Recently in Polygamy Category

The annual Mormon History Association meetings are underway in Springfield, Illinois. The Deseret News reports on the address of the outgoing MHA President, historian Kathryn Daynes of BYU. She spoke on the varied experience of 19th-century Mormons who struggled, under increasing pressure from the federal government, to give up the practice of polygamy.

The Salt Lake Tribune carried a couple of retrospectives on the Texas FLDS community (hat tip: M&A, which posts additional links and comments). The first story suggests the FLDS community in Texas has largely returned to pre-raid rhythms. It also notes that the anonymous tip received by Texas authorities is now believed to have been a hoax. Here are the relevant statistics:

Just one child remains in state custody. Twelve men face criminal charges related to underage marriages; the first trial is set for October. A new legislative committee is set to explore "lessons learned" from the raid, which has cost upward of $15 million.

The heated discussion about the Big Love temple scene died down pretty quickly after it aired, but here's an interview at the LA Times with one of the show's creators that gives one view of things.

Between the FLDS events in Texas and the continued popularity of Big Love, polygamy (or plural marriage, as it is often termed) has been in the news lately. It has always been a topic of regular discussion on LDS blogs, where opinions are all over the spectrum. Here are a few recent posts.

First, Joel Campbell at the Mormon Times (the online site sponsored by the Deseret News), with "HBO Big Love response shows ethical lapses, arrogance." Campbell takes HBO and Big Love producers to task for "cross[ing] a very bright ethical line" by airing, in an upcoming episode, a scene set inside an LDS temple and depicting LDS temple ceremonies. Campbell suggests the series knowingly blurs the distinction between the LDS Church and fringle polygamist groups.