate compassion and cruelty in the name of religion. Because religion always carries the danger of fanaticism, becoming more religious may only heighten the risk of us becoming more fanatical.
10. Becoming less religious cannot save us. In fact, being against religion can become it’s own fanaticism. Becoming less religious will simply force us to perpetuate compassion and cruelty in the name of something else. Secular societies that actively suppress religion have proven no more just or compassionate than religious societies that suppress secularism or free thought. This is because neither religion nor the lack of religion solely nullifies our human potential to act out of ego, greed, fear, hostility, and hatred.
11. A healthy religion is one that helps us own and integrate the shadow side of human nature for the good of person and planet, something few clergy are trained to do. Clergy are trained to promote the religion they represent. They are apologists not liberators. If you want to be more just, compassionate, and loving, you must do the personal work within yourself, and free yourself from the conditions that lock you into injustice, cruelty, and hate, and this means you have to free yourself from all your narratives, including those you call “religious.”
12. Religious leaders claims that their particular understanding and interpretation of their sacred books should be universally accepted. Religious leaders often say, “My authority is the Bible.” It would be more accurate for them to say, “My authority is what they taught me at seminary the Bible means.” People start with flawed or false presuppositions about what the Bible is, such as: the Bible was meant to present a coherent theology about God or is a piece of doctrinal exposition; the Bible is the inerrant, infallible and sole message/”Word” of God to the world; the Bible is a blueprint for daily living. Too often religious leaders make God about having “correct theology.” There are a lot of unhappy, broken, hurting, suffering, depressed, lonely people in church with church-approved theology.
13. If your livelihood depends on the success of your church as an organization, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that you will mostly define and reward Christianity as participation in church structures and programs. Christian living is mostly a decentralized reality or way of life, not a centralized or program-dependent phenomenon. Church attendance, tithing, membership, service, and devoted participation, become the hallmarks of Christian maturity.
14. You are capable of guiding your own spiritual path from the inside out and don’t need to be told what to do. You naturally have the ability, capacity, tools and skills to guide and direct your life meaningfully, ethically and effectively. Through the use of your fundamental human faculties such as critical thinking, empathy, reason, conscience and intuition, you can capably lead your life. You have the choice to cultivate a spirituality that doesn’t require you to be inadequate, powerless, weak, and lacking, but one that empowers you toward strength, vitality, wholeness, and the fulfillment of your highest potentialities and possibilities.
Jim Palmer
Kind People Leaving Religion
“Man is the only creature who refuses to be who he is.” – Albert Camus
It’s a quote that sits at the crossroads of belief and identity. And maybe that’s why it feels so relevant when we talk.
And maybe that’s why it feels so relevant when we talk about people who walk away from religion. Especially when the people who leave aren’t bitter or hostile or rebellious, but gentle, generous, and often quietly heartbroken. It surprises some, maybe even confuses others when people known for their compassion and warmth let go of faith.
After all, kindness is often thought of as something religion nurtures. So when deeply kind people choose to step away, it challenges the assumption that goodness is tied to belief. But that’s where the misunderstanding begins. Because for many of these people, it’s exactly their kindness that led them out. Not in a reactionary way, not as a rebellion, but as a consequence of living their values too honestly to ignore the contradictions they saw.
Over time, these contradictions start to pile up. A faith that speaks about love but draws lines around who deserves it. A doctrine that praises humility while asking for unquestioning submission. Institutions that preach forgiveness while punishing doubt. For someone with a sensitive conscience, those contradictions aren’t just abstract, they’re painful.
And kindness, real kindness, doesn’t always thrive in systems that rely on boundaries, hierarchy, or dogma. Systems that say, “Love thy neighbor, but only if they fit the mold.”
So, it’s not that kind people are immune to faith. In fact, many are drawn to it because it promises community, purpose, and moral grounding. But at some point, for some, the gaps between the promises and the reality grow too wide. They see injustice overlooked by religious leaders, abuses brushed aside in the name of tradition, whole groups of people marginalized.
And somehow, it’s always God’s will. When you’re someone who truly cares about others, not just those who share your beliefs, that starts to feel like a moral betrayal. And that tension doesn’t go away just because you pray more. In fact, it can make prayer feel hollow, like you’re asking for peace from a system that helped create the conflict in the first place.
Many who leave didn’t set out to reject religion. They started with questions, quiet ones, internal ones, the kind of questions that religious environments often treat as threats rather than signs of growth.
And so kindness paired with intellectual honesty becomes a risk, a dangerous mix in rigid systems. Not because kindness is wrong, but because it won’t sit quietly when it sees harm. It won’t pretend all is well when people are suffering in silence just to protect the image of the institution.
This is especially true in religious communities where doubt is seen as weakness and conformity is rewarded more than compassion, where obedience is praised but empathy is controlled. In those environments, a kind person can start to feel alone. Not because they’ve done anything wrong, but because their heart is pulling them somewhere their faith says they shouldn’t go. Take someone who grows up being taught that certain people, gay people for instance, are living in sin. And yet, when they actually meet these people, talk to them, work with them, become friends with them, the dogma doesn’t hold. The stereotype unravels.
What’s left is the uncomfortable realization that they were taught to withhold love under the illusion of righteousness. And if they’re kind, truly kind, that realization doesn’t fade. It gnaws at them. They start to see the cost of selective compassion; how it breaks families apart, fuels shame, and pushes good people into hiding. And slowly, quietly, a shift begins. A shift from following the rules to following their conscience. That doesn’t always mean an instant rejection of faith.
Sometimes it’s years of trying to make it work, of finding loopholes in doctrine, of looking for more progressive interpretations. But eventually, the weight becomes too much. The excuses wear thin and the person who once sat in the front pew finds themselves standing at the edge unsure where they belong. Kindness doesn’t disappear when they leave. If anything, it expands because now it’s no longer limited by who fits a sacred text or aligns with a particular world view.
Now, their empathy isn’t filtered through a theological lens. It’s allowed to be direct, human, and unrestricted. They might not call it spiritual, but the way they move through the world with respect, with humility, with a deep concern for others speaks louder than creeds ever could.
David George McConkie, Sexual Abuse
Jesus was and is the Greatest of all Prophets
Reference: Patterns of Personal Apostasy, General Conference Leadership Meeting—April 2024, Instruction from President Dallin H. Oaks
Jesus Christ was and is the greatest of all prophets.
Matthew 21:11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Mark 6:3-4 Then they scoffed . . . . They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family”.
The New Testament, Four Gospels, gives numerous prophecies made by Jesus, including Matthew chapter 24.
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Peter testified of Jesus as a prophet in Acts chapter 3.
22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
23 And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.
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“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
(1 Timothy 2:5, KJV)
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President Oaks and Elder Haynie come tragically close to fulfilling another prophecy.
And they deny the power of God, the Holy One of Israel; and they say unto the people: Hearken unto us, and hear ye our precept; for behold there is no God today, for the Lord and the Redeemer hath done his work, and he hath given his power unto men; (2 Nephi 28:5)
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See also:
President Oaks Calls for More Excommunications
– Tom Irvine
President Boyd K. Packer
President Boyd K. Packer had strong personal reasons for that declaration. But that is not my story to tell, and the Lord told me so.
But Boyd K. Packer’s descendants or his journalist nephew Lynn Packer need to come forth and reveal the whole truth.
I pray for Boyd K. Packer’s soul. I pray for peace and healing for his family.
Tom Irvine
Improving the Temple Experience
Here is an email that I sent to the president of an LDS temple. I am omitting the identifying information.
I participated in an endowment session in the XYZ temple on Saturday, June 10, at 1 pm. I was one of only three male patrons in the session. I have had a very stressful time for the last several months and was running on fumes as my wife and I drove from (a city 90 miles away). The details of my stress are unimportant for this email but have been very severe. During the session, I briefly set my packet on the floor. As a result, one of the officiators halted the session and scolded me in front of the other patrons. I completely lost the Spirit at this point. I agree that the packet should be treated with respect and care. But there is no instruction that it should not be placed on the floor given at the start of the session. Perhaps there should be.
I have learned through my experience that it is often best to overlook “infractions” that my wife commits at home because she is almost always dealing with far weightier matters than whatever “constructive criticism” that I had planned to give her.
I am also concerned that we sometimes give inanimate objects too much attention in the Church. The story of Moses raising the brazen serpent so that the children of Israel could be healed is so important that it is referred to four times in the Book of Mormon, in various ways. Yes, symbolic objects have importance and should be respected. Where is the brazen serpent today? Can we view it in some museum of antiquity? No. King Hezekiah had it destroyed because his people began worshipping it.
The temple should be an inviting sanctuary of peace and love for all, but especially for those fighting unseen battles so often masked by their Sunday-best dress and smiles. Perhaps more seats would be filled for the Saturday 1:00 pm sessions if a Christ-like spirit was allowed to prevail.
Thank you,
Tom Irvine
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Postscript:
The scriptures are given in: When Righteous Actions become Idolatry
The temple president sent me a brief apology reply.
The Aaronic Priesthood Holds the Keys to the Ministering of Angles
People dressed in angel wings shielded LGBTQ students attending BYU from protesters
SCMC Friends 
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