In a world without war--or the excessive number of female converts that new religions attract, because women tend to be more religious than men--polygyny means you need to get rid of the extra men:
Over the last six years, hundreds of teenage boys have been expelled or felt compelled to leave the polygamous settlement that straddles Colorado City, Ariz., and Hildale, Utah.
Disobedience is usually the reason given for expulsion, but former sect members and state legal officials say the exodus of males — the expulsion of girls is rarer — also remedies a huge imbalance in the marriage market. Members of the sect believe that to reach eternal salvation, men are supposed to have at least three wives.
. . .
The polygamous settlement is largely controlled by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and allies of its jailed prophet, Warren S. Jeffs, who is about to stand trial on charges of sexual exploitation.
. . . Utah officials say they realized the extent of the problem only about four years ago, when they learned that hundreds of boys from the sect were roaming on their own and often in distress. While most have construction skills to help earn a living, few have more than a junior high education.
. . .
Mr. Gilbert estimates that 100 boys from his school class, or 70 percent of them, have been expelled or left on their own accord; there is no way to verify the numbers. “There are a lot of broken-hearted parents, but you question this decision at the risk of your own salvation,” Mr. Gilbert said.
The problem of surplus males worsened in the 1990s when the late prophet Rulon Jeffs, Warren Jeffs’s father, took on dozens of young wives — picking the prettiest, most talented girls, said DeLoy Bateman, a high school teacher who watched it happen.
Warren Jeffs, taking the mantle after his father’s death in 2002, adopted most of his father’s wives and married others, and also began assigning more wives to his trusted church leaders, former members say. Forced departures increased.
I'll pass on a bit of sage wisdom I heard a number of years ago:
The best sign that you're in a cult is if the rules are designed to ensure that a select group of men are getting laid as often as possible by as many women as possible.
Well, it sounds like old Deloy was a little pi##ed off that he wasn't making the grade with the 'prettiest and most talented.' Perhaps he should've become a member of their little coven.
Andrew: There are also cults that live by rules designed to ensure that nobody gets laid: Shakers, that comet cult, apparently the Hare Krishna's. (From what I hear, not only isn't sex allowed but the approved Hare Krishnan diet is so restrictive that you'll lose the ability - which is really hilarious considering that Krishna seems to be a sort of polygamous Dionysus.)
What I found most fascinating about this piece in the NY Times was that the LA Times had an almost identical piece on this subject a year ago. I can't imagine why the NYT wanted to do this - it's not news, just a rehash.
In a world without war--or the excessive number of female converts that new religions attract, because women tend to be more religious than men--polygyny means you need to get rid of the extra men:
Not always the case. In many sub-Saharan countries where polygyny is widely practice, there is gender balance across communities. How is this managed without expelling men or killing them off in wars? By allowing men to marry much younger women, in addition to almost 100% remarriage rate for older women whose husbands died or are divorced. In fact, one of the most easily observed features in polygynous societies is the wide gap between husbands and wives.
I have to laugh at the irony of a religion that considers marriage to last all of eternity, and can simultaneously reassign wives at the drop of a hat based on some perceived transgression.
Or you just have a society with many very frustrated men, and women who are very nervous about going out late at night.
Note that historically, almost every nonchristian society was at least slightly polygamous .
Christendom used to have a serious shortage of men, even in moments of peace. Disease changed the sex ratio. I suppose that is why marriage contracts tended to favour the sex with rarity value.
Campesino: Not to defend the NYT over my local cage-liner, but Warren Jeffs' trial starts today. I suspect the NYT wanted to get its readers up to speed, and indicate that even w/ Jeffs facing justice, the situation in Colorado City & Hildale is unchanged.
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