Heavenly Father Has Never Commanded or Condoned Polygamy

Alma 17:24-25, The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ

“And it came to pass that king Lamoni was much pleased with Ammon, and caused that his bands should be loosed; and he would that Ammon should take one of his daughters to wife.
“But Ammon said unto him: Nay, but I will be thy servant. Therefore Ammon became a servant to king Lamoni. And it came to pass that he was set among other servants to watch the flocks of Lamoni, according to the custom of the Lamanites.”

As a great missionary and witness of God, Ammon did not accept Lamoni’s offer, which offer was part of the polygyny culture of the Kingdom of Lamoni. King Lamoni had embraced and also, considered it normal, to use his status as a father of daughters. He considered it culturally acceptable and normal to offer one of his daughters to become a wife to Ammon.

If Ammon had considered this taking a wife to be a most righteous thing to do, he’d have done so. He did not see his purpose as a missionary, to include permission from Heavenly Father, to take a woman to be his wife during his proselyting time.

I’m not astonished that early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints didn’t see this enough to go against the idea of missionaries with wives going out to preach The Gospel of Jesus Christ, and coming home “married” (not legally, but by what they considered to be a proper religious marriage ceremony) to another wife. Many missionaries in the early days of The Church became polygynous men during their missions, while teaching and preaching the gospel.

I see it as very significant that Ammon said no to this.

I wonder whether Ammon knew it was wrong to take a wife while proselyting, or teaching The Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I also wonder whether Ammon knew that for fathers to treat their daughters as if they were objects to give as gifts to men who had done something that pleased them, was not something of which Heavenly Father approved.

The idea that women are commodities comes from ancient wicked traditions all over the world. It is wrong and not something for which Heavenly Father gives approval. It is not something for which Heavenly Father has ever given approval.