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Polygamy

Video compares Joseph Smith and Brigham Young's evasive polygamy answers

September 3, 2026 at 10:02 AM MT · via YouTube / Dan Wees · Summarized by Mormon News from original reporting

A Dan Wees video examines parallel instances where Joseph Smith and Brigham Young answered questions about their plural marriages with what the creator characterizes as deliberately evasive language rather than direct disclosure.

In 1844, Smith publicly mocked accusations he had seven wives by saying he could "only find 'ONE,'" despite the Church now acknowledging he was sealed to multiple women at that time. The video draws comparisons to Young's similar rhetorical strategies when questioned about the practice.

The 15-minute analysis focuses on the gap between the private practice of plural marriage and public statements by early Church leaders about it.

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