free law journal - volume 3, number 1 (18 january 2007)

FREE LAW JOURNAL - VOLUME 3, NUMBER 1 (18 JANUARY 2007)LEGAL AND JUDICIAL STRUGGLESWITH POLYGAMOUS MARRIAGESIN MORMON SOCIETY (1830-1887)BY DIDEM ÖZALPAT1.INTRODUCTIONThe Mormon religion, established by Josepf Smith with thename of “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saint in 1830in New York, 1 has a rich and complicated history. The Church ofJesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, one of several Christianreligious movements arising in the United States in the 1800s,grew and improved by the time. Mormonism, a worldwidereligion with a large following in Canada, Mexico and LatinAmerica and growing numbers in Europe, Asia and Africa, has alarge membership of about nine million. The internationalheadquarters of the LDS Church is located in Salt Lake City, Utah.Nevertheless, there are many members, living in California andother western states. 22. THE THEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND OFPOLYGAMOUS MARRIAGESJoseph Smith established the new religion with a few followers inFayette, New York, in 1830. He collected his revelations and12Brewster, Pamela R., Mothers and Goddesses: American Women in theMormon Subculture, Michigan 1990, p.40 ; Çolak, Melek, “Osmanlıİmparatorluğu’nda Mormonlar”, Tarih ve Toplum, İletişim Yayınları,Haziran 2001, Sayı: 210, Cilt: 35, p.23-24Altman, Irwin and Joseph Ginat, Polygamous Families in ContemporarySociety, Cambridge University Press, 1996, p.21115DIDEM ÖZALPAT - LEGAL AND JUDICIAL STRUGGLES WITHPOLYGAMOUS MARRIAGES IN MORMON SOCIETY (1830-1887)