The Polygamy Debate
The Polygamy Debate
Is Polygamy Next?
from the July 02, 2013 eNews issue
Many homosexual activists claimed that Christians were promoting a “slippery slope” argument that did not exist, that legalizing homosexual marriage would lead to legalizing other forms of marital unions which, today, are outside of the mainstream. They contend that just because homosexuals would be able to marry, that does not mean that polygamous (same-sex) or polyamorous (many mixed-sex partners) unions would eventually become legal.
They are sadly mistaken.
Both polygamists and polyamorous activists celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act), claiming the move to promote same-sex marriage in the U.S. promotes …show more content…
Polygamists in the United States have taken cues from the homosexual rights movement, and have tried to position themselves as freedom-minded advocates trying to ally themselves with conservatives. The media—both news programs and entertainment venues such as the TLC reality show Sister Wives—have tried to convince the American public that their lifestyle can be wholesome and normal.
While some same-sex marriage advocates have attempted to distance themselves from polygamists by saying the “slippery slope” argument is a myth, others have abandoned all pretense. Slate writer Jillian Keenan argued in her article “Legalize Polygamy!” that the practice is “no better or worse than homosexual marriage.”
“Legalized polygamy in the United States is the constitutional, feminist and sex-positive choice,” she wrote.
A number of Christian advocates have been pointing out for years the link between the unbiblical redefinition of marriage and the harder-to-defend practices such as polygamy, self-marriage, and the end of marriage …show more content…
Polygamy? Well, polygamists are hopeful. And it does stand to reason. DOMA was struck down in no small part because it picks out a certain class of people and, by denying them recognition of their marriages, denies their families equal freedom and dignity. Can it be denied that polygamous families, whose marital arrangements are illegal, much less unrecognised, are denied equal liberty and are made to suffer the indignity of active discrimination? Joe Darger, a Utahn with three wives, has said, "Our very existence has been classified as criminal… and I think the government needs to now recognize that we have a right to live free as much as anyone else". Presumably, Mr Darger's wives agree. The powder on this slope is fresh, and the view from the bottom is fine. Why not slip-slide away?
Matt K. Lewis of the Daily Caller straps on his skis: “What’s magical about the number two? In fact, you could argue that there is an even better argument for polygamy than for same sex marriage. For one thing, there’s a long tradition (just look at the heroes of the Old Testament.) It’s also intimately tied to religious practice, which means that by prohibiting polygamy, we might also be undermining the ‘free exercise thereof.’ Why should we impose our values on
Is Polygamy Next?
from the July 02, 2013 eNews issue
Many homosexual activists claimed that Christians were promoting a “slippery slope” argument that did not exist, that legalizing homosexual marriage would lead to legalizing other forms of marital unions which, today, are outside of the mainstream. They contend that just because homosexuals would be able to marry, that does not mean that polygamous (same-sex) or polyamorous (many mixed-sex partners) unions would eventually become legal.
They are sadly mistaken.
Both polygamists and polyamorous activists celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act), claiming the move to promote same-sex marriage in the U.S. promotes …show more content…
Polygamists in the United States have taken cues from the homosexual rights movement, and have tried to position themselves as freedom-minded advocates trying to ally themselves with conservatives. The media—both news programs and entertainment venues such as the TLC reality show Sister Wives—have tried to convince the American public that their lifestyle can be wholesome and normal.
While some same-sex marriage advocates have attempted to distance themselves from polygamists by saying the “slippery slope” argument is a myth, others have abandoned all pretense. Slate writer Jillian Keenan argued in her article “Legalize Polygamy!” that the practice is “no better or worse than homosexual marriage.”
“Legalized polygamy in the United States is the constitutional, feminist and sex-positive choice,” she wrote.
A number of Christian advocates have been pointing out for years the link between the unbiblical redefinition of marriage and the harder-to-defend practices such as polygamy, self-marriage, and the end of marriage …show more content…
Polygamy? Well, polygamists are hopeful. And it does stand to reason. DOMA was struck down in no small part because it picks out a certain class of people and, by denying them recognition of their marriages, denies their families equal freedom and dignity. Can it be denied that polygamous families, whose marital arrangements are illegal, much less unrecognised, are denied equal liberty and are made to suffer the indignity of active discrimination? Joe Darger, a Utahn with three wives, has said, "Our very existence has been classified as criminal… and I think the government needs to now recognize that we have a right to live free as much as anyone else". Presumably, Mr Darger's wives agree. The powder on this slope is fresh, and the view from the bottom is fine. Why not slip-slide away?
Matt K. Lewis of the Daily Caller straps on his skis: “What’s magical about the number two? In fact, you could argue that there is an even better argument for polygamy than for same sex marriage. For one thing, there’s a long tradition (just look at the heroes of the Old Testament.) It’s also intimately tied to religious practice, which means that by prohibiting polygamy, we might also be undermining the ‘free exercise thereof.’ Why should we impose our values on