The founder of the Mormon Church, Joseph Smith, had 40 wives, one of whom was only 15 years old. This was admitted by the Mormon church itself in front of Reuters.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the official name of the Mormon Church, claimed until recently that their founder was monogamous.
For nearly 200 years, the church has tried to hide the spicy details regarding Smith's life. The Mormons also attempted to hide the polygamy of Joseph Smith's associate - Brigham Young, who helped him found the church in Salt Lake City.
Their polygamy was uncovered thanks to an essay called "Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo", where the authors wrote that Smith was married to 40 women.
The youngest of his wives was 15 years old and was the daughter of one of his followers. His oldest wife was 40.
The Mormon church, founded in 1830, prohibited polygamy in 1890 after the US government threatened not to allow Utah to officially become a state.
Mormons have always been criticized for their attitude toward women and blacks, who had been denied the right to higher church positions until 1978. The same applied for homosexuals, who were driven out of the churches if they were sexually active.
For Mormons, church service consists simply of a meeting, writes Deutsche Welle.
A young woman grabs the microphone and begins telling what a spiritual test the premature birth of her niece was for her, while the father of the child shares with the audience how he ate old macaroni on the second date with his future wife and how he later got sick because of it.
There are no reverends to preside over the church service. The participants are mainly families with children.
One of the main pillars of the Mormon faith is virtuousness. In the United States, they are the ones who give the most money to charity. Missionary work is also important for them, being mandatory for young Mormons to travel the world for a period of 2 years, preaching the faith.
