Western legal traditions over the past 2,500 years have consistently favoured monogamous marriages and banned polygamy, a law professor testified Monday.
That has been how the church-government has regulated marriage, but the question is why, and if there was a good reason, is it still a good reason, especially now that we don't let a church run our government? I say no. For most of the past 2,500 years, western legal traditions have consistently favored slavery, racism, sexism, child labor, and homophobia. Only recently have these things been cast aside. It is also time for the denial of this freedom to marry to be scapped.
John Witte of Emory University in Atlanta also said…
"In the West, as philosophers and jurists began to describe it, polygamy itself was too often a cause or a consequence of harms, serious harms, to women, to children, to men, to society.
They also said the same thing about masturbation, interracial marriage, and so many other things. We’ve learned better. Isn’t it time the bigots stop trying to keep other people from deciding for themselves the person or persons they will love?
![Non-Monogamy Diagram [I:FV]](http://www.obsidianfields.com/lj/nonmonogamy2.5.1.gif){kind=link}
We do not want government in control of marriage. We need to start treating each other as humans. Government free marriage is the pathway to equality. Government should have no control over religion or marriage. Leave marriage to the religions or to the people to freely contract with one another.
ReplyDeleteSarah, thank you for your comment.
ReplyDeleteGovernment should set very few rules regarding marriage, primarily to be able to enforce the contracts you mention. Disputes over things like property when there is a divorce or annulment can sometimes only be settled and enforced through government.