You just posted (immediately above) “a bigamist in America is jailed”. That’s because they are criminals. You referred to **Aldebaran ** as a bigamist, not a polygamist, therefore in your view he has to be a criminal. No alternative. Period.
Did you mean to refer to him as something other than a bigamist/criminal ?
Oh, THAT’s the sort of thoughtful, nuanced discussion you’re looking for? :rolleyes:
LC, I don’t understand your distinction. A bigamist is bad, but a polygamist is OK?
Legal systems are based on moral systems, but there is not a one to one correspondence. Something can be illegal, but perfectly moral. In fact, there are times when morality compels a person to break the law.
Any marriage can be immoral. If you marry a person only for his/her wealth even though you despise that person, that is immoral. But if more than woman willfully agrees to marry one man, why is that immoral?
One might argue that polygamy is more likely to be moral in countries where it is illegal. In countries where it is legal, women probably don’t have a lot of say about whether they want to enter a plural marriage or not. In a country like the US, both women would necessarily have to agree to the marriage for it to take place.
I guess two things, minty:
Firstly, a couple of facts, ‘bigamists’ are criminal by default (as we know), Aldebaran is not a criminal, nor a bigamist. Those are facts.
He is, however a polygamist.
So, legally speaking, bigamy = bad, polygamy = good.
But, of course, we’re comparing different legal systems, different cultures and different values. Except that is for milroyj who seems to seek to impose western values/morality on Aldebaran, his wives and their culture.
By this route he criminalizes them (“your bigamy”), and then seeks, by this OP, to judge the entire culture - although by what yardstick I don’t yet know.
Secondly, if you want my personal view of bigamy/polygamy within western society, I’d suggest that, yes, bigamy = bad, polygamy = good.
And I do that on the basis that I (informally perhaps) think of bigamy as occurring when all parties are not in full knowledge and polygamy when all parties are in full knowledge.
Sorry not minty, the above was to milroyj.
>> What is the great debate?
>> Is bigamy morally acceptable?
If that’s what the OP is supposed to communicate I never would have guessed it.
>> Either bigamy is immoral, or it’s not. Your choice, I guess.
I do not think it is immoral. Why would it be?
Polyamory and all that’s fine with me.
This is probably a hijack. It may be a debate, though:
Is there a workable system whereby both men and women can have multiple spouses in Western society? I think not. It seems to me like there needs to be an arbitrary maximum allowed number of spouses. Otherwise there might be a hideously tangled network of spousal relationships, for which property division would be a nightmare to figure out in the case of wills or divorces. Our society already has provision for unofficial romantic relationships with an unlimited number of people. But there needs to be an arbitrary maximum, which has been set at one. Otherwise, there would need to be legal assymetry whereby only one sex can have multiple wives, which would be unacceptable for any number of reasons.
More on-topic, Aldebaran has implied that he spends time in Europe as well as the Middle East. When visiting Europe, what is the status of his multiple wives?
What is the status of Muslims who legally have more than one wife when they visit the USA? I can’t see why this is a question to be asked of the Muslims but of the Americans, who, after all are the ones who made the laws. Same thing in this case. Why demand the explanations from Aldebaran and not from the Belgians who made whatever laws apply? It seems to me the OP is not wanting to debate the merits or morality of poligamy but rather trying to take a dig at Aldebaran (who I had no idea had more than one wife).
Personally I have to thank some poligamist out there who is maintaining the woman who would be my wife and I would have to maintain and put up with. I cannot thank him enough. 
To answer asrivkin: India is not exactly western society, but this might answer your question somewhat…
India’s muslim population is legally allowed to practice polygamy, (and several other such cultural laws) - I believe the limit imposed is 3 wives, but I could be wrong about that. It doesn’t happen that often anymore, but it is allowed. It is not looked down upon, nor is it termed ‘morally wrong’ by anyone in their right mind.
IMO, the OP hasn’t understood the difference between bigamy and polygamy. The former implies criminal behaviour in your society, and the latter is perfectly acceptable in Aldebaran’s.
Regarding your perfectly valid queries (if he dies in Belgium, which wife benefits, etc.), you might be better off asking Belgium and the unspecified Arab nation - Aldebaran does not need to answer you.
sailor: Polygamists are not permitted to enter the United States. Federal law denies entry to any person who seeks to enter the United States with the intention to practice polygamy.
Pretty much resolves that question, now, doesn’t it?
Erm, not really, no. For example some cite of the law would be useful, and even better would be an example of it being applied. I’d have thought that a person who has a legal marriage in their country wouldn’t be barred access to the states, just that their marriage wouldn’t be locally recognised. That’s pure conjecture though, so any cite or example would be very welcome.
I don’t know if it does and I don’t really care. My point was and is that it is silly to ask Aldebaran to explain or justify Belgian laws when we have no idea of whether he voted for them or whether he agrees with them. The OP is just a very clumsy jab at Aldebaran. That’s all. First the OP asks how Belgian law deals with bigamy. Then he changes the subject to ask whether poligamy is moral. The whole thing looks pretty incoherent to me. YMMV
Gary Kumquat:
8 USC § 1182 (a)(1): Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, aliens who are inadmissible under the following paragraphs are ineligible to receive visas and ineligible to be admitted to the United States:…
8 USC § 1182 (a)(10)(A): Any immigrant who is coming to the United States to practice polygamy is inadmissible.
I’m not aware of any examples of this being applied; nonetheless, it is the law.
You are completely right, but since I find this rather amusing, I’ll answer the OP anyway.
Serious question.
Really?
Seen your use of the word “bigamy” and your next posts touching that issue, permit me to have some reasonable doubts.
** From your posts, I gathered that you spend time in both Belgium and your unnamed Arab country. **
As is the case with everyone who travels a lot, this behaviour implies spending time at home and in other countries. Which is what I do.
**So I was just wondering how Belgian law treats your bigamy? **
Since we didn’t marry under the Belgian Law - which doesn’t permit polygamy to begin with - there is no problem at all since the Belgian Law doesn’t “treat” the laws in my country.
If you mean to say with “bigamy” the living together with more then two partners, being married with one and not with the other, there is no objection to such situation under the Belgian law when all partners are conscenting adults.
Even when it is still a reason to ask and get a divorce, there is no other sanction under Belgian law for someone who is married yet has other partner(s) outside the marriage.
I have a question: Is it illegal under the laws of your country to have a mistress (or in case of a married woman: to have a lover) outside marriage? Do you go to jail for that?
For example, if you were to die in Belgium, who would inherit your money?
Since we didn’t marry under the Belgian law, there are also no marriage contracts made which fall under that legal system. My inheritance shall be divided according our marriage contracts and my last will, no matter where I die on this globe.
Question: Is that different in your country and if yes, can you explain the system?
** Or if you were sick, who would make medical decisions for you?**
I think you refer to a situation where I would be unconcious and urgent medical treatment was needed in order to keep me alive?
In such case the doctors who see me first when the ambulance brings me to the hospital (or even those of the medical team that comes to pick me up) make the most urgent decisions since it is their duty and responsibility to do that in order to save my life.
If there isn’t such an urgency, yet I’m unaware of the situation or uncapable to control it myself, those who are with me when I travel have instructions for this.
And if they would be dead or also that wounded that they can’t react, the police would inform themselves my wife - or both of them if they are both there. They on their turn would be able to make decisions about the situation in this that they also would contact the head of the family - who is my uncle- at home to inform and consult him.
The same would happen if none of my wives were there, and the police would contact my relative from mother’s side in Belgium.
Is this so very different then what would happen if you got in an emergency situation when traveling? I guess not, so what is the problem?
If you were to go on welfare or disability, would both of your wives collect?
This is really a strange question… So I wonder a bit about why and how this came to your mind.
If I ever should come in a situation where the Belgian State becomes my only resource for retrieving some income in order to let myself and my family survive, I shall most certainly inform you.
But if your question happens to be an honest search for information about how the Belgian social sytem works don’t hesitate to let me know.
Thanks for your reply.
No problem.
Salaam. A
Always at service for the needing.
KellyM,
I never have any problem when I want to go to the USA.
Salaam. A
Oh, forgot…
I am of course not an “immigrant” if by that is meant that I would go there to stay there indefinitely 
Salaam. A
shivering
I don’t understand the
why would having two wives (or husbands) be worse than having more than two.
Polygamists are breaking the law just as much as bigamists.
and
It seems that Aldebaran already being a polygamists would not be under this statue unless he came here with the porpose of finding another wife.
For the record, I know of a number of relationship identical to what Aldebaran describes, right here in the states. I believe those folks to be moral, and I wonder where the idea comes that such behavior is immoral?
I certainly understand the issue if fraud or coercion is involved, but between consenting adults, what is the moral dilemma?
Also, the law in the US deals with much more complicated structures in business, it would not be a true barrier to enable such structure for multiple marriages in civil marriage.