Polygamy an Unwelcome Societal Practice in the United States

Polygamy, or the practice of having more than one spouse at a time, is a very controversial issue that provides many ethical, moral and practical questions that surround the idea and its implementation into society. The purpose of this essay is to describe the practice of polygamy and why this practice is unwise to participate in due to the many risks toward mental, physical and spiritual health.

This essay will first examine the issues surrounding polygamy and how it has arrived in our society. The pros and cons of this practice will also be examined to demonstrate how polygamy is ultimately destroying our culture and freedom. The effects polygamy has on financial matters, legal issues, health and disease issues and biblical issues will all be addressed in this essay to highlight the true purpose of this disturbing and unwelcomed practice.

Polygamy Basics

Polygamy, simply understood means to be married to more than one person at a time. Since the law is a governmental issue, so is polygamy in its essence and most practical understanding. Man's laws are important and polygamy certainly falls under this category, but there is also God's or nature's law that may be of more importance in understanding what is truly at stake for practicing polygamists.

Smith (2013) described a scenario where legalization of polygamy in America would be a risky and dangerous proposition. She wrote "I really do not think we need to change our entire marriage culture to accommodate a few people who have decided to live outside the law in their marriage practices. We don't need to arrest them either (unless they're doing something like abusing minors), but legalization would be a complete disaster. Does anyone think we need increased confusion and uncertainty in today's already confusing marriage culture? " The answer to that question should incorporate the significant divorce rate, and mental health problems that are rampant in our culture.

While the government does not have a right to intervene in people's lives, there is certainly a civic duty to keep polygamy out of our culture. Rauch (2006) explained that it is in fact dangerous to allow these practices. He wrote "societies become inherently unstable when sex ratios reach something like 120 males to 100 females: in other words, when one-sixth of men are surplus goods on the marriage market. The United States as a whole would reach that ratio if, for example, 5% of men took two wives, 3% took three wives, and 2% took four wives -- numbers that are quite imaginable, if polygamy were legal for a while."

Polygamy is also dangerous due to the many health factors that are included when people share sexual partners. Sexually transmitted diseases are much more potent when introduced in a polygamous environment where body fluids exchange is more common and likely. Mental health issues should not be ignored either when discussing the problems associated with polygamy and all of its offshoots. The inherent imbalances within a polygamous relationship spells destruction for any attempt at a liberating and free relationship due to the power the man has in this relationship. The importance of woman and her feminine strength are severely downplayed in these types of societies where men take more than one wife.

Polygamy ultimately costs communities more in money and natural resources. The problems that polygamists have draw heavy on medical and counseling resources, making the practice economically imprudent and forces the elimination of other more pertinent and important causes for a community to support. Although money is important, it is not the most important issue in this discussion, as the moral and ethical status of any community truly represents the true wealth of that community.