why is polygamy illegal?

[kakaballi]

Re: why is polygamy illegal?

@madz124

Agree with this. The state doesn’t care how many males or females you have a relationship with, one on one or all at once. It does care however where immigration law, tax laws, welfare etc. are concerned.

Not really.

Texas man arrested for bigamy, had 2 wives 20 miles apart  - NY Daily News

This man was not seeking taxation or social welfare benefits for 2 wives. A simple Google search would reveal several arrests and indictments on bigamy/polygamy charges. There is more to it than social welfare/taxation.

@madz124

Someone previously mentioned how corporate law can get extremely complicated and if the gov’t can deal with that, surely we can regulate polygamous and polyandrous marriages. In theory, it sounds plausible. In reality, not really!

I have studied corporate law and it’s nowhere near as complicated as you make it sound. Yes, you can have potentially unlimited number of vertical or horizontal branches of parent-subsidiary or sister companies. In reality, though, no corporation would go too far simply because the cost of bookkeeping and managing such a complex structure would be enormous.

It is amazing how complex corporate structures with unlimited subsidiaries and associated companies are allowed even though “cost of bookkeeping and managing such a complex structure would be enormous…” Complexity doesn’t criminalize such organizations but human relations.

If corporate laws are really that simple as you make them to be, I wonder why corporate and corporate tax lawyers are paid millions of dollars by big companies every year.

@madz124

Well, first of all, immigration rules (and potentially estate planning) would still apply.

I can immigrate with my 20 children but not two wives? That’s sad. Immigration complexities arose much AFTER polygamy was banned.

@madz124

Secondly, I think this is where religion comes in. Marriage is a sacred bond and with the exception of Islam (with its up to 4 wives at a time allowance under certain circumstances), most major religions worldwide agree that a marriage should be between one man and one woman at a given time. Should religion be a factor when laws are made, especially in today’s age? Perhaps not but it is still an influence. To completely disregard religion would be ridiculous.

Religious regulations should be implemented on the followers of that religion only. Should I be arrested if I do something that is not allowed in a particular religion even though I am not a follower of a particular religion?

Anyways, bible does not specifically disallow having multiple wives. Polygamy was practiced among Jews during the time of Jesus but he never said anything against it.

Lufkin PD arrests man on bigamy warrant out of Fayette Co. - KTRE.com | Lufkin and Nacogdoches, Texas

The funny thing about above story is that the man would not have been arrested if he just cheated on his wife but was arrested when he married his mistress. This, to me, just doesn’t make any sense.

Secondly, the wife says “You need to try to know the person you marry,” Williams said. “Try to be with him more than just a year and then marry him.” So, if polygamy/bigamy is about religion, why is she promoting living in sin for more than ‘just a year’ before you enter into what you called “Sacred bond”?

I have yet to find another example of a human activity that is criminalized because of legal and taxation complexities. Please help.