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What's hte big deal with polygamy?


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Let me point out some thoughts on the issue that I have not seen here, nor most anywhere else:

1. Who in their right mind would want 10 or 20 wives? Ron Sherwood, my first sponsor, asked me back in 1996 to go and speak at a women's prison in Arkansas; 476 women, all doing long-term prison sentences. My first reaction was that it sounded like a REALLY great idea for a service project, and that I could probably help out 476 women who had not had a man in their midst for several years. My second reaction was exactly the same as my first reaction.

Unfortunately, due to the McClintock Effect, when we got there they were all in the throes of PMS, and the welcome I received was not as warm as what I had expected.

2. Moses was one smart man. He decreed that all women should go and live in special housing several hundred yards away from the rest of the population, for 4 days before and 3 days after (My numbers could be off by 1) their monthly cycles. THAT, my friends, would make for one VERY calm environment. Not to mention the decrease in PMS-related homicides.

3. Why on earth would anyone want to support more than one Wife? In this day and age, with credit so easy to obtain, try to imagine 20 Wives, each with a purse full of credit cards, and ALL with you as the legally responsible financial party. If just the thought of that does give you the shivers, you might want to forego the "Word of Wisdom" and just take up drinking heavily.

4. I used to raise sheep and goats. I had one ram (that's a boy sheep for you city folks) and one billy (boy goat), 16 ewes and 12 nannys. They each delivered twins almost every time, so on average, I had 2 lambs and 2 goatlings to sell every month, and got to eat lamb chops, rack-of-lamb, and leg-of-lamb constantly. As long as I didn't run out of mint jelly, life was pretty rosy. Some of you may have already deduced the corollary, however. But for those haven't, let me put it in simple terms: If one did have 20 Wives, and are forbidden by Almighty God to sell OR eat the extra Children (most of the Wives would also object), how long before we'd be forced, in order to protect our sanity, to simply run away from home.

5. However, all of those reasons pale in comparison to the most important one: My Prophet told me not to. If he decides to change that and wants my opinion, I'm sure he can find my number. Until then, I'll stick with the one God gave me. She's beautiful, devout, healthy, smart, skinny, and was born 10 months AFTER my last day in combat.

I should mention that I was not allowed to actually have contact with any of these 476 women, moods notwithstanding, so I ate with a couple of guards on one side of the cafeteria, while all of those women glared daggers at us from across the room. Ron Sherwood (now deceased) came in and waved the guards away from the table, and took my picture. I was somewhat flattered with the idea that he thought so much of my willingness to serve that he wanted to immortalize that photographically.

Sometime on the drive back I realized what that miserable SOB really wanted was a picture of me eating alone in a Women's prison.

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9 minutes ago, CA Steve said:

There is a reason you haven't seen these thoughts elsewhere and I am pretty sure one or more of our female posters will be along shortly to explain why.

😂🤣😂

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Except that I suspect this was posted with tongue in cheek and I´m not even sure what the point of the OP is given the unclear connection between the post and the title, I would have responded that Joseph Smith seems to have dealt with all of those issues simply by not hanging out with his wives much, nor (although I have not researched this for myself) financially supporting them much.  This seems to have been the case for Brigham Young as well.

So whether you are arguing against the ¨big deal with polygamy¨ in regards to all those people complaining about why it´s not fully allowed now or whether you are arguing against those who think it´s a bad idea (but it´s not a big deal since it´s officially limited/prohibited in practice), perhaps we´re all wrong for conflating full responsibility (time, attention, provision, love, etc.) of monogamous marriage with polygamous marriage. Maybe it would be a lot ¨easier¨ if it was done as originally practiced by Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.

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11 minutes ago, Joshua Valentine said:

Except that I suspect this was posted with tongue in cheek and I´m not even sure what the point of the OP is given the unclear connection between the post and the title, I would have responded that Joseph Smith seems to have dealt with all of those issues simply by not hanging out with his wives much, nor (although I have not researched this for myself) financially supporting them much.  This seems to have been the case for Brigham Young as well.

So whether you are arguing against the ¨big deal with polygamy¨ in regards to all those people complaining about why it´s not fully allowed now or whether you are arguing against those who think it´s a bad idea (but it´s not a big deal since it´s officially limited/prohibited in practice), perhaps we´re all wrong for conflating full responsibility (time, attention, provision, love, etc.) of monogamous marriage with polygamous marriage. Maybe it would be a lot ¨easier¨ if it was done as originally practiced by Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.

While it's clear JSJr could only support himself, Emma and their children and household members only with the help of friends, neighbors, family and the Church, it is not at all clear that this was the case with BY.

Please provide evidence that BY failed to support his very large family.  Yes, that is a formal CFR.

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3 minutes ago, USU78 said:

Please provide evidence that BY failed to support his very large family.  

Iirc, one of his later wives, a young divorced woman with two children, was pushed to be married to him by her family, so seems to have had the reputation of treating his wives well enough.

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14 minutes ago, MiserereNobis said:

#4 is just waving Jonathan Swift around at everyone, in case you didn't quite get it ;)

 

LOL.  I really did raise sheep and goats, but I never actually got that much production......

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23 minutes ago, JAHS said:

Your April Fools joke is a day late.  

Wasn't even thinking about the date, but yes, it was just a joke.  Thanks for that link, though.  There's a ton of good stuff in there that a new guy can use..

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1 hour ago, oklds said:

Let me point out some thoughts on the issue that I have not seen here, nor most anywhere else:

1. Who in their right mind would want 10 or 20 wives? Ron Sherwood, my first sponsor, asked me back in 1996 to go and speak at a women's prison in Arkansas; 476 women, all doing long-term prison sentences. My first reaction was that it sounded like a REALLY great idea for a service project, and that I could probably help out 476 women who had not had a man in their midst for several years. My second reaction was exactly the same as my first reaction.

Unfortunately, due to the McClintock Effect, when we got there they were all in the throes of PMS, and the welcome I received was not as warm as what I had expected.

2. Moses was one smart man. He decreed that all women should go and live in special housing several hundred yards away from the rest of the population, for 4 days before and 3 days after (My numbers could be off by 1) their monthly cycles. THAT, my friends, would make for one VERY calm environment. Not to mention the decrease in PMS-related homicides.

3. Why on earth would anyone want to support more than one Wife? In this day and age, with credit so easy to obtain, try to imagine 20 Wives, each with a purse full of credit cards, and ALL with you as the legally responsible financial party. If just the thought of that does give you the shivers, you might want to forego the "Word of Wisdom" and just take up drinking heavily.

4. I used to raise sheep and goats. I had one ram (that's a boy sheep for you city folks) and one billy (boy goat), 16 ewes and 12 nannys. They each delivered twins almost every time, so on average, I had 2 lambs and 2 goatlings to sell every month, and got to eat lamb chops, rack-of-lamb, and leg-of-lamb constantly. As long as I didn't run out of mint jelly, life was pretty rosy. Some of you may have already deduced the corollary, however. But for those haven't, let me put it in simple terms: If one did have 20 Wives, and are forbidden by Almighty God to sell OR eat the extra Children (most of the Wives would also object), how long before we'd be forced, in order to protect our sanity, to simply run away from home.

5. However, all of those reasons pale in comparison to the most important one: My Prophet told me not to. If he decides to change that and wants my opinion, I'm sure he can find my number. Until then, I'll stick with the one God gave me. She's beautiful, devout, healthy, smart, skinny, and was born 10 months AFTER my last day in combat.

I should mention that I was not allowed to actually have contact with any of these 476 women, moods notwithstanding, so I ate with a couple of guards on one side of the cafeteria, while all of those women glared daggers at us from across the room. Ron Sherwood (now deceased) came in and waved the guards away from the table, and took my picture. I was somewhat flattered with the idea that he thought so much of my willingness to serve that he wanted to immortalize that photographically.

Sometime on the drive back I realized what that miserable SOB really wanted was a picture of me eating alone in a Women's prison.

You are prepared to get the biggest 55 gallon barrel of aftwhoopin you’ve ever experienced, right?

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40 minutes ago, pogi said:

I am sure all women will empathize with how difficult polygamy was for the men :rolleyes:  

In other words, you are around 20 years older than your wife.

Let me guess, she doesn't speak any English and makes a delicious Borsch... 

Yum. Borscht. 

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I predict that within 15 years, polygynous marriages will be federally accepted. The problem will be with divorce. If the first spouse can get half of the assets , the sixth wife will get one sixty-fourth. Either that or if all six get half that makes 3 "holes" ,something's got to give. 

oklds, if you are going to stuff like the OP, may I suggest you ask Deadpool for a copy of his suit first.😱

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3 hours ago, oklds said:

Wasn't even thinking about the date, but yes, it was just a joke.  Thanks for that link, though.  There's a ton of good stuff in there that a new guy can use..

I suspected it was but Poe's Law. Somewhere someone unironically believes all of that.

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9 hours ago, Joshua Valentine said:

Except that I suspect this was posted with tongue in cheek and I´m not even sure what the point of the OP is given the unclear connection between the post and the title, I would have responded that Joseph Smith seems to have dealt with all of those issues simply by not hanging out with his wives much, nor (although I have not researched this for myself) financially supporting them much.  This seems to have been the case for Brigham Young as well.

So whether you are arguing against the ¨big deal with polygamy¨ in regards to all those people complaining about why it´s not fully allowed now or whether you are arguing against those who think it´s a bad idea (but it´s not a big deal since it´s officially limited/prohibited in practice), perhaps we´re all wrong for conflating full responsibility (time, attention, provision, love, etc.) of monogamous marriage with polygamous marriage. Maybe it would be a lot ¨easier¨ if it was done as originally practiced by Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.

 

9 hours ago, USU78 said:

While it's clear JSJr could only support himself, Emma and their children and household members only with the help of friends, neighbors, family and the Church, it is not at all clear that this was the case with BY.

Please provide evidence that BY failed to support his very large family.  Yes, that is a formal CFR.

While I could try to wriggle out of your request by claiming that I did say ¨seems¨ to be the case with BY or even try to claim that I meant this for ¨hanging out¨ and not monetary provision, but it´s really just poor writing.

I apologize for implying BY did not financially support all of his wives and children during their marriages.

I´ve never had to concede a CFR so please let me know if anything else is required to resolve this error. Thanks!

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5 hours ago, Joshua Valentine said:

 

While I could try to wriggle out of your request by claiming that I did say ¨seems¨ to be the case with BY or even try to claim that I meant this for ¨hanging out¨ and not monetary provision, but it´s really just poor writing.

I apologize for implying BY did not financially support all of his wives and children during their marriages.

I´ve never had to concede a CFR so please let me know if anything else is required to resolve this error. Thanks!

Thank you.

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