Polygamy

Most of Islamic countries recognises this sort of marriage (men having up to four wives) note (women cant have second husband at the same time its prohibited in Islam )in one condition if the second marriage conducts in consent of the first wife and there are legitimate reason to do so for example she is very ill and cant get pregnant or bear child or cant look after her self or her family or she is too weak because of an illness and she is agree that her husband should marry other women if she declines Islamic law prohibits second or polygamy. as Christian comet adultery as a result of adultery or having multiple partner people are in danger of contracting infectious and contiguous sexual transmuted diseases so I prefer polygamy than having 100s of illegitimate partner and regret for the rest of my life because of dieing from diseases such as HIV, syphilis etc. depends on what your beliefs are. if you think taht it is okay to have more than one spouse, then i don't see why not. i wouldn't becusae well you should find that ONE special someone and well as i said, it depends on what you believe and think

It is illegal in most countries, so it would not be OK. {| ! **Yes ! ! ! | ; Genesis 4 : 19 : And Lamech took unto him two wives. ; Genesis 16 : 1-4 : Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai ... gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived. ; Genesis 31 : 17 : Then Jacob rose up, and set ... his wives upon camels. ; Genesis 32 : 22 : He [Jacob] ... took his two wives, and his two womenservants. (which weren't concubines) ; Ex.21 : 10 : If he take him another wife.... ; Dt.21 : 15 : If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated.... ; Judges 8 : 30 : And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives. ; 1 Sam.1 : 1-2 : Elkanah ... had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. ; 1 Kg.11 : 2-3 : Solomon ... had seven hundred wives ... and three hundred concubines. (however God did not approve) ; 1 Chr.4 : 5 : And Ashur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah. ; 2 Chr.11 : 21 : Rehoboam ... took eighteen wives, and threescore concubines. ; 2 Chr.13 : 21 : But Abijah waxed mighty, and married fourteen wives.... ; 2 Chr.24 : 3 : Jehoiada took for him two wives.... ; 1 Tim.3 : 2 : A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife.... ; Titus 1 : 6-7 : If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. For a bishop must be blameless. :

! ** ! No | ; Gen.2 : 24 : Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. ; Dt.17 : 17 : Neither shall he multiply wives to himself. ; Mt.19 : 4-5 : Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. ; Mt.19 : 9 : Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery. ; Mk.10 : 11 : Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. ; 1 Cor.7 : 2 : Let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. ; Eph.5 : 33 : Let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

God is against polygamy totally and completely, any man in the Bible that had more than one wife, well God let them know that He wasn't happy...they sinned by doing that. |}

Chief Justice Morrison Waite wrote the unanimous opinion of the Court for Reynolds v. US, (1878). Justice Stephen J. Field wrote a concurring opinion.

Case Citation:

Reynolds v. United States, 98 US 145 (1878)

For more information, see Related Questions, below.

Polygamy was practiced in Mormonism many years ago, but is not currently practiced by Mormons today. It is highly unlikely that the kid's family practices polygamy.

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While there is a possibility that "this guy"'s family practices polygamy, it is very unlikely. It is true that polygamy, the practice of having multiple wives, was once a part of Mormon tradition, times have changed a great deal since the religion was first founded. It was in 1890 that polygamy was officially rejected as a part of Mormonism, though some sects continue to practice it.

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Additionally, no sects practice polygamy that are officially part of the church. If you were to practice polygamy now, you would be kicked out of the church... therefore, any "real" Mormon (member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) would NOT be a polygamist, so your friend in high school almost certainly is not

the people of FLDS practice poligamy they are not Mormons though

American law was based on British law from King James I, which banned polygamy. However, there was no federal law expressly banning polygamy until the mid 1800's although it was generally frowned upon by American society, which was largely conservative Christians.

In the early to mid-1800's, various religious communities began which had what were considered "deviant" sexual teachings. Some of these communities advocated complete celibacy, while others advocated more sexual freedom. Among these was the Mormonism movement, which taught that men could have multiple wives just like the Old Testament prophets. Mormons also allowed interracial marriages, which was appalling to many Americans. As Mormonism began to grow and spread around the nation, the public became concerned that these deviant practices would become normal and pollute society.

In 1856 (just prior to the civil war), the Republican Party declared that polygamy was as barbaric as slavery, which left the largely abolitionist Mormons with no political allies and set the stage for the political oppression to come.

In 1862, Abraham Lincoln signed into law the Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act, which blatantly targeted Mormonism. The Morrill Act made polygamy illegal in US Territories (including Utah) and limited religious groups and non-profits to owning no more than $50,000 in assets (limiting the Mormon church's power). However, due to the Civil War, this act went largely ignored.

In 1874, the Poland Act removed Mormons from all political and legal positions in Utah Territory and transferred the jurisdiction of the Morrill Act to the local courts. This meant that polygamists in Utah could be tried swiftly and would have few legal or political allies.

In 1876, the Supreme Court case Reynolds vs. United States declared that freedom of religion does not take precedence over other laws. In this case, a Mormon polygamist said that convicting him for polygamy was a violation of his First Amendment rights of freedom of religion, however the court did not agree. The New York Times applauds the decision, stating that polygamy should be no more permissible than murder or infanticide.

In 1882, the Edmunds act made bigamous or polygamous cohabitation a misdemeanor, which meant living in a polygamous relationship without seeking a legally-binding marriage was still illegal. It also allowed polygamists to be held indefinitely without trial.

In 1887 the Edmunds-Tucker Act passed, which forced polygamist women to testify against their husbands. It also took away rights that Utah women previously had, including the right to vote.

In 1890, Mormon church president Wilford Woodruff said that the church would no longer sanction polygamous marriages where prohibited by law. This causes many polygamous Mormons to move to Canada and Mexico.

In 1896, Utah is finally granted statehood due to the church's promise to uphold federal laws against polygamy.

In 1903-1907, Utah Senator Reed Smoot, a Mormon, was denied his seat in congress because, although he was not a polygamist, he belonged to a church which was known for defying federal law regarding polygamy. After years of hearings it was determined that withholding his seat was unconstitutional.

in 1904 Mormon church president Joseph F. Smith banned polygamy for all church members regardless of it's legality in their nation. He also declared that anyone performing or entering into a polygamist marriage would be excommunicated from the church.

In the early 1990s, many states began passing laws against same-sex marriages and reaffirmed their opposition to polygamy.

In 1996, US President Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act, which outlawed federal recognition of same-sex and polygamous marriages, and said that states did not have to acknowledge same-sex or polygamous marriages entered into in other nations.

In 1998, Alaska specifically banned same-sex marriage and polygamy in it's constitution. Over the next decade, 30 other states would amend their constitutions to specifically ban polygamy.

In the late 2000's, raids on fundamentalist polygamous compounds and trials of fundamentalist leaders such as Warren Jeffs lead to increased attention and many being jailed, although none were charged with bigamy alone.

In 2012, Minnesota rejected an amendment to it's state constitution banning same-sex marriages and polygamy.

In 2013, the Supreme Court overturned the Defense of Marriage Act, meaning that the government had to recognize same-sex and polygamous marriages performed in states where it is legal.

In 2013 US district court found portions of Utah's polygamous cohabitation law to be unconstitutional, effectually decriminalizing cohabitation with multiple partners, although the state will only legally recognize one spouse.

In 2016, the Tenth Circuit overturns the 2013 district court decision in Utah, stating that the original plaintiffs had no reason to sue. This returns the status of polygamous cohabitation in Utah to a jailable offense.