tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post1566173948185471424..comments2023-11-03T06:32:28.410-04:00Comments on Staring At Empty Pages: Is polygamy the problem?Barry Leibahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14205294935881991457noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-13246668598346640672008-05-09T10:27:00.000-04:002008-05-09T10:27:00.000-04:00Thomas, you're right. So maybe what I want to say...Thomas, you're right. So maybe what I want to say, there, isn't that polygamy is limited to religious sects... but that "group" or "community" polygamy is. You don't find polygamous Levittowns around; it's not "The Stepford Wives and Wives and Wives".<BR/><BR/>It wouldn't have to be a community of atheists, to take it out of the framework of a fringe sect -- just a community of mixed beliefs (with or without non-believers also). It wouldn't even have to be a "compound", either, just some community behaviour that has enough presence to take it away from the association with a particular sect. And that's what's not there.Barry Leibahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14205294935881991457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-15115164879041570472008-05-09T10:07:00.000-04:002008-05-09T10:07:00.000-04:00See, there, Katie said it all much better.See, there, Katie said it all much better.lidijahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00935511420040454173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-87034788909912057782008-05-08T21:03:00.000-04:002008-05-08T21:03:00.000-04:00I'll grant you 2 through 5, but I'm not so sure ab...I'll grant you 2 through 5, but I'm not so sure about number 1.<BR/><BR/>My experience (what little of it there is compared against yours) has been the same – that, "any reasonable social behaviour also exists in a secular environment."<BR/><BR/>But when was the last time a compound full of atheists was raided? Has it ever happened? Were they engaged in some sort of "socially taboo" behavior (apart from, of course, not believing in God)?<BR/><BR/>Perhaps part of the reason why we haven't been exposed to polygamous behavior among the secular crowd is that we in the secular crowd don't usually lock ourselves away in compounds.<BR/><BR/>You may be right, and it may be that non-theists don't engage in polygamy, but I have a hard time accepting it as practiced solely within the religious community.Thomas J. Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04969763988007667949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-24766356096498127682008-05-08T15:14:00.000-04:002008-05-08T15:14:00.000-04:00Oh and I wanted to add that most polygyny has deve...Oh and I wanted to add that most polygyny has developed b/c of economic pressures, girls - boys ratio in birth, desire/economic need for many children, mother's death from childbirth, etc. This fringe group practiced it as not only something that was religiously required but also as a reward or punishment - Mr. Jeffs could take away wives as well as give a man more.<BR/><BR/>Islam codified an already existing practice - for example to limit the practice, 4 wives - although some practicing muslims who are wealthy have gotten around this limit most notably Osma bin Laden's father, etc.<BR/><BR/>KatieKatiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05627206782348512426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-8901775568865467262008-05-08T14:22:00.000-04:002008-05-08T14:22:00.000-04:00Polyandry is so rare that when it does occur, it d...Polyandry is so rare that when it does occur, it does not confer status on the woman b/c of the number of husbands she has, where in a polygynous marriage, a man acquires status b/c numerous wives infer his wealth. <BR/><BR/>The polygymy that was practiced by this fringe group would not be recognized by most traditional polygymy practicing groups around the world b/c in most places plural wives have their own households. Most groups recognize the inherent jealousy among women (or men) who have to share spouses (time, resources, sexual intimacy) and Islam specifically states that a man must treat his wives equally (though I'm sure in practice the youngest wife gets the most attention).<BR/> <BR/>KatieAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21503568.post-1910881456547187052008-05-08T10:28:00.000-04:002008-05-08T10:28:00.000-04:00You are probably correct in all that you write but...You are probably correct in all that you write but should frame it with: "In this day and age, and here." Otherwise it is not a fair standard by which to judge the practice of polygamy and polyandry in the traditional societies (Africa and India for example). I would never equate polygamy and polyandry because patriarchal and matriarchal societies' "parallel structures" look very different.lidijahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00935511420040454173noreply@blogger.com