Polygamists Demand Their Rights
Polygamy is in the news again, (see here) a Newsweek article by Elise Soukup that reports on the issue.
Gay rights advocates do not like their "struggle" for legal same sex marriages to be tied to the issue of polygamy, but polygamy advocates are having none of that. Polygamists are looking at some of the successes gay rights groups are having in the courts and are using the same arguments in trying to get laws barring polygamy overturned. As the article points out, one of their arguments is if a child can have two mommies, then a child should be able to have two mommies and a daddy.
If it is OK for consenting adults to enter into a same sex marriage then why should it be illegal for multiple consenting women to enter into a marriage with one man?
Homosexuals describe the connection of the two issues as specious, however they ignore reality.
My own viewpoint is that society has the right to encourage monogamous, heterosexual relationships. One of the ways society does this is by granting special status to those who engage in such relationships, and grant them significant priviledges, when they engage in "marriage". The arguments that homosexual couples make for why they should not be denied this "right" can just as effectively used by those who wish to have their polygamist relationships granted the same recognition.
It is ironic that most of those who engage in polygamist relationships are (or at least the article describes them as such) "generally religious and conservative".
What might be the effect if society stopped discouraging polygamy? Seems polygamists always talk about one man marrying multiple women, you rarely or never hear of it being the other way around. Birth rates for men and women are roughly equal, so if large number of men start taking multiple wives, what about all the men who are left out without a woman to marry? If these men want to engage in an intimate relationship with "somebody" wouldn't these men then be FORCED into a homosexual relationship because there would no longer be enough women to "go around"? Don't these religious polygamists think homosexuality is a sin? But if "everyone" started doing things "their way" wouldn't we then be encouraging homosexuality?
Perhaps these devout Christians will come up with another solution? Perhaps all the men who are lucky enough to win more then one wife should be required to give "self help" lessons to all of our young adolescent men and teach them how to masturbate? After all, if homosexuality is a sin, and they are going to have to endure a life without a female because there are not enough to go around anymore, we are going to have to give them some way to relieve sexual tension. Perhaps these devout Christians will encourage masturbation as an alternative? Heck, I guess they could even incorporate masturbation in religious instructions at Sunday School.
Nah, they won't do that because masturbation is supposed to be a sin. Homosexuality is a sin. Adultery is a sin. Prostitution is a sin. But the Bible says polygamy is OK. OK polygamists, what does the Bible say all the single men you are going to force on society are supposed to do? Perhaps they are all supposed to convert to Roman Catholicism and become priests?
As for me, I am going to continue to vote against polygamy. I do not care what the Bible says about it. In my opinion polygamy is not good for society and we should not allow it. If you want to be a polygamist, then move somewhere else. The article says Canada is thinking about legalizing polygamy (to go along with same sex marriages) so you might want to head north.
Gay rights advocates do not like their "struggle" for legal same sex marriages to be tied to the issue of polygamy, but polygamy advocates are having none of that. Polygamists are looking at some of the successes gay rights groups are having in the courts and are using the same arguments in trying to get laws barring polygamy overturned. As the article points out, one of their arguments is if a child can have two mommies, then a child should be able to have two mommies and a daddy.
If it is OK for consenting adults to enter into a same sex marriage then why should it be illegal for multiple consenting women to enter into a marriage with one man?
Homosexuals describe the connection of the two issues as specious, however they ignore reality.
My own viewpoint is that society has the right to encourage monogamous, heterosexual relationships. One of the ways society does this is by granting special status to those who engage in such relationships, and grant them significant priviledges, when they engage in "marriage". The arguments that homosexual couples make for why they should not be denied this "right" can just as effectively used by those who wish to have their polygamist relationships granted the same recognition.
It is ironic that most of those who engage in polygamist relationships are (or at least the article describes them as such) "generally religious and conservative".
What might be the effect if society stopped discouraging polygamy? Seems polygamists always talk about one man marrying multiple women, you rarely or never hear of it being the other way around. Birth rates for men and women are roughly equal, so if large number of men start taking multiple wives, what about all the men who are left out without a woman to marry? If these men want to engage in an intimate relationship with "somebody" wouldn't these men then be FORCED into a homosexual relationship because there would no longer be enough women to "go around"? Don't these religious polygamists think homosexuality is a sin? But if "everyone" started doing things "their way" wouldn't we then be encouraging homosexuality?
Perhaps these devout Christians will come up with another solution? Perhaps all the men who are lucky enough to win more then one wife should be required to give "self help" lessons to all of our young adolescent men and teach them how to masturbate? After all, if homosexuality is a sin, and they are going to have to endure a life without a female because there are not enough to go around anymore, we are going to have to give them some way to relieve sexual tension. Perhaps these devout Christians will encourage masturbation as an alternative? Heck, I guess they could even incorporate masturbation in religious instructions at Sunday School.
Nah, they won't do that because masturbation is supposed to be a sin. Homosexuality is a sin. Adultery is a sin. Prostitution is a sin. But the Bible says polygamy is OK. OK polygamists, what does the Bible say all the single men you are going to force on society are supposed to do? Perhaps they are all supposed to convert to Roman Catholicism and become priests?
As for me, I am going to continue to vote against polygamy. I do not care what the Bible says about it. In my opinion polygamy is not good for society and we should not allow it. If you want to be a polygamist, then move somewhere else. The article says Canada is thinking about legalizing polygamy (to go along with same sex marriages) so you might want to head north.
posted by Little David at 3/12/2006 10:40:00 AM
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