Polygamy: Viewed as a Threat to Traditional Marriage

1360 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The impact of polygamy on the children

Polygamy: Viewed By Americans as a Threat to Traditional Marriage (Same Threat as Same-Sex Marriage) In 2008, officials raided the “Yearning for Zion Ranch, seizing more than 400 children” (Farah) on the grounds of suspected sexual and physical abuse (Associated). An anonymous phone call from a “terrified 16-year-old girl…who accused her 50-year-old husband of beating and raping her” as well as the information provided by an “informant” from inside the compound lead officials to believe that the women and children of this compound were in extreme danger (Associated). Therefore, Texas authorities found it justified to “separate mothers from many of the children taken in [the] raid” (Dobner). They also had reason to believe that “children are more truthful in interviews about possible abuse if their parents are not around” (Dobner). Supporters of the raid have based their support on the idea that “child welfare [was the]… center of the decision by officials in Texas” (Hamilton 161). Hopefully their actions were taken in time to help the children cope with the suspected trauma. However, how true was the danger? With the 16-year-old girl who was nowhere to be found and her alleged rapist husband on probation in another state, where were the justifications for the authorities’ actions (Farah)? It’s hard not to wonder if this raid really took place because of “what this group [was] capable of” (Associated) or because of preconceived notions and prejud...

... middle of paper ...

...n. After Polygamy Was Made a Sin: the Social History of Christian Polygamy. London: Routledge & K. Paul, 1974. Print.

Dobner, Jennifer, and Michael Graczyk. “Texas Defends Separation of Polygamist Sect Kids from Moms.” Breitbart.com. Associated Press, 15 Apr. 2008. Web. 22 October 2011.

Farah, Joseph. “The Texas Polygamy Raid.” WND.com. World Daily Net, 19 Apr. 2008. Web. 22 October 2011.

Gibbons, Timothy, Bill Hayes, Christopher Poole, and Kirk Streb, prods. “Sister Wives.” Sister Wives. TLC. Lehi, Utah, 26 Sept. 2011. Television.

Hamilton, Marci, and Mark J. Rozell. Fundamentalism, Politics, and the Law. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. Print.

Melton, J. Gordon. The Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America. New York: Garland, 1986. Print.

“Polygamy.” The People’s Law Dictionary. 2005. Gerald N. Hill and Kathleen T. Hill. Web. 27 October 2011.

Show More
Related

  • Pololygamy: The Latest Sexual Revolution: Polyamory

    2036 Words  | 5 Pages

    There is one day out of the year when you see sights of couples everywhere: Valentine’s Day. You see individuals out in stores buying roses, large teddy bears and grabbing the last remaining chocolate candy boxes that are left on the shelves. But if you are imagining a man and a woman as the couple you’re visioning, you are in for a surprise. A man and a woman isn’t the only way to go through life as how a couple should look. In fact, it is estimated over 100,000 monogamous people in the Unites States are performing polygamy secretly with their partner’s full permission. These popular nonmonogamous relationships do not match to the cultural norm of a loving couple in love for life. One of the most difficult aspects of multiculturalism is the determination to adapt to some cultural groups’ needs involving certain traditional practices that might clash with the ideas of multiculturalism and self-governing civil rights. Normally, many of these exercises have religious roots, but these are not limited. Some important cases are certain rights of opening exercises: spiritual and religious. For most of the cases, a smaller group’s traditional exercises are against the norms of a typical society but also organize a substantial aspect of the way of life for that certain culture. Some samples of polygamy in Islam, female circumcision in Eastern Africa nations, or Ta-moko, as referred to as tattooing of the face, in the culture of Maori. The most crucial topic around these established practices in the multiculturalism debate is the idea of agreement. Yet, not all exercises are achieved with the agreement of the subjects. Some cultures and historic periods are seen to embrace polyamory, while other cul...

    Read More

  • Raising Children in a Homosexual Household Does it affect them?

    1648 Words  | 4 Pages

    Meezan, William and Jonathan Rauch. "Gay Marriage, Same-Sex Parenting,and America's Children." Marriage and Child Wellbeing 15 (2005): 2.

    Read More

  • Jonestown

    2195 Words  | 5 Pages

    Cults have existed throughout history since the beginning of time. A cult is defined in Webster’s dictionary as a “system of religious worship with a devoted attachment to a person, principle, etc.” Over the past thirty years numerous religious cults have caused “ tens of thousands to abandon their families, friends, education’s, and careers to follow the teaching of a leader they will never meet”(Beck 78).

    Read More

  • Homeless in The United States

    1319 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Who Is Homeless?" Nationalhomeless. National Coalition for the Homeless, July 2009. Web. 3 May 2014. .

    Read More

  • Humanity in Race and Gender

    1019 Words  | 3 Pages

    In view of these facts, it is clear that divorce and polygamy both belong to the category of situations that deviate from the ideal marriage. With that in mind, Christians should not be quick to judge polygamy, especially while ignoring divorce. Evidently, it takes more courage, consumes more energy, and involves more responsibility to be in a polygamous relationship than to divorce and remarry.

    Read More

  • Homelessness: What Does It Means To Be Homeless

    377 Words  | 1 Pages

    Imagine living a life of not knowing where your next meal is coming. Sitting to yourself while other pass with not a flinch of a smile to look at you. Hoping that each night you are outside that it will not rain. Just waiting for someone to rescue you from your invisible home. Over 3.5 million people experience these thoughts to themselves every night, because they are homeless. To be homeless means to live without a home and in hence living on the streets.Homelessness can happen for a variety of different reasons. Although many people believe that they are not affected by homelessness or do not feel the need to help, it is good to be informed since it may not happen to us one person helping can make a big difference, and could even solve this

    Read More

  • Warren Jeffs: A Wanted Man

    1543 Words  | 4 Pages

    Newcomb, Alyssa. "Polygamist Leader Warren Orders Only 15 Men To Father FLDS Kids." ABC News. ABC News Network, 21 June 2012. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.

    Read More

  • Becoming A Mom Essay

    923 Words  | 2 Pages

    explained with remorse and I could see now that it killed her to tell me no. She had explained to

    Read More

  • Arranged Marriages vs. Free Choice Marriages

    710 Words  | 2 Pages

    Schoenberg Nara, A surprising new look at arranged marriages, August 22, 2012, Tribune Newspapers, retrieved from: http://articles.chicagotribune.com

    Read More

  • Polygamy Essay

    1350 Words  | 3 Pages

    In today’s world many people have had different views and ideas on what polygamy really is, is it morally wrong? In this paper you are going to learn what polygamy is, who practices it, the affects that it has on children, wives and the husbands, risk factors, and most importantly why it is morally wrong.

    Read More

  • Why people join cults

    1404 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lifton, R., foreword, Cults In Our Midst, by Margaret Thaler Singer & Lalich (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1995).

    Read More

  • A Defense of Polyamory

    1418 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mention the concept of polygamy in any “civilized” gathering, and you just may be able to see the shiver of repulsion that ripples through the crowd. By substituting the word “polyamory” in, you will be able to circumvent this reaction – but only because everyone is staring at you in baffled silence instead. So we begin, as always, with definitions.

    Read More

  • Children: The Innocent Victims of Polygamy

    1413 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many people would happily accept an opportunity to have their daily stress reduced by employing help with not only their children but also with daily household responsibilities of cooking and cleaning. Especially in this fragile economic state the average family living in America cannot afford the luxury of hiring a house cleaner, cook or nanny. However, there are polygamists families in America have the abilities of multiple adults contributing to the same household because of the lifestyle choice of having multiple spouses. The extra help comes at a price for woman, by having to share her husband with other woman and raising her children in the difficult and uncommon lifestyle. Polygamy takes a total acceptance and understanding of it by the mothers, in order for polygamy not to have a negative psychological impact on her children. Children are the innocent victims of polygamy; consequently, they grow up witnessing a tense environment filled with their mother’s insecurities and rivalries with the other wives, which sequentially end up harming the child in the end. Furthermore, polygamy can be psychologically damaging to children because of the increased rates of not only welfare fraud, domestic violence, and underage marriages but also child abuse and neglect.

    Read More

  • Polygamy Essay

    2033 Words  | 5 Pages

    Polygamy seems to have always been an issue to people who practice other religions as well as the people within the law system. The term polygamy comes from the religious practice where one man has multiple wives at the same time. Just based off of the definition alone people have issues with those who practice this religion, which is understandable. However, do those people who judge, most of which are Christians, truly know much about the religion and its origins, or do they just automatically judge the fact that a man would marry multiple wives and the wives not seeing an issue with it? People are so quick to judge those who practice something that they do not agree with, which is very wrong. Giving a better understanding of this religious practice will help people form factual opinions that can actually back up their argument or agreement.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Polygamy

    1581 Words  | 4 Pages

    In today’s society the assumption asserts that there must be only two adults integrated in a relationship, however in polygamous environments, having more than one spouse is traditional. Some may argue that Polygamy is simply just an alternate lifestyle. This, however, ceases to be true. Young girls are being forced to marry older men and sometimes relatives. Little boys are often abandoned because it appears to be competition for older men. Children are victims of sexual and physical abuse. Whereas, for women, they generally become stripped of their money and experience competition against the multiple wives a husband. Although Polygamy is viewed as immoral by society, the main focus point should be saving young children and women because

    Read More

More about Polygamy: Viewed as a Threat to Traditional Marriage

Open Document