It’s Official: Mormon Founder Had Up to 40 Wives
In The New York Times, Laurie Goodstein reports, “Mormon leaders have acknowledged for the first time that the church’s founder and prophet, Joseph Smith, portrayed in church materials as a loyal partner to his loving spouse Emma, took as many as 40 wives, some already married and one only 14 years old.” The church’s disclosure is part of an attempt to be more transparent about church history at a time when many members are increasingly disturbed by what they read on the internet about their faith. “I believe our history is full of stories of faith and devotion and sacrifice, but these people weren’t perfect,” Elder Steven E. Snow, the church historian and a member of its senior leadership, told Goodstein.