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| {{FairMormon}}
| | #REDIRECT[[Fanny Alger was Joseph Smith's first plural wife#How could Joseph and Fanny have been married in 1831 if the sealing power had not yet been restored?]] |
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| ==Question: How could Joseph and Fanny have been married in 1831 if the sealing power had not yet been restored?==
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| ===There is historical evidence that Joseph Smith knew as early as 1831 that plural marriage would be restored===
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| There is historical evidence that Joseph Smith knew as early as 1831 that plural marriage would be restored. Mosiah Hancock (a Mormon) reported a wedding ceremony in Kirtland, Ohio in 1833.
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| Apostate Mormons Ann Eliza Webb Young and her father Chauncery both referred to Fanny's relationship as a "sealing." Ann Eliza also reported that Fanny's family was very proud of Fanny's relationship with Joseph, which makes little sense if it was simply a tawdry affair. Those closest to them saw the marriage as exactly that—a marriage.
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| ===Joseph and Fanny's marriage was a plural marriage, not an eternal marriage===
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| Some have wondered how the first plural marriages (such as the Alger marriage) could have occurred before the 1836 restoration of the sealing keys in the Kirtland temple (see {{s||DC|110||}}). This confusion occurs because we tend to conflate several ideas. They were not all initially wrapped together in one doctrine:
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| # plural marriage - the idea that one could be married (in mortality) to more than one woman: being taught by 1831.
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| # eternal marriage - the idea that a man and spouse could be sealed and remain together beyond the grave: being taught by 1835.
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| # "celestial" marriage - the combination of the above two ideas, in which all marriages—plural and monogamous—could last beyond the grave via the sealing powers: implemented by 1840-41.
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| Thus, the marriage to Fanny would have occurred under the understanding #1 above. The concept of sealing beyond the grave came later. Therefore, the marriage of Joseph and Fanny would have been a plural marriage, but it would not have been a marriage for eternity. Perhaps it is worth mentioning that priesthood power already gave the ability to ratify certain ordinances as binding on heaven and earth (D&C 1:8), that the sealing power was given mention in earlier revelations such as Helaman 10:7, and that the coming of Elijah and his turning of the hearts of children and fathers was prophesied in 3 Nephi 25:5-6.
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| {{endnotes sources}}
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| [[Category:Letter to a CES Director]] | | [[Category:Letter to a CES Director]] |
| [[Category:MormonThink]] | | [[Category:MormonThink]] |
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| [[es:Pregunta: ¿Cómo podrían José y Fanny han estado casados en 1831 si el poder para sellar aún no había sido restaurado?]] | | [[es:Pregunta: ¿Cómo podrían José y Fanny han estado casados en 1831 si el poder para sellar aún no había sido restaurado?]] |
| [[pt:Pergunta: Como poderia Joseph e Fanny terem sido casados em 1831 se o poder selador ainda não havia sido restaurado?]] | | [[pt:Pergunta: Como poderia Joseph e Fanny terem sido casados em 1831 se o poder selador ainda não havia sido restaurado?]] |
| | [[Category:Questions]] |
