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Originally Posted by BillyMac
I didn't realize that Kelvin green was from Utah. It wasn't listed on his Forum profile. I would still like to hear from one of his wives, and then, I'll form my final opinion.
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I'm going to assume that you're just yanking Kelvin's chain with your "one of his wives" jest and let him answer that one
I find it both amusing and baffling that the Mormons and polygamy myth persists. I'm a Utahn. I frequently joke about it. I love the Oscar Wilde quote that Bob posted above. I often quote my great grandfather who said: "If you've got one wife, she has nobody to argue with but you. If you have two wives, they can argue with each other and you can get some work done." Then there was the colorful old Englishman who told me he could never get into polygamy. But he was all over the serial monogamy thing!
So in the spirit of myth-busting, here are a few basic facts:
* The Mormon church did once practice polygamy.
* In 1890 the church officially renounced, and banned, the practice among its members.
* This angered some members, who left the church and formed their own churches. Many of those refer to themselves as "fundamentalist mormons."
* The Mormon church has no official or unofficial affiliation with these groups.
* Mormons who do begin practicing polygamy are summarily excommunicated. Polygamists wishing to join the Mormon church, even in countries where it is legal and common, must end the practice before joining.
* Outside of the Mormon church, polygamy is alive and well. They live in normal neighborhoods, in compounds, sometimes even whole cities.
* It seems the authorities in Utah and other states have little interest in prosecuting polygamy generally.
* But there have been some rather high profile prosecutions in the past few years. Tom Green, a polygamist who made the rounds on the daytime talk shows a few years back, brought some very unwanted legal attention on himself. Warren Jeffs' troubles and the Lost Boys situation have gotten national attention.
My sister-in-law is from a polygamist family. When she married my Mormon brother-in-law, it caused a rift in her family. A lot of them still don't speak to her. I had a friend in my local officials association who came from a polygamist family. He had some interesting stories to tell on a couple of long drives to distant schools.
I guess as far as myths go, the polygamy thing isn't too bad. It's at least plausible. Unlike the whole business about Mormons having horns. Or the transatlantic tunnel that supposedly ran from Liverpool, England to "the great walled city of Salt Lake."
It's too bad about the tunnel. Otherwise I'd be able to drive the family on a European vacation