Married? To whom exactly?

I watched an interesting show on ABC last night. It was called Primetime: The outsiders. The topic was polygamists. Since I had studied Mormonism in high school for my senior year research paper, the LDS church is a topic that has interested and intrigued me for years.
The modern day LDS church claims to frown upon the practice of polygamy.

Here is a brief history on polygamy in America:
1823-1827 Joseph Smith received the "Book of Mormon" in the form of golden plates from the "angel of light" (see 2 Corinthians 11:14) Moroni.
He taught the doctrine of plural marriage after the group arrived in Nauvoo Illinois, but there are conflicting accounts of whether or not he personally had more than one.
After his death in 1844, the LDS were forced out of Illinois, and they went to SLC Utah where Brigham Young was able to institute the doctrine of polygamy claiming it to be a "new revelation" from God. He of course took advantage of that one and had at least 27 wives and 56 children.
In order for New Zion (Utah) to gain statehood, the church had to abolish these teachings and did so; though there are still rogue LDS members who practice it. Some of them call themselves the reformed LDS or Community of Christ (their leader, William Jeffs, was recently arrested on charges of forced marriage, and other sexual issues involving minors).

Now, about this particular program. They interviewed one particular family. The man had two wives and 9 children. The first wife was 30 and they had 7 kids; the second was 20 and they had 2. Both of these women of course, had come from a home where their father's had multiple wives, so this was normal for them and it was what they wanted for their own families. As one who lives a normal monogamous life, I look at them as being odd for wanting that, but that is all they know.

The basic premise of Mormonism is that the men will one day be gods and that the more wives they have, the greater god they will be when they reach heaven. The only way for a woman to get to heaven is to marry a man (Imagine that!!). So, these women welcome more wives, so that their husbands can be greater. They also believe that there are spirit babies in heaven (that god is reproducing with his many wives) and it is their duty to create many babies to give these spirit babies homes, and the more wives the husband has, the more babies.

They say that it is not about sex, but that they are obeying the commands of Jesus Christ in the Scriptures because he was married and had many wives, so they are following his example. (I don't know from what scriptures they have taken that from). My husband says to me "Why don't they just read the Bible?" In answer to that, they do read the Bible (the KJV to be exact) and study it along with their own books The Book of Mormon and The Pearl Of Great Price (new revelation given to Brigham Young in SLC).

Their own Book of Mormon says in Jacob 1:15 --"They began to grow hard in their hearts, and indulge themselves somewhat in wicked practices, such as like unto David of old desiring many wives and concubines, and also Solomon his son." Also in Jacob 2:23 --the author calls this practice "whoredoms", again in verse 24 "Behold, David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord." Then the author commands in Jacob 2:27 "Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall NOT any man among you have save it be ONE wife; and concubines he shall have NONE."

I was wondering what kind of jobs all these men had to take care of their wives and all those children. Well, the first wife (possibly wives) has a job as well as the husband while the newer wife (wives) stay home with the children and care for the home. Of course, the newer wife is looking forward to the husband's marrying again, so her job is made lighter.

The women did honestly say that there was some jealousy there when the husband would choose the other to be with on a particular night or when he would take the other woman out on an excursion. DUH!! I figured there would be, I just did not expect them to admit to it.

They also interviewed a group of teenagers who were looking forward to the day that they would marry and have that same lifestyle. The young men of course were looking forward to having more than one wife and the girls were looking forward to being a part of their own polygamist families. These same children had very moral lifestyles up to this point in their lives.

In my Christian mind, I cannot understand how someone could truly believe that stuff, but I guess by the grace of God, I was brought up in a Christian home learning to read and study the true Scriptures. He could have put me in a home like that where I would know nothing different. Thank God for his Sovereign Glorious Grace.