Polygamy
Polygamy is the marriage of one man or woman to multiple spouses at one time when the other participating spouses know about one another. Polygamy is not to be confused with bigamy, which is the marriage of one man or woman married to multiple spouses that do not know about each other. There are many things said about polygamy today. There are many different views as well. The governments along with the people and the Catholic Church all have different views on polygamy. Most people view polygamy as wrong because it is degrading woman or humans in general. Even though polygamy is degrading to women in some people’s eyes to others it is a part of their religious beliefs and therefore some people look past the fact that it is wrong and degrading to women. According to the different governments around the world, it seems like half of the world allows polygamy and half of the world is completely against it. The Catholic Church views polygamy as morally wrong due to the fact that, God gave us the Sacrament of Marriage as an unbreakable bond between one man and one woman. Yes, Evangelism Vitae may not directly speak upon polygamy in itself, but it does stress how the bond of marriage is supposed to be a sign of the Holy Divinity of Christ. These are all different views around the world. I view polygamy as extremely wrong. There is no way that polygamy should be seen as tolerable regardless of the person’s religious beliefs or not. It will always be wrong to be married to more than one person at one time. Polygamy in my eyes degrades not only women, but the human race in its self. It teaches us that one person is not good enough for the needs of the other.
The people around the world have different views and for many different...
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...t views around the world. I see polygamy as extremely wrong. There is no way that polygamy should be seen as ok regardless of the person religious beliefs or not. It will always be wrong to be married to more than one person at one time. Polygamy in my eyes degrades not only women, but the human race in its self. It teaches us that one person is not good enough for the needs of the other.
Works Cited
"Exclusive: Survey Says 'Polygamy, USA' Lifestyle Not Okay with Most." HitFix. N.p., 14 May 2013. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.
"Many Polygamists Blend into Modern Society - USATODAY.com." Many Polygamists Blend into Modern Society - USATODAY.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
The New Bible Dictionary, Eerdman’s Pub. Co., 1962, Article on Marriage, Page 787
"Interview With Anne Wilde, Principle Voices Founder and Plural Wife."Polygamy. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
So what exactly is the justification and reason for polygamy? Mormons believed that when a couple or family is sealed in the temple of the Lord by one holding God’s priesthood keys of sealing, that the bond is not "until death do us part," but rather for all eternity. If this is true, then when a man is widowed and he marries a second wife, he then has two wives. The Mormons believe that if a man can have multiple wives in heaven, then the same should be true on Earth. "According to the Lord’s law of marriage, it is lawful that a man have only one wife at a time unless by revelation the Lord commands plurality of wives in the new and everlasting covenant" (McConkie5770). If a woman who is sealed in the temple is widowed, she not allowed to be resealed: only a man is allowed a plurality of spouses.
The article Breaking the Cycle Mother, Daughter Find It Can Be Difficult to Leave Polygamy behind Polygamy: It 's Tough to Break the Cycle by Joan O 'Brien is about a mother’s experience leaving a polygamous marriage. This mother, Betsy Barlow of Salt Lake City also inspired her daughter, Ellen to do the same thing. It is explained that Mrs. Barlow felt that being a part of a polygamous marriage was defeating for women and herself. O’Brien states, “Barlow believes that in practice, polygamy ``suppresses ' ' women”. Most women would drop out of High school to raise children for the one husband and Mrs. Barlow was taught that this was the only way to reach the celestial kingdom. Her parents taught her this and she openly admits to teaching her
Monogamy is a cultural norm that dominates many modern societies, and when individuals engage in monogamous relationships, they are unconsciously conforming to historical and cultural legacies of what is perceived as love that predate their illusions of personal agency. Although anthropological records indicate that 85% of human societies have tended towards polygamy (Henrich, Boyd and Richerson 2012), the modern culture of monogamy has rapidly risen and spread in the past millennium (Senthilingam 2016). This demonstrates how an individual’s conception of a heterosexual relationship as normatively monogamous has been constructed by social forces. In addition, social forces in the form of state legislation also perpetuate and reinforce an individual’s conception of what a romantic relationship should entail. Monogamous heterosexual marriage remains to be the only form of marriage with legal recognition in many countries. An individual’s belief that a romantic relationship should culminate in marriage is hence not formed through independent thought, but rather through what is considered normative by law. Essentially, “marriage is not an instinct but an institution.” (Berger 1963, 88) because it is enabled and promoted by virtue of the law. In addition, many couples believe in
Cohabitation, over the last two decades has gone from being a relatively uncommon social phenomenon to a commonplace one and has achieved this prominence quite quickly. A few sets of numbers convey both the change and its rapidity. The percentage of marriages preceded by cohabitation rose from about 10% for those marrying between 1965 and 1974 to over 50% for those marrying between 1990 and 1994 (Bumpass and Lu 1999, Bumpass & Sweet 1989); the percentage is even higher for remarriages. Secondly, the percentage of women in their late 30s who report having cohabited at least once rose from 30% in 1987 to 48% in 1995. Given a mere eight year tome window, this is a striking increase. Finally, the proportion of all first unions (including both marriages and cohabitation) that begin as cohabitations rose from 46% for unions formed between 1980 and 1984 to almost 60% for those formed between 1990 and 1994 (Bumpass and Lu 1999).
Polygamy is not something many Americans are accustomed to. Western culture teaches that monogamy, as opposed to polygamy, is the proper, accepted form of marriage. Western culture places that morality into it's people, often from youth.
In view of these facts, it is clear that divorce and polygamy both belong to the category of situations that deviate from the ideal marriage. With that in mind, Christians should not be quick to judge polygamy, especially while ignoring divorce. Evidently, it takes more courage, consumes more energy, and involves more responsibility to be in a polygamous relationship than to divorce and remarry.
Jayson, Sharon. “Census reports more unmarried couples living together.” USA Today. 28 Jul. 2008. Web. 14 Sept. 2011. .
Fletcher-Stack, Peggy. “Polygamy: Not as Rare as You May Think.” Beliefnet. Beliefnet, Inc., 2011. Web. 19 Dec. 2011. .
A sensitive subject, in the Islamic religion, is the status that a women holds - specifically with respect to the theme of how women are treated within polygamous relationships. Smith’s main thesis is that the Islamic religion has been accused of degrading women and he plans to share information to prove that this is a very valid fact. A polygamous relationship is a relationship or marriage with many partners. The Islam’s believe in polygamous relationships and the rules are specifically stated within the Koran. The Koran allows for a man to have up to four wives/partners, although, if he cannot equally share his love with all of his wives/partners, then he must only marry one . Smith has a very valid point, although there are many sources that support and refute his opinion. Mohammad Ali Syed discovered that the Islamic law allows for polygamy under certain circumstances, such as the treatment towards orphans. ...
Polygamy is considered illegal in the United States, which would make it a deviant practice. That fact is on the bottom burner for me when considering this situation. Forcing someone to theoretically spend the rest of their life with someone not of their choosing is definitely out of the norm in my opinion. On to...
In today’s world many people have had different views and ideas on what polygamy really is, is it morally wrong? In this paper you are going to learn what polygamy is, who practices it, the affects that it has on children, wives and the husbands, risk factors, and most importantly why it is morally wrong.
Is Monogamy the Best Form of Marriage? In the United States, marriage is a commitment two people make for the rest of their lives. The average American marriage lasts seven years. Well over half of all marriages end in divorce (Francouer, 72). Statistics on the infidelity have risen fifty percent since the 1970s and is rising all the time.
Mention the concept of polygamy in any “civilized” gathering, and you just may be able to see the shiver of repulsion that ripples through the crowd. By substituting the word “polyamory” in, you will be able to circumvent this reaction – but only because everyone is staring at you in baffled silence instead. So we begin, as always, with definitions.
“Polygamy is defined as a marriage in which a spouse of either gender has more than one mate at the same time. Polygamy is considered a valid form of marriage in many countries and communities around the globe” (Al-Krenawi). However, polygamy is illegal in the United States. Those who practice polygamy in America can only be “legally” married to one spouse; therefore, the subsequent spouses in a polygamist relationship hold a “singl...
(Bâ, 2008, p. 38). This speech reveals that both wife and husband have the obligation of supporting the polygamy. Modou’s obligation is to God as he intentionally wanted Modou to marry again while according to Tamsir, Ramatoulaye’s obligation is to allow the marriage to occur and accept the situation as it is her duty to support her husband’s decisions. Furthermore, Mawdo also married again. His and Nabou’s marriage is to some extent similar to Modou’s.