Bus Tours Promote 'Polygamy Experience'
TEXT SIZE:
AAA
Now here's a tour offering out of the ordinary: Take a bus into Colorado City, Arizona, to learn about polygamy. The four-hour "Polygamy Experience" bus tour is the brainchild of Richard Holm, who once had three wives himself but tells Reuters he has since stopped the practice and quit the religious group that promoted it.
Tourists from as far away as Europe and Scandinavia and from throughout the U.S., are paying $70 for a look at isolated life in the polygamist community at the Utah-Arizona border, the wire service reports.
Colorado City is headquarters of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), a breakaway from the Mormon faith. It's also where their prophet and leader Warren Jeffs ruled – before starting his current incarceration in jail in Utah for arranging child bride marriages.
Plural marriage is still practiced in the town, with men typically taking one "legal" wife and additional "spiritual" wives.
As a Reuters writer describes the tour, "Against a backdrop of stunning mountains and pink rocks children play in yards, families picnic in parks and teenage boys gallop their horses away from the guests."
As the tourists come near, women in pioneer dresses hustle their kids out of sight. Still, the idea of visitors is starting to grow on locals, Holm says.
The tour, he adds, does not promote plural marriage.
"It's a look at the inside of the community and people there," says the former resident. "We hope in the process it shows how religious extremism leads to entrapment and bondage."
Photo, Ken Lund, flickr
Add a Comment
When it comes to polygamy, many people's experiences with the practice of having multiple wives is limited to watching documentaries on it on TV. But one Arizona bus tour is looking to change all that, by offering a "Polygamy Experience" tour, which takes a 4-hour-long journey into one of America's communities where this is practiced.
February 03 2011 at 3:34 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyFunny, I've never had to 'deal with' the musings of an idiot. It's amusing enough to me to know that the thoughts came from such.
September 30 2010 at 9:44 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI have one wife. Most of the time, that's enough. Some times, it's one too many.
September 30 2010 at 8:25 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyWho are you or I to decide what is right for another human being, if it does not affect us and does not harm another person. Stop, just fing stop trying to control other peoples lives.....OR Lets whine and cry a little more and see if we can have the government remove some more of our freedoms our forefathers died to give us. You can't smoke anywhere, you don't have a choice on wearing a seatbelt, you can't drive on the beach, you have to wear a helmet, ect.. ect... you can't even decide to remove yourself from this world- Thanks keep up the great work !
I really don't like narcissistic bleeding heart control freak idiot s with too much time on their hands - get a job, be productive, keep your nose clean and stay out of other peoples buisness unless it affects you or hurts someone other than themselves!!!!!!
Interestingly enough they are not a spin off of LDS. They are the original Mormon and the modern Mormon is a spin off (at a government demand that they go to one wife or not become the state of Utah) If you read The 27th Wife you will note that our government came within a tweak of making polygamy legal, however the 27th wife gave talks all over the U.S. and in front of our President. Also the lady who was a nanny for the King of Siam gave talks all over the U.S. The two met once while they both happened to be booked for a talk in the same city. We didn't have movies and TV at that time therefore the main entertainment was theatre and oration. It is an incredibly interesting piece of history and there are very few of the books left. : : Was it divine intervention that changed our government's mind about allowing polygamy or was it just a coincidence after two women who absolutely hated the experience or observing it, told the nation many years ago. At the same time they spoke of hating the experience there were many other women who grew up with polygamy and loved it.
The man has a tendency to cater to the younger wives after he marries an 18 yr old and his first wife is 48 and the 48 yr old can slip into a state of apathetic depression for not being used for the wifie thing. The 27th wife said the younger women got better food when the older ones just had left overs and like macaroni and cheese etc. Perhaps yes Perhaps not
Christians are taught one wife. Some other religions are not so singular. Now with acceptance of all religions (sometimes even satanism ) we may see some interesting alterations of our standards as we progress further into what appear to be later times.
I think it is a fascinating subject. I have known of women having more than one husband -- in the same fashion as the original Mormons had more than one wife. That means more money coming in and some women are healthy enough to participate in an arrangement of that nature. Just think guys....... you could go fishing and hunting without having to be back so soon as the wife would be occupied. Less stress. lol
If it is allowed for men to have more than one wife, then I want more than one husband. Women have equal rights these days!! Women also have more brains, even one husband is a p.i.t.a. (pain in the a$$).
September 30 2010 at 7:52 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replyyepper this is next. if ya allow gays to marry then why cant i marry another woman? if its good for them then poligamy must be made legal too. you want to change the definition of words then ya gotta go all the way
September 30 2010 at 6:59 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI have read that in this FLDS sect wife beating is common. I guess usually for disobedience, but I read Warren Jeffs was known to beat his wives just to show who is the boss.
September 30 2010 at 6:26 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyWhat man in his right mind would want more than one wife? One is stressful enough......
September 30 2010 at 6:16 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replyjust a little food for thought, seperation of church and state, marriage is a church [ religious ] promoted institution and has been for centuries, now our governments insist that we get a licence to marrry and allow only one wife or husband. i knew a lady that had two husbands and under one roof, a woman that had a husband and a "wife" and a man that had three wives, he is an african muslim. and i had no problem with any body involved. i am an american born white man that is christian in my beliefs but have a very liberial outlook on life. i would have more than one wife if i could afford them but...............
September 30 2010 at 6:16 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
I am so sick of hearing 'separation of church and state' I could scream. That is NOT in our constitution. It is in the Russian constitution but not ours. Remember when the US constitution was written, the people of the United Kingdom came to America in part for religious freedom...to worship as they choose instead of having to follow the teachings of the Church of England. Our constitution says 'the govt. shall make no laws governing religious freedom.'
That's not exact wording, but close...in other words govt can't regulate which religion you belong to.
Hot 5 Deals
The Hot 5 Deals & Discount Travel.
Get top travel deals to compare and save money.
Search for Deals
Gadling
May 16th 2012 6:00PM
May 16th 2012 5:00PM
May 16th 2012 4:00PM
May 16th 2012 3:00PM
Categories
- Destin-Nations
- Adventure Travel
- Air Travel
- Arts & Culture
- Beach
- Best Of
- Budget
- Celebrity
- Cruise
- Disney
- EcoTravel
- Family
- Food + Drink
- Holiday Travel
- Hotel
- Luxury
- News
- Nightlife
- Real Life Stories
- Romantic
- Seasonal
- Ski Vacations
- Spa & Wellness
- Tips & Tricks
- Travel History
- Video
- Weekend Getaways
- Weird




33 Comments