In December 2024, the Mormon Church released a new chapter in the children’s Doctrine and Covenants Stories on the topic of polygamy. In that chapter they discuss how God sometimes commands his people to live polygamy and how hard it was for Joseph Smith to obey. The chapter also discusses how Joseph’s wife Emma did not want her husband to marry other women. Children were even taught that some of the brethren were arrested and put in prison for living polygamy.
After the release of that chapter many people spoke up, criticizing the church for this new content. Many believed these stories were too heavy for children and that by releasing this chapter the Mormon Church was actively teaching a story of sexual assault and grooming.
Today we learned that the church changed this chapter. Certain phrasing was removed as well as entire sections of the chapter. Is this due to online criticism of the church teaching children polygamy? Does the Mormon Church cave under pressure? Join us today as John, Julia (from Analyzing Mormonism), and Alyssa Witbeck discuss these changes.
