Polygamy Is Wrong
Chrystal Robinson
Professor Iris Lancaster
English 1302
21 June 2013
Polygamy is Wrong
Some of the most influential and respected individuals in history had open marriages. Although research shows that open marriages create significant complications, couples who are non-monogamous believe it is essential for a successful marriage. But whatever the situation, an open marriage is not acceptable in society. There are explanations to why it is imperative that couples remain monogamous in their relationship. Polygamy is undignified, it is illegal in the United States, it is dangerous and it affects the welfare of the children involved physically and emotionally.
Marriage in the United States is a contract between one man and one woman who are totally committed to each other for the rest of their lives and therefore it should be treated with dignity. In the newspaper article of Huffington Post titled, Do Open Marriages Work by LCSW Rachel A. Sussman states,” In some relationships, a husband or wife may ask their partner if they would consent to an open marriage. More often than not, requesting an open marriage means that the inquiring partner is interested in having an affair or continuing on with an affair. They are torn between the excitement of an affair and the comfort and security of their marriage, which they don 't want to give up. Also, they may wish to cover their bases; if the affair doesn 't pan out (and most don 't), they want their spouse to be available to continue forward with the marriage. In other words, they want to have their cake and eat it too. When the ‘faithful’ spouse is presented with this situation — once they 've picked themselves up off the floor and put the revolver back in its case— they will generally not agree to the proposal.” Having multiple partners only magnifies the problems in a marriage because conflicts are often ignored and it is impossible to exclusively satisfy the needs of more than one person. There are many other
Professor Iris Lancaster
English 1302
21 June 2013
Polygamy is Wrong
Some of the most influential and respected individuals in history had open marriages. Although research shows that open marriages create significant complications, couples who are non-monogamous believe it is essential for a successful marriage. But whatever the situation, an open marriage is not acceptable in society. There are explanations to why it is imperative that couples remain monogamous in their relationship. Polygamy is undignified, it is illegal in the United States, it is dangerous and it affects the welfare of the children involved physically and emotionally.
Marriage in the United States is a contract between one man and one woman who are totally committed to each other for the rest of their lives and therefore it should be treated with dignity. In the newspaper article of Huffington Post titled, Do Open Marriages Work by LCSW Rachel A. Sussman states,” In some relationships, a husband or wife may ask their partner if they would consent to an open marriage. More often than not, requesting an open marriage means that the inquiring partner is interested in having an affair or continuing on with an affair. They are torn between the excitement of an affair and the comfort and security of their marriage, which they don 't want to give up. Also, they may wish to cover their bases; if the affair doesn 't pan out (and most don 't), they want their spouse to be available to continue forward with the marriage. In other words, they want to have their cake and eat it too. When the ‘faithful’ spouse is presented with this situation — once they 've picked themselves up off the floor and put the revolver back in its case— they will generally not agree to the proposal.” Having multiple partners only magnifies the problems in a marriage because conflicts are often ignored and it is impossible to exclusively satisfy the needs of more than one person. There are many other
Cited: Sussman, Rachel A. Do Open Marriages Work. < www.huffingtonpost.com> 1/24/2012; 6/21/2103 Bennion, Janet. Brandeis Series on Gender, Culture, Religion and Law: Polygamy in Primetime: Media, Gender, and Politics in Mormon Fundamentalism. Waltham, MA, USA: Brandies University Press, 2012. p199-199. Tracy,Kathleen. The Secret Story of Polygamy. Sourcebooks. Dec. 2001. c.256p. bibliog Hamdan,Sami. Auerbach,Judy. Apter,Alan. Polygamy and Its Impact on the Upbringing of Children: A Jordanian Perspective. Journal of Comparative Family Studies Maleny, Quennsland, Australia 2011. Vol 42 (4) p756