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'''Polygamy''' is one form of a [[polyamorous]] relationship that usually denotes a [[marriage]] involving three or more people.

'''Polygamy''' is one form of a [[polyamorous]] relationship that usually denotes a [[marriage]] involving three or more people, usually a man having relations and children with multiple women.  The term encompasses all of the following:

*'''[[open marriage]]''' (the practice of a married couple who agree to allow one of them, or both, to bring additional sexual partners into the relationship; the partners can be either heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual).

The term encompasses '''polygyny''' (the practice of one husband having multiple wives); '''polyandry''' (the practice of one woman having multiple husbands); and '''group marriage''' (the practice of two or more men and two or more women sharing husbands and wives, also known by the slang term '''swinging'''). It can also involve three or more people of the same sex in such an arrangement such as in an "[[open marriage]]".

In modern times, opponents of [[same-sex marriage|same-sex "marriage"]] worry that if legalized it would be a step down the slippery slope to polygamy. Recent events to support this claim includes [[Utah]] decriminalizing polygamy from a felony to a minor infraction in 2020, and in 2005 the [[Netherlands]] (four years after introducing same-sex 'marriage') gave three-people relationships legal recognition through a "[[cohabitation]] agreement". Stanley Kurtz wrote:

:Among the likeliest effects of gay marriage is to take us down a slippery slope to legalized polygamy and "polyamory" (group marriage). Marriage will be [[marriage privatization|transformed into a variety of relationship contracts]], linking two, three, or more individuals (however weakly and temporarily) in every conceivable combination of male and female.<ref>[https://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/002/938xpsxy.asp Beyond Gay Marriage], Stanley Kurtz.</ref>

Polygamy, in ancient times, was widespread, but has become less common over time.  The most common form of polygamy is polygyny, and the former term is often used to refer to the latter.  Polygynous marriages are found in the [[Old Testament]], especially among the early Hebrew kings.  The first recorded polygamist was [[Lamech]]<ref>{{bibleref|Genesis|4|19}}</ref>, in the seventh generation from [[Adam]].  The book of [[Deuteronomy]] gives an inheritance rule for polygynous families.<ref>[http://www.bartleby.com/108/05/21.html#15 Deuteronomy 21:15-17]</ref>  The culmination was [[Solomon]] with 700 wives and 300 [[concubine]]s; however, the fact that they were from the pagan nations led him down the path of corruption.<ref>[http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/1Ki/1Ki011.html#top I Kings 11:1-3]</ref>  There was also a practice of giving a maid servant to a husband to sire children in the period of the patriarchs; [[Holy Scripture|Scripture]] refers to such a maid servant variously as a wife<ref>[http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Gen/Gen030.html#4 Genesis 30:4]</ref> and as a concubine.<ref>[http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Gen/Gen035.html#22 Genesis 35:22]</ref>  [[God]], speaking through the [[prophet]] [[Nathan]], addressed [[David]]'s polygamy without expressing disapproval:

 

Polygamy, in ancient times, was widespread, but has become less common over time.  The most common form of polygamy is polygyny.  Polygynous marriages are found in the [[Old Testament]], especially among the early Hebrew kings.  The first recorded polygamist was [[Lamech]] ([[Genesis]] 4:19), in the seventh generation from [[Adam]].  The book of [[Deuteronomy]] gives an inheritance rule for polygynous families.<ref>[http://www.bartleby.com/108/05/21.html#15 Deuteronomy 21:15-17]</ref>  The culmination was [[Solomon]] with 700 wives and 300 [[concubine]]s; however, the fact that they were from the pagan nations led him down the path of corruption.<ref>[http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/1Ki/1Ki011.html#top I Kings 11:1-3]</ref>  There was also a practice of giving a maid servant to a husband to sire children in the period of the patriarchs; [[Holy Scripture|Scripture]] refers to such a maid servant variously as a wife<ref>[http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Gen/Gen030.html#4 Genesis 30:4]</ref> and as a concubine.<ref>[http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Gen/Gen035.html#22 Genesis 35:22]</ref>  [[God]], speaking through the [[prophet]] [[Nathan]], addressed [[David]]'s polygamy without expressing disapproval:

{{Bible quote|And Nathan said to David, Thou [art] the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if [that had been] too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.   

{{Bible quote|And Nathan said to David, Thou [art] the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if [that had been] too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.   

|book=2Samuel|chap=12|verses=7-8|version=KJV}}

|book=2Samuel|chap=12|verses=7-8|version=KJV}}

There are examples of polygamy in the [[New Testament]] and it is stated that a deacon is to be the husband of one wife.  That the church leaders saw fit to suspend the practice for such a small group, but allow it for everyone else speaks volumes.<ref>[http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/popup.pl?book=1Ti&chapter=3&verse=2&version=kjv#2 I Timothy 3:2]</ref><ref>[http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Tts/Tts001.html#6 Titus 1:6]</ref> (in some Christian denominations today, that has been taken to mean that divorced men and in some cases even widowed men can not be deacons if they remarry.)

There are examples of polygamy in the [[New Testament]] and it is stated that a deacon is to be the husband of one wife.  That the church leaders saw fit to suspend the practice for such a small group, but allow it for everyone else speaks volumes.<ref>[http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/popup.pl?book=1Ti&chapter=3&verse=2&version=kjv#2 I Timothy 3:2]</ref><ref>[http://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/Tts/Tts001.html#6 Titus 1:6]</ref> In some Christian denominations today, that has been taken to mean that divorced men and in some cases even widowed men cannot be deacons if they remarry.)

[[Ashkenazi]] Jews banned polygyny around A.D. 1000.  [[Sephardi]] Jews continued to practice it in [[Islam]]ic lands for some time after that.  [[Yemen]]i and [[Ethiopia]]n Jews practice it to this day.  [[Israel]] forbids polygyny, with the exception that a man with multiple wives who moves to Israel may remain married to his existing wives but not marry additional ones.<ref>[http://www.jewfaq.org/marriage.htm#Relationship Judaism 101: Marriage]</ref> However, this is due at least in part to an Israeli Supreme Court ruling that requires recognition of all marriages performed abroad, whether they would be legal in Israel or not. (This also applies to same-sex "marriage").

[[Ashkenazi]] Jews banned polygyny around A.D. 1000.  [[Sephardi]] Jews continued to practice it in [[Islam]]ic lands for some time after that.  [[Yemen]]i and [[Ethiopia]]n Jews practice it to this day.  [[Israel]] forbids polygyny, with the exception that a man with multiple wives who moves to Israel may remain married to his existing wives but not marry additional ones.<ref>[http://www.jewfaq.org/marriage.htm#Relationship Judaism 101: Marriage]</ref> However, this is due at least in part to an Israeli Supreme Court ruling that requires recognition of all marriages performed abroad, whether they would be legal in Israel or not. (This also applies to same-sex "marriage").

.<ref>[http://www.trivia-library.com/b/alternative-forms-of-marriage-polygyny-part-1.htm Polygyny in Europe and China]</ref>   

.<ref>[http://www.trivia-library.com/b/alternative-forms-of-marriage-polygyny-part-1.htm Polygyny in Europe and China]</ref>   

In the modern world polygyny is practiced to some extent in China,<ref>Lang and Smart.  “Migration and the Second Wife in South China: Toward cross-border polygyny” The International migration review  2002, vol. 36, no2, pp. 546-569 [http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=13830800]</ref> among [[Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|certain sects of Mormons]]<ref>[http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2006-05-25/news/it-practices-what-they-preach/ News story on Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints]</ref> <ref>As polygamy is officially illegal everywhere in the United States, a person (usually the man) will legally only marry one spouse, but "marry" the others in a "religious ceremony" that has no legal standing.  The show '''''Sister Wives''''' features such an arrangement involving the Brown family, consisting of Kody (the male), his "legal" wife Robyn, and his "spiritual" wives Meri (who was his previous legal wife; he divorced her to legally marry Robyn so he could officially adopt her children), Janelle and Christine (the latter two have never been legally married to Kody).</ref>(the mainstream [[Mormon]] Church outlawed the practice in 1890<ref>[http://www.mormon.org/question/faq/category/answer/0,9777,1601-1-114-1,00.html LDS official position]</ref>) and in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa.<ref>Brown, Judith E. “Polygyny and Family Planning in sub-Saharan Africa”  Studies in Family Planning, Vol. 12, No. 8/9 (Aug. - Sep., 1981), pp. 322-326.  Abstract.  [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0039-3665(198108%2F09)12%3A8%2F9%3C322%3APAFPIS%3E2.0.CO%3B2-U]</ref>

In the modern world polygyny is practiced to some extent in China,<ref>Lang and Smart.  “Migration and the Second Wife in South China: Toward cross-border polygyny” The International migration review  2002, vol. 36, no2, pp. 546-569 [http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=13830800]</ref> among [[Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|certain sects of Mormons]]<ref>[http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2006-05-25/news/it-practices-what-they-preach/ News story on Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints]</ref> <ref>As polygamy is officially illegal everywhere in the United States, a person (usually the man) will legally only marry one spouse, but "marry" the others in a "religious ceremony" that has no legal standing.  The show '''''Sister Wives''''' featured such an arrangement involving the Brown family, consisting of Kody (the male), his "legal" wife Robyn, and his "spiritual" wives Meri (who was his previous legal wife; he legally divorced Meri to legally marry Robyn so he could officially adopt Robyn's children), Janelle and Christine (the latter two have never been legally married to Kody).</ref>(the mainstream [[Mormon]] Church outlawed the practice in 1890<ref>[http://www.mormon.org/question/faq/category/answer/0,9777,1601-1-114-1,00.html LDS official position]</ref>) and in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa.<ref>Brown, Judith E. “Polygyny and Family Planning in sub-Saharan Africa”  Studies in Family Planning, Vol. 12, No. 8/9 (Aug. - Sep., 1981), pp. 322-326.  Abstract.  [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0039-3665(198108%2F09)12%3A8%2F9%3C322%3APAFPIS%3E2.0.CO%3B2-U]</ref>

Polyandry is and has been less common around the world, but it has been practiced.  Polyandry is part of traditional Tibetan culture<ref>[http://www.case.edu/affil/tibet/tibetanSociety/marriage.htm List of references]</ref> and is practiced by some [[Native American]] tribes.<ref>Polyandry among the [[Inuit]] [http://www.snowwowl.com/peopleinuit5.html]</ref>

Polyandry is and has been less common around the world, but it has been practiced.  Polyandry is part of traditional Tibetan culture<ref>[http://www.case.edu/affil/tibet/tibetanSociety/marriage.htm List of references]</ref> and is practiced by some [[Native American]] tribes.<ref>Polyandry among the [[Inuit]] [http://www.snowwowl.com/peopleinuit5.html]</ref>

"[[Group marriage]]" is likely the least common form of polygamy, but it is practiced.  In fact a number of Americans purport to practice just this sort of living arrangement, even though it is not legally recognized as marriage by the state.<ref>Kurtz, Stanley, “Rick Santorum Was Right Meet the future of marriage in America.” New Republic Online 3/23/05 [https://www.nationalreview.com/kurtz/kurtz200503230746.asp]</ref>

"[[Group marriage]]" is likely the least common form of polygamy, but it is practiced.  In fact a number of Americans purport to practice just this sort of living arrangement, even though it is not legally recognized as marriage by the state.<ref>Kurtz, Stanley, “Rick Santorum Was Right Meet the future of marriage in America.” New Republic Online 3/23/05 [https://www.nationalreview.com/kurtz/kurtz200503230746.asp]</ref>

The Bible clearly states that marriage, as recognized by God, involves only one man and only one woman;<ref>|book=ICorinthians|chap=7|verses=2|version=KJV</ref> therefore, any other type of "marriage" (whether or not formally legalized) is prohibited, notwithstanding some liberal denominations holding to the contrary.

The Bible clearly states that marriage, as recognized by God, involves only one man and only one woman;<ref>{{bibleref|ICorinthians|7|2}}</ref> therefore, any other type of "marriage" (whether or not formally legalized) is prohibited, notwithstanding some liberal denominations holding to the contrary.

 

 

 

 

*polygamy allowed [[deceit]] whereby Englishmen lied to their second wife about marital status, which was unfair to many.

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