The press have it wrong again. Here's the article covering it:
Deseret News Article
Unfortunately the article did not go into much detail for either side. It did post links to the articles at the bottom of the page though. Since this seems to be a common misconception about my church I guess I should make some points on polygamy to cover the facts.
1. I like numbered lists. They're just so fun and orderly. I guess I could compartmentalize my ramblings with punctuation and literary tricks, but I like the number period format. Deal with it.
2. Shortage of Men - Really. We were being hunted and killed by mobs and the government. We got wise to this and watched for their coming and got the women and children out of their homes before they could be burned in their beds. To prevent pursuit some men always stayed behind to delay or deter them from following. As a result there were less men than women in the church. Since women cannot hold land, cannot vote, have easily tarnished reputations, have children who need a father and are not as physically capable as men they needed husbands to speak up for them, protect their reputations, teach their children, help with the physical labor and teach the children.
3. Not the Whole Church - This only affected a small percentage of the church. Not everyone was doing it mostly because there was no need for everyone to do it. If there was 1 man for 1 woman there would have been no need at all (see 1).
4. It was a calling - The congregational leader (bishop) would have a widow that needed a husband. This would be after he asked her if she was ok with the idea. He would then think of the best people for the job, pray about it and call them and go to talk to them and their current wife. The bishop would ask the man if he would take her on as a wife and then he would ask the current wife if she was ok with this (that's right, she could say no).
5. No requests - There were no old men eyeing the girls on the street and demanding to add them to their repotoire.
Sorry to dispel the fun of polygamy. I still like to hear the jokes and ribs. Especially ones I haven't heard.
Original NY Times Column
Elder Jensen's Rebuttal