The Kingdom of God—or Nothing!

That we are free to choose our actions—but not their consequences—holds true for institutions as well as individuals. The decision in 1890 by the Mormon Church to discontinue polygamy has resulted in a membership of thirteen million, financial clout, and social acceptance. But it has come with costs as well as benefits. The Church’s “restoration of all things” has become the practice of some things. This isn’t anyone’s fault; it’s the result of overwhelming political and cultural opposition. In the past—in Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois—Mormons simply “pulled up stakes” and abandoned all, in order to fully practice their faith. In Brigham Young and John Taylor’s words, it was “the kingdom of God or nothing.” These poems are about what being a modern Mormon has cost one person. Hopefully, they may help readers to imagine—(if only for a moment)--how things might otherwise have turned out.