Mormon Women
A group of Mormon women walk to Temple Square in an attempt to get tickets to the priesthood meeting at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints semi-annual gathering known as general conference in Salt Lake City, Utah April 5, 2014. The group, who want ecclesiastical equality with men, seeked admittance to a male-only session of the faith's spring conference on Saturday, as they promote the ordination of women into the lay priesthood of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Reuters/Jim Urquhart

Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon Church that banned polygamy 150 years ago, had between 30 and 40 wives, the youngest of whom was just 14. This was revealed in an essay published in late October in its website, lds.org, which was reported by New York Times on Monday.

Joseph Smith (1805–1844), who is viewed as a "larger-than-life prophet by many" was said to have been visited by an angel, who told him thrice to marry multiple times. He started the Church in 1830 and married between 30 and 40 women. The essay explains some of his wives are already wedded to friends and other church members. Check out the list of Smith's wives here.

Officially known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or LDS, it initially disavowed plural marriage in 1890 due to pressure from the U.S. government, which jailed polygamists and took over their assets, according to CNN. But now the essay is clear that "during the third and final appearance, the angel came with a drawn sword, threatening Joseph with destruction unless he went forward and obeyed the commandment fully."

For 200 years, the Church had said that polygamy, or "plural marriage," had been practised only by the early members after Smith but not by him. But now, according to the essay, Smith had sexual relations with about 12 to 14 of his wives to whom he was "sealed for time and eternity." Other wives, it said, were "sealed" to him for the next life. The youngest one, just 14 years old, was the daughter of his close friends and was an "eternity-only" bride.

The difference between "sealings for time and eternity" and "eternity-only" is interesting. According to the essay, the sealings for time and eternity meant there was an active relationship during this life, which also included sexual relations. On the other hand, "eternity-only" sealings meant they should have relationships only in the following life.

The reasons for the plural marriage are not clear. It was seen as a "redemptive process of sacrifice and spiritual refinement" by the Mormon Church. Others looked at it as a technique to boost the Mormon birth rate. Check out the reasons here. Joseph Smith is thought to be a "reluctant polygamist." Yet he felt he could not ignore God's will. However, it cast an "excruciating ordeal" on Emma Smith, his first wife. She raised objections that put also him in a dilemma, as he was forced to make a choice between the will of God and his "beloved Emma," says the essay.

Many Mormons are shocked. One of them, who blogs at the popular Feminist Mormon Housewives, explains what she and her circle of friends felt. She said one of them had heard about it and did not know how to make it work. Others just ignored it. But some of Joseph Smith's followers flew to his defence. "When the commandment was given by God, Joseph Smith had to obey. He loved and served God and Jesus Christ before any man," wrote Facebook user Kortney Chamberlain in a comment on the NY Times Facebook page.

Elder Steven E. Snow, a Mormon leader, emphasised it is important to be truthful and understand the Church's history. He told NY Times there are so many stories of faith, devotion and sacrifice, but these people weren't perfect.

In 1850, LDS banned polygamy, yet one section that called itself the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or FLDS, left the main group, charging it of forgetting its principles. FLDS members still practice polygamy in small areas in the U.S. and Canada.