for six months in 2005, and the Mormons I encountered there were very careful to distinguish the polygamists from themselves. I'm surprised they would move to do this. A lot of them had been on mission trips where they had to counter the idea that the LDS Church was still polygamous, and they were sick of the notion that they were seen that way by so many non-Mormons.

It's usually an adult male - sometimes in his forties or fifties - with an underage girl who has no choice in the matter.

And there are the tapes that prove it.

Old - Grown enough to marry

I don't think many of those women get to say whether they actually want to be in that situation.

The Enabling Act that allowed for Utah's admission to the union contained a requirement that the State Constitution provide:

"That perfect toleration of religious sentiment shall be secured, and that no inhabitant of said State shall ever be molested in person or property on account of his or her mode of religious worship; Provided, That polygamous or plural marriages are forever prohibited."

As required, the Utah Constitution provides: "Perfect toleration of religious sentiment is guaranteed. No inhabitant of this State shall ever be molested in person or property on account of his or her mode of religious worship; but polygamous or plural marriages are forever prohibited."

Bigamy (the term used in the Utah statutes) is still "prohibited" under the Senate bill, it's just reduced from an felony to an "infraction" - you know, like jay-walking.

Yup....that's not a waste of time. Great idea. Get all those unmarried women hooked up to share some "provider" to take care of them in those cold winters.

Romney country.

Or did Utah GrOPers happen assiduously to avoid that particular argument? I kind of doubt it.

It might start to break down that wall of secrecy they live behind, homeschooling the kids more out of fear of discovery than religious control and associating only with other polygamous families.

I knew a non Mormon polygamous family many years ago. It ended badly, the lord and master got booted out and the women kept living together because that part of the arrangement had been good for them.

Still, having that wall of secrecy torn down to the point that women will know that speaking out if some old goat wants to take an 11 year old girl as his fifteenth wife will not destroy their own families will help a great deal.

Forcing everybody into a one size fits all lifestyle causes a lot more harm than allowing alternatives out in the sunshine.

... since I myself lived in such a small harem when I was young. We were on social security for some time, and I was put in the official papers here in Denmark as head of the house. No official marriage though.

What I do not like is people being forced into marriages, also just as couples.

But do not let any social customs, silly church ideas or laws stop people from being joined together in holy what ever they like and love, as long it is done freely and with no pressure for doing it!

Now are Mormon women going to be allowed to have multiple husbands? asking for a friend...

It's hard to catch up with over population when you can only have one breeder at a time.

Which spouse is the official/legal spouse?

After all, polygamy would still be a crime.

All above the age of consent, of course.

Expecting crickets...

but the Independent, fundamentalist baptist church I grew up in considered Mormons one step below catholics. None of them right with the lord and all destined for a burning hell. So I expect they'll proclaim loudly from those pulpits how evil this is while secretly wishing they could get in on it.

It might cost the taxpayers less, but what about the sexually abused young women?

not only aren't interested in tying the knot but are into open relationships, more than one partner.

Those mormons weren't going to let the perverts at the roman catholic church of child rape have all that rapey fun with kids for themselves.

If the mormon women have half a brain they will grab their kids and run away from these creepy LDS elders making rape great again in trump country.

“The Church” as LDS members call it, has worked to separate itself from the FLDS and other kook splinter groups that claim the true lineage back to old Joe Smith. So this is about power as much as anything. Now my great grandfather who spent three years in the state pen would have been thrilled. He could have kept all four of his wives... crazy.

I wonder how Mittens feels about this?

i would think so, along with the corresponding complications to child custody and inheritance laws.

This is really an over the top move in the age of anything goes Trumpism.

Legalize polyandry. Cause if the men want harems,the women should have the right to have them also.

Famous for its tolerance or striving for social equality. This is not good. Is membership down?

I've always been very confused by this whole thing. If marrying multiple people in the civil is illegal why do it?

There's no law against having multiple "wives" if you want there's not even anything illegal about a minister performing the ceremony (the church position is different) so why go to the court house, get a license and sign it and therefore admit to a crime?

If your theory is that God allows polygamy then why do you care about the secular license that is just going to land you in jail?

Of course everything I said assumes consenting adults.

The daughter on the show believed her best friend was engaging in incest with her father as she was pregnant and couldn't explain who her secret boyfriend was. So sheriff's daughter files a complaint, leading to her father, played by Tom Skerritt to arrest the guy. The big reveal comes in the courtroom when it turns out the girl is a bit older than she let on and is engaged in polygamy with the man and woman posing as her parents.

The judge (played by the legendary Ray Walston) basically says the rules of marriage are changing and saying he doesn't want the test case while talking about common law marriage. Well, they were ahead of their time, that show.

I'd love to see the Bible-thumpers try to go against that...