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Tutu the Vykxen

@vykxen

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Religious Anarchy 🦊
Scientist (Sleep Med Spec.)
Exmormon helleveeg 🇳🇱🇦🇺
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Yes, this was in the USA. After my family left that building, stake leaders had meetings discussing my family’s decision to leave. About a year later they took the family ward out of that building and put the young single adults in there. As if that was better. If I could go back and give myself a hug for the HARD decisions I made back then. Every single moment and choice had so much riding on it. I am proud of myself for doing what I felt was safest at the time and for not allowing church leaders to sway me. I used to think those men held so much power. Because they decided whether I was worthy to attend the temple (or go to heaven). And if you’re not attending your own ward and disobeying leaders then you will not be granted a recommend. The mind games are real. #exmo #exmormon #lds #postmormonwomen

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Victory dance because I got my first anti-Mormon to respond to one of my videos!

#god #jesus #exmormon #mormon #bookofmormon

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My parents were hearing my stories about how I never had enough money, constant diarrhea, mugging, shootings, cockroaches falling into our food from the ceiling, no running water, etc. Of course they would be concerned. They contacted the Mission President and he, in turn, laid into me. He told me to stop telling them stuff. My mission was so dangerous that my mission president told me to stop telling my parents certain things tha happen. This one is for my friend Vykxen. Love you. #exmo #exmormon #postmormon

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Quiz in the comments 🕊️

There is no wrong answer. There is historical evidence for each of these claims.
1. Sexual access and opportunity
Historians across the spectrum acknowledge that plural marriage gave Joseph Smith access to women he could not have pursued monogamously.
- Many were young (several 14–17).
- Several were already married (“polyandry”).
- Some were women who lived or worked in his household.
Even believing historians admit sexuality was part of the system; non‑LDS scholars see it as a primary driver.

2. Consolidating power and loyalty
Plural marriage created a tight inner circle of men whose wives, sisters, or daughters were sealed to Smith.
This produced:
- Personal loyalty
- Political insulation
- A network of families tied directly to him
It functioned like a dynastic power structure — a way to bind influential Nauvoo families to his authority.

3. Dynastic sealing as a political strategy
Smith’s theology of sealing wasn’t just spiritual; it was political.
By sealing people to himself — including through marriage — he was building a literal kingdom with himself at the center.
Historians call this “adoptive sealing” or “dynastic priesthood.”
Plural marriage was one of the tools for expanding that network.
4. Charismatic-prophetic authority and boundary‑breaking
New religious founders often introduce radical practices to:
- Demonstrate divine authority
- Distinguish their movement
- Test followers’ obedience
Smith’s polygamy fits this pattern.
It was a high‑cost, high‑commitment practice that reinforced his prophetic status and separated insiders from outsiders.

Only room for 4 options on the pol feature lol woops. I'll remember that for next time. 5. Desire to resolve personal contradictions
Smith was already pursuing extramarital relationships before formalizing polygamy.
Plural marriage provided:
- A theological justification
- A way to reframe transgressive behavior as divine command
- A mechanism to manage secrecy and guilt
Historians see this as a classic case of retrofitting doctrine to behavior, not the other way around.

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Answer is in the Caption 🌿

Joseph Smith didn’t just marry women who were already married 🕊️ in several cases, he sent their husbands on missions and then secretly married their wives while they were gone. Historians call this polyandry, and it’s one of the most troubling patterns in Nauvoo polygamy.

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