My children’s elementary school has a project in 5^th grade that involves documenting the history of something of their choosing.  Some kids pick Galatoire’s (smart kid); others choose Apple while others pick the violin.  It is a wonderful exercise to educate youngsters that everything has a history and often times it is a story well worth learning.

The history of monogamy and marriage is something that calls for a modest, 5^th grade style history lesson when those who support the institution are venomously called hateful by the mainstream media and its cultural leftist allies.  This would be an exercise easily handled by 5^th graders everywhere.

It might be of interest to readers that monogamy, or what many social scientists term Socially Imposed Monogamy (SIM) was quite rare until Greco-Roman times.  Bigamy, polygamy (especially), concubines, incest and pederasty were quite common in the centuries leading up to the time of Jesus.  These practices ensured mainly wealthy and powerful men had multiple wives and servants but most men were left out and the treatment of women was shocking to our sensibilities today.

Beginning in Greco-Roman times, recorded instances of monogamy were seen into the first centuries after Jesus.  Early Christian leaders debated SIM and slowly over time monogamy became more widespread in practice.  However, vestiges of uncivilized practices remained in many areas of the West.  As the centuries went on, Jewish and Christian leaders slowly began to realize that SIM was not only the preferred route for vibrant and healthy cultures but also the only civilized and accepted arrangement permissible. Actual experiences with bigamy, polygamy, and so forth demonstrated how harmful these practices were in every respect save the wealthy class of men.

Similar to the then radical Jewish teaching of Monotheism, SIM had emerged by the end of the Middle Ages as a clear difference between many other cultures outside the west, especially Islamic portions in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.  Anyone who studies history realizes that change occurs over time and that change is not uninterrupted and constantly upward.  There are many examples of cultures within the West who attempted to undue SIM, most notably for Americans, the Latter Day Saints (LDS) and the battle over statehood for Utah in the late 19^th Century.

Western SIM evolution was so powerfully correct that cultures in all corners of the world were trending this way into the 21^st Century.  One need not to have a PhD in social sciences to know that two parent families are the best way to raise healthy and productive children into adulthood.  SIM was so ingrained in Western and US culture that the thought of recognizing anything else would have puzzled all, regardless of ideology, religious/secular preference or region of the US.

Fast forward to 2011 and efforts to “get government out of marriage” by forcing government to recognize non-traditional arrangements are seen as necessary and proper by elites of most persuasions.  Before we make this head long leap into darkness, perhaps it would be prudent for those who wish to upend SIM to let people know what will result by this jettisoning of 2000+ years of human experience.  Having the US government recognize homosexual marriage will lead to the return of bigamy, polygamy, incest (especially if the daughter is above 18 years of age), the eventual lowering of the age of consent and all other manner of uncivilized practices.  Sadly, all of these practices remain in certain cultures around the world.  One need only read international news sites to see these stunted cultures, the savage treatment of women, teen and pre-teen girls, and general debasement, which SIM thankfully has largely vanquished in the US and the West.

When elite media types or Hollywood stars disparage monogamy and traditional marriage as an outdated and antiquated institution, the opposite is true.  This would be quite evident, if only they took the time to read a little report from a 5^th grader on the history of monogamy and traditional marriage, but that would require a few minutes to research and read.  Removal of the long-time status of monogamy will lead to bigamy; polygamy, incest, pederasty and I see no cheerleaders in Hollywood telling the American people they support the return of these barbaric practices. Level with people here, let them know the true consequences of upending traditional marriage.  It is a return to uncivilized times of old, not enlightened, forward thinking reform.