ABSTRACT
Most early Mormons, many with strict New England Puritan backgrounds, found polygamy as sinful as adultery in breaking the monogamous Christian covenant. The first marriages of Mormon polygynists are often civil marriages, whereas subsequent plural marriages take place within the fundamentalist Church. Because they are illegal, they cannot be performed by publicly authorized officials or documented in civil records. As in all polygynous societies, financial issues are a prime source of tension in the family and need to be dealt with constructively in order to ensure smooth family living. Instead, polygynists found strength in the higher status they mostly enjoyed in their local communities as well as in the anticipation of the extra glory awaiting them in the celestial kingdom. Today, the protection of children and under-age girls has replaced divorce as a driving force in these persecutions, and the USA remains as intolerant of Mormon polygamy today as it was 150 years ago.
