True to the faith.

I have to comment on this because this morning the Today show said the person of interest for the week was Joseph Smith. The statement was from the church and  they said Joseph Smith had 40 wives. Not much more than that.
I read a book by Orson Scott Card about a women who was married to him and the book and perspective  upset me so I looked into it. Take note: I was warned by 3 ladies not to go into it, it is better not to know some things .What! I am basing my life around something and I better not go into it too deep! not for me, I want to know about all of it, every detail.  So I did.
I started with the internet and found a book by a BYU professor who is not excommunicated and is still teaching. I click onto his book.
In his book he was able to find 33 wives. He has a life bio. for each of them and it is interesting, sad, misunderstood and soul searching information.  I can't find it(the name)  today, but it should be on line.
So the comments from the women were very mixed. Some married other men  later and left the church, some stayed and just lived a normal life without him in it. Apparently sex was not a part of  most of these marriages. Some women were married to Joseph Smith with their husband standing right there in the ceremony. So weird!
Joseph Smith married some of these women because he loved their husbands so much. He thought that marring them meant that they would all be sealed together-wife and other husband- and be in heaven in that condition. He was a little mixed up. He never, as far as this professor wrote, supported these women financially. So in short this polygamist system for Joseph Smith was just a binding people together. Most of these women had children by other men and lived less than happy lives. Joseph Smith kept these marriages secret from Emma and the main body of the church. He was threaten remember by an angel to do this or end his life.
At one point, Joseph had two sisters that he married, living  in the mansion house. Emma was fine until she saw that  Joseph spent time in their rooms and not with her at night. (Don't know if it was one night, each sister or what) she threw them out. At this point, Emma thought it was adultery or it appeared to be adultery. Remember she clamed that polygamy was not practiced by Joseph.
In short, he was not painted or clamed by any of these women to be lecherous or dirty or insistent or anything.  Some women -who left the church - maybe they spread rumors, who knows.
One more thing. One women on her death bed told here daughter that she was the daughter of Joseph Smith. So, there you have it. Sex-  it did happen. But it didn't happen 40 times.( I suppose she can be believed.) They, most all  of the women, went out west and had to take care of themselves or married other men.
Can you still accept Joseph to be a prophet even though he had some mixed up ideas? All of  you come from polygamist families.  Hatch and Smith on Dads side and Price on my side.
So as you go about your day, remember he was not a sex fiend or screwball. This will all be sorted out. Don't loose your testimony on this stuff.