bismark wrote:thats actually a pretty well known site amongst apologetic and scholarly circles. i haven't seen anyone outright refute all of the information there, but certainly we should examine each source with skepticism.
more reading:
http://en.fairmormon.org/Polygamy_book/ ... _marriages[/url]
Thank you for your informative and fair response. The reference you give seems to me to largely refute the reference given by Waldorf and Sauron.
What first got me in the reference given by Waldorf and Sauron, is that the possible children of Joseph Smith came from women who were at the time married to other men. I don't think adultery has ever been acceptable in the Church. So, there is already a very likely father for these children, and it wasn't Joseph Smith.
Then the evidence seems to hang on what a couple of very elderly women say. I hate to say this, but you can't trust everything my 90-year-old mother says. Especially when she has a urinary tract infection. Didn't Barack Obama's grandmother claim that she was in Kenya with Barack (the president-elect) when Barack was born? So, I think this testimony is suspect.
Next the Waldorf and Sauron source talks about DNA testing. In every case the testing has proved that Joseph Smith was not the father. In a few cases a year of testing has not been sufficient time to show any connection to Joseph Smith. So, once again, we have no evidence.
Despite the lack of evidence they still claim that Joseph Smith
probably did have children from his polygamous wives. I find that conclusion very strange.
Church history has always been an interest of mine. I don't claim special knowledge in this area, though a sister of one of my ancestors did marry Joseph Smith. Family history indicates no descendents from Joseph.