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After Polygamy Was Made a Sin: The Social History of Christian Polygamy

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After Polygamy Was Made a Sin: The Social History of Christian Polygamy (Hardcover)

by John Cairncross (Author)

3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Hardcover
Publisher: Dufour Editions (December 1974)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0318399962
ISBN-13: 978-0318399966

Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #7,666,653 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Citations (learn more)

8 books cite this book:

The Mormon Question: Polygamy and Constitutional Conflict in Nineteenth-Century America by Sarah Barringer Gordon in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
From Sacrament to Contract: Marriage, Religion, and Law in the Western Tradition (Family, Religion, and Culture) by John Witte Jr. in Back Matter
The Politics Of Mothering: Womanhood, Identity, and Resistance in African Literature (Opening Out) by O. Nnaemeka on page 98
Gender & Grace: Love Work & Parenting in a Changing World by Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen in Back Matter
Strength in Numbers: Population, Reproduction, and Power in Eighteenth-Century France by Carol Blum in Back Matter

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3.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)

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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning research - does exactly what it says on the cover, November 11, 2001

By	S. A. Chapman (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This was written by a former British civil-servant and journalist who discovered an anti-polygamy book in a Paris bookstore in the 1950's. The book dated back to the eighteenth century and Mr. Cairncross set out to discover the movement to which this book had reacted. He found that polygamy was not the sole preserve of Muslims and South Sea islanders, but had a substantial recent Christian tradition.

The book presents the results of the considerable research done, and shows that polygamy has repeatedly been defended, advocated and even practised by leading figures in Christendom since around the time of the Reformation. The study does not however, penetrate any further back into history than this period, but does find more than enough evidence of Christian polygamy in relatively recent times to provide understanding to those who still consider the subject today.

Readers should be aware that the title is not a concession that polygamy is in fact sinful, but is a reference to Dryden's poem "Absalom and Ahithophel" which begins "In pious times, ere priestcraft did begin, Before Polygamy was made a sin". This poem locates the prohibition of polygamy not with God but with a false order of priesthood.

Also, reading the book leaves one with the firm impression that Mr. Cairncross is looking at Christianity from the outside. While this does make him prone to certain errors, he cannot be guilty of being a biased enthusiast for Christian polygamy.

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0 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Unreliable, February 19, 2002

By	"cjsk" (UK) - See all my reviews

Unfortunately, this book was written by a former Soviet spy and therefore the information contained within it must be held as suspect.

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