About

PolygamyPage.info is the longest-running website addressing the topic of polygamy. It contains research covering legal and theological issues on the subject of polygamy, and is offered here to assist those doing similar research.

The legal material addresses the question of whether polygamy is or can remain unlawful in modern Western democracies. Laws banning polygamous practice are currently being challenged in Utah and Canada, reflecting the fact that polygamy is not criminal in many states in the US and in other areas which choose instead to ban bigamy, a practice of successive officially recognised weddings. In many areas, where there is no use of an official wedding ceremony for second and subsequent marriages, no offence is committed, and this is often linked to developments in the law of the United Kingdom, which first passed a law against bigamy in 1604. UK law has influenced the development of law in its former colonies and other areas, and is impacted by the passage of Human Rights legislation, as are other jurisdictions, like Canada.

This research has involved the publication of “Polygamy, Bigamy and Human Rights Law” in 2001. This book concentrates on the development of the English criminal and civil law related to plural marriage, and the consequences of the Human Rights Act for polygamists in the United Kingdom, especially in the light of developing social conditions. The book has been cited in international research on polygamy, and referred to in the British Columbia Supreme Court in the 2010-11 Polygamy Reference Case in Canada, where the book was entered into evidence as an exhibit and relied upon both by those arguing for decriminalisation of polygamy, and those seeking to maintain polygamy as a criminal offence. It is now available on the Amazon Kindle at Polygamy, Bigamy and Human Rights Law or You can buy it direct from the publishers.

The theological material concerns what attitude Christian churches take towards polygamy, which varies. The site does not deal with Mormon theology in any detail. The conclusion is that there are missions and textual reasons for churches to be tolerant of the practice of polygamy where it involves consenting adults. There is no suggestion that churches should promote polygamy as in any way preferable to other lifestyles.

The theological material includes examinations of common objections expressed by Christians towards polygamy.