Marriage types

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Plural marriage: marriage with more
than two partners. Christian and Muslim
polygamy, polyamory polygyny,
polyandry, bigamy ....

Disclaimer alert:

The following menu and its linked essays are for general information only. Do not use it to make any personal decisions without first consulting a lawyer knowledgeable about family law in your area.

Overview:

The term "polygamy" is a marital practice in which a person has more than one spouse simultaneously. ₁ It is rare in North America, where only two forms of marriage are most commonly found:

	Monogamy in which two people are married to each other, "till death do us part," and
	Serial monogamy in which a person has more than one spouse during their lifetime, although they are married to only one at a given time.

Polygamous marriages are not legal in North America in the sense that none can be formally registered with the government. However, thousands of polygamous families exist and are largely ignored by their state and provincial governments. Many are members of small Mormon religious faith groups that trace their history back to the original Church of Christ founded by Joseph Smith. The two main Mormon denominations oppose polygamy. They are:

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members live mainly in the U.S. states of Utah, Colorado and Texas, and in the Canadian province of British Columbia. They are by far the largest Mormon group in the U.S. and around the world.
  
  
• The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the RLDS Church) which changed its name in 2001 to the Community of Christ. They are a much smaller, more liberal group.

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Polygamous families in North America generally fall into one of two types:

Some involve coupling a plural marriage structure with a religion -- generally Christianity -- that is structured as an patriarchal dictatorship -- a male dominated family structure. A single husband typically has a married wife in a marriage registered with the government. Additional women are married in religious ceremonies but not registered. The latter "wives" are often expected to apply for government welfare as single mothers. Sexual and physical abuse of children and youths is more common than in conventional families. Male children are often driven from their towns when they reach their teens in order to artificially generate a surplus of women for men to marry. These families are often affiliated with relatively small religious groups that are part of the Mormon movement, although such groups have all been excommunicated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which is the main Mormon denomination.

Others are single polygamous families scattered across the U.S. and Canada whose members freely decide to come together to form egalitarian family structures -- families based on the equality of all adult members. They follow a wide range of Christian denominations, other religions, or no organized religion. Their structure takes many forms: one man and multiple women; one woman and multiple men; multiple women and multiple men. They often prefer the terms polyamorous and polyfidelity to differentiate themselves from patriarchal family structures.

	Introduction to polygamy.  < We strongly recommend reading this essay first
	Definition of terms used in polygamy and similar arrangements.
	The practice of and reasons for Polygamy.
	Laws concerning polygamy: In the U.S. In Canada and other countries.
	Christian Polygamy -- an Evangelical Christian movement promoting polygyny.
	Polyamory & polyfidelity - an egalitarian form of polygamy, from a ruling by the Supreme Court of British Columbia. Part 1 Part 2
	Polygyny within the U.S. Mormon movement: The Law of Abraham and the Law of Sarah. During the early 19th century. During the later 19th century. Polygyny in present-day Fundamentalist Mormon sects. The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
	Polygyny within the Canadian Mormon movement: A Fundamentalist Mormon sect in British Columbia, Canada. FLDS history and beliefs in Canada Polygyny, racism & child abuse allegations Is the anti-polygamy law constitutional and thus enforceable? Events from 2004-JUL to 2008-DEC Events from 2009-JAN to SEP Events from 2009-OCT to 2010-NOV-22 Events from 2010-NOV-23 to now. Court rules criminal code restrictions constitutional; polygamy remains illegal
	Will same-sex marriage lead inevitably to polygamy?

Reference used:

1. "Polygamy," WordIQ, at: http://www.wordiq.com/

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Copyright © 2004 to 2019 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Originally written: 2004-SEP-04
Latest update: 2019-FEB-16
Author: B.A. Robinson

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