Posted by Sedruce at 10:23pm Nov 27 '06Okay, in light of the Warren Jeffs mention [private] made on the current events board, I thought a discussion on polygamy would be interesting. Is it right, is it wrong? Is it right for men to have many women? Women to have many men? Women to have many men who have many women who have many men who...? What are your thoughts on polygamist communities? Do you think women and girls are denied rights in these communities? Do you think children can be raised in a healthy way in these communities?
Personally, I think consensual polygamy is okay (and consensual means that they have to be legal to consent--i.e. no one underage and such). So long as everyone involved knows about and is okay with what's happening, nothing is wrong with having more than one partner (STD statistics aside). My issue tends to come when children are involved. I have two reasonably good friends, brothers, about 6 years apart (one's 3 older than me, one's 3 younger). Their mother is a polygamist. Their father left the picture (I don't know how or why). A lot of the time, their mother hasn't been around for them because the particular way she practices polygamy includes the doting on the husband that a lot of women find to be offensive. Again, fine with me if it's consensual and not an issue of her being forced to play slave to him. But she spent too much time with him and her kids more or less raised themselves (she has many more than the two I know, I just haven't met them).
I think that, like any kind of relationship, a polyamorous relationship can be healthy or can be vastly detrimental. I don't think the judgment of whether it's healthy or not can be made based solely on the fact that it involves more than two people.
But what do you guys think about it?
Personally, I think consensual polygamy is okay (and consensual means that they have to be legal to consent--i.e. no one underage and such). So long as everyone involved knows about and is okay with what's happening, nothing is wrong with having more than one partner (STD statistics aside). My issue tends to come when children are involved. I have two reasonably good friends, brothers, about 6 years apart (one's 3 older than me, one's 3 younger). Their mother is a polygamist. Their father left the picture (I don't know how or why). A lot of the time, their mother hasn't been around for them because the particular way she practices polygamy includes the doting on the husband that a lot of women find to be offensive. Again, fine with me if it's consensual and not an issue of her being forced to play slave to him. But she spent too much time with him and her kids more or less raised themselves (she has many more than the two I know, I just haven't met them).
I think that, like any kind of relationship, a polyamorous relationship can be healthy or can be vastly detrimental. I don't think the judgment of whether it's healthy or not can be made based solely on the fact that it involves more than two people.
But what do you guys think about it?
Link: Warren Jeffs article
Polygamy - Sedruce