polygamy

a few weeks ago in my fshs 550 class, 'the family' we watched an msnbc special on a man named tom green (no, not the comedian) this tom green is a polygamist.
okay, polygamy is a topic i do not really like talking about, because i don't want to give it the attention it doesn't deserve, like the phelps, but i need to write this out, so i can finally, maybe wrap my head around this thing called polygamy and how people around the world think it's okay.
some facts about this guy and his family we saw in the special
- most recent number of children: 33
-most recent number of wives: one (legally)...here is the kicker, he has five, but to not break the law, he would divorce the latest wife to marry the newest, so, if you asked him how many wives he had, he would say five, but legally, in the state of utah, he has one, the first, linda.
- he has had two mother/daughter combos: let me explain, he married four women (not recent wives), two of those women were his step-daughters, the only positive (if you can call it that), he was not married to all four at the same time.
- how he was finally convicted: not because of polygamy..that is extremely hard to prove, but two counts, one: each wife claimed to be a single mother to get more money from the government. two: rape, or marrying a child who is not yet legal. his first wife, linda, got pregnant at the age of 13. tom married her when she was 14. the proof, their oldest son, mason. his reasoning, "she was not a child."
- each wife has their own duties, the creepiest: linda (1st wife) is in charge of his nights, and which wife he will spend with that night.
- two of his wives are sisters (not mormon sisters) biological sisters.
- all of his wives grew up in a polygamist home.
- his reasoning's polygamy is okay: he will always defend his beliefs and religion, many wives + many children = eternal family life (one of the many beliefs polygamists hold...case in the 1953 trial.
- from what i noticed and some of my other classmates noticed, this man is a good husband and a good father, he loves his kids very much. most polygamy cases have to deal with high degrees of abuse on the wives, this one didn't.
- he lives in the desert in utah because he was basically excommunicated from his community
- to not commit bigamy each wife, with their own set of children have their own trailer.

okay, those are all the facts i remember and thought were most interesting, why i have an issue with this, being a woman, i don't understand how some women could share their husband, the 5th wife said this, "i would rather have 1/5 of him, then none at all," wow.
this guy has to watch his back everywhere he goes, and has to trick the system...go to point 2, 4, and 11, how does he still think it's okay? oh right, it's his beliefs...i forgot.
also, how can people who end up getting excommunicated from their homes, or ultimately frowned upon, think this is okay? right, you can ask that about missionaries, or why people do things other people don't, for example, my professor gave this specific example...you are in a group of friends that are all having sex, but you decide to wait till marriage, it's your belief.
okay, there are so many things wrong with that example in this situation i don't even know where to start, oh wait, yes i do...waiting till marriage to have sex unlike polygamy is not illegal. so, yeah, that example was shot down pretty quickly.
have i wrapped my head around this yet? not really and i don't think i ever will.

-lots and lots of sarcasm, but this just blows my mind.