Legal Polygamy: Utah Law Targets Polygamy
Utah Law states that
”The following ordinance shall be irrevocable without the consent of the United States and the people of this State: [Religious toleration -- Polygamy forbidden.] First: — Perfect toleration of religious sentiment is guaranteed. No inhabitant of this State shall ever be molested in person or property on account of his or her mode of religious worship; but polygamous or plural marriages are forever prohibited.” - Article 3 section -
So according to Article 3, you can believe whatever you want. And Utah will never prosecute you for your religious beliefs. However being a polygamist and acting upon your beliefs is completely out of the question.
Is it just me or does it look like Utah is specifically targeting Polygamy?
It is perfectly useless to tell someone that they can believe however they want but cannot act upon their beliefs. But claiming to uphold any inhabitant of the states right to religious freedom and then in the same sentence stating that that polygamy is “forever prohibited” is just downright evil.
Penalty for Living Polygamy
(1) A person is guilty of bigamy when, knowing he has a husband or wife or knowing the other person has a husband or wife, the person purports to marry another person or cohabits with another person.
(2) Bigamy is a felony of the third degree.
(3) It shall be a defense to bigamy that the accused reasonably believed he and the other person were legally eligible to remarry. -76-7-101. Bigamy – Defense-
American Heritage Dictionary defines cohabitation as: To live together in a sexual relationship, especially when not legally married.
Therefore not only is bigamy illegal and a third degree felony but so is Polygamy, because obviously if you are living polygamy you are cohabiting with other women and therefore a third degree felon.
Polygamy should be legal
Ok so its very obviouse taht polygamy is in fact illegal. But will Utah and other states act upon this? I think they already are. Although Mark Shurtleff says that he will not prosecute people for practicing polygamy, I do believe that he is persecuting people for polygamy. And just because he says he won’t prosecute polygamy does not mean that other people wont. What happens when Utah gets a new attorney general? Or what if he just changes his mind?
Like a sword hanging from a thread over the heads of Polygamists the threat of imprisonment is ever present. Threatening to cut families apart if ever “the government” was to find out who is living plural marriage. And so naturally many polygamists withdraw themselves from mainstream society in order to protect the things they hold most dear. Then all people hear about polygamy is when the media sensationalizes bad polygamist situations.
And so a stigma is placed on polygamy in general, that all polygamists are bad people. The laws targeting polygamy are out of date, unfair and unconstitutional. They are targeting not only a persons rights to practice their religion but also a persons right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness which is guaranteed us by constitution of the United States of America. And they should be done away with.
Kevin
Hi there. I run the website at 4thefamily.us and added a link to your blog this evening under our Mormon links, and would like to add it to the blog roll on our main page. Would be wonderful if you would add a link to our main page
http://www.4thefamily.us under your links section.
We have a forums section, a fairly busy chat room, links, and a lot of documents that can be downloaded under the information section as well as a member area with about 1400 members.
Good Job you are doing.
Cheers!
Sage
Do you know any polygamists personally?
I am looking for a family to film for a reality show segment, form a pro-polygamy point of view. I’m a television producer for the Discovery Channel, and really need help locating a willing family.
Please contact Amber at
Amberdawnlee (at) yahoo (dot) com
I think polygamy should be legal. I have a wife and she is a good cook. But she is not good at cleaning or child rearing. Nor can either of us balance the check book. If I could get another wife who is good at cleaning and another wife who is good at childing-ing, and an accountant (Male or Female is acceptable) and maybe three or four more lovely ladies who are uniquely skilled at the benefits of marriage that are of a personal nature then I would be a happy man.
No one woman can satisfy any man.
One man can provide for many women.
One man may not be able to provide for many women. Remember: many women make many children and if you cannot even balance your chequebook, what are the chances you can provide for such a large family?
And if you are going to assert that no one woman can satisfy any man, then you can say the same about no one man being unable to satisfy any woman. Love is not about finding someone who has 100% positive qualities – it’s about accepting a person, and wanting to support them and protect them, in spite of their weaknesses. Weakness is not gender-exclusive.
Polygamy is legal in Saskatchewan, a province in Canada. Up until now, it has only been women that have claimed in courts to have multiple spouses and in both trials they were found to be married at the sametime to different men and it was all legal-like.
really? that is so surprising!!! do you know the names of those trials so i can look them up?
My question is why must this all be based on a religious belief. I believe if a man and woman love each other and in agreement wish to ad to the family by bringing in a second or third wife even he should be able to no matter his religion or lack of. No matter what you may believe I may not have the same belief system in god or a god. But we believe we have the love and compation and fortitude it takes to be a poly family.
Of course you can Pat, my 2 wives and i identify ourselves to be born again christians, my friend down the street is a muslim with 3 wives, and another triad are atheists. There is no reason that adult ppl who love one another can’t live in a commited relationship together outside of any religious faith.
I left my (husband) ten years ago and we have had no contact. I want to get married now and I don’t want to wait 90 days. I’ve already suffered enough at his hands, he wouldn’t work and he cheated, repeatedly, with anyone who had drugs. Our child is 23 and will have nothing to do with him. So, would I really be prosecuted for bigamy if I went ahead and married my fiancé?
People in utah dont think its write to have an old fifty year old man with this young 12 year old girl and having sex with them polygamists think thats write no its not it called rape and those old men are pedophiles. If and 18 year old girl wants to share a husband with 15 other girls go for it she is the legal age to be married to him. But if she is fifteen she is still a child.
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ok so im just wanting to learn more about polygamy so if any one can explain more email me at dj7cjhat@aol.com thanks
Certainly it’s outlived the time in which it was penned, but if strictly enforced most ppl living together would be spending time in prison. Unlike gays who want state legal recognition, those of us in poly or plural relationships, simply want the state out of our lives and bedrooms. Being free from prosecution will of course not shield us from persecution, it will take a few generations before my grand or great grand kids can openly, and consentually as adults, be free to live with and love as many as they please.