The purchase of the Smith Family Homestead in Nauvoo by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints feels like a privileged, polygamist punch in the gut.
I don’t think the sale of properties to the LDS Church by the Community of Christ was somehow unethical; but I do believe immoral and illegal activities by powerful men in a little town by the Mississippi almost two centuries ago set the stage to make this transaction possible.
It’s a classic “might over right” story, and on behalf of Emma Smith and the faithful members of the Community of Christ, I will say the sale is heartbreaking. What if Joseph had been convinced by Emma’s agony over polygamy and ended the practice before he died? If polygamy had gone away before the manifesto ousted it officially, 50 years later, would the size of the LDS Church be more like the prophet’s sons’ Reorganized Mormon church, now known as the Community of Christ?
The size and power of the Brigham Young-led polygamic church truly increased from generation to generation. But I’m compelled to ask: Does the current wealth of this version of Mormonism justify the emotional price paid by Emma Smith or any other woman whose heart and agency broke and faded inside polygamy?
The freedoms afforded to some through capitalism are undeniably valuable. Using this freedom to share power in equal measure with others is invaluable. This kind of world-changing use of power would lead nations into equality; the long-suffering hope of God’s children.
I’m inspired by a description of the Community of Christ contained in the news release of the sale. “Community of Christ strives to restore Christ’s peace on Earth and challenge unjust systems that diminish human worth.”
What if we lived in a nation where this kind of organization had more might? Doesn’t that seem more right?
Emily Wadley, Bountiful
