Are polygamy and open marriages basically the same thing??

Question

But, why is polygamy almost universally frowned on by most, yet open marriages are becoming the rage for some people??

Why is one more accepted in society then the other??

I live in one of (if not thee most) conservative states in the country,
and I know several couples currently engaging in open marriages. I think it's more wide spread then people think.

Answer 1

Polygamy, by definition, is the practice of having more than one spouse at the same time. It involves actual marriages. Although the practice is illegal in the U.S. it is legal in some other countries. An "open marriage" involves a marriage between only two individuals but includes sexual intimacies with others outside of the marriage. These two activities are not the same thing.

As speculation to your questions regarding social acceptance of either of these practices (within the U.S.) - perhaps open marriage is more acceptable to those who would, if not for the illegality of it, choose to be polygamists. Although polygamy to some degree provides the participants with emotional and familial balance, security and love, whereas open marriages do not, as the norm, incorporate those feelings or meet those needs for all participants. So even this speculation is questionable.

There is the argument that monogamy goes against the grain of a human beings' ancestral, genetic make-up and instincts to pro-create and carry on their individual genetic lineage. Indeed, evolution and civilization, along with modern knowledge and restructuring, have also created changes in how human beings react to what is and is not actual necessity at the present stage of existence. In other words, in Neanderthal’s time, he needed to do things differently for survival and continuance of life than we need to now. I doubt that those involved in open marriages today are participating for the purpose of having children and carrying on their genetic lineage or making more tribesmen to help hunt.

On that note, it is wise to consider that people who are married do still have affairs, although pregnancy is undoubtedly not a preferred outcome. Perhaps there is still a little something left over from the original genetic make up of man, even after all this time. Perhaps the modern term for those ancient, instinctive survival behaviors is lust.

Answer 2

No - they're not the same thing. Polygamy is when a man is married to more than one woman. An open marriage is when a couple is married but agree to have sex with other people based on mutually agreed upon rules. I wouldn't say EITHER is openly accepted in society. Just because couples have open marriages does NOT mean the rest of us actually agree with it! Polygamy is actually against the law. You can't have a legal marriage with more than 1 person. However the government can't regulate who married people can or cannot have sex with which is why it's more of a moral violation rather than a legal one. Neither is good for a solid marriage.

Answer 3

First of all, as has been said here, polygamy and open marriages are different for reasons already mentioned.

Secondly, since when have open marriages become the rage for some? Maybe .001%? If that's how two people want to define their marriage, then that's their business. I would still hesitate to call it a "rage".

Answer 4

Neither is accepted....where are you getting your data from? Polygamy means that a man can have multiple wives. An open marriage means that the couple wants to accept many others into their marital relationship. Neither is healthy for a real marriage which is why they are not viewed as acceptable nor legal in almost all circumstances.

Answer 5

No they're not the same thing...but I see your point. For some reason being married to more than one woman in a consensual lifestyle is looked down upon and "wrong"...but open marriages or even marriages with a mistress on the side is much more socially acceptable.

I am LDS, and although early latter day saints practiced polygomy, usually in cases to support widowed women...and to expand the religion, it is no longer associated with our current practices.

There are communities that practice polygamy today of course, and although I think it is morally unacceptable...I can't understand why it's easier to swallow adultery, or open marriages.

It's not my place to judge in consentual situations...although I can't imagine it being a totally healthy lifestyle in either situation.

Answer 6

No need to be so tetchy! The single best non-religious reason against homosexuals 'marrying' is the fact that the human race would become extinct if a majority of people did this. This has got nothing to do with 'messed up stuff' in the Bible. Supposed flaws in the Bible do not constitute any reason for objecting to biblical statements against homosexual practise. Nor does the inconsistency of some individual Christians in trying to uphold God's laws. When we are judged by God, he won't ask us to account for other peoples' behaviour or attitudes. We will stand or fall purely on the basis of our own response to God and Christ. And mercy triumphs over judgement, as God has proved by providing the way for everybody to have all their sins forgiven - not just the sexual ones. Edit - No, I'm not supposing that everybody would marry their own gender if it was legal. I would just wave the warning flag that there's a tipping point beyond which continuation of the human species will become unviable. Consider how many baby girls are being aborted/murdered after birth by parents who want sons. Millions of them, every year. Then the grown up sons have a nightmare of a job getting a wife to have children by! If that became a serious enough situation world-wide, a whole raft of dreadful situations would result. Same with same-sex couplings. Get enough of them and eventually a huge imbalance would result. As it's predominantly wealthy countries that are fighting for this, you would discover a significant drop in their populations, with other countries procreating like mad, then mass immigration needed for the wealthy countries to find the work-force they need to maintain their wealth. There would also be serious health problems with myriad same-sex couplings. We've already got them, but they would become far worse if there was no restraint. And we all know that this same-sex battle is in order to break fetters of restraint so that promiscuity can become the norm. It's not about love. It's about lust.

Answer 7

NO, open marriage is where the spouses allow each other to sleep with other people. Polygamy is when someone (usually a man) marries a bunch a different people (which is illegal in some places, like the U.S).

Answer 8

No in a traditional polygamous marriage the husband would only be physical with his wives that he had "wed" in a ceremony. It would not mean that he was free to do what ever when ever with who ever. An open marriage simply means the partners do not commit to a faithful sexual lifestyle but still have the bonds and often partnership of marriage, just not the exclusiveness most people expect and demand.

Answer 9

No! Polygamy is the condition of being married to or living with two or more women at the same time. An open marriage mutually allows both marriage partners to experiment sexually outside their own marriage eg. swapping or swinging.

Answer 10

No, in a open marriage the spouses date other people or swing together. In polygamy, a man takes many wives and the wives are faithful to him. They have no other relationships.