Have you seen the February 2010 issue of National Geographic? The front cover is a doozy with the title of the feature article “Polygamy in America” printed below the picture of Joe Jessop, his four wives, two generations of their descendants spreading out behind them.
As a kid, I first encountered the concept of polygamy in Sunday school when we studied the Old Testament. But our teachers assured us that the practice had gone the way of stoning, animal sacrifice, and the ban on bacon and lobster. So when my high school sociology teacher announced that the practice had been alive and well amongst Mormons in the United States until the late 1890s when their leaders banned it, I was shocked. After he said a few renegades were still hanging on to the practice in remote western outposts, I realized the truth and the history taught to kids didn’t always match up.
The recent issue of NG proves the point. According to the article, the polygomy hangers-on are procreating with gusto, regardless of the spotlight shined on them since the big, botched federal raid of their compound in April of 2008. The article details the history of the movement, from Joseph Smith’s original vision to its present day manifestation. It’s quite a story, and you may want to read it for yourself.
It sure got me to thinking, and here’s what I want to know: what other cover ups were perpetrated by Sunday school and elementary teachers, the Weekly Reader writers, and children’s TV advertising mavens if my childhood? Here’s a start:
- Contrary to what the Weekly Reader said, lots of active volcanoes still exist, not just in foreign lands but in the United States.
- Lassie had a double.
- Teachers don’t know everything, but they do go to the bathroom, just like everybody else.
- George Washington lied.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. You probably need to debunk your share of historical untruths fed to you as a child. If so, add them to the list. If we do a really good job, maybe National Geographic will do a cover story about us – “Myth-busters Unsanitize History.”
You never know. It could happen.
