Friday, January 22, 2010

What's worse: same sex marriage or marrying your cousin?

The answer may surprise you. Or not. (Hat tip, Joe.My.God)
Update: Data about which states allow cousins to marry here.

4 comments:

Paul (A.) said...

New Jersey should not be on the top map.

It is properly on the bottom one: You can't marry your aunt or uncle or niece or nephew, but first cousins are OK.

Interestingly, the statute, N.J. Rev. Stat. § 37:1-1, is gender-inclusive as to the prohibitions since civil unions were authorized: E.g., "A man shall not marry or enter into a civil union with . . . his sister or brother . . . ."

Erika Baker said...

That explains a lot!!

Göran Koch-Swahne said...

The idea of "incest" is late, 829 Paris Council of Emperor Louis "the Pious" (= the Neo Platonist).

It was impressed on the Imperial Church in order to fight Endogamy, the rule (amongst great and low) to marry only persons with which one shared at least 1 ascendant. Often cousins or second cousins.

Lev 18 was cited as "proof". The "your x's nakedness" being the Pater familias' nakedness. He o w n e d the person who was revealed.

But (surprise, surprise) this has o n l y been preached to the Yeomanry, n e v e r to the nobility, who continued the fashion well into the 20th century (as do Jews and all peoples living in pre Modern conditions).

In Sweden it was the law of the land into the 20th century, until gradualy abandoned (the last vestiges in the 1980ies).

IT said...

Thank you, Paul (A). I just find 'em, I don't draw 'em.

Erika, it does, doesn't it. Although in modern society, first cousins are sufficiently unrelated that there apparently isn't hte problem there once was.

Göran, without inbreeding, where would the great crowns of Europe be? ;-) Apparently for pedigreed dogs, it's also okay to have mother/son, father/daughter couplings.