For decades, the historical consensus has been that Joseph Smith introduced and practiced plural marriage in Nauvoo. But a small group of researchers has argued for a very different conclusion: that Joseph Smith was not the founder of Mormon polygamy and that the historical evidence has been misunderstood. In this episode of Mormonism Live, we sit down with researcher Jeremy Hoop to explore that perspective in depth. Jeremy has spent years examining William Clayton’s journals, the Nauvoo land deeds, the Augusta Cobb letters, the British Mission, and many other historical sources. He explains why he believes the standard narrative deserves to be reconsidered and walks us through the evidence that has led him to his conclusions. Whether you agree with Jeremy or not, this conversation is an opportunity to hear one of the leading voices of the Joseph Smith “non-polygamist” position explain his research in his own words.
Our goal is to better understand the arguments, the historical documents, and the reasoning behind this alternative interpretation of early Mormon history. As always, we invite you to examine the evidence, think critically, and reach your own conclusions.
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Bill & RFM got their a**es handed to them on this one.
Jeremy is a worthy opponent. We done sir!
Wow! This episode astounded me from the perspective that Jeremy and his cohorts exist in a cloak’n dagger mindset that requires turning relatively simple statements, evidence, events, etc into something extremely complex and at the same time nefarious. That only the truly enlightened could possibly comprehend. Bill displayed extreme restraint as RFM resisted putting Jeremy in a virtual reality choke hold.