Polyamorous/polygamist relationships: good or bad? Why?

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That's not the kind of thing I'm talking about. Silly Tribesman.

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Ah but it is Divinus , since the adult polygamy with the fundamentalists is between consenting adults , its just that it spread onto marrying kids as soon as god makes them breedable , and of course there is the expulsion of males so as to ensure that there are enough females for the chosen few .
You wanted a topic about polygamy , you metioned legality in the States and asked why.....well there you go , a current news story that is spot on topic for you to explore ...
or is it that you don't really want to explore any of the many angles involved on your chosen topic:inquisitive:

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Originally Posted by Tribesman

Ah but it is Divinus , since the adult polygamy with the fundamentalists is between consenting adults , its just that it spread onto marrying kids as soon as god makes them breedable , and of course there is the expulsion of males so as to ensure that there are enough females for the chosen few .
You wanted a topic about polygamy , you metioned legality in the States and asked why.....well there you go , a current news story that is spot on topic for you to explore ...
or is it that you don't really want to explore any of the many angles involved on your chosen topic:inquisitive:

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That's why I posed the question: Good for whom? Looks like we have a clear answer here.

Just for the sake of clarification,

Polygamy=marriage to multiple partners (gender not specified)
Polygyny=marriage to multiple wives
Polyandry=marriage to multiple husbands

Polygamy is usually used to refer to polygyny, but is not inherently limited to it. As I understand it, polygamy was made illegal in the United States in response to us Mormons and our deviant sexual practices. Up until that time it had been considered a no-brainer that you just have one spouse, but the Mormons just had to take advantage of that loophole and spoil the fun for everyone, now didn't we. :no:

And in response to this,

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Originally Posted by Tribesman

or is it that you don't really want to explore any of the many angles involved on your chosen topic:inquisitive:

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I can't say for sure, but I suspect DA didn't go straight to this angle because it's the usual angle. Discussion of polygamy generally deals with those weirdo FLDS folks who occasional get in trouble with the law. DA started a thread dealing with the topic in a theoretical sense, refreshingly different from the usual approach.

Ajax

Polygamy has more to do with religion and subsistence strategy than actual love itself. This is most true with pastoral society. What's better than one wife doing your laundry and cooking and taking care of the kids? Multiple wives who share a common task. The flipside is that the women of these societies have control over much the household, including finances. They even choose who is going to be the man's next husband if he takes another. This works out quite well for both parties; the husband gets more help around the household, and the woman gets a nice bride-price (if such a tradition is practiced in said culture) and a stable lifestyle.
In western civilization, once again it has to do with religion and subsistence strategy. If you can get everything you need from a local market, the need for multiple spouses is almost nil.
Yay for majoring in Anthropology :juggle2:

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Originally Posted by Kekvit Irae

Polygamy has more to do with religion and subsistence strategy than actual love itself.

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Hmm, I think you could expand that to say that marriage as a whole has more to do with religion and subsistence strategy than actual love itself. Love is generally expressed sexually and can exist entirely independent of marriage, while marriage is more about mutual support, raising children, and having a socially recognized relationship. Polygamy would function in the same way but on a broader scale.

Ajax

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Originally Posted by Kekvit Irae

Polygamy has more to do with religion and subsistence strategy than actual love itself.

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An Anthropology major no less! Yes!

Tell me, isn't the above (economic necessity instead of love being the main rationale of marital arrangements) true for the large majority of people in nearly all of human history up to, let us say, the nineteenth century?

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Originally Posted by Adrian II

An Anthropology major no less! Yes!

Tell me, isn't the above (economic necessity instead of love being the main rationale of marital arrangements) true for the large majority of people in nearly all of human history up to, let us say, the nineteenth century?

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For the most part, people in post-horticulture societies (intensive agriculture, industrial, etc) have (more or less) been monogamous. The more emphasis on material wealth, the less desire there is to share it with their peers, and thus the less emphasis on polygamy. Also, the emphasis on religion is important as well. Mainstream Christianity demands that only monogamy should exist in a marriage, whereas Islam allows polygamy (stemming from the pastoral origins of the Arabic tribes).
Polygamy, nowadays, more of less lies with semi-egalitarian cultures, such as Maasai tribes of Africa and the pastoral natives of Nepal/Tibet (one of the few cultures in the world that currently practice polyandry, if only rarely).