In her new book, let's talk about polygamy, Brittany Chapman Nash writes,

When I first began my journey studying polygamy, I was angry by what I saw as injustice

that God required such a difficult principle to be lived by these faithful, tried people.

But as I studied the personal writing, stories, and testimonies of polygamous,

accepting them on their own terms, I found peace.

The practice could never have been sustained for a half century by compulsion, manipulation, or simple sexual desire.

Those who set the foundation of the Latter-day Saint Faith were not two dimensional superheroes as they are sometimes portrayed.

But they were complex, strong, intelligent, full-bodied kingdom builders who were willing to leave loved ones, wealth, comfort, and native countries for what they believed to be true.

This same willingness drove them to accept polygamy, a practice they accepted as a commandment of God instituted in their time for his unique purposes.

In quote, today we'll talk with Brittany all about that journey.

Brittany Chapman Nash is a specialist in Latter-day Saint Women's History and co-edited the award-winning four-volume Women of Faith in the Latter-day Series,

and fearless in the cause remarkable stories of women in church history.

Brittany worked as a historian for 10 years in the church history department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,

and has served on committees of the Mormon History Association, Better Days 2020, and the Young Women General Board.

She is a member of the Mormon Women's History Initiative team, a group dedicated to popularizing the history of Latter-day Saint Women.

This is All-In, an LDS Living Podcast where we ask the question, what does it really mean to be All-In, the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

I'm Morgan Jones, and I am thrilled to have Brittany Chapman Nash on the line with me today, Brittany, welcome.

Thank you so much for having me.

I am so excited about this. I'm also admittedly a little bit intimidated, which is probably par for the course when it comes to what we're going to talk about today,

but the good news is Brittany is a pro, so she's just going to rock this conversation, and I am just going to try to hang on to the coattails.

But Brittany, I have to tell you, I listened to your audiobook, I went on a very long walk earlier this week, and listened to the majority of your audiobook as I was walking, and felt like I learned so many things.

So let's start at the beginning of your interest in the topic of polygamy, and I think it begins with your being asked some questions about the church and polygamy, which is probably where all of our interest in polygamy starts.

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