I’ve had a few thoughts, provoked by Geoff’s link to the obituary of a prominent Utah polygamist in a previous post. I’m guessing that my own take might spark its own discussion, so forgive me for putting up a separate post about it.
Anyway, the obituary of polygamist Owen Allred is not unique in that its writer expresses a growing tolerance for the polygamous lifestyle.
While you’ll hear few endorsements from mainstream figures, it’s becoming increasingly common to hear them give general support for the legality of polygamy. Folks who make these statements are usually liberal-minded types who try to be open-minded and tolerant. As well, you’ll almost always see an analogy to the gay marriage movement, which the speaker usually favors.
My first, subconscious reaction, when I read these arguments is “good for you, at least you’re being fair-minded honest about the implications of your arguments.” And it’s true– it’s nice to see a few people accept the logical ends of the principles they hold so dear. It seems like this reaction is not too hard to find elsewhere in the bloggernacle and the church at large, although I can’t cite to a specific example.
But then my second reaction comes in: “What did you just say??? You’re feeling a bit validated because some guy wrote about how maybe polygamy should be acceptable?” Honestly, what does it say about us that we find a growing acceptance of polygamy, quite subconsciously, as sort of validating? Am I alone in this, or do others sometimes catch themselves celebrating the new open-mindedness towards polygamy?
Needless to say, I find this very, very weird. Because of our context, as the heirs to America’s most prominent persecuted polygamists, we can’t avoid a bit of identification with the practice. But I think the tiny bit of sympathy we might feel for those keeping the covenant these days obscures one basic fact: It is completely wrong, immoral, and depraved. Is it not?
This is not an argument against those who practiced “the principle” in the days when it was commanded by God. Those arguments have been made many times over, and I myself harbor no doubts that the prophets acted as they were directed. But is there any question that those who practice polygamy when not commanded by God through his official earthly mouthpiece are committing an abomination? Step outside of your Mormon sympathies for a moment, and tell me why I should view polygamy in any better light than I view fornication, adultery, homosexuality, etc. I, for one, might have a very different reaction to hearing that a hippie commune in Vermont had been established, where all men had five wives, than hearing about the fundamentalist spinoffs of my own faith. Isn’t it weird that we have a predisposition, though it be ever-so-slight, to look past polygamy? If we didn’t have it in our history, wouldn’t Mormons be some of the country’s strongest advocates against it?
So here’s the challenge, in three parts:
1. What is the Mormon view of polygamy, the kind not practiced under the direction of the church?
2. If we agree that polygamy is a deeply depraved practice, is there any chance Mormons could ever become a strong voice against it (assuming, as several media sources do, that polygamy is on the rise)?
3. If there is no chance of Mormons ever becoming strong advocates against polygamy, is that simply because we believe we’d have a weak moral position in making the argument, or because we silently suspect that we may return someday to the principle, and want to leave the legal doorway open, just in case?