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Polygamy

Feminist theologian reviews Carol Lynn Pearson's polygamy book 10 years later

August 27, 2026 at 10:02 PM MT · via YouTube / Journal of Mormon Polygamy · Summarized by Mormon News from original reporting

Maxine Hanks, a feminist author and theologian once excommunicated and later rebaptized into the LDS Church, published a retrospective review of Carol Lynn Pearson's 2016 book *The Ghost of Eternal Polygamy* in the Journal of Mormon Polygamy. The review marks the book's 10th anniversary and revisits Pearson's argument that the doctrine of eternal plural marriage continues to haunt LDS women even after the practice's 1890 official end.

Hanks's review, discussed in a 90-minute video that has drawn 828 views in 37 hours, emphasizes Pearson's call for equal partnership in LDS theology and the psychological toll of polygamy's legacy on contemporary Mormon women. The video features extended discussion of polygamy's theological justifications and their modern implications.

Pearson's book became a touchstone in conversations about gender equality in Mormonism, particularly among women who remain in the Church while questioning patriarchal structures. Hanks herself was excommunicated in 1993 as one of the "September Six" and rebaptized in 2012.

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