What are your views and thoughts on Polygamy? Should it be legal to marry more than one person? I do not think that it is right. I respect everyone's opinion but marriage is a sacred thing between 2 people, not anymore. Agree with me?
I don't agree. The definition of "traditional marriage" is of that between a man and a woman. But, many people define the word "marriage" (without 'traditional' attached to the term) the same way. However, "marriage" is simply another term for "union" or "bonding". For instance, to take it a step further, you could say that the 50 states in the U.S. are "married" together in the sense that they're a union. So, if two or more people unite together and decide to call their union a "marriage", I think it's perfectly appropriate. After all, in America we adhere to the concept in the Declaration of Independence which secures the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Who am I to decide what "happiness" is for other citizens?
Good point made CoinOKC. I do not get to decide what makes others happy. But I could never see myself doing this. I think marriage is a sacred thing between two people only.
I think churches should have the right to perform or not perform marriage ceremonies on whoever they please and that is the only place marriage as a 'sacred thing' should even apply. Personally, I see nothing that should be considered illegal about consensual polygamy where all parties know and agree to the union. I think it is weird but it is really none of my business what those individuals choose to do.
''Do you Kate take Paul, and do you Mary take Paul and do you Cindy take Paul and do you Alice take Paul and do you Rosie(Jeez I hope this is it I got a baptism to get to) take Paul....''.
My problem with polygamy is that it isn't an equal union. Usually when we see polygamy it is one man married to many women and not the other way around (I'm not familiar with any culture where polygamy works the other way around). When you have many women married to one man, this is not an equal and fair union - and this opens the door to unfair treatment of women more than in a union of two people. In most cases, if not all, the women are treated more like property and in many cases are coerced or even forced into a marriage that they don't want to be a part of. A marriage in my opinion should be an equal partnership between two consenting adults.
If that's so, I don't have much use for the term "traditional" marriage. It's unfair to exclude an entire group of people from having the same freedom to marry another person of their choosing as everybody else has. I agree... just as long as nobody is pursuing their own happiness at the unfair expense of somebody else's happiness.
I would just take out one word... A marriage in my opinion should be an equal partnership between consenting adults. After all, there are women in 2 party marriages who are beaten, raped, abused, coerced and suffer marital bondage. I am not 'for' polygamy any more than I am 'for' gay marriage as neither are something I would want to do. But it is just something I am don't think needs to be outlawed in and of itself if consenting adults are involved.
The problem with these marriages is that love is rarely a factor. And PK is right. Who has ever heard of one woman marrying several men? I think it is looked down on because most of the time the women or girls are from within a community that allows this kind of thing and so at a young age, females see this as normal. Most of the time some elder or prominent male from their society picks who he will marry. I dont think any girl chosen ''loves'' their new husband. Its just all they know. How can someone at the age of 14 or 15 know what love is? I mean he is marrying some of them when they are just young teens. A sanctioned pedophilic charade. It isnt like a TV show where a man finds love from all around the globe. And with mature adults who fall for the guy so hard that his other marriages mean little. I think that kind of thing is pure fiction. The truth is there is alot of incest and molestation going on in most of these situations. Which is probably why its oppsed in most of society.
You're absolutely right about that Stujoe, but there are also abusive relationships that are not marriages. The abuse in a monogamous relationship doesn't necessarily have anything to do with being married. However a polygamous marriage is a totally different dynamic, and the motivation for getting married is completely different. It's more about power than about any kind of loving, equal and fair relationship.
After doing a little reading, it appears that, even in Utah, polygamy is generally not prosecuted as a crime unless there are other things going on in the relationship that are already crimes...rape, fraud, abuse, molestation, etc. A situation like that seems like it leaves the act itself open to persecution as well as prosecution.
