Is Polygamy A Bad Social Sentiment?

There are not very many people that practice polygamy and those that don’t practice polygamy do not support it. Polygamist does not follows the norms in society nor do they practice traditional marriage. Polygamy has been documented in the bible, but men like Abraham, or Jacob had two or more wives. Often those that practice this form of marriage are often religious and believe that they will ascend to a higher place after death by reproduction and teaching their children

Polygamy is the practice or custom of having more than one wife or husband at the same time. Polyandry is a form of polygamy where a woman can marry more than one man at the same time, and polygyny is another form of polygamy where a man is allowed to have more than one wife. Polygamy is more known than polyandry. Polygamy is permitted in countries like Australia, Afghanistan, Iran, and Africa, and in other countries like the United States, England, Spain, and Mexico it is not permitted. Many view Polygamy as a sexual desire and satisfaction to be with more than just one man or woman, but for many cultural reasons, man and woman may have more than one wife or husband. As discussed in the video, the meaning of love & polygamy, the positive outcomes of having more than one wife or husband is so they can be provided each other with help.

Even Solomon, a great prophet of the figure of the Bible who was said to be favored by God had seven hundred princesses and three hundred concubines. The Bible shows that polygamy, rape, incest, and orgies are not only accepted, but was often rewarded, by God and was common practice of "great men of the Bible," none of whom wherever spoken out against in the Bible.

The lifestyle of a polygamist is something not every person will agree on. It goes against social customs in many beliefs. A polygamist is looked down upon in American civilization because it goes against most religions. Although, polygamy has been useful for Elizabeth Joseph as she explains her story. Elizabeth Joseph, the author of “My Husband’s Nine Wives,” can relate to such a life because she is part of a polygamy marriage. However, Joseph enjoys her way of marriage, saying it is helpful to her career, mothering duties, and being a wife. On the other hand, one could imagine the jealousy that go through each wife for attention.

Polygamy is the case in which a man or a woman has multiple spouses. One branch of polygamy is termed “polygyny”, which is when “one man is married to several wives” (Zeitzen 3).

I also learned about the the different perceptions on marriage having to do with monogamy versus polygamy. Coontz tells of a tradition in parts of Asia where: “A woman may be married to two or more brothers, all of whom share sexual access to her” (257). This shows a clearly polygamous relationship, whereas Bennett’s essay shows he is against polygamy and believes it marriage should only be two people. He says, “How could they explain why we ought to deny a marriage licence to a bisexual who wants to marry two people,” (272). This is very different from today’s perception of marriage as currently it is between only two people, and polygamous

Relationships can either be monogamous or non-monogamous in nature and its definitions and functions can vary. A monogamous relationship is traditionally characterised by two individuals who have dependent children or also as a ‘nuclear family.’ Monogamy is a hetero-normative practice that involves two individuals in a relationship; the couple is not engaged in extramarital intimacy. Nuclear families also fall under this practice. Polyamory is a non-monogamous practice that refers to multiple intimate partners and experiences. However, some scholars argue that if, or when one individual engages in infidelity, Polyamory is a viable option to sustain the relationship. Academic research positions Polyamory as an option that may successfully

“In the Middle Ages, as in other ages, powerful men married monogamously, but mated polygynously. Both laymen and church men tended to have sexual access to as many women as they could afford” (Betzig). This type of behavior was more common in the higher class society. Women and men were both guilty of this crime, but it was easier for men to commit

Mark Henkal is the self-described National Polygamy Advocate. In his speech “The Emperor is Wearing No Clothes,” he argues the case of why Christian polygamy should be accepted. He uses four main points to get his opinion across: grace-law hypocrisy, polygamists in the Bible, the meaning of adultery and one flesh, and prohibitions of leaders in the Bible. An individual with little to no Biblical knowledge might find that his argument makes sense. Just listening to the speech, without any critical thinking involved, might even persuade those with slightly more Biblical knowledge. Although outwardly he may seem to make solid arguments, there is much more to the polygamy argument than he brought forth.

*Polygamy started during the biblical days when women weren’t able to conceive so they gave their husbands permission to marry their slave.

Of course, there are many proverbs about polygamy and co-wives. But proverbs do not have the same weight as myths. Indeed, the former are humans’ sayings, whereas the latter are sacred literatures, so to speak. Numerous African creation myths develop the idea that monogyny was the original practice among creator-gods and among the first human couples. After reading numerous creation myths, I have identified five of them which substantiate this claim. These myths are representative of five geographic areas of sub-Saharan Africa, that is, the northern, southern, eastern, western, and central Africa.

- In biblical times and in the Bible itself, arranged marriage was the standard for couples, whose spouses would be chosen for them by their parents or guardians as early as their birth.

In industrialized societies, it is something that has been made illegal, and is considered deviant. When most people think of polygamy they think of polygyny, the marriage of one man with multiple wives, and endless children. Here in the United States the most common occurrence of polygamy was in the 1800s, through the Mormon religion, and more specifically the Church of Jesus Christ and the Latter-Day Saints. Through the reading of the Bible, the leader of the Latter-Day Saints church, Joseph Smith, had revelations that encouraged him take a second wife as many of the members of the Old Testament had done. The rest of the United States reacted negatively to polygamy and Congress passed several laws prohibited polygamy. However, Mormons continued to practice polygamy despite these laws because they believed it was within their right to do so based on the Bill of Rights which protected freedom of religion (Embry 2016).

Polygamy is the “practice whereby a person is married to more than one spouse at the same time” (Zeitzen 2008, 3)

The Kikuyu people tried to show the missionaries that the bible itself had polygamy prevalent throughout and that some of the most religious men had several wives. Kikuyu men even tried to take on name of biblical men who practiced polygamy to help prove themselves in front of God and the missionaries. To the dismay of the clan these attempts to prove that polygamy was just, were ultimately ignored and thrown out by the missionaries.