The brand new 267 Invisible Brides off Wilford Woodruff

Wilford Woodruff (the new fourth President of the Church away from God Christ off Latter-day Saints) could be most widely known to have his giving of 1890 Manifesto one expected an end to the practice of polygamy within the new chapel. For it, he is maybe probably the most questionable prophets from the Mormon trust. When you find yourself a devout person in this new LDS church whom battles that have polygamy, you really are very pleased so you can Woodruff to take the initial strategies so you’re able to getting and you may stop into the behavior. If you find yourself an excellent Mormon fundamentalist just who nevertheless thinks throughout the principle away from plural marriage, you probably select Woodruff’s methods because the cowardly and possibly actually treacherous. In any event, his legacy is actually inextricably tied to just how he become the procedure you to led to the end of polygamy regarding church. It may started since a shock upcoming to find out that Woodruff is maybe close so you’re able to a great deal more plural wives than nearly any most other leader throughout the church. Yes, he could be up indeed there towards the top of record. The hook, but not, is the fact that most of them sealings would be to dead feminine and did from the proxy.

A very Patriarchal Birthday, in my opinion!

I discovered that it story inside the David J. Buerger’s This new Mysteries off Godliness: A reputation Mormon Temple Worship, which facts the introduction of the new temple ceremonies and also the means that they have been altered throughout the years. This is exactly a fantastic book and i strongly recommend they so you’re able to anybody that is interested in brand new theological and you will historic records of modern date Mormon temple praise. Among the developments to forehead worship try the fresh new introduction of endowments towards the dry, which were first did for the 11 January 1877 about St. George Temple. Below a couple months afterwards, Wilford Woodruff penned in the record that he was actually commanded from the revelation to perform proxy endowments in the St. George Forehead for the of many lifeless women he’d had closed so you can your:

Let my servant Wilford call up on new virgins, maidens, daughters & parents into the Zion, and you may let them get into my Holy Forehead to the first day's February, the day one my servant Wilford have heard of time allotted to help you man, about three score many years and you will ten, there allow them to found the washing and you may anointing and you can ecuadorian women dating endowments getting and you may part of the spouses who happen to be dry and also have been shut on my slave Wilford, or individuals who are are sealed to help you him, and that are appropriate unto myself saith  the father, and lifeless from my personal servant is used from the soul industry and start to become prepared to fulfill my servant on time of his Future . . . Today head to and you can perform that it performs as well as shall be finished with respect to the focus of your cardiovascular system. Revelation recorded by the Wilford Woodruff in his diary, step 1 February 1877 Spelling and you will punctuation corrected, importance my own.

The fresh 267 Hidden Brides out-of Wilford Woodruff

Properly, towards step one February 1877-inside the occasion from their 70th birthday celebration-Woodruff is actually followed by 154 female to go to an event from the St. George Forehead to perform proxy endowments having deceased women who had come or was basically becoming sealed to Woodruff as the plural spouses. For the occasion, Woodruff suggestions within his record:

I was around surrounded having one hundred and fifty four virgins, Maidens Daughters and you may Parents into the Zion on the chronilogical age of fourteen to your Old Mom tilting abreast of her Group. The had build for the true purpose of stepping into the fresh Temple of your Lord and also make myself a birthday gift by being wash and you will anointed and obtaining their endowments getting as well as in account of a single hundred or so and thirty away from my personal wives who had been dry as well as in this new heart industry, most that was closed for me. . . . Once they had every developed together regarding the Production Area I showed myself ahead of them outfitted during my light doe facial skin temple dress. We here brought unto them a short address. . . . You are today within this endowment as opposed to men to you, but we shall furnish one man an enthusiastic Adam. . . . I experienced brand new endowments during the day a lot more like becoming from inside the vision than just a real possibility. These 154 siblings have been contributed to three veils and you will about three regarding united states . . . the wearing forehead clothes, grabbed them all from the about three veils. . . . Chairman More youthful was establish during the forehead into the seeing the newest ceremonies. . . . On intimate of your labor in the temple We . . . is listed in the middle of a shock people got upwards on occasion. The space decorated and you will a table put laden up with every luxuries from life, enclosed by nearly a hundred of those have been researching endowments to own my personal inactive throughout the day. Chairman Younger sat during the head of one's desk in the middle of their relatives and immediately after blessing are asked, there can be exhibited prior to myself something special out of a birthday bridesmaid pie, three stories large, decorated toward monsters of occupation on the elephant down, and you will ornamented that have a couple of silk sheets covered with released poetry composed with the celebration. Wilford Woodruff Journal, step one February 1877 Spelling and punctuation fixed, importance my personal. Cited passages discovered more six users.