But it is not as if the Reynolds Court was so egalitarian so that it would have worried about oppressive patriarchical relationships more generally. Further, rereading the polygamy cases emphasizes that the Court did not take seriously the religious claims. Sorry I don't have sources here, but I think that the Court used terminology like "cult" in some of the decisions.
ms

Sent from my iPhone

On Jul 13, 2011, at 6:23 PM, "hamilton02@aol...." <hamilton02@aol....> wrote:

> I am curious if anyone on this list other than myself has ever met a woman who was in a polygamous marriage.  Sandy's nonchalant and pollyanna attitude toward polygamy as though it is simply the latest household timesaver is shocking to me.   Polygamy in the US is not a 60s free love commune formed by a bunch of college-educated hippies seeking utopia or a babysitting club.  It requires one man to be the equal of multiple women.  So each woman is a percentage of 1.  And it more often than not guarantees the women will not be well educated.  Which mom is going to be the one who does the housework and babycare so the other mom can go to college or law school or grad school?   Which one gets to be the slave while the others fulfill their potential? There are always rules about pecking order--first wife is most supported or last wife is most supported.  This is a historical and worldwide phenomenon-- it is a fact that it is a  construct that denigrates women's equality and chi!
ld!
>
> ren's full potential in the vast majority of instances. Re-read Reynolds--it describes polygamy as a practice that leads to oppressive patriarchical rule.  That tendency remains.  
>
> Marci  
> Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
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