Polygamists see open door for acceptance

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | Friday, July 4, 2003 | Ron Strom

[JohnHuang2]

"Polygamy is the next civil-rights battle."

That's the new battle cry of proponents of "Christian polygamy" who say their lifestyle is one step closer to being accepted after the Supreme Court's controversial decision last week invalidating state sodomy laws.

A website set up for media to get information about the pro-polygamy movement enthusiastically hails the Lawrence v. Texas decision, quoting from the majority opinion that Americans now have "... the full right to engage in private conduct without government intervention."

As WorldNetDaily reported, critics of the decision believe the court has usurped the role of lawmakers, establishing a far-reaching precedent that threatens any law based on moral choices, including incest and polygamy.

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia includes examples of non-traditional marriages in his dissenting opinion, saying laws against the practice are now open to review.

Scalia talks of "state laws against bigamy, same-sex marriage, adult incest, prostitution, masturbation, adultery, fornication, bestiality and obscenity," saying "every single one of these laws is called into question by [the Lawrence] decision."

Said the polygamy website: "Obviously, this [decision] means enormous ramifications for the civil rights of adult, freely-consenting, marriage-committed polygamists."

The site links to a much more extensive site called TruthBearer.org, a page dedicated to promoting "Christian polygamy."

It's introductory page states, "As preached here at this ministry, Christian polygamy is only about life-long-committed (hence, NONpromiscuous), consensual, NONabusive, loving Christian marriage. The only educational matter here is that this is about men ever-growing in other-centered, ministerial, giving, selfless love in marriage to more than one woman (as Christ so selflessly and givingly loves the Churches)."

The organizers say their aim is not to legalize polygamy, but merely to decriminalize it. They don't believe government has any role whatsoever in regulating marriage.

A link to biblicalpolygamy.com presents what its creators claim are reasons that "polygamy really is biblical."

Another site on "Christian polygamy" (which appears to have been created by those who established TruthBearer.org) states:

"Only a few short years ago, the mere suggestion of putting the words 'Christian' and 'polygamy' beside each other as one term would have been laughed at. It would have been called a 'contradiction in terms' and an 'oxymoron.'

"But no one is laughing anymore.

"After much patient prayer, love, and work by committed Christ-centered, Spirit-led, Scripture-believing evangelical conservative Christians, from all kinds of different denominational backgrounds, the Truth is being believed and spread to others! Christian polygamy has become a reality and is now being taken very seriously in a number of spheres of influence."

The Rev. Jerry Falwell, WorldNetDaily columnist and nationally known Christian minister, spoke strongly against the practice of having multiple wives, telling WND: "Christian polygamy is an oxymoron." Falwell condemned the Lawrence ruling, saying it opened the door to "bestiality, pedophilia, even drug use" in the privacy of one's home.

TruthBearer.org, based in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, was founded by Mark Henkel in 1994.

"You are speaking to a diehard constitutional conservative," Henkel told WorldNetDaily, saying his support for the Lawrence v. Texas decision and polygamy is in line with the framers of the Constitution.

"My fellow conservatives are making a terrible mistake" by condemning the ruling, he said. "They are reacting like knee-jerk liberals."

Henkel compared marriage to Social Security, citing some conservatives' desire to privatize the government retirement program.

"Why not privatize marriage?" he asked rhetorically. "Why is big government a part of marriage?"

Henkel says marriage in the Bible is never linked to government and that today, the feds should not be able to dictate to Americans: "You're only allowed one wife."

Christians who believe the state should regulate marriage, he says, "are trusting in the false god of socialist government."

Referring to the sodomy case, Henkel told WND: "Lawrence v. Texas has kicked open a whole new door for us."

He says the ruling effectively voided every anti-polygamy law on the books, assuring that "whatever consenting adults choose to do" is permissible.

TruthBearer.org's strategy, says Henkel, is to persuade "conservative, Bible-believing Christians" of the appropriateness and superiority of polygamy. When they are won over, Henkel says the liberal "tolerance-oriented" people will then come into line.

While Henkel uses the polygamy of biblical patriarchs as part of his defense of the practice, Falwell says those Old Testament men were sinning by taking multiple wives.

"The Bible very clearly condemns Christian polygamy," he said. "[The Old Testament patriarchs] all did it in defiance of the Word of God. … God's plan was Adam and Eve – not Adam and Steve, and not Adam and several Eves."

Henkel's movement is clear to point out that its philosophy is not based on historic Mormon polygamy: "Christian polygamy is not Mormon polygamy. The two have two distinctly separate foundational reasons and two distinctly separate histories. They draw no basis from each other."

[Torie]

The religion has a very modernist adaptibility to changing conditions, and changes when it is prudent to do so, sort of like a CEO doing his job. That is a key to its success. Deal with it.

[Sabertooth]

Here they come!

Right on cue.

[Elsie]

Sorry, but the millions of LDS members are the ones who have to 'deal with it'.

---

Shifting sand doesn't make for a very strong foundation.

[johnb838]

That guy was marrying them when they were 14. OTOH, 14 is a common age of consent, so why should the state be able to say they have to be 16 or 18? What gives them the right to enforce that sort of morality. Ooh. I hadn't thought of that. This IS truly scary. Only way to protect your daughter will be with a shotgun.

[johnb838]

Bestiality was already not prohibited under Texas law.

Of course it wasn't. What are them A&M boys sposed to do when they gets lonely?

[Sabertooth]

I will let you know when the legal elites decide polygamy has cachet.

A few years after "Heather has Eight Parents" is included in the syllabus.

Foolish lawyer, it's teachers that are omnipotent.

[johnb838]

OTOH, 14 is a common age of consent,

OTOH, why not 12? Who are you to say it's wrong?

[johnb838]

In fact my cousin (2nd) is real cute and she's almost 12...

[Grig]

"Can anyone find, anywhere in these words, a direct command from 'god' to STOP the practice?"

Elsie has had this answered to her many times, but for the rest of you...

If you read the whole OD1, you will see this:

"But I want to say this: I should have let all the temples go out of our hands; I should have gone to prison myself, and let every other man go there, had not the God of heaven commanded me to do what I did do;"

That's good enough for every faithful Mormon. The fact that it is an Official Declaration makes it the same as scripture to us, the word of God commanding an end to the practice.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is already established in nations that DO allow polygomy, but members are still prohibited from practicing it there or anywhere else. It is only an acceptable practice when divinly authorized, and the Church no longer has the authority to authorize plural marriages.

The courts did not take that authority from the Church, and the courts can't grant it either. Nor will you find it easy to find a faithful Mormon who has any real desire for the lifestyle, obligation, responsibilites, rules, and public opposition that go hand in hand with plural marriage so I really doubt there will be any serious effort by any group of faithful members to get the laws changed. Even when it was OK, less than 5% of Mormons did practice it.

[dighton]

One cannot eat breakfast all day,
Nor is it the act of a sinner,
When breakfast is taken away,
To turn his attention to dinner.
And it's not in the range of belief,
To look upon him as a glutton,
Who, when he is tired of beef,
Determines to tackle the mutton.
But this I am willing to say,
If it will appease her sorrow,
I'll marry this lady to-day,
And I'll marry the other to-morrow.

-- Trial by Jury.

[Consort]

The more esoteric and arcane meanings of freedom, freedom of religion, separation of church and state, etc., are beginning to surface and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

[johnb838]

I can see instances when for survival of the 'tribe' it is necessary to allow and promote multiple mating. OTOH, in this time when war and/or disease have not ravaged one gender or the other, take one and leave the rest for somebody else.

[Torie]

Well one must always cover one's flanks, to deflect and defeat those who would aspire to usurp the throne. I have a plan for teachers. One must always have a plan.

[Paulus Invictus]

The guy (named Green with four or five wives), was thrown in jail but not for practicing polygamy. He was jailed for child abuse of a minor child (14 years old) that he "married" and sexually abused.

The real problem with the local brand of polygamists (by the way, they are not Mormons!), is that they are also cleverly raiding the treasuries of two states, Utah and Arizona. They live mostly in two towns stradling the border of the two states. They make state money by making sure their wives and many kids are collecting Social Security bennies, as well as welfare and food stamps, perhaps from both states at once as they may have two houses on each side of the border (?). With as many as five or six wives and several kids, their monthly stipend may amount to significant income. Many of them have businesses too and are hard workers.

On the Arizona side, it is said that they build large homes they never seem to finish so they pay lower property taxes on the houses as being "under construction."

The local polygs are doing well and their numbers are growing. They are also the most unattractive people imaginable. The women dress in home-made dresses and long socks or men's trousers under their dresses. They wear no makeup, braid their long hair and they all tend to be about 50 pounds overweight. The men dress in cowboy clothes and are uniformy unfriendly.

[johnb838]

Who are you to say they aren't Mormons. Maybe they say that LDS aren't the true mormons. Who is anybody to say anything about anything?

[restornu]

Are you one of those folks who believe every things is relative therefore there is no wrong?

[Paulus Invictus]

Specifically, the polygs are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.There is no such organization known as the "Mormon Church."

As there is freedom of speech, especially on this Forum, I can and do say quite correctly the polygs are not LDS and not Mormon either.

[fishtank]

At A&M, there are plenty of female humans for companionship, in contrast to Austin, where they can't keep enough gerbils stocked in the pet shops.

[fishtank]

Everyone knows the LDS will go back to polygamy as soon as it's legal.

[Jhoffa_]

Sure, why not?

Since we can't make laws based on accepted custom and morality the door is now open to all manner of things.