Polygamy is Wicked and Depraved

I read in the paper where a United States District Judge, Clark Waddoups, ruled against a portion of Utah’s anti-bigamy law. This portion of the law was an effort by the state legislature to combat polygamy, a practice advocated by early settlers of Utah. The reason the law was passed originally is because polygamy causes big problems. But now that the outlaw of polygamy has been ruled unconstitutional, it might do us well to contemplate polygamous marriage. This was not a ruling in a state court. Since this was a ruling in a District Court of the United States, it will apply to all states in that district, and possibly the entire country (unless overturned, of course). What can we expect? Advocates of polygamy (and they are few) are usually quick to point out that Biblical characters had multiple wives: Jacob, David and Solomon. This is correct. It is also correct to point out that, without exception, whenever polygamy is presented in the Bible, it is presented as a situation that is troubling. God’s ideal, which is always best, is established in the Garden of Eden: marriage is between one man and one woman for life. This is certainly what Jesus taught in Mark 10:11, where He assumes monogamy to be the standard for marriage. Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, interviewed on Issues Etc. (http://issuesetc.org) about polygamy shared that in polygamous societies, universally, rich men have more than their share of wives; young men and men of modest means are left to scramble looking for a girl to marry. Dr. Morse also has observed that in polygamous societies, women are pressured to marry at a young age. And then younger, yet. And then, even younger. And then, – well, you get the picture. Child brides become the norm. In spite of some testimonies to the contrary, in polygamous societies the girls, not really women yet, don’t have much choice as to whom they will marry. So, what can you expect if polygamy becomes widespread nationally? You can expect less freedom for women, and men of wealth having several wives. The average guy will be out of luck. The age of wives will decline until there are young girls, actually, being snagged away by old men. The younger the wives are, the more status for the man among his peers. Naïve, young girls will run off with older men who promise them everything; the parents of these girls will probably have little or no ability to stop it from happening (since it will be legal and age of consent laws will be ruled unconstitutional – yes, that’s next folks). In polygamous societies, young men, the teenage boys, are driven off the homestead since their vitality and age likeness appeals to the youngest wife. Just where do these boys end up? Oh, doing lovely things like begging and robbing in order to get something to eat, or posing for pornographic pictures and engaging in homosexual prostitution. Some of them will make it in life and a lot will not. Of course, some parents will continue housing their sons, even when a younger girl comes into the home as his father’s newest wife. If the newest, youngest wife starts flirting around with the son close to her age, he will be sent out on his own. There is a good reason polygamy was outlawed several years ago in Utah. There is a good reason the Mormon Church, started by the polygamist Joseph Smith, now stands against polygamy. It presents a flawed picture of marriage, a jaded distortion of God’s ideal. It results in shameful practices that injure both the young boys and girls of society. Polygamy did not work in the Biblical days and it will not work now. Polygamy is wicked and depraved