How is polyamorous family and same-sex marriage, families the same ? Can these two both demonstrate alternative families, with hopes of giving legitimacy to “non-traditional family structure?” Both groups are entwined with each other in the fight to alter family narratives, with the hopes of pushing the “ non-traditional” family structure to a nonconformity family. One, that is not seen as non ordain, or moreover, one that holds the same civil rights as the “traditional” family.…
David Blankenhorn is a world authority on the institution of marriage. One of the biggest debates concerning marriage today is whether we should expand the concept to include same-sex marriage. Blankenhorn thinks not, and in his book titled, The Future of Marriage, sets out to make the case against homosexual marriage. But he does so, pre-eminently, by making the case for the institution of heterosexual marriage. Blankenhorn first seeks to get a handle on what marriage is, and then he shows how it has been experienced over the centuries. The first half of the book is about what marriage is, and how it has developed. The second half deals with the challenge of same-sex marriage. Although homosexual couples should have the right to love one another without experiencing prejudice, their unions should not be labeled as a “marriage”, for this would cause our society to rethink the values of marriage and how it pertains to children.…
“I think we are inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say ‘we know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage’ and I pray God’s mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to define what marriage is about. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that. We want to do anything we possibly can to strengthen families. We are very much committed to that” (Valentin).…
There are many patterns that display the increase in family diversity across the last 40 years up to today. For example, there are now fewer households containing a nuclear family and more lone-parent families and one-person households than there were in the 1970s. More couples, both straight and same-sex, now cohabit, many more children are born outside marriage than previously, and many more marriages end in divorce; these are known as ‘diverse families’.…
In the article The Suffocation Model: Why Marriage in America Is Becoming an All-or-Nothing Institution written by Eli J. Finkel, Elaine O. Cheung, Lydia F. Emery, Kathleen L. Carswell, and Grace M. Larson, the shift of marriage in American history was exemplified. These authors elaborated on how marriage has currently been deemed the suffocation model and the positive and negative connotations this type of marriage consists of was brought to light. A brief view of the different eras of marriage from 1776 to present are shown as well as how each era fits in with Maslow’ hierarchy of needs.…
The propensity of individuals to frame organizations and set up family units is ordinary of the entire humanity. It is imperative to take note of that in setting up these marriage organizations, some type of custom is completed (Hutchinson). In addition, there are both momentous similitudes and contrasts of thought, thoughts, and imagery crosswise over societies in these customs (Monger). America is a various nation and its marriage conventions have been impacted by distinctive societies. This paper investigates marriage traditions in America and different nations.…
We know in our society today there are many different types of families. They range from nuclear families which consist of a mother, father, and children to blended families which consist of two families coming together following a divorce. For the sole purpose of this essay, however, we will be looking into a type a family which is different than most of the others; which is called Polygamy. Polygamy is defined as “The practice or Custom of having more than one wife or husband at the same time” (Oxford Dictionary). The term polygamy acts as an umbrella term for the simple reason there are different types of this practice. The most common practice of polygamy and the one this essay will be looking into specifically is called polygyny which…
Before I was born my mother and father were married to each other for a year, and then came sister and them 2 years later I was born. My mother and father never told me that they were married I took it on my own and knew that they was. They were two young adult you fell in love with each other and they wanted to spend the rest of their live together. They had a very normal wedding, what they could afford at the time; most of the family attends the wedding giving present to the new bride and groom. When they were married the preacher said I now pronounce you man and wife. The preacher was…
Once referred to as the “original marriage” Polygamy is now an alternative lifestyle lived by many, but is it right? There are multiple countries around the world that believe that this is in fact an applicable way of living. The Origins of polygamy are extremely vast and are practiced all over the world. However, in the United States it is illegal, yet there are many knowing individuals who still partake in this style of living. It is reported that “there are 40,000 people living in polygamous families or communities across the Western region of the U.S” (Scharnberg & Brachear, 2006). Should these people be prosecuted? Or are we as Americans pre judging a lifestyle that we know nothing about? In this paper, I will discuss what polygamy is,…
Polygamy means a system of marriage where one person has more than one spouse. There are two basic forms of polygamy: polyandry, where one woman has more than one husband, and polygyny, where one man has more than one wife (Merriam Webster dictionary). Over the course of history and at present, polygyny is by far the most common form of polygamy, though there have been some documented reports of the practice of polyandry in isolated societies (Al-Krenaw, 1995). Polygyny appears to be the only type of polygamy practiced in North America. While Polygyny is practiced in several societies in the world it is most common in Middle Eastern and African nations, where cultural and religious background continue to encourage its practice (Agadjanian, 2000). There has been growing concern and controversy about polygamy around the world. In many countries where polygamy has traditionally been practiced, there has been increasing encouragement for the restraint of polygamy to protect women from abuse and support gender equality. In the United States, there is increasing concern about the practice of polygamy and other abuses of women and children in fundamentalist communities (Altman & Ginat, 1996). Furthermore, these communities are composed of Christian, Jewish and Muslim believers.…
A believer in the sanctity of life would argue that only God has the right to give or take life as he created all humans imago dei. If someone believed this, they would argue that under no circumstances does anyone have the right to take their life, or let anyone else take their life for them. Natural law accepts the sanctity of life argument, but would also reject euthanasia due to the primary precept (which is absolute therefore cannot be broken under any circumstances) “preserve innocent life”. For instance, even in the case of Dianne Pretty who had motor neuron disease and was facing a painful death, she would not have been allowed to die, despite saying “I want to have a quick death without suffering”. Both the sanctity of life thesis and the primary precepts would stop her being autonomous.…
"Can I spend the night with you tonight" the young boy asks the other boy? The response, "No, my dad has me this weekend, maybe next week." We live in a world where over half of the marriages end in divorce. This is truly a confounding issue that faces us today. The moral and ethical ramifications brought about by such a change in family organization will only begin to show in the years to come. Some of these issues are addressed in both Laurie Abraham's "Divorced Father," and Barbara Whitehead's "Women and the Future of Fatherhood."…
People’s interactions of fidelity set the stage for the way in which they deal with infidelity in their relationships. As seen or heard, many women expect their partners to cheat, and most men don’t expect their partners to. These expectations determine subsequent reactions to infidelity. Research has reported that men and women experience their infidelity differently, women describe their infidelity as more emotional, where as men describe their infidelity as more sexual. For example, some individuals may not consider emotional intimacy as a violation of the relationship commitment. Others may disagree about what physical behaviors constitute infidelity, believing that only intercourse confirms infidelity, whereas others hold that behaviors such as kissing constitute a breach of trust and commitment to fidelity. Partners may disagree over the definition of infidelity and thus disagree with whether it has occurred.…
Marriage is a legal union between a man and a woman willing and wanting to produce a family. Definition of marriage from the bible states that “Judaism traditionally considers marriage to be the ideal state of personal existence; a man without a wife, or a woman without a husband, is considered incomplete”, whereas divorce is “The dissolution of a marriage contract between a man and a woman, by the judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction. Until a decree of divorce be actually made, neither party can treat the other as sole, even in cases where the marriage is utterly null and void for some preexisting cause. A decree of divorce must also be made during the lifetime of both the parties”.…
As an institution, the family has constantly evolved, shaped and adapted to social changes, and although families have much in common, there is no longer such a thing as a typical family in the 21st Century. When people talk about the family, undoubtedly many think of the “conventional” nuclear family. However, stereotypical images of mother, father and children rarely holds true to modern families. The family, which has undergone a major transformation from the past generation, is poised to continue to change even more as time progresses. Family and household structures are becoming more diverse with co-habitation, common-law arrangements, single parents and gay adoption all becoming increasingly common types of family units in the world today.…