Pennsylvania Court Rules That Dad Can Teach Polygamy to His Kids
Aaaah, ya gotta love religion. It can be a bastion of hope for the hopeless - a flicker of light in a dark world. Too often, however, it’s used as an umbrella defense for ridiculous and primitive ideas that society should have left behind a Stone Age ago. One such idea is polygamy, a misogynistic and abusive practice that’s revered by fundie Mormons such as Warren Jeffs.
While practicing polygamy is illegal (especially when it involves the “marrying” of underaged girls, as is common among Mormon bigamists), talking about it is not. Which is as it should be. But should a dad be allowed to teach these beliefs to his children? According to the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court, the answer is yes. The Court ruled 5-1 this week that Stanley M. Shepp can indoctrine his daughters regarding the virtue of being some Mormon knucklehead’s 14th baby-trophy.
You can read the full ruling from the Pennsylvania court yourself (PDF file). The long and the short of it is that the Court didn’t believe that teaching his daughters about polygamy was enough of a danger to warrant overriding Shepp’s right to free speech. Legally, I agree. Preventing parents from teaching their children “questionable” beliefs is a slippery slope that would lead to asshole judges applying their private morality in court - like the Indiana judge who ruled that two divorcing parents, both Pagans, couldn’t raise their daughter into their faith.
Morally, however, Shepp’s still a bastard for cramming this crap into the ear canals of impressionable children. So I’m practicing my right to free speech by plunking him in the PBB Hall of Shame. Fortunately, his oldest daughter’s a teen now - and we all know how resilient teens are to swallowing their parents’ bullshit. Here’s hoping that his daughter grows up, moves to Massachusetts, and marries the woman of her dreams.
(P.S. to Mr. Shepp: You’re lookin’ pretty snazzy in that button-down banana shirt, buddy. Ya know, if God ever gives you permission to take on a husband…)
Tags: bigamy, court, first-amendment, free-speech, mormon, mormonism, Pennsylvania, polygamyRelated Stories
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2 opinions for Pennsylvania Court Rules That Dad Can Teach Polygamy to His Kids
Runesong
Nov 25, 2006 at 8:49 pm
I realize this has been up for a while, and this comment probably will not be read, but I’d like to mention that, while the Mormons did practice a limited form of polygamy back in the pioneer days, the practice was ceased a LONG time ago, and is in no way a Mormon practice. Those who want to practice it are either not LDS (Mormon) or are on their way to be excommunicated. Groups that do practice it are spin-offs and splinters, and are not in fact Mormon. Warren Jeffs and his lot are, in my opinion, utterly frightening because of how myopic, mysogenistic, and cultish their organization is, not to mention how much of it focuses on twisted ideas of marriage and forced sexuality.
For me, it is doubly frightening, because their actions reflect on the group they stole their name from. Please don’t judge The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints by the actions and practices of Jeffs & Co. The groups are distinct, and we don’t deserve that rap.
Stan Shepp
Jan 11, 2007 at 11:57 am
A majority of Mormon Fundamentalists are not affiliated with Warren Jeffs. So don’t lump us in with them either. I do not support adult child relationships, whether monogamist or polygamist.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ bad rap should only be with changing doctrine based on government pressure - as if an eternal God should be subject to the laws of a man made government.
I would bet the Runesong has been deceived by the LDS church into thinking that plural marriage was abandoned with the issuance of the manifesto in 1890. That is bunk, Rune. Do some research, the LDS leaders in 1890 did not believe the manifesto was anything more than a trick to beat the devil at his own game. Wilford Woodruff (and others in the twelve) took additional wives after the manifesto. Do some research - don’t just believe the church issued manual.
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