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Grex > Agora46 > #92: Keep your religion off your private property! | |
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| Author |
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| 25 new of 185 responses total. |
lynne
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response 116 of 185:
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Aug 19 17:58 UTC 2003 |
114: well, it's illegal, for starters. also, from the admittedly little
I've seen of it, practitioners of polygamy are rarely able to support all
the resulting children and wind up on welfare. there was an interesting
case that got prosecuted not too far back--tom green, or tom smith, or
something like that, I think.
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slynne
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response 117 of 185:
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Aug 19 18:30 UTC 2003 |
Well, they dont necessarily need to end up on welfare. Seriously, I
think it is just as wrong to ban polygamy as it is to ban homosexual
marriage. The idea that marriage can only be between one man and one
woman isnt one I subscribe to. Anyhow, most kids on welfare are either
born to unmarried parents or to parents of more traditional marriages.
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rcurl
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response 118 of 185:
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Aug 19 19:49 UTC 2003 |
Re #116:
"all the resulting children" - how is this different than single motherhood
or large families of couple marriages. etc?
"on welfare" - how is this different than all the single mothers on welfare
(as slynne aludes to)?
The most major problems that I have read about involve spousal abuse.
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russ
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response 119 of 185:
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Aug 19 23:26 UTC 2003 |
Anyone who thinks that local government should be able to
give land (or anything else) to religious groups for the
purposes of the latter ought to read about the Rajneeshis
and their attempt to take over a town's government.
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i
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response 120 of 185:
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Aug 19 23:56 UTC 2003 |
Re: #113
I'm afraid that i may not be able to follow your logic, pvn. Could you
explain in more detail?
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jaklumen
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response 121 of 185:
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Aug 20 07:10 UTC 2003 |
resp:116 Most of those examples, I would think, are when there are
many, many wives-- about 5 or more-- not, say 2 or 3. Personally, I'm
not a real supporter of multiple marriages, but at least let's be fair
with the illustrations.
This is also where the marriage contract is *practiced*... I know of
at least one relationship that is like this that isn't cemented by
marriage all the way around. There's a husband, a wife, kids between
them, and a boyfriend, with kids from his previous marriage. They all
live together and seem to live pretty stably. I don't approve of
this, but I don't see welfare circumstances. They do live in a
house...
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rcurl
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response 122 of 185:
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Aug 20 15:25 UTC 2003 |
If you're not a "real supporter" of multiple marriages, I presume you
won't enter into such. But shouldn't other people do so if they want to?
It really isn't any of your business. Your "appoval" is irrelevent.
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flem
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response 123 of 185:
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Aug 20 16:04 UTC 2003 |
Personally, my only objection to polygamy is that it seems that cultures that
practice polygamy usually practice forced marriage too. God forbid that 14
year old girls actually decide for themselves who to marry.
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slynne
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response 124 of 185:
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Aug 20 17:49 UTC 2003 |
The answer there is to raise the age at which a person can get married
to 18.
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rcurl
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response 125 of 185:
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Aug 20 18:19 UTC 2003 |
Based upon my experiences, and as a parent, I think 30 would be better....
8^}
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tod
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response 126 of 185:
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Aug 20 19:04 UTC 2003 |
This response has been erased.
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lynne
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response 127 of 185:
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Aug 20 20:38 UTC 2003 |
Hmmm. I'd been thinking of the (mostly-Mormon) high-profile cases that
have come to my attention. Those really bug me--besides forcing or
brainwashing barely pubescent girls into marriage, I think incest is
relatively common. I think the "elders" of societies like these are on
a total control trip. Having said that, and considered a situation where
three consenting adults have concluded that they want to spend the rest
of their lives together, I find that I could care less what they want to
do. Ain't my business. And yet, I don't think that more than two people
(regardless of sex) should be able to get married. I think the law should
define a different ceremony/institution/whathaveyou to ensure legal rights
in such a situation.
(Then again, of people that can and do get married, maybe half of them
actually understand and mean the vows they're supposed to speak. So I
don't know why any of this matters to me in the first place. People suck.)
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rcurl
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response 128 of 185:
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Aug 21 01:25 UTC 2003 |
Vows are tricky things, especially when they become irrelevant because of
significant changes in circumstances or the people involved. Contracts I can
understand, as they also contain terms for termination, but vows don't seem
to recognize human nature. I think it admirable to keep one's "vows" so
long as keeping them is relevant to something, but what then when they are
no longer relevant?
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jaklumen
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response 129 of 185:
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Aug 21 01:40 UTC 2003 |
resp:122 Oh go soak your head, Rane-- now you're making judgment calls
(about mine, no less, ya hypocrite). It was a point of clarification
and my own bloody opinion. Sure it's not relevant and people are
going to do what they damn well please-- it was for any stray idiot
that might get the mistaken idea I condoned it, if somehow that could
be construed. Pete's sake almighty, take a chill pill.
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flem
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response 130 of 185:
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Aug 21 14:10 UTC 2003 |
Actually, that makes some sense. No more marriages as such, just make rules
for a new kind of corporation for individuals to pool their resources and be
treated by society as a unit in many senses. Built-in procedures for any
individual leaving the corporation and so forth.
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lynne
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response 131 of 185:
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Aug 21 15:05 UTC 2003 |
...for further details, read any Robert A. Heinlein book. :)
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scott
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response 132 of 185:
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Aug 21 15:29 UTC 2003 |
From a really old Doonesbury cartoon:
"Personally, I favor a system of lapel pins".
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rcurl
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response 133 of 185:
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Aug 21 18:19 UTC 2003 |
I think #138 touches upon a large part of the problem: a lot of people just
don't want homosexual and other variant marriages to be CALLED marriage.
As shown in Vermont, it is more acceptable if called something else. Of
course, "A rose by any other name.....".
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scg
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response 134 of 185:
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Aug 21 18:23 UTC 2003 |
I don't think I'd enjoy polygamy much, and thus don't feel very strongly about
it. However, if the goal is to ban forced marriages, incest, spousal abuse,
and people not taking care of their children, it strikes me as far more
effective to ban those things rather than to ban polygamy. A polygamy ban
on those grounds strikes me as really reaching.
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lynne
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response 135 of 185:
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Aug 21 23:08 UTC 2003 |
I'd settle for banning brainwashing in addition to the list in 134, but
you'd have to be able to enforce all these things. So far, track record
on effectiveness not all that great.
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i
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response 136 of 185:
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Aug 22 00:49 UTC 2003 |
Re: #133
Hmmm... The Church says "baptism"; the state says "birth certificate".
The Church says "confirmation"; the state says "legal age". The Church
says "late rites", the state says "death certificate". Looks to me
like the state needs to say that "marriage" is also strictly a Church
function and switch to the "partnership" business instead.
Not that lots of Church types wouldn't have a hissy fit over that, but
it'd be amusing to counter-attack with suggestions that they be required
to get state permits & pay state fees to baptize, confirm, ordain, etc. -
after all, those things are at least as important as marriage (from a
religions point of view), so it's just as important that the state make
sure they're properly register, restricted, taxed, etc....
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rcurl
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response 137 of 185:
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Aug 22 01:55 UTC 2003 |
What the churches do now is on top of the state marriage. None of what
they do has any legal significance. Therefore I see no need for state
regulation of what they do in these regards. However the term "marriage"
has now been coopted into law, so the churches should find their own new
term to describe what they do.
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pvn
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response 138 of 185:
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Aug 22 07:28 UTC 2003 |
You horrible little man. You are the epitome of what is wrong with our
country - not the least because you think it is yours alone along with
similar like minded. Our founding persons wrote the 1st ammendment
language prohibiting the state from establishing a state religion not
because they were against religion per se but because they didn't want
the power of the state to favor one over another. ITs the
"establishment clause" not the "separation of church and state". Likely
as not our founding persons would think you insane to suggest that one
could run a republic without some sort of church - be it cosmic muffin
or hairy thunderer - as one needs some sort of structure to civilize the
savage beasts (children) in the first place. (Do you have any children
that are not in prison?) Or perhaps you are one who violates the 1st by
calling for the state establishment of the religion of statism - the
state is such a model of efficiency, just look at AMTRACK or Medicare.
The only reason I bother to enter this item is to warn other readers
that you are a statist - others would say fascist.
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gull
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response 139 of 185:
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Aug 22 13:35 UTC 2003 |
Re #133: I used to think that, too, but a recent survey shows that 44%
of opeople say they'd be less likely to back a Presidential candidate
who supported civil unions. Only 10% said they'd be more likely. 41%
of people favor allowing civil unions and 53% oppose them.
Re #136: I totally agree, of course.
Re #138: Yes, the state is so wasteful that a whopping 3.6% of Medicare
spending goes to administrative costs. The private health care industry
does so much better, they only waste 31%. ;>
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flem
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response 140 of 185:
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Aug 22 14:40 UTC 2003 |
re #136: Hear, hear. Would you consider running for governor of California?
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