Opinions on polygamy?

I'm open and accepting for anything.
Yes, sometimes I can be a bit mean and stereotype people, but I am open and accepting otherwise. I have no problem with homosexuals, transgender. I have one problem with Jewish people, and it is literally just I don't like the idea of circumcision at all, so I am against the idea of all male Jewish children being circumcised. I know that's probably a strange thing to dislike, as it is tradition I know for them. But since it's been proven that there is practically hardly any major difference than what people believe, I find it unnecessary.

There is one thing I am against, it is something I've heard of recently and is transabled, I think it was called. I read an article, which featured people who called themselves transabled. Basically they wanted to have a disability. Some people even cut off their own arm, or stayed in a wheelchair all the time, even though they had no use for one.

But with polygamy, well we all have urges when it comes to sexual attraction. Sometimes we all wonder what it would be like to be with somebody else, even though we still truly love the person we are with. So I think if people can safely live as a polygamist, then go for it. Obviously there will probably still be family problems, but I think as long as the wives and husbands are understanding of what they are doing fully, and how to treat each other all as equals, go for it.

About the characters though, yes Rhonda is an annoying girl. She has felt too privileged with what she was given, she felt too powerful but was still a child at heart, which showed in the later episodes of Season 1. She is practically the spoilt kid in the playground, who won't play with the other kids who aren't as good as her.

Nicki, even though unlikeable at times, she has a loveable side. I think she's funny, and always surprising. I can relate to her the most out of the three main wives. She is a worried woman, scared of what people will think of her, even though pretending at times she doesn't care about their opinions. But inside, behind her scared strict exterior she is loveable, and very caring. She is also quite witty at times, which mostly comes out sarcastic and rude.

I think polygamy should be legalised between consenting adults of the state's marrying age. Bigamy, however when defined as the act of marrying without the knowledge or consent of other spouses, is wrong and should remain illegal and prosecutable by law. To me this is religious persecution based on bad sects of the FLDS. And I'm a nonbeliever so there's no church oriented bias in my views. The state needs to stay out of marriages except in the protection of children and other innocents. Tired of the government saying this race can't marry another or this sex can't marry the same and so on. If the states would only mandate the laws of marriage but not whom can marry we'd all be happier. (Age of consent to marry and having the mind to consent should be maintained to protect the innocent.)

As for the views of my personal life- No Way would I be open to sharing my husband with another wife, girlfriend or significant other whether I was "first wife" or not! Nope, we "cleave" to one another & no one else! That means putting the other first in all things. Marriage, true marriage cannot be regulated or mandated by any religious organizations or law. Marriage is what the people involved say it is, nothing more or less. And that's a beautiful thing.

When watching the show I never see a moment when I think "isn't that enviable". I don't see how anyone can say this marriage is a healthy one to any of those involved nor for the poor children produced inside it. If there were ever 3 women so different in personalities, morals and beliefs I cannot think of any! Even JR's ex-wives had more in common than these women! I think Margie is kind and wishes to please all 3 but even in her innocent view of polygamy she is flawed. She too is selfish, though to a lesser degree. Whereas Barb was the great first wife for the 1st couple of seasons she too faultered, especially in S3. However, Nicki takes the prize as worse wife EVER. It makes No Sense to storyline that after Bill left Juniper Creek he'd go back there to find a nurse for his dying wife!?! No, I don't buy it even with sustaining my ability to let things go for sake of a good storyline. They wrote the story first then wrote the character of Nicki to bring it to fruition. I don't even enjoy hating her character! I do not care what grand excuses she devulges to get back into their good graces she'd never share a home with my family again. She can be forgiven but I wouldn't chance her ever remaining faithful to her Hendrickson family so she wouldn't be back in, period. But Bill is simply a lousy husband and deserves what nonsense he goes through. He thinks only of himself and how he can profit whether financially, physically or any other way. Did I see him approving of Margie raising testimony about the casino in "his" new church!?! Really? Thanking god for helping them profit from others "sin"? Hello? I am on Season 4 and see no long term love, devotion or selflessness between the 4 of them! Perhaps these good Mormons need to read the love letter that Paul wrote to the Corinthians, the first being "...As an adult I put away childish things". Not one adult in this Hendrickson marriage has grown up yet!! But that's what makes viewing so much fun, I guess!

I am conflicted. Because I know the things that go along with polygamy; the church corruption and Warren Jeffs and what not. And it creeps me out. It just seems so brainwashed. I'm not trying to be rude or hateful to anyone, and I see the hypocrisy in my views because I'm fine with gay marriage. It also makes me feel like women are only put on earth to find and serve a husband. Just my opinions.

I guess I'm ok with it as long as it's with consenting adults as you stated. Personally, I could NEVER share my husband with another wife(s). In Big Love all the wives struggle with jealousy and other ugly feelings. Polygamy just demands so much of the wives, even though they do a good job justifying the "why" of it all in their religious beliefs. There are a lot of practices that are simply outdated and polygamy is one of them. Bill spent a lot of time talking about the LDS church being hypocrites and caving into secular law....but there is something to that. Just because something like polygamy was practiced in the Old Testament of the Bible or the Book of Mormon doesn't mean it's applicable for today.

The fact that this ideology was thought up by person who people thought of as a "prophet" (not sure if he thought of this himself), makes this whole polygamy very sketchy.

I understand there are verses in the bible that condones polygamy or tells about important people such as Gideon, having multiple wives, but there are also verses that preach polygamy is not condoned, that God made man and women and as one will bear a child or children. Not multiple women with man.

It's a very touchy subject and honestly, there's so much contradictions in it, religious people can argue about it all day.

Fact of the matter is, in the end, Bill said it's the love that brought this family into the faith, not the other way around.

It's a culture, obviously passed on through generations. I understand the concept of it and I don't have any problems with people who practice it as long as it doesn't hurt anyone. That was Bill Henrickson's agenda. Then there are others like Alby and Roman who twists polygamy for their own wicked pleasures w/ principles that would be deemed unethical through Joseph Smith's teachings.

Polygamy is, for lack of a better term, a "structural evil". No matter how good or well intended the people whom participate in it may be, the structure in itself will cause harm to the participants.

The fact that in western societies the norm in polygamous groups is child abuse/neglect and running off of boys just proves it (even the show, which clearly tries to be neutral and show all sides, clearly depicts the "good" polygamists like Bill and Don vastly outnumbered by the bad (typical) ones)

It may be a necessary/lesser evil in specific circumstances where due to war there's simply far more women than men around (and thus it could make sense for each dude to have several wives), which was not uncommon in ancient (biblical) times.

But today clearly there is no such aspect, for the running off of boys (competition) proves it.

And even with the "good" ones like Bill the harm is clearly present and ongoing:
- Barb: she's clearly miserable no matter how much she tries to convince herself she's not and she clearly reached her limit at the end of season 4 when she sabotages Bill's campaign and states "I don't need you anymore".
- Nicky: the product of compound conditioning, her brainwashing became undone in season 4 and grew to not wanting to share Bill anymore.
- Margene: do I really need to tally all she lost on account of being forced to live in hiding and them being forced to be exposed, to be sacrificed at the altar of Bill's ambitions (her business, her friends, etc).
- Bill's daughters: Sarah and Teeny left the second they could. Sarah has stated quite clearly how her father has no right/credibility/authority/nothing to say regarding relationships.
- Ben: even he got a taste of Bill's jealousy when he got banished (temporarily).

His family was in my mind worse off than a typical trailer park one. Cindy, for all her eccentricities and whatnot, had a far better/stable family than Barb.

If your argument in favour of polygamy is "there's more help to take care of the kids", then you got nothing. That's what an extended family is for.

Some things are not meant to be shared, like tooth brushes and underwear, spouses are one of them.

If they're all consenting adults and supporting their own huge families, I don't see what it matters. People's (ADULTS) private lives are their own business to manage.


Between two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before.