Welcome to episode 27 of the Joseph Smith Podcast with Dr. John G. Turner! In this episode, we take a deep dive into Joseph Smith’s early practice of polygamy in Nauvoo, tracing how it began, how it expanded so rapidly, and what it reveals about power, belief, and risk. We examine the first plural marriages, the people Joseph trusted to introduce the practice, and the recurring patterns that emerge as polygamy spreads among church leadership. Along the way, we ask difficult questions about revelation, consent, secrecy, scripture, and whether Joseph believed his actions were divinely required –or something else entirely. This discussion also situates polygamy within the broader political and social pressures Joseph faced in the early 1840s, including legal threats, growing opposition, and his increasing confidence and recklessness as Nauvoo flourished. Ultimately, we explore whether Joseph’s polygamy can be understood as sincere belief, institutional experimentation, abuse of authority, or some combination of all three. If you find this series valuable, consider liking, subscribing, and sharing. More episodes in this series are coming next! Please purchase the book here: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300255164/joseph-smith/ To support this series please donate here: https://donorbox.org/josephsmith. One half of all donations will go to Dr. Turner for as long as he is participating in the series. Show notes can be found on the Mormon Stories blog here: https://www.mormonstories.org/joseph-smiths-first-year-of-polygamy-in-nauvoo/ Timecodes: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:02:47 Why did Joseph start pursuing polygamy further? 00:11:39 Who Joseph doesn’t tell about the revelation 00:13:50 The “Law of Sarah” 00:16:15 Joseph Bates Noble - First person introduced to Polygamy 00:19:21 Listing the patterns of Joseph's polygamy 00:22:17 Recounting the first sealing with Louisa 00:27:26 Speculating on Joseph's motives 00:33:33 Joseph Bates Noble ends up with a plural wife 00:47:10 Re-baptism of plural wives 00:48:17 Joseph feeling on top of the world - appears in full military costume to address his members 01:00:27 Joseph does not lay low (he obtains habeas corpus) 01:07:10 Anti-Mormon conventions in 1841 01:08:52 Many return missionaries become co-conspirators to polygamy 01:19:57 Discussing the Huntington sisters 01:34:42 Joseph marries his widowed sister-in-law 01:42:52 Why did Joseph engage in Polyandry? 02:05:36 Disproving the theory that polygamy was to “raise up a righteous seed” 02:09:30 What does it say about God if Joseph was threatened by an angel? 02:21:57 Some of the women claim they received revelation that they should be married 02:26:57 Why so many wives so quickly? (Joseph is up to a dozen plural wives) 02:27:41 Why Joseph Smith is becoming reckless 02:45:19 People are all a mixture of good and bad - there are many heroes in history who did terrible things 02:46:40 Conclusion & what’s next ___________________ At Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals. Our overall mission is to: 1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology 2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis 3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions 🤝Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today One-time or recurring donations: https://donorbox.org/mormon-stories?default_interval=m Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/mormonstories Paypal: https://paypal.me/mormonstories Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx6OgmoqJbOVRq-Lv1P7SzA/join Our Platforms: 🌐Mormon Stories Blog: https://www.mormonstories.org/episodes 🎙️Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mormonstories ✳️Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4sDzk7dRjODTSEqzZKZJzk?si=148b0efc1ccc4404&nd=1 🍎Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mormon-stories-lds/id312094772 🖼️Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mormstories 📱TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mormonstoriespodcast 🎮Discord: https://discord.com/invite/kuX5p6yyjF Contact us: 📧 MormonStories@gmail.com 📬PO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117