Bigamy, Religion, and the Law: the Sister Wives at Court
Analyzing the court’s opinion in Brown v. Buhman (2013), a constitutional case brought by the family from TLC’s hit show Sister Wives, I show that bigamy statutes in the United States enshrine Reformation-era Christian theologies of marriage into the law. I read Brown as part of an ongoing reshaping...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press
[2016]
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| In: |
Journal of the American Academy of Religion
Year: 2016, Volume: 84, Issue: 4, Pages: 1110-1144 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
USA
/ Mormon Church
/ Bigamy
/ Religion
/ State
/ Church
|
| RelBib Classification: | AG Religious life; material religion KBQ North America KDH Christian sects |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | Analyzing the court’s opinion in Brown v. Buhman (2013), a constitutional case brought by the family from TLC’s hit show Sister Wives, I show that bigamy statutes in the United States enshrine Reformation-era Christian theologies of marriage into the law. I read Brown as part of an ongoing reshaping of the relationship between “church and state” in Western societies. I trace the ways in which Brown participates in this restructuring through the formation of a legal definition of marriage and the regulation of marriage licenses; both changes permit religion to retain a presence in the law while robbing religion of its normative and social power. Engaging with scholars such as Janet Jakobsen, Ann Pellegrini, and Nancy Cott, I trace out some of the implications of my argument for discussions concerning religious and sexual freedom, and, especially, marital disestablishment. |
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| ISSN: | 1477-4585 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: American Academy of Religion, Journal of the American Academy of Religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1093/jaarel/lfw026 |