Does the mainline Mormon Church really condemn polygamy?
Yes and no. The LDS Church officially mandated the end of the practice of polygamy in the late 19th Century, and began excommunicating members who practiced it in the early 20th Century. However, it puts them in the awkward position of having to condemn something that had been so crucial to their historical development. As a result, the historical aspect of polygamy tends to be downplayed, to the point where the newer generations of Mormons have very little understanding of the doctrinal and historical aspect of polygamy. Nevertheless, the mainstream Mormon Church still accepts it on a “spiritual” level, meaning that they believe it is the order of Heaven and required for exaltation. In addition, mainstream Mormon men can be “eternally sealed” to more than one woman. If, for example, a Mormon man is eternally sealed (married in the temple) to a woman, she is considered his wife for eternity. If that wife dies, and the man remarries a woman, and is sealed to her as well, then it is beli
