Sisters Not Wives

In this episode, we dig into the real economics of polygamy in early Mormon Utah. For years, people have argued about why plural marriage existed—some claim it was about caring for widows, others say it was purely religious devotion. But what do the actual economic studies and historical records say? We explore research on wealth distribution, household labor, and legal issues in 19th-century Utah...

In this episode, we unpack one of the most persistent narratives in religious history: the claim that polygamy was necessary to “build up the kingdom,” increase fertility, and rapidly populate the church. Leaders and advocates often framed plural marriage as a divine solution to demographic growth. A sacred strategy to multiply believers and secure the future of the faith. But when you actually ex...

The Mountain Meadows Massacre is one of the darkest and most disturbing events in Utah history and the truth is far more twisted than what most people have seen on screen. In this episode, we break down where Netflix’s American Primeval gets the story wrong, why its portrayal of frontier violence oversimplifies what really happened, and how last year’s best-selling book None Left to Tell comes clo...

In November 2025, the LDS Church’s Sunday School lesson on polygamy and Doctrine & Covenants Section 132 raised more questions than answers and for many, confirmed long-standing concerns about how the Church handles its own history. In this episode of Sisters Not Wives, we break down what actually happened in that lesson and why it felt less like transparency and more like carefully managed si...

Today, we're exploring how a rising climate of religious fervor, growing suspicion, and a sense of impending doom shaped life in Utah Territory during the 1850s. As tensions escalated between Latter-day Saint settlers and outsiders, the community braced for what many believed would be another invasion, this time from the United States government during the brewing Utah (Mormon) War. We also look c...

In this episode, we uncover the chilling truth behind why early Mormons believed in Blood Atonement: one of the most disturbing doctrines to ever emerge from 19th-century American religion. We explore how this belief shaped the foundations of early Mormon history and how a culture of fear, guilt, and divine punishment took hold during the Mormon Reformation. In a time of famine, natural disasters,...

Three sisters, each raised in the LDS (Mormon) Church and now at different stages in their faith journeys, sit down for a raw, unfiltered discussion about what no one talks about in Mormon temple culture. We dive deep into the traditions, expectations, and emotional layers behind eternal marriage, temple covenants, and the shame culture that can quietly shape women’s lives within the Church of Jes...

Today, we dive deep into one of the darkest doctrines to ever come out of American religious extremism, Mormon blood atonement, and the chilling ways it has surfaced in modern history. We break down three disturbing real world examples of cult leaders who justified violence in the name of God: • Ervil LeBaron: The so called Mormon Manson who ordered dozens of killings and ran his polygamist sect l...

Growing up in Utah, we were part of three different groups that, looking back, might’ve been more cult-like than we realized. In this episode, we revisit our teenage experiences, what was tied into money and power, and the red flags we missed along the way. From risky rituals to systematic exposure of trauma, and from homeschool gatherings to inner circles with a $20,000 entry fee—this is our deep...

After the end of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young led the Latter-day Saints west to the remote Utah Territory, but the move wasn’t just geographical. In this video, we dive deep into the surprising doctrinal changes and theological shifts introduced by Brigham Young that reshaped Mormonism as we know it. From Adam-God theory, The Law of Adoption, and increased emphasis on plural marriage, to the creati...

Today, we're taking a slightly different turn by talking about modern-day Mormonism, namely what it was like growing up in an extremely religious, conservative lds homeschool community in the early 2000s. Join or reminiscing and reenactments as we go down memory lane with some of the cringiest and hilarious stories that come up to the surface.

In this episode, we take a look at the history of women's rights within the church and how they were slowly dismantled and changed. With a mass exodus of women leaving religion, we discuss the challenges and obstacles in a system that still has gender-based power structures. And finally, listen in to hear a once common, then forbidden, and now forgotten matriarchal blessing full of beauty and powe...

A murdered prophet. A power struggle. And a flood of hidden wives.

In this episode of Sisters Not Wives, we uncover the scripture Brigham Young didn’t want you to see, one that directly contradicts the narrative he later built around Joseph Smith and plural marriage. This chapter, once part of LDS canon, mysteriously vanished as polygamy took hold. We dig into the historical records, analyze the scripture itself, and expose the efforts to rewrite church history t...

In this eye-opening episode, we uncover the long-suppressed story of Sarah Pratt, the wife of early LDS apostle Orson Pratt, and the explosive scandal that shook the foundations of Nauvoo in the 1840s. While Orson was away on a mission, Sarah found herself entangled in a bitter power struggle between Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and John C. Bennett,...

Before the mainstream Mormon Church embraced polygamy, another radical sect in the United States was already practicing it, and they were the ones who ended up being converted by the Mormons. In this episode, we dive deep into the little-known story of a cult-like religious group in early 19th-century Maine whose beliefs would profoundly shape early Mormon doctrine.  Learn how eight of the twelve...

In this episode, we dive into the wild rise and fall of John C. Bennett, a man who swept into Nauvoo with charm and ambition, became the city's mayor, and then left a trail of scandal, betrayal, and chaos in his wake. From his political maneuvering to his secret spiritual wifery and eventual excommunication, Bennett’s story is a critical piece in understanding the backdrop of early Mormon polygamy...

Today, we're investigating a particularly chaotic period in LDS Church history, marked by significant religious turmoil and historical violence. The context of the Mormons' time in Missouri is a key part of the story to fully understand the people who later became involved in polygamy and what shaped their psyches to influence their controversial actions and beliefs. The roots of Blood Atonement,...

Before diving into the jaw-dropping personal stories tied to polygamy in Mormon history, we’re stepping back to lay the groundwork. This episode breaks down the key events: from the Church's founding in 1830, through the rise of plural marriage, to its official end in 1904 when the LDS Church declared polygamists would be excommunicated. But there’s more: we’ll also trace how these events splinter...

This is the origin story for polygamy in Mormonism and where our jorney begins... Sadly, we do not have any records from Fanny herself, but quite a number of people had things to say about her and Joseph Smith and we are diving into the sources that have been relied upon most heavily in their narrative. Was this the start of a holy practice sanctified by religion? Was it a scandalous affair? Or wa...

We decided to do this podcast together to have an open discussion from two different viewpoints. Last week, Kensley told some of her experience and her story of choosing to stay in the LDS Church and looking into Church History and particularly the history of polygamy. A lot of people asked to hear Joslyn's story who is no longer in the Church. In this episode, we talk about our upbringing, her ex...

Welcome to the first episode of our podcast Sisters Not Wives where we are looking at the history of Mormon polygamy from a female lens. This topic that has always been controversial and hence silenced and suppressed in the past and today. We're two sisters openly discussing the history of polygamy in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, also known as Mormon polygamy; what actually hap...