| | ::well I have looked at the record, and I can assert that conservative Protestants --including every faction of the Presbyterian denomination, which took the lead--were very hostile to Mormons in 1904. Most of the ministers were Republican and they demanded the Senate take action against a Republican (Smoot). Three reasons dominated: whether the Mormons practiced Polygamy, theocracy and Christianity. The top Mormon leaders had multiple wives from official marriages--not unofficial mariages or comcubines or mistresses. (Smoot had only one wife and was seated). Mormon leaders realized the dilemma and forced the explusion after 1904 of outspoken polygamists, but they did not give up their own multiple wives. That is, they tolerated quiet polygamous mariages that had already started but did not allow any new ones. The last official polygamist --a widow--was a young woman in 1904 and died in the 1970s--not so long ago. Several leading Mormons were forced out of the leadership on the polygamy issue, and a faction broke off and still exists that practices polygamy. Theocracy was a somewhat different issue, which the Mormons resolved by splitting Mormon men into Republicans and Democratics, so there would be genuine competition in state politics. As for Christianity that still is a lively issue as the 2008 GOP primary suggests.[[User:RJJensen|RJJensen]] 20:34, 10 April 2009 (EDT) | | ::well I have looked at the record, and I can assert that conservative Protestants --including every faction of the Presbyterian denomination, which took the lead--were very hostile to Mormons in 1904. Most of the ministers were Republican and they demanded the Senate take action against a Republican (Smoot). Three reasons dominated: whether the Mormons practiced Polygamy, theocracy and Christianity. The top Mormon leaders had multiple wives from official marriages--not unofficial mariages or comcubines or mistresses. (Smoot had only one wife and was seated). Mormon leaders realized the dilemma and forced the explusion after 1904 of outspoken polygamists, but they did not give up their own multiple wives. That is, they tolerated quiet polygamous mariages that had already started but did not allow any new ones. The last official polygamist --a widow--was a young woman in 1904 and died in the 1970s--not so long ago. Several leading Mormons were forced out of the leadership on the polygamy issue, and a faction broke off and still exists that practices polygamy. Theocracy was a somewhat different issue, which the Mormons resolved by splitting Mormon men into Republicans and Democratics, so there would be genuine competition in state politics. As for Christianity that still is a lively issue as the 2008 GOP primary suggests.[[User:RJJensen|RJJensen]] 20:34, 10 April 2009 (EDT) |
| | + | ::: I don't doubt that the Senate opponents of the LDS Church were Protestant. Virtually ''all'' congressmen then were Protestant. But the protagonists of Smoot included Democrats, which is not typically known for being conservative. Moreover, the witchhunt was politically motivated and little to do with genuine opposition to polygamy. Smoot, as you concede, was not even a polygamist. |
| | + | ::: Some Protestants do oppose the LDS Church for reasons other than polygamy. But that is even more reason not to exaggerate the polygamy issue. Let's not make the same mistake the Senate did in 1904-05, exaggerating the polygamy issue when no one genuinely cares about it.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 20:48, 10 April 2009 (EDT) |