Whys bigamy illegal?

[MissJacksonCA]

Forgive me for asking a really stupid question... is it the whole morality of it? Because frankly... I think its a tad outdated... if you're cunning enough to marry 8 women and hide all the relationships from the other women shouldn't you be able to get away with it? Perhaps we should spend time punishing people who y'know... actually punish people who commit shall we say... real crimes? I kinda feel like they're punishing people for deceiving their spouse... and well... should that really be a crime?

[Philly_SWAT]

Forgive me for asking a really stupid question... is it the whole morality of it? Because frankly... I think its a tad outdated... if you're cunning enough to marry 8 women and hide all the relationships from the other women shouldn't you be able to get away with it? Perhaps we should spend time punishing people who y'know... actually punish people who commit shall we say... real crimes? I kinda feel like they're punishing people for deceiving their spouse... and well... should that really be a crime? This goes back to an argument that I made to you a few weeks back that just because something is "illegal" doesnt mean that it is "wrong". There are many other laws on the books that are there due to outdated ideas about morality. Taking these laws off the books would make the world a much better place, and there would certainly be less lawbreakers.

[MissJacksonCA]

You should move to Utah and start a cult man...

[AcesandEights]

To be honest, I think bigamy should be left illegal. It opens the door to abuse, to backward ideas of women being no more than chattel and to jackasses getting married to umpteen women, knocking them up and not being able to support their accumulated children. Yes, there are what-ifs that can be proposed to go 'round in a circuitous fashion that might make people consider the idea. Is it really hurting anyone? Who says multiple spouses is just for men? If a man can support 8 wives and 32 children, let him marry and be done with it! But, I stand by my statement on the matter. Then again, the government should really have no role in ratifying what is essentially a religious contract anyway (and yes, the tax codes should be rewritten). But if there are going to be laws governing marriage, then we might as well focus on the type of relationships that have the power to damage, demean and be used as a vehicle to deny human beings their rights. If people want to engage in polyamorous relationships, outside of the binding contract of marriage, that is one thing (and a different matter all together), but I just see institutionalized bigamy as a backward step for protecting the rights of the individual--something that will lead to far more abuse than the 'liberty' of allowing it to exist.

[MissJacksonCA]

Bigamy isn't just a crime against women... women commit it as well they just dont get caught as often because women are better liars... It should be a crime for any couple to get knocked up and have children they can't afford unfortunately there's no way to punish that beyond revoking their rights as parents which seldom ever happens. Personally I feel those people should be sterilized because they obviously lack the control necessary to behave like a rational being and prefer to create children they can't afford and count it as a blessing... or an extra couple hundred bucks from social services every month... Morally bigamy is wrong... but women get hurt by men (and vice versa) every day... men cheat on their wives (perhaps that should fall under bigamy)... and girlfriends (and vice versa)... but to make it a crime to enter into a vow with a few extra women? Sure he's breaking his wedding vows but quite honestly... dont a lot of people? I just have little empathy for women dumb enough to be duped into a marriage where their husband is a bigamist. I know not everyone can be as untrusting as myself but still... hearing about these bigamy cases and reading their background and hearing the lies their husband tells them... add 2 and 2 people! Beyond that I just think its a tad outdated... its like not allowing homosexuals to marry... Dont we have bigger fish to fry?

[AcesandEights]

I know not everyone can be as untrusting as myself... You got that right, Sister ^The above is a humorous stab at you, nothing more.

[MissJacksonCA]

Man its cool i'm laughing because I seriously think everyone has a malevolent side ... and so far i've been right I feel like Sandra Bullock in Premonition (BTW AWFUL MOVIE NEVER EVER SEE) ... no matter what I do I can't change what's going to happen...

[AcesandEights]

<----All sides are malevolent here. A fvcking rhomboid of evil, if you will. *Gives Miss Jackson the evil eye*

[MissJacksonCA]

duuuude I invented the evil eye

[Maitreya]

its like not allowing homosexuals to marry... Homosexuals? MARRY?!?!?! Are you crazy? I've devised a 10 point report on WHY gay marriage is wrong! 1. Homosexuality is not natural. Real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, and air conditioning. 2. Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall. 3. Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract. 4. Heterosexual marriage has been around a long time and hasn't changed at all; women are still property, blacks still can't marry whites, and divorce is still illegal. 5. Straight marriage will be less meaningful if homosexual marriage were allowed; the sanctity of Brittany Spears' 55-hour just-for-fun marriage would be destroyed. 6. Heterosexual marriages are valid because they produce children. Homosexual couples, infertile couples, and old people shouldn't be allowed to marry because our orphanages aren't full yet, and the world needs more children. 7. Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children. 8. Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That's why we have only one religion in America. 9. Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That's why we as a society expressly forbid single parents to raise children. 10. Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never adapt to new social norms. Just like we haven't adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or telephones. Now tell me you still want them to get married!

[axlish]

Bigamy is illegal because it normally involves a man that is sneaking around, and the wives are not aware. If that weren't illegal, men could do this without penalty. As for the religious aspect, eh, I'm not religoius so I am not in favor of making a loophole.

[Marie]

I think bigamy should remain illegal because guys are disadvantaged enough and if they can't handle one woman what the heck makes them think they can handle two or more? M_

[EvilNed]

Maitreya, that was a very good list. Did you compose it yourself?

[Maitreya]

Maitreya, that was a very good list. Did you compose it yourself? Unfortunately, no, but I really like the message it delivered, and I felt it was appropriate for a bit of satire, since she mentioned gay marriage.

[MissJacksonCA]

That list soooo made you my hero ... damn it was great... personally i'd outlaw heterosexual marriage... its not like we're doing very well with it... lets see how gays treat marriage... maybe they'd respect it a bit more since their field of choice is more limited than ours ...perhaps every 6 out of 10 gay marriages wont fail like heterosexual marriages... marriage is a privilege and thus should be revoked upon bad behavior... we've shamed the institution of marriage and should forget it ever existed...