Having lived life for quite some time now and seen a lot of things, I wonder how easily it would have been to stop. Is it wrong to assume that it had become a significant element of the culture and practice, hence making cessation a challenge?
For someone who knows, what percentage of the post manifesto plural marriages were for U.S. residents versus those Mormons outside the U.S.? Also, what justification is used for continuing the practice in some form after the manifesto? Do we have any record of what the leaders were thinking and why they would act as they did? If it went on for 15 years afterward, what do the numbers look like over those suceeding 15 years? The majority up front, steadily going downward, or regulary consistent levels over time and then ending?
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Give 'em Hell, Cougars!!!
Religion rises inevitably from our apprehension of our own death. To give meaning to meaninglessness is the endless quest of all religion. When death becomes the center of our consciousness, then religion authentically begins. Of all religions that I know, the one that most vehemently and persuasively defies and denies the reality of death is the original Mormonism of the Prophet, Seer and Revelator, Joseph Smith.
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