Big Love

So, about a month ago Comcast REALLY screwed up with our bill and Jeremiah was on the phone with them multiple times to get it fixed. As part of their "oops, sorry" package, they threw in free HBO for a YEAR! The beauty of that is that we've discovered some really great shows and movies.

Best of all, we discovered the TV series Big Love. Sure, it's about polygamists in Utah, one man, three wives, seven kids. BUT OH BABY, we love this show! The first two seasons are on demand, and season 3 starts in January. Tonight we'll watch the season one finale, and if the snow continues we may just watch all of season 2 this weekend!

It's a pretty interesting show, I don't know why but Polygamy has always fascinated me (not that I want to participate) but just that whole thing that Joseph Smith decided he wanted to sleep with his nanny and then God "told him" it was OK. Thankfully years later, Mormon's realized "yeah, not so much" which I really think was a group of guys who went "you know, one is MORE than enough!" but still the idea of living "the principle" is pretty interesting to me.

A couple years ago I read the John Krakauer book Under the Banner of Heaven which is all about polygamy and child brides, etc. What I thought was interesting, and wasn't mentioned as much as I think it should have been, is that when Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped, she was taken as the second wife in this family. The problem with Polygamy isn't the multiple wives, it's the child brides. The 13-17 year old girls who are being "placed" in a man's care. And the teenage boys who are kicked out on the street because the older men don't need competition.

After reading Under the Banner of Heaven I came to the conclusion that I think polygamy should be legal, BECAUSE then polygamists can report the underage marriages that the women know are wrong, but can't currently report because they'd be in trouble too. Sure, there's a lot of problems in our country right now, and maybe polygamy isn't the biggest issue we're facing, but when you have polygamists supporting gay marriage, you know that maybe it's a sign...