One Wife, Two Wife, Three Wife, More? Should Polygamy be Acceptable in Today’s Society?
Amy Hubbard
Prof. Bertrand
Expository Writing 101
14 November 2013
One Wife, Two Wife, Three Wife, More?
Should Polygamy be Acceptable in Today’s Society?
In today’s society, we have a variety of family dynamics. Who is to say what is normal? Although there are laws to abide by, those laws do not always fit how a family defines itself. We think of a typical family as having one father, one mother, and perhaps a couple of children, but now we are coming to terms with more alternative lifestyles. A single mother or father can raise a child without persecution. As a nation, we are slowly accepting same-sex partners raising children. Even Bi-racial families are more accepted in today’s society than in the past. So why is it that many people see polygamy as wrong? While not everyone will agree with this lifestyle, polygamy should be considered a viable form of family life. Polygamy is the state or practice of having more than one spouse simultaneously. It is practiced within many cultures. While the term means plural, that does not mean to wed more than one spouse legally. Even though it is illegal in all 50 states, most polygamists will wed their first spouse and either have common law marriages or spiritual marriage ceremonies. In the early 1830s, historians speculated that Joseph Smith, founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, began directing the members of his church to practice polygamy (White 453). In 1862, Congress passed what is known as “the Manifesto,” which was successful in criminalizing polygamy. After “the Manifesto” was published, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stopped practicing polygamy; they then began to excommunicate the polygamists. This resulted in the group which is known as the Mormom Fundamentalists (White 453). There is conflicting data concerning the estimations on practicing Mormom Fundamentalist today. Mormons are not the only ones who entertain the idea of a polygyamous lifestyle. There are
Prof. Bertrand
Expository Writing 101
14 November 2013
One Wife, Two Wife, Three Wife, More?
Should Polygamy be Acceptable in Today’s Society?
In today’s society, we have a variety of family dynamics. Who is to say what is normal? Although there are laws to abide by, those laws do not always fit how a family defines itself. We think of a typical family as having one father, one mother, and perhaps a couple of children, but now we are coming to terms with more alternative lifestyles. A single mother or father can raise a child without persecution. As a nation, we are slowly accepting same-sex partners raising children. Even Bi-racial families are more accepted in today’s society than in the past. So why is it that many people see polygamy as wrong? While not everyone will agree with this lifestyle, polygamy should be considered a viable form of family life. Polygamy is the state or practice of having more than one spouse simultaneously. It is practiced within many cultures. While the term means plural, that does not mean to wed more than one spouse legally. Even though it is illegal in all 50 states, most polygamists will wed their first spouse and either have common law marriages or spiritual marriage ceremonies. In the early 1830s, historians speculated that Joseph Smith, founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, began directing the members of his church to practice polygamy (White 453). In 1862, Congress passed what is known as “the Manifesto,” which was successful in criminalizing polygamy. After “the Manifesto” was published, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stopped practicing polygamy; they then began to excommunicate the polygamists. This resulted in the group which is known as the Mormom Fundamentalists (White 453). There is conflicting data concerning the estimations on practicing Mormom Fundamentalist today. Mormons are not the only ones who entertain the idea of a polygyamous lifestyle. There are
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