A new report from CNN has gone viral for all the wrong reasons. According to their analyst Harry Enten, 21% of Americans now say that polygamy — the practice of having more than one spouse at the same time — is morally acceptable. Let that sink in. One in five Americans now thinks it’s okay to have multiple husbands or wives. And among younger people, that number jumps to over 30%.
This isn’t just a strange trend or a weird cultural shift. This is a warning sign.
Enten made the comments during a segment on CNN with anchor Erin Burnett. They were reacting to a recent doctrinal note released by Pope Leo, who defended traditional marriage — one man and one woman — in response to growing concerns about polygamy in parts of Africa. But what stood out to American viewers wasn’t just what’s happening overseas. It was the shocking rise of polygamy’s acceptance right here at home.
Enten estimated that as many as nine million Americans may be in some form of “polyamorous” relationship. That’s a fancy term for people having multiple romantic or sexual partners at the same time, often with everyone’s knowledge. It’s a word that didn’t even exist until 1990. But now, it’s being mainstreamed by pop culture, social media influencers, and — let’s be honest — a leftist movement that has spent years tearing down traditional values.
Let’s be clear: polygamy is not just some harmless lifestyle choice. It’s a direct attack on the foundation of our society — the nuclear family. And contrary to what some are trying to argue, this isn’t about “consenting adults doing what they want.” This is about reshaping the moral fabric of our culture and replacing it with something unrecognizable.
Marriage is supposed to be a sacred bond between one man and one woman. It’s the backbone of a stable society. We’ve seen over and over again that children thrive best in homes with a married mother and father. When you start redefining marriage to include multiple spouses or open relationships, you aren’t just changing a word — you’re rewriting the rules that hold families and communities together.
And the slippery slope is real. Twenty years ago, only 6% of Americans said polygamy was morally acceptable. Today, that number has more than tripled. What changed? Well, we allowed the Left to redefine marriage. First, it was same-sex marriage, then it was gender ideology, and now it’s polygamy. Where does it stop? If love is love, who says it can’t be between three, four, or ten people? Or even worse, who’s to say it has to be between adults?
This is not progress — it’s moral decay.
And don’t think this is just happening in some far-off corner of the country. According to Enten, the states where people are Googling “polyamorous relationships” the most are Alaska and Oregon — not exactly religious hotbeds. That tells us something important: when you cut God out of your culture, confusion rushes in to take His place.
The reason the Pope had to speak out is because this isn’t just some fringe issue anymore. Even parts of the Church are being pressured to accept polygamy as “culturally sensitive” or “inclusive.” But truth doesn’t change just because public opinion does. The Bible is clear: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Not two, not five — one.
We don’t need more moral flexibility. We need a return to moral clarity.
The growing popularity of polygamy isn’t just a weird trend. It’s a flashing red light, warning us that our culture is drifting farther and farther from its foundations. And if we don’t stand up for traditional marriage now, we may soon find ourselves living in a society where nothing is sacred and anything goes.
Polygamy is not okay. Not in Africa. Not in America. Not anywhere.