Recommended: Polygamous people in the bible and its effects
Old fashioned, hand made clothing, reserved lives, playgrounds that only consist of a cement slab, and a school system that only teaches through the eighth grade are peculiar to the outside world. These oddities are just the surface of the unusual practices that take place in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints. The FLDS church is one of the largest Mormon fundamentalist denominations and one of the largest organizations in the United States whose members practice polygamy. Polygamy is illegal, in 1890 the Mormon church ended its practice of polygamy, which created a split in the church. Fundamentalists moved to secluded areas where they could continue their practice of plural marriage.
George Reynolds, was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints living in the Utah Territory under federal laws. Reynolds married Amelia Jane Schofield while still being married to Mary Ann Tuddenham, therefore he was charged with the violation of the Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act which is a federal law forbidding polygamy in all federal territories. This act stated that "Every person having a husband or wife living, who marries another, whether married or single, in a Territory, or other place over which the United States have exclusive jurisdiction, is guilty of bigamy, and shall be punished by a fine of not more than $500, and by imprisonment for a term of not more than five years..." Reynolds did not dispute the fact that he had broken the law, but instead argued that it was a religious requirement that he marry multiple women. The Mormon religion supported multiple marriages; in fact, polygamy was even seen as a religious obligation for most Mormon men.
Marriage was very common and a repeated act. Divorce within the Shawnee was common but there is no report of polygamy. When marriage did happen the man had to receive the goodwill of the bride’s family, specifically her brothers, uncle, and then the father; in that order. Gifts were given to the bride’s family. Once the acceptance of gifts were exchanged the marriage could commence.
Marrying more than one is showed throughout the culture due to the fact that many women marry at young ages, even as early as age 14. The ratio between the two sexes was about six to one and by 1680 a ratio of three to one (Berkin, 6). Men are fortunate to find a wife since there is a big difference in the amount of women to men. One of the reason men and women tend to marry more than once is due to the fact that Chesapeake often experience an early death. Early death was caused by bacterial diseases during pregnancy (Berkin, 7).
The Earth is slowly degenerating and humans are to blame. Racism, sexism and other forms of oppression are tearing society apart. In Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, the teacher Ishmael, a gorilla, analyzes the downfall of humanity. Ishmael separates the race of humans into two defined groups- the Leavers and the Takers. The Leavers are more aware that their existence is valuable and are not put on Earth to rule; on the contrary, the Takers tend to believe that they are put on Earth to control and use all of the planet’s resources to achieve their gods’ expectations.
Some men dream of having more than one wife. One to clean, one to take care of the children, one to work and help take care of all the bills and that one sexy wife to fool around with at night. Now what man would not want that ? In my opinion more women equals more problems. More women means more to keep satisfied and most men cant keep one satisfied as it is.
However, in this case, the men have all the choice they desire. Daniel Kingston, for example, has 14 wives and a total of about 159 children (KingstonClan) and Warren Jeffs has 78 wives and 50 children between them stated an A&E special named “Warren Jeffs: Prophet of Evil.” In Mormon Polygamist groups, not to be confused with current Mormon Church of Latter-Day Saints who had outlawed Polygamy long ago, it was said that seven wives and beyond would grant you access to the Celestial Kingdom. These two men, who hold the highest power within their individual groups choose who they will marry, but for the woman, it is chosen for them who they will marry no matter how much older they are than the
Whether ancient or modern, polygamous or monogamous, marriage has rules. There may be ages and genders to consider. In early America, there were races to consider. Often, those considerations draw on religious beliefs. The Quran allows a man to take up to four wives.
Stacy Davis, self-proclaimed activist for feminism and womanism, is a “scholar trained in feminist theory and African American biblical hermeneutics” (Davis 23). In her article, The Invisible Woman: Numbers 30 and the Policies of Singleness in Africana Communities, Davis argues for a prominent place for single woman (specifically those who have never married) in biblical scholarship, and as leaders in the church, with questions of their sexuality left alone. Davis argues this viewpoint from the perspective as an unmarried black woman. Davis establishes the foundation for her argument in Numbers 30, a text that altogether omits reference to single woman, rather each group of women mentioned in the text about vows refers to them in relation to men (21). Thus, Davis establishes the omission of single women in the Hebrew Bible as the invisible women.
The Good Wife was well known for the unending cycle of lust and passion among multiple men. “About her broad hips was a short riding skirt…Love and its remedies she knew all about,… for she had been through the old dance” (The Prologue, 4). The Good Wife had been on many pilgrimages in Rome and Boulogne, which did not alter the desire for men that dwelled inside. Religion is specific that a woman shall only have one husband unless the wife is widowed, only that way can the wife remarry. The Good Wife fornicated consciously knowing that it was against religion’s rules.
Monogamy was insisted upon, divorce and re-marriage became more difficult. Concubinage, though it could not be abolished, ceased to be lawful. A general rule is that respect for women is only found in a society in which monogamy is the rule. We must distinguish between the affected idolatry which was enjoyed by the customs of chivalry and the equality which was upheld by the Church.
Old Testament Covenants In the Old testament you see God making a lot of promises. During Biblical times these were called Covenants. A Covenant is an “Arrangement between two parties involving mutual obligations; especially the arrangement that established the relationship between God and his people, expressed in grace first with Israel and then with the church. Through that covenant God has conveyed to humanity the meaning of human life and salvation Covenant is one of the central themes of the Bible, where some covenants are between human beings, other between God and Human Beings.”
Being a man today can be tough. The society a boy grows up in has a wide variety of ideals of what it is to be a man. A boy may see many contradictions of what it takes to be a man depending on the digital media he sees or the company he keeps. It can be difficult to make any sense out what it means to be a man. One avenue shows boys they can grow up to wear makeup and dress like women.
For Hindus, The Ramayana is more than an exhilarating tale of love and war. The ancient epic provides guidance on marriage, values human imperfection, glorifies nature, and emphasizes the auspiciousness of the stars. While the first version of The Ramayana appeared around two thousand years ago, the ideas that pervade it continue to influence Hindu life. Marital Devotion
Preceding the arrival of Christianity and colonialism, polygyny is widely practiced in Africa, as it signifies the aspect of culture. More reason polygyny is prevalent in African homes is due to the fact that children are considered as a form of wealth by the society and a larger family is considered influential and powerful. Therefore this practice was deliberated as one of the way one could build an empire in Africa. It was after the era of colonialism in Africa that polygamy appeared to be a taboo as it was a norm in ancient times. Polygyny has been linked to the positive (the hustling and survival of the fittest spirit already instilled) and negative causes of child survival, but in general, high mortality and poor health are well-experienced in polygamous families.
