While many parts of the gospel’s restoration (such as scriptures other than the Bible) separated the early Saints from their surrounding communities, the defense often given for their polygamous lifestyle is that it…

“…helped create and strengthen a sense of cohesion and group identification among Latter-day Saints. Church members came to see themselves as a ‘peculiar people,’ covenant-bound to carry out the commands of God despite outside opposition.” (Topics: Plural Marriage in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)

The goal was accomplished and the early Saints saw themselves and were seen by others as a “peculiar people,” and when the Church is linked to this lifestyle today, we are also seen as peculiar. More than just peculiar, this practice—that likely seemed immoral and cruel to women by the majority of the Saints’ neighbors—would have been abhorrent in the 19th century.

There could never be a justification for violence against the early Saints, but we can understand members of a community wanting to separate themselves from those living this practice because clearly, the Church in our day does just that. Our Church makes a concerted effort to separate itself from present-day polygamist sects, many of which share our early history and scriptures, but have continued obeying the marriage commandment described in D&C 132. 

This is part of an essay that first appeared on SquareTwo