Don't we have religious freedoms in this country?

Have you been watching the program Sister Wives on TLC (Brighthouse channel 45)? It is an eye opening show which has introduced us to a polygamist family consisting of a man, his four wives and their 16 children. They did not have to do this show and out themselves.

Here are two videos on the cable TV show "Sister Wives," at left, an antroduction, and at right, a critique by comedian Chelsea Handler.

They wanted the world to understand that this is a religious choice not a man taking advantage of four women, but a true family.

Some of them grew up in the lifestyle others came to embrace it later in life.

Their reasoning was to show people that not all polygamists are like Warren Jeffs (who was recently convicted of being a sexual predator and received two life sentences) and his group who literally keep their women barefoot and pregnant while marrying off their daughters at extremely early ages to old men.

While I do not agree with their lifestyle I found myself feeling sorry for them as they hurriedly packed up their belongings and moved from their beloved home in Utah to Las Vegas, as the Utah justice system was getting set to try to prosecute them. Don’t we have religious freedom in this country?

While I do not agree with their lifestyle I found myself feeling sorry for them as they hurriedly packed up their belongings and moved from their beloved home in Utah to Las Vegas, as the Utah justice system was getting set to try to prosecute them. Don’t we have religious freedom in this country?

We allow Wiccans and know that Satanic cults exist as well as churches that worship with snakes and other oddities. Only difference is they don’t publicize their beliefs and associations and only marry one woman at a time.

Should these people be hounded and perhaps jailed for caring about one another and their religion?

As one of the children said, “We didn’t do anything, why are they doing this to us?”

The most recent wife admitted they had been naïve in thinking they could get their point across without persecution. Now they face his going to jail as well as three of the wives and breaking up the children possibly into foster homes.

As it is where once they all lived in one house split into each family’s own section with the latest wife down the street with her children from another non-polygamist marriage in Las Vegas they are in four separate houses not even next door to one another. The children have had to leave their friends and schools behind and start over while still facing losing their parents completely and perhaps never seeing their siblings again.

I can’t see how any of that is right? I have watched every episode and they are not evil people. They just have different beliefs and all the adults in that family are there by choice. No one is forced into anything.

They work, keep clean houses and well kept well fed happy children. Well, they used to be happy; now they are fearful. What has been accomplished by making these people especially the children scared all the time?

By going public those who worked outside of the home have lost their jobs. They did them well for years and now all of a sudden they aren’t good enough? This smacks of discrimination to me. They do not get public assistance of any kind so we are not supporting them in any financial way.

Same can’t be said for many other folks married to one person but “on the dole” as it used to be called. Do we have a right to condemn this family for following their religious principals?

I know this is controversial and I will get some negative feedback but that’s ok. I am curious how others feel about this situation. This blog is, after all, my “Musings” about things going on around me. I welcome even negative feedback because I believe we are all entitled to our opinions.

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