Polygamy is the practice of having
more than one spouse, especially wife, at one time, according to Dictionary.com. The crime of marrying while one still has a
living spouse, known as bigamy, makes polygamy illegal in all 50 states of
America. Grey areas such as the
possibility of treading on religious freedom, as well as the suggestion that
polygamous men marry one wife legally and others ‘spiritually’, have caused
some discussion on the matter. Though duel marriage is illegal in the United
States, there are still some groups of people, such as American Muslims, that
believe in the practice and carry it out today.
The people we will focus on are called
Fundamentalist Mormons; they claim to hold holy the Mormon scriptures used
today, as well as the teachings from early leaders like Joseph Smith and
Brigham Young. Polygamy used to be
encouraged and expected in the early years of the Mormon Church, but the state
law quickly shifted that instigation to condemnation. Mainstream Mormons, known as the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are said to reject the practice of plural
marriage, and any members of the church found to be in a duel relationship is
excommunicated from the church.
Fundamentalist Mormons, however,
claim that God encourages polygamy and that he is the greatest authority there
is. A Shield and Refuge Ministry says
that Fundamentalist’s “embrace the doctrine and practice of polygamy…it is a central
tenet of Mormon fundamentalism, and is considered a requirement for achieving
salvation or "exaltation" which is the highest "degree of
glory" in Heaven—godhood.” There
are at least 30,000 Mormon Fundamentalists living in North America, most of
them in the Intermountain western states (Utah, Idaho, and Arizona, Nevada).
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