Polygamy - alive and well in the United States:

[_karl61]

from NPR.org

Still, Muslims practice polygamy in the U.S., despite state laws prohibiting it.

Here's how a man gets around the laws: He marries one woman under civil law, and then marries one, two or three others in religious ceremonies that are not recognized by the state. In other cases, men marry women in both America and abroad.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... d=90857818

see part 1 and part 2 of the story there.

[_truth dancer]

I think there are a lot of married men who have a woman or two on the side.*

Nothing new. (smile)

The only difference is that most decent men feel badly about their affairs and think they are wrong, while religionists think they are of God.

Funny how that is.

I guess the way to feel good about an affair is to join a church that commands or glorifies it.

~dancer~


And, there are married women who have a couple of guys around as well. ;-)

[_the road to hana]

from NPR.org

Still, Muslims practice polygamy in the U.S., despite state laws prohibiting it.

Here's how a man gets around the laws: He marries one woman under civil law, and then marries one, two or three others in religious ceremonies that are not recognized by the state. In other cases, men marry women in both America and abroad.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... d=90857818

see part 1 and part 2 of the story there.

I haven't read the NPR piece, but it's my understanding that Barack Obama's father did something like this, was married to another woman already back in Kenya when he married Anne Dunham, Barack Jr.'s mother, then after he left her married another woman from the U.S. and still returned to the wife back in Kenya. So essentially, he was a bigamist when he was married to the senator's mother, and a polygamist later. I could see even how having a marriage in Hawaii and then one later back on the east coast might seem like those were separate countries, even if they weren't. (Disclaimer: this isn't a political post, nor is it meant to assert anything about the junior Obama.)

[_bcspace]

Here's how a man gets around the laws: He marries one woman under civil law, and then marries one, two or three others in religious ceremonies that are not recognized by the state. In other cases, men marry women in both America and abroad.

In the same way, homosexual marriages are not prohibited in the US either. We should not be going after such plural marriages or homosexual marriages on those merits alone and we also should not recognize such marriages in law.

[_asbestosman]

In the same way, homosexual marriages are not prohibited in the US either. We should not be going after such plural marriages or homosexual marriages on those merits alone and we also should not recognize such marriages in law.

Why should we recognize any marriages in law? If we won't recognize homosexual marriage in law, I don't see why we should recognize heterosexual marriage either.

[_bcspace]

Why should we recognize any marriages in law?

To benefit the parents or the potential parents of children and to reinforce the notion of female properly aligned with male. By that logic, plural marriage would have more of a compelling reason to be recognized than homosexual marriage (no male and female role model).