obeying curfew, not to drink or do drugs, not engaging in sexual intercourse until you are married, and

attending Church every Sunday for approximately three hours. These are all in place to have good
wholesome relationships with your friends, family, and with g-d.
Being an outsiders eye, I was very intrigued with the idea of polygamy. Knowing nothing about
Mormonism, I wanted to understand the truth behind what some might think is a concerning belief to
partake in by having multiple wives. Elder Davis was able to educate me more on this topic by telling me
that polygamists are not apart of the Latter-day Saints church. They are a breakoff of Mormonism that is
completely unassociated with the faith that is practiced in the temples across the world. I was completely
shocked when I heard this. It made me ponder why polygamy was paired with Mormonism. He informed
me that in the beginning of the 1800s, when the church was just beginning to uproot, there were a lot of
men dying. Because of this, a plethora of women needed a place to stay and most importantly, have a last
name. Since then it has been discontinued due to the growth of American culture, and is not affiliated with
the church. Trepanier and Newswander say Even though the LDS Church has repeatedly denounced the
contemporary practice of polygamy, it cannot escape guilt by association (Trepanier, p. 41). This made it
clear to me because I had thought that all polygamists were Mormons. This directly relates to the highly
infamous stereotype that all Mormons have to be faced with. Now looking even more closely into it, I had
thought this solely based on television. I then felt surprised at myself because I am not the type of person to
believe what the media skews about certain types of people. Even Elder Davis says Its annoying that
polygamists are being perceived as Mormons when they are not. I cant imagine having to face this harsh
stereotype on a concept that has been forbidden in the church for over a century. Casey explains that she
has gotten plenty of comments before asking if she has multiple sister-wives but she abruptly says no!
and that they are not apart of the religion anymore. Nancy Hewitt who wrote for The Journal of American
History also says, polygamy challenged traditional understandings (Hewitt, p. 1039-1040). This is the
reason why polygamy is no longer accepted due to Mormons traditional values instilled today that include
family, education, manners, responsibilities, and relationships.
After knowing nothing about Mormonism, and then conducting research and speaking with two
Mormons themselves, I have not only learned more about the culture than I ever thought I could, but also
realized what I believe and practice currently and the new goals I have set for myself in the future. Being a