Didn't King Solomon Have A Lot Of Wives?
Posted by: tony on 05/08/2008 07:18 PM
Updated by: tony on 05/08/2008 07:18 PM
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Expires: 06/08/2008 12:00 AM
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There has been a lot of discussion about the FLDS polygamist group in Texas. From the date of the article on the link, it looks like this group moved to Texas in July of 2004.
ELDORADO, Texas — Folks around here couldn't be more dumbfounded if a flying saucer buzzed the county courthouse and spooked all the sheep this side of Abilene. Polygamists?
A colony of secretive Arizona and Utah men with two, three or more wives apiece wearing ankle-length, gingham pioneer dresses while working the fields under a scorching West Texas sun?
Ooooohhh... "Secretive" men with their gingham clad wives. Looking at this with perfect 20/20 hindsight, it seems that the folks in this group were right to be secretive.
Now as a Catholic, I am more sensitive than others with regards to child abuse (having been required to take Virtus training before I was allowed to be part of a church ministry involving children) and the meaning of marriage as being between one man and one woman for life. But we live in a country with a plurality of religious beliefs.
Stacy puts it very well:
Back to Texas. So the State of Texas has decided that these girls are being sexually abused. Federal and State laws prohibit multiple marriages and intercourse with a minor. But this is part of their religion. If America has religious freedom, than these people have been discriminated against by the government.
"But Stacy, what if your religion commands you to kill and sacrifice animals and babies?" That is an entirely different field of play. Don't leave me a comment stating that.
The government has decided what is best for these children. This is the same government that has decided that it is okay to teach kindergartners that families come in all shapes and sizes. That some families have two mommies, some families have two daddies and that it's okay. This is the same government that has decided that boys in 6th grade need to know how to use a condom properly, so they demonstrate it in an sex education class. The same government who sets up birth control clinics in high schools and directs young girls (GIRLS) to Planned Parenthood to kill their baby that was CONCEIVED OUT OF WEDLOCK. The same government who tells our children that it's okay to be homosexual and allows gay/lesbian clubs to meet in public high schools, yet tells the religious kids they cannot have their clubs because it violates the separation of church and state.
Are the girls getting married in the FLDS case too young to get married? Yes, they are. But how many girls are having intercourse before the age of 15 in our society now anyway?
These are a respectable group of people and they raise their children to be polite and thoughtful. These children receive a better education than what the State has to offer. They don't use drugs, they don't drink alcohol, they don't have intercourse out of wedlock. They don't surf for porn on the Internet, they don't download violent music with questionable lyrics, they don't text message at the dinner table and they're not cutters. Crime is virtually non-existent and STD's do not run rampant.
Are they odd regarding the age they marry? Perhaps. Many theologians believe that the Virgin Mary was herself about 14 when she married Joseph. For thousands of years girls have been married off young and it is only in the 20th century that the change had been made. How many of you had grandparents, great grandparents that you know the female was 14 or 15 when she married your grandfather? This happens for the perpetuation of the species.
Back to Texas. The State of Texas (all states) has decided what is and isn't appropriate for our children. They say that the FLDS belief system is warped. In my humble opinion, I believe that State's belief system is warped.
I find myself in agreement with Stacy on this one. If the young ladies were being married to men against their will, then they need to be rescued. If pre-pubescent children of any kind were being touched sexually, the ones responsible need to be brought to justice.
However, with girls as young as 13 being allowed to have abortions without even having their parents notified, let alone requiring parental approval I find it really hard to condemn these Mormons. Logically, if a 13 year old girl can consent to have an abortion after consenting to a romp in the sack with her boyfriend, she can consent to marriage. If she can consent to marriage, then the state needs to stay the heck out of it.
If it's against the law to discriminate against gays by not allowing them to marry, then how can you discriminate against these women who all happen to want to marry the same man? Besides, since no sexual activity is verboten, all these folks need to do is cohabitate and state that they are married within their church. We have no laws against a man shacking up at the same time and having sex with multiple women.
We have to address the cognitive dissonance in our society between allowing (and even encouraging) young girls to have sex, with the horror of finding out that young girls were getting married.
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