Polygamy

Polygamy is the practice of plural marriage and it has been around for many years and was practiced in many places around the world. In the 1800's people who practiced plural marriage were often persecuted and ridiculed. The Mormon's Church of Latter Day Saints kept the practice going even though it was outlawed and considered immoral.

Joseph Smith told people that he received a revelation from God that said men should take more than one wife on July 17, 1831. This was then made into a doctrine in the Mormon Church. In 1904 the Church of Latter Day Saints issued a second decree stating that polygamy was no longer approved. In 1910 they started to excommunicate those still practicing plural marriages. This caused groups to spin off and create their own groups where members still practiced polygamy that were no longer a part of the mainstream LDS Church.

Polygamy is also practiced within other religions and other countries. Islam allows men to have up to four wives at one time. The Qur'an states that the husband has to treat each wife equally and fairly if he is in a plural marriage. Today it is found mainly in Saudi Arabia and West Africa. It is prohibited in Tunisia and in Libya the man can only do it if his first wife gives her written approval for it.

Some of the arguments for plural marriage are that the men only marry widows or single parents that need to be taken care of. They contend that they are doing society a favor by taking these women in and caring for them as well as their children. In some countries, like in a war torn area, there are more women than there are men. Plural marriage assures that all women will be taken care of.

Some argued that having multiple wives meant that there was always a mother around to take care of and watch all the children. No daycare or babysitting was ever needed in these homes.

In arguments against polygamy it was said that young girls were forced into arranged marriages. Most of the time they were married off to much older men and the younger males had to sometimes look outside their group for an available wife. Some people say that polygamy is just a way to hide incest and rape. Some girls as young as eleven or twelve have been forced to marry. The men usually agree to wait until the girl is of age to have relations with her but most do not honor that agreement. Many women did not want to be in a plural marriage but were forced onto them. They did not want to share their husband with others and felt insecure, unloved, and jealous. Not every plural family was as happy as they made themselves out to be.