Why is Polygamy Illegal?

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3 Comments

• jerry said:

  I am not a historian nor authority on polygamy.  But I think you ignored one group of victims that might explain why a democracy cannot allow polygamy.

  <i>What’s the moral and practical difference between a man who maintains multiple families without the approval of any church and a man who maintains multiple families with his church's approval? </i>

  Answer: The other men who are left without a "legitimate" mate.

  As long as the ratio of male to female is basically one to one, and as long as adultery is frowned on, then it seems difficult to see how a stable society can be formed with any significant amount of polygamy.  (Assuming too that the number of gay males not interested in a heterosexual relationship is similar to the number of gay females also not interested in a heterosexual relationship....)

  And using only the FLDS as my example (because I am not a historian), you can see that much of the child abuse that went on occurred to young men who were forced out of their society, and forced at a young age to find food and shelter for themselves.

  An MD has noted that the children seized in the FLDS raid are apparently missing 38 males.  What happened to these boys?  For more, there is the Salon article on the <a href="www.salon.com/.../">Lost Boys of Colorado City.</a>

  The sexual forces within all humans are such that I don't know how a stable democratic society can be formed that systematically disenfranchises a large portion of its members from what society considers legitimate sexual relationships.

  May 9, 2008 9:42 PM

• ROBERT STEVENS said:

  ITS JUST ANOTHER WAY FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO HAVE CONTROL OF ITS CITIZENS.I THINK ITS FUNNY HOW WE BAN AN IDEA THATS BEEN AROUND A THOUSAND YRS,YET WE HAVE IN OUR CONSTITUTION LAWS THAT ARE TO BE USED AND NOT ALTERED AND ARE ALTERED EVERYDAY.

  WE ARE A MARTIAL COUNTRY,MORE SO THEN 10 YRS AGO AND 10 YRS BEFORE THAT.

  FREEDOM TO OWN ARMS,FREEDOM OF SPEECH,FREDOM OF RELIGION,ALL BEING ALTERED AND CHANGED. IN SOME COUNTRIES THEY THINK AMERICANS ARE CRAZY FOR ONE WIFE AS WE THINK ITS CRAZY IF YOU HAVE MORE THEN ONE WIFE.I SAY LIVE AND LET LIVE STAY OUT OF PEOPLES BUSINESS.AS LONG AS NO ONE GETS HURT,WHY SHOULD WE CARE WHAT PEOPLE DO.PEOPLE ARE MARRIED AND CHEAT ON THEIR LOVED ONES EVERYDAY,AT LEAST IN A A MULTIPLE MARRIAGE THERE ISNT ANY SURPRISES.WE ARE A COUNTRY OF TOO MANEY LAWS,CHANGED AND ALTERED,AND MOST OF THEM JUST A BUNCH OF USELESS MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS LAWS.

  May 23, 2008 1:04 AM

• Fred said:

  I agree with Wendy - if marriage is extended to include homosexual relationships, then it's arbitrary and indefensible to prohibit marriage between any consenting adults, including polygamy.

  As for the "ratio between males/females" issue...I didn't realize we now have to be concerned with government rationing of relationships to ensure societal stability.

  January 9, 2009 7:34 AM

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