The government of Canada and British Columbia have finally decided to move against the polygamist Mormon sect in Bountiful B.C with a court case aimed at deciding whether a law against polygamy would violate Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
How could anyone object to that?
The problem arises when they ask the question "is all polygamy illegal, or just unions involving minors or exploitation?" To answer this question they have put the Mormon sect on trial. A sect that is not only polygamist, but also involved in the exploitation of minors and women. The court cannot seriously expect to find a fair and balanced answer when it only puts one form of Polygamy forth to be evaluated. If you are running experiments to see if being male leads to being a murderer, and then only investigate murderers, of course you are going to find that being male causes murderous rages; proper scientific procedure requires the evaluation of all angles.
In the interest of full disclosure, I'll state that polygamist sects creep me out. It seems when polygamy is tied to a religious belief, it produces some uncomfortable feelings that not even the show Big Love could thoroughly disavow me of, and does seem to correlate with the sexualization of minors. On the other hand, however, I have seen some polygamist relationships, and read "The Ethical Slut" (which should be mandatory reading for anyone who wants to have any kind of relationship, Mono-, bi-, poly-, self-, etc. and is not just about being a slut, but also abstinence.) and when they are entered into with an open and loving mind, by healthy adults, then they certainly seem to work well for people.
I do believe we should decriminalize polygamy. However, we should continue to prosecute child molestation and prosecute even worse forcing children to enter into matrimony. In Canada, it is always legal to marry if you are over 18, but in most cases it is also legal to marry while underage with parental consent. I don't believe that children are ready, at that critical stage in their lives, to make the giant leap to formally include someone in the rest of their life, so help them God til death do them part, and I think it's ridiculous that parents would encourage that behavior. I also suspect that the sect is capitalizing on this law since in B.C, children 16-18 can get married with parental consent, and under 16 can get married with the consent of the supreme court or a county court.
Mr. Craig Jones has gone on record saying that the crimes in Bountiful are the "inevitable consequences of a polygamist society", but I disagree. They are the logical result of a set of beliefs that think women are good only for breeding and that there is no higher purpose than procreation. These beliefs combine with the fact that females are physically capable of reproducing as soon as they experience menses which is occurring earlier and earlier in each generation and results in the logical consequence; start having babies as soon as possible and keep going until you can't anymore. The women don't know they can aspire to more because they aren't formally taught and if there is no higher purpose than procreation, why bother waiting for things like emotional and mental maturity?
So let's first take care of things like making sure everyone has access to good education, prosecute child abuse, and then maybe we can create a society where consenting adults can enter into healthy polygamist relationships together.
Also, had to spend a few hours in an emergency room due to some cramps that were so bad I had Victor worried, but turned out to be nothing. Anyway, happy to report I was in and out in under four hours with excellent treatment, even though just coming in and claiming to be in pain usually gets a note on your chart about "drug-seeking behavior" and some stern questions. Now I'm totally willing to believe in Alberta's health care system! Also, I have the advice of a health-care professional that broccoli, red meat, and dark chocolate is good for cramps, so I have the green light to eat like a douche, fart like a man, and eat slabs of cow. Good days, good days.
How could anyone object to that?
The problem arises when they ask the question "is all polygamy illegal, or just unions involving minors or exploitation?" To answer this question they have put the Mormon sect on trial. A sect that is not only polygamist, but also involved in the exploitation of minors and women. The court cannot seriously expect to find a fair and balanced answer when it only puts one form of Polygamy forth to be evaluated. If you are running experiments to see if being male leads to being a murderer, and then only investigate murderers, of course you are going to find that being male causes murderous rages; proper scientific procedure requires the evaluation of all angles.
In the interest of full disclosure, I'll state that polygamist sects creep me out. It seems when polygamy is tied to a religious belief, it produces some uncomfortable feelings that not even the show Big Love could thoroughly disavow me of, and does seem to correlate with the sexualization of minors. On the other hand, however, I have seen some polygamist relationships, and read "The Ethical Slut" (which should be mandatory reading for anyone who wants to have any kind of relationship, Mono-, bi-, poly-, self-, etc. and is not just about being a slut, but also abstinence.) and when they are entered into with an open and loving mind, by healthy adults, then they certainly seem to work well for people.
I do believe we should decriminalize polygamy. However, we should continue to prosecute child molestation and prosecute even worse forcing children to enter into matrimony. In Canada, it is always legal to marry if you are over 18, but in most cases it is also legal to marry while underage with parental consent. I don't believe that children are ready, at that critical stage in their lives, to make the giant leap to formally include someone in the rest of their life, so help them God til death do them part, and I think it's ridiculous that parents would encourage that behavior. I also suspect that the sect is capitalizing on this law since in B.C, children 16-18 can get married with parental consent, and under 16 can get married with the consent of the supreme court or a county court.
Mr. Craig Jones has gone on record saying that the crimes in Bountiful are the "inevitable consequences of a polygamist society", but I disagree. They are the logical result of a set of beliefs that think women are good only for breeding and that there is no higher purpose than procreation. These beliefs combine with the fact that females are physically capable of reproducing as soon as they experience menses which is occurring earlier and earlier in each generation and results in the logical consequence; start having babies as soon as possible and keep going until you can't anymore. The women don't know they can aspire to more because they aren't formally taught and if there is no higher purpose than procreation, why bother waiting for things like emotional and mental maturity?
So let's first take care of things like making sure everyone has access to good education, prosecute child abuse, and then maybe we can create a society where consenting adults can enter into healthy polygamist relationships together.
Also, had to spend a few hours in an emergency room due to some cramps that were so bad I had Victor worried, but turned out to be nothing. Anyway, happy to report I was in and out in under four hours with excellent treatment, even though just coming in and claiming to be in pain usually gets a note on your chart about "drug-seeking behavior" and some stern questions. Now I'm totally willing to believe in Alberta's health care system! Also, I have the advice of a health-care professional that broccoli, red meat, and dark chocolate is good for cramps, so I have the green light to eat like a douche, fart like a man, and eat slabs of cow. Good days, good days.
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