God asks you to practice polygamy ????? what would you do?

[_moksha]

Yes, women should be allowed the same freedom to marry multiple husbands, but they likely will not, most likely due to the biological imperative of testosterone.

Excellent point. They do not have sufficient testosterone to generate the lust required for polygamy. Let women dedicate their efforts to building society which they are more suited for anyway.

[_MsJack]

If you want to read a really fascinating scientific case against polygamy, see Joseph Henrich, "Polygyny in Cross-Cultural Perspectives: Theory and Implications." Henrich is the Research Chair in Culture, Cognition and Evolution at the University of British Columbia.

I confess to having no science background past the general education courses I was required to take as an undergrad. That said, I personally found it to be a page-turner. I could hardly put it down. Henrich summarizes his findings against polygamy on page 25 of the PDF:

• A non-trivial increase in the incidence of polygyny, which is quite plausible if polygyny were legalized given what we know about both male and female mating preferences, would result in increased crime and antisocial behaviour by the pool of unmarried males it would create.
• Greater degrees of polygyny drive down the age of first marriage for (all) females on average, and increase the age gap between husbands and wives. This generally leads to females marrying before age 18, or being "promised" in marriage prior to age 18.
• Greater degrees of polygyny are associated with increased inequality between the sexes, and the relationship may be causal as men seek more control over women when women become scarce.
• Polygynous men invest less in their offspring both because they have more offspring and because they continue to invest in seeking additional wives. This implies that, on average, children in a more polygynous society will receive less parental investment.
• Greater degrees of polygynous marriage may reduce national wealth (GDP) per capita both because of the manner in which male efforts are shifted to obtaining more wives and because of the increase in female fertility.

Read the whole thing.

I'm not in favor of hunting down and prosecuting polygamists, but I am opposed to it in the sense of not wanting to see the government allow one person to have multiple marriage licenses.

[_Drifting]

For you, or for anyone who says, "If I were Joseph . . . " Well, that's why you weren't Joseph, and why you weren't chosen to translate the Book of Mormon, have that incredible vision of the Father and the Son, set the restoration in place, and be the prophet of the Last Dispensation. You simply wouldn't have been faithful and obedient enough.

Which one?

Critics of the First Vision cite the multiple versions of the First Vision as evidence that it may have been fabricated by Smith. Critics specifically identify the following discrepancies between the various versions:
Was Smith 14 or 15 at the time of the vision?
Did Smith attend a contemporaneous religious revival?
Did the supernatural personages tell Smith his sins were forgiven?
Were the supernatural personages angels, Jesus, God or some combination?
Did the vision declare all contemporary churches (or specifically the Methodist church) corrupt, or did Smith believe this to be true before he experienced the vision?

[_subgenius]

...but I am opposed to it in the sense of not wanting to see the government allow one person to have multiple marriage licenses.

why? what cause would you cite to impose such a restriction on consenting adults who are not yourself?

Joseph Henrich's research is likely a bias account intended to capitalize on the highly publicized Canadian supreme court proceedings surrounding FLDS, etc..
Interesting read, but most would agree that science tends to favor polygamy and polygyny on many fronts.
It seems more appropriate to consider this topic from a moral viewpoint and not necessarily as one from "data".

A little over one in 100 American men are in prison—but there are several states where one in five young black men are behind bars. Since most women marry men of a similar age, and of the same race and in the same state, there are some groups of women who face a dramatic shortfall of marriage partners.
Economist Kerwin Charles has recently studied the plight of these women. Their problem is not merely that some who would want to marry won't be able to. It's that the available men—those not in prison—suddenly have more bargaining power. Goodbye to doing the dishes and paying the rent; hello to mistresses and wham, bam, thank you ma'am. The women whose potential partners have had their ranks thinned by prison are less likely to marry, and when they do marry, are likely to marry a man less educated than they are. Meanwhile, the remaining men, finding a surfeit of marriage partners, suddenly seem in no hurry to marry. And why would they?
.....When men are taken out of the marriage market by war or by prison, women suffer.

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/the_ ... _i_do.html

Want to live a little longer? Get a second wife. New research suggests that men from polygamous cultures outlive those from monogamous ones.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn1 ... -life.html

Many anthropological accounts, most famously George Murdock’s Ethnographic Atlas, have suggested that the human species is “moderately polygynous” since the majority of studied societies practice polygynous marriage (982 out of 1157 according to Murdock’s account)

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/pri ... lygamists/

Polygamy produces more virile offspring

http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/ ... 118271.htm

[_Drifting]

What does Gods spokesperson think about Polygamy?

Gordon B. Hinckley: I condemn it, yes, as a practice, because I think it is not doctrinal.

subgenius, you are publishing apostate views - that could jeopardise your temple recommend! ;-)

[_MsJack]

why? what cause would you cite to impose such a restriction on consenting adults who are not yourself?

One, it's not imposing a restriction; it's refusing to grant government endorsement to that kind of a lifestyle. If a man wants to cohabitate with four different women and call them his wives, I'm not standing in his way. I'm just asking the government to not endorse it.

Two, did I not just submit a link to a 45-page research paper making a scientific case that polygamy is bad for society, and particularly bad for women and children? I'm allowed to favor laws and regulations that effect consenting adults who are not myself if their behavior indirectly does effect me and mine.

Joseph Henrich's research is likely a bias account intended to capitalize on the highly publicized Canadian supreme court proceedings surrounding FLDS, etc..

Henrich's research was an affidavit submitted in those court proceedings and cited in the judge's final ruling, which Marg linked to previously in this thread. You didn't read what he argued and you don't have any evidence of bias. If the scientific evidence were really in favor of polygamy, and he only submitted research to capitalize on the notoriety of the case and gain attention, he could have gained just as much attention by arguing in the polygamists' favor. Probably more.

Interesting read

You didn't read it.

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/the_undercover_economist/2006/02/i_do_i_do_i_do_i_do.html

This is an opinion column that cites a single scientific study on the plight of single women when large quantities of single men are in prison. However, Henrich marshaled research showing that polygamy can actually exacerbate this problem---that when the pool of available single women is dried up by polygamy, crime goes up and more men wind up in prison. He showed that the countries that practice polygamy were associated with higher degrees of murder and rape.

Want to live a little longer? Get a second wife. New research suggests that men from polygamous cultures outlive those from monogamous ones.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn1 ... -life.html

I would have to hear research showing that polygamous women and children are also living longer before I could feel good about this. And currently, it's certainly the opposite for the children: the children in polygamous unions have higher mortality rates due to less paternal investment.

Many anthropological accounts, most famously George Murdock’s Ethnographic Atlas, have suggested that the human species is “moderately polygynous” since the majority of studied societies practice polygynous marriage (982 out of 1157 according to Murdock’s account)

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/pri ... lygamists/

You didn't even look at the link that I posted. Henrich agrees that human males are sexually polyamorous by nature. He argues that women are hypergamous, that they tend to want to marry the "alpha male" or biggest provider, to the extent that they're more open to sharing a partner if necessary, thus making them pretty open to polygamy. That doesn't contradict his arguments; in fact, it fuels them.

Polygamy produces more virile offspring

http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/ ... 118271.htm

Well, duh. The males who attract the most wives tend to be the "alpha males" who possess the most desirable traits. Polygamy doesn't make men more virile; it simply gives the more virile men the space to be what they are.

[_Zelder]

• A non-trivial increase in the incidence of polygyny, which is quite plausible if polygyny were legalized given what we know about both male and female mating preferences, would result in increased crime and antisocial behaviour by the pool of unmarried males it would create.
• Greater degrees of polygyny drive down the age of first marriage for (all) females on average, and increase the age gap between husbands and wives. This generally leads to females marrying before age 18, or being "promised" in marriage prior to age 18.
• Greater degrees of polygyny are associated with increased inequality between the sexes, and the relationship may be causal as men seek more control over women when women become scarce.
• Polygynous men invest less in their offspring both because they have more offspring and because they continue to invest in seeking additional wives. This implies that, on average, children in a more polygynous society will receive less parental investment.
• Greater degrees of polygynous marriage may reduce national wealth (GDP) per capita both because of the manner in which male efforts are shifted to obtaining more wives and because of the increase in female fertility.

Read the whole thing.

That's interesting. I'm sure it's this bad or worse in cultures like the FLDS that believe they can't go to heaven without at least three wives.

I wonder if this is how it plays out in muslim countires that allow polygyny? Does anybody know how it works in muslim countries?

I've been surprised to find a lot of forums where men talk about wanting to share their wives with other men. I wonder if the outcome would be mitigated by allowing all forms of non-monogamy so that women can have multiple husbands. I'm sure we would see alot of polyandry if it were allowed.

[_thews]

What if an angel asked you to commit polygamy, what would you do?

I'd know the personage wasn't an angel and I'd send him back to whatever hell he came from.

And I'd find another church.

The irony in the above speaks volumes regarding the dissonance you must feel. If the everlasting covenant requires you to embrace polygamy in heaven, what is your out here?

http://LDS.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/132?lang=eng

4 For behold, I reveal unto you a new and an everlasting acovenant; and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned; for no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory.