[FormerLib]

This story had come up before but this article gave a very interesting history of the question, including the differing Biblical aspects.

[scott91]

well, i'm glad we settled that nagging question.

i had been trying to figure that out all day.

[ElkGroveDan]

They're missing the point here. One uncommon marriage between cousins might not be a statistically genetic problem, but what if two cousins marry whose grandparents were cousins? You can begin to water down the gene pool very quickly if you have several generations of cousins marrying cousins. I'd like to see a statistical analysis of that.

[muawiyah]

Now, let's go to the Bourbons and their kin. They maintained the required 4 degrees of consanguinity prohibition, but NOT BEYOND 4!

The result was that in any one generation there were but a few hundred of them, all closely related. They kept this up for more than half a millenium. Even today one is King of Spain. Still within the family, but not named Bourbon, we find the Princess Bouval-Craon who runs Sotheby's Paris. I have no idea who she married, but any of the identifiable members of this narrow group probably continue to chose spouses from among the others.

[mdittmar]

Marriage of cousins...

How disgusting!

Unless she's really,really cute.

[aomagrat]

Howdy cousin!

[stands2reason]

Ironically, Darwin married his first cousin, as did his sister.

[MonroeDNA]

This is absolutely forbidden by the bible, and so is teen sex, and so are Priests that marry women, and so is naked anything, and so is NOT supporting Alan Keys, and all of you who doubt it will surely go straight to He!!, and us righteous will gloat at your demise.

Dogs and cats sleeping together, the end of the world as we know it!!!!

/sarcasm

[Polybius]

THE BLUES BUSTERS,
SHAME AND SCANDAL

Woe, misery
Shame and scandal in the family
Woe, misery
Shame and scandal in the family

In Trinidad/Jamaica there was a family
With much confusion as you will see
It was a momma and a papa and a boy who was grown
Wanted to marry a wife of his own
Found a young girl suited him nice
Went to his papa to ask his advice
His papa said: "Son, I have to say no,
That girl is your sister, but your momma don't know"

A week went by and the summer came down
Soon the best cook in the island he found
He went to his papa to make a day
His papa shook his head and to him he did say
"You Can't marry that girl I have to say no
That girl is your sister, but your momma don't know"

He went to his momma and covered his head
And told his momma what his papa had said
His momma she laughed, she says: "Go man, go
Your papa ain't your papa, but your papa don't know