Polygamy essays

Polygamy essays

Polygamy is the practice or custom of having more than one wife or husband simultaneously. Though it has existed polygamy essays many cultures throughout the world, polygamy essays, polygamy is still very prevalent in most Islamic societies today, polygamy essays. The belief that the Mormon church still condones and encourages plural marriages Polygamy remains prevalent throughout the nation, even though the practice stopped being sanctioned by the church years ago Nearly, Brigham Young and the Expanding American Frontier Words: Length: polygamy essays Pages Document Type: Term Paper Paper : Breaking Up Is Hard to Count: The Rise of Divorce in the United States, polygamy essays, Joined up life: a Christian account of how ethics works. Global Business Cultural Analysis Nigeria Nigerian History Synopsis of Nigerian government Nigerian monarchy to presidential system The evolution of Nigeria from British control to a civilian democratic government Nigerian major commodities Oil Food The major elements and dimensions of culture in Nigeria Cultural dimensions Individualism Power distance Masculinity Uncertainty Model of culture Universalism or Particularize How is the integration of elements and dimensions that Nigerians doing business in the country?

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The practice of being married to more than one wife is referred to as polygyny, polygamy essays. On the other hand, a marriage relationship polygamy essays which a woman has more than one husband is referred to as polyandry. Generally, polygyny is very common in most parts of the polygamy essays. By contrast, polyandrous marriages are very rare. Polygamy is one of the oldest cultural practices that are likely to persist throughout the 21 st century. Despite being criminalized in the western world, as well as, some African and Asian countries, men continue to embrace plural marriages. Those who oppose polygamy believe that it is an outdated cultural practice that leads to social deprivation and antagonism in the family.

However, polygamy essays, those who support polygamy perceive it as a solution to social and cultural issues such as prostitution and adultery. This paper will discuss the arguments for and against polygamy. The discussion will consider cultural, economic, evolutionary, social, and legal perspectives on polygamy. The evolutionary perspective indicates that polygyny has always been part of the human history. The Bible and the Quran indicate that famous religious leaders such as Abraham, King Solomon, King David, and Prophet Muhammad were polygynous Milton Some psychologists and evolution scientists argue that polygamy is innate among men Milton Thus, men get involved in plural marriages as a response to their natural desires rather than to commit a crime.

Empirical studies indicate that polygyny has a positive correlation with the extent to which the males of various animal species are larger or taller than their female counterparts Milton Specifically, polygyny is high among animal species whose males are significantly larger than polygamy essays female counterparts and vice versa. This means that human beings are naturally polygamous albeit at a low level. As a result, men have to compete for women in order to satisfy their reproductive needs. In this regard, the following arguments have been used to oppose polygamy. First, tall or big men polygamy essays greater mating opportunities polygamy essays short men, polygamy essays.

This argument is based on the premise that big men can polygamy essays better physical protection to women than short men Milton The resulting competition for women leads to unbalanced distribution polygamy essays mating partners. Big men have several wives, whereas short men remain without mating partners, polygamy essays. Second, the competition for women leads to criminal activities Zeitzen Short men who face difficulties in finding wives have to use all connections and alliances to get married. This leads to early booking of polygamy essays and underage marriages, polygamy essays. For example, young men from the Maasai community in Kenya have to book their wives as early as the age of 10 years due to competition for women.

As a result, women are dominated and have no freedom to choose their husbands, polygamy essays. Third opponents of polygamy argue polygamy essays human beings are capable polygamy essays controlling their natural desires. For instance, history has shown that there are thousands of men all over the world who are able to remain faithful to their wives, polygamy essays. Thus, polygamy should not be allowed. Based on the evolutionary perspective, decriminalization of polygamy is supported by the following arguments. To begin with, the argument that men are capable of controlling their mating desires polygamy essays unfounded. The history of western countries reveals that monogamy leads to increased cases of fornication, adultery, polygamy essays, and divorce among married people Bennion These problems can be avoided if polygamy is decriminalized polygamy essays enable consenting men and women to have as many spouses as they wish.

The argument that only tall or big men can find wives is not practical, polygamy essays. Indeed, there are thousands of women who are married to short men. For example, several men among the Pygmy communities in Congo have married women from other tribes in the country who are twice their height. In addition, most women in Nigeria marry short men as long as they are wealthy, polygamy essays. Ultimately, the decision on who to marry is determined by love rather than the size of a prospective marriage partner Bennion This means that polygamy does not create dangerous competition for women. National census in most African and Arab countries shows that the number of women exceeds that of men. Thus, polygamy essays, polygamy helps in reducing the number of women who are not able to polygamy essays husbands.

Although polygamy can polygamy essays into competition for women in societies such as China where the number of men exceeds that of women, it is not likely to lead to criminal activities. In the 21 st century, most countries are ruled by laws that apply to all citizens Milton Thus, any criminal activity that might arise as men try to find women can always be prevented through the legal system. The most important cultural and religious arguments against polygamy include the following. First, most European countries and the US believe that polygamy is a backward culture that should not be practiced in the modern society Bennion Most western cultures associate polygamy with oppression polygamy essays women. Specifically, polygyny is considered to be undesirable because it denies women exclusive access to their husbands.

Second, polygamy contravenes the principles of the culture of capitalism that dominates the US and European countries. Capitalism is informed by the principles of the Protestant ethic that promote frugality and efficiency both at the individual and business level. Thus, polygamy is undesirable in the western culture because of its financial implications. Third, Christians believe that polygamy is prohibited by the Bible. This belief is based on the fact that the New Testament urges Christians to be married to one partner Zeitzen Thus, having more than one spouse at the same time is a sin that is punishable, polygamy essays. As a result, Christians all over polygamy essays world strive to remain faithful to their wives or husbands.

Their argument is based on the fact that the Quran states that whoever marries more than one wife must treat all his wives equally Zeitzen Specifically, a polygynous man must not favor polygamy essays of his wives at the expense of the others. Undoubtedly, this condition is not achievable since human beings are inherently biased. Men will always have preferences rather than being neutral when faced with a choice of more than one woman. The argument that polygamy is a backward cultural practice lacks substance.

Polygamy has always been part of most African and Asian Cultures that are held in high esteem. For instance, in Nigeria and Kenya having more than one polygamy essays is a symbol of social status. Undoubtedly, only wealthy men can afford to maintain several women and their children. In South Africa, polygamy essays, the current president has three wives. Similarly, most Chinese leaders in the 19 th century had several wives. Thus, the perspective that polygamy is a backward culture is an ethnocentric perspective that the western world has to overcome as a sign of respect to other cultures. The Christians who believe that polygamy is a sin forget that the Old Testament had several examples of people who were polygamous.

Although biblical leaders such as Abraham and King David were polygynous, they were blessed rather than condemned Milton In Nigeria and Philippines where Christianity has been adapted to local beliefs and traditions, polygamy is increasingly being accepted by Christians. The argument that the Quran prohibits polygamy is incorrect. It is based on radical interpretation of the Quran rather than a clear understanding of the teachings of Prophet Muhammad. The impartiality requirement was included in the teachings about polygamy to encourage men to avoid abandoning or mistreating some of their wives. If Prophet Mohammad was against polygamy, he could not have practiced it in the first place. Moreover, he could have provided explicit teachings rather than intuitions to discourage polygamy.

Indeed, the impartiality requirement was meant to strengthen polygamy rather than to discourage it. For example, in Saudi Arabia where Islam is the main religion marrying up to four wives in the norm among Imams and polygamy essays. In the US and the UK, polygamy is discouraged because it is associated with low quality of life. Most western countries are highly urbanized. People have to polygamy essays on the income obtained from formal employment instead of farming to sustain their families. Thus, polygamy essays, men are increasingly facing financial constraints, which in turn diminish the desirability of polygyny.

As a result, children from polygamous families are expected to have low educational attainment and poor health status. In African countries such as Nigeria and Ghana, polygamy is associated with poverty. Most western non-governmental organizations that provide relief services in Africa argue that poverty can be reduced if the communities abandon polygamy. This argument is based on the premise that monogamy reduces fertility rate, polygamy essays, thereby causing a decline in population growth. As a result, households will be spending their income on investments instead of feeding large families Bennion This leads to reduction of poverty at the household level.

Reduction in population growth will also enable governments in African countries to shift their resources from social safety net projects to development projects. The resulting increase in economic growth will improve the GDP per capita. The arguments that discourage polygamy based on economic considerations fail to take into account the realities of most African and Asian countries. Countries such as Nigeria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan are characterized by agrarian and pastoralist communities that depend on subsistence farming. Free and reliable polygamy essays is central to the success of subsistence farming. Thus, local communities have to marry several women who bear a lot of children to work in the farmlands or to take care of livestock Bennion This shows that polygamy polygamy essays a source of wealth rather than a cause of poverty, polygamy essays.

Criminalizing polygamy does not result into a low population growth rate. For instance, the population of China has not declined despite polygamy essays fact that the country prohibited polygamy over polygamy essays years ago. In most African countries, monogamous families continue to have as many as twelve children. Thus, poverty should be polygamy essays through increased investments in development projects.

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Conflict and jealousy amongst the co-wives are some of the rampantsocial and domestic issues associated with polygamous marriages. Itis important to note that polygamy was not condemned instead Godlaid down the rules and laws to manage the conflicts. God tells mennot to become too greedy for wealth and many wives in Deutronomy to an extent that they will forget Him. Some sociologists and cultural anthropologists argue that monogamousmarriages help in reducing crime amongst young men because theycannot blame the rich men from taking all the women. They believethat polygamy increases the number of unmarried young men, which inturn increases cases of theft, murder, rape and substance abuse. here is viewed to be a practice, which is more associatedwith power than sex Coontz, , p. One of the most salient features ofpolygamy is having many children that a single father finds it hardto raise up.

The problem of having many children draws support fromthe case of King David, who had a large household. Pro-polygamists argue that the social ills of polygamy as putforward by the anti-polygamists are also exhibited by monogamousmarriages. Their arguments are based on the belief that polygamyworked well in the past and even today. It is only that the ancientculture has evolved to modern culture, and thus, evolving with thepractice of polygamy. They also argue that those who are restrictedto practice polygamy are denied their human rights and this is a caseof discrimination by the society Wright, , p.

As a result, they becomeprostitutes, and statistics show that in countries that have declaredpolygamy illegal, prostitution is the most rampant sexual behavior. They add that inpolygamous family units, the wives can share domestic chores andsupport each other in childcare, as well as, during times ofillnesses or death. Also, these families can have more economicbenefits due to the economies of scale while using the services suchas water, electricity and even food. The benefits reaped frompolygamous families may outweigh those for monogamous units, if themembers of the former remain obedient to the law of God in theirattitudes and behaviors. is high valued in the Old Testamentdue to its social, economic and political benefits.

It is evident that God continues speaking to us through our historyand we are yet to have full knowledge about God. A good example is that ofslavery where it was once acceptable to enslave people but, over timeit became unacceptable and one cannot even justify the practice usingthe Bible. This applies to polygamy, which is an ethical issue thatis predominant in the modern society but, in different fashions suchas serial monogamy, homosexuality and promiscuity Zeitzen, , p. The Bible does not explicitly dismiss polygamy as a sinful practice,and thus, it becomes a secondary issue the same as the issue ofslavery.

Today,people often brand slavery as unbiblical and yet it was notexplicitly condemned in the Scriptures. The scriptures offer a benchmark for pro-polygamists andanti-polygamists to make their cases, and thus it requires someone tomake ethical conclusions that equally consider both sides. Pro-polygamists argue that polygamy is not explicitly condemned inthe Bible and hence it is an approved marital state. Tom Wright is a famous Bible scholarand a Bishop who has presented a new model that guides theunderstanding of the place of the Bible in this era of biblicalconfusion.

In the 10th Chapter, he presents a case study onmonogamous and devises an approach through which the Christians candefend monogamy as the only God-approved marital status Wright,, p. Based on these arguments, it is, therefore, difficult to make alogical conclusion about polygamy since the arguments from both sidesseem to exploit the ambiguity of the biblical texts concerning theinstitution of marriage. In my opinion, I would take intoconsiderations the biblical arguments, as well as, the sociological,cultural and anthropological arguments to make a logical and aninformed decision.

The fact that God speaks to usthrough human also makes the issue complex in that we can rely on Himto guide us in making the right choices regarding the practice ofpolygamy. Cameron, Andrew. Joinedup life: a Christian account of how ethics works. Nottingham: IVP, Coontz, Stephanie. Marriage, a History: From Obedience toIntimacy, or How Love Conquered Marriage , New York City: VikingAdult, Hill, Michael. Thehow and why of love: an introduction to evangelical ethics. Sydney: Matthias Media, Resurrectionand moral order: an outline for evangelical ethics ,Leicester and Grand Rapids: IVP and Eerdmans, Simpson, Bob.

Changing Families, an Ethnographic Approach toDivorce and Separation. Oxford: Berg, Westermann, Claus. Genesis A Commentary. Minneapolis:Augsburg Publishing House, Wilson, Douglas. Fidelity, What It Means to Be a One-Woman Man ,Moscow, Idaho: Canon Press, Wright, Bradley. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, One of it is from the Greek words which known as "Ploy" or "Polus". African Polygamy Of the five recognized forms of marriage in Kenyan law, three are monogamous - Christian, civil, and Hindu marriages. Islamic marriages are potentially polygynous, and African customary marriages are polygynous. A man may take junior wives only if he is able to support them, which limits polygamy.

Bride wealth alone inhibits. Polygamy seems to have always been an issue to people who practice other religions as well as the people within the law system. The term polygamy comes from the religious practice where one man has multiple wives at the same time. Just based off of the definition alone people have issues with those who practice this religion, which is understandable. However, do those people who judge, most of which are Christians, truly know much about the religion and its origins, or do they just automatically.

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. The world polygamy means the practice of having more than one wife. Warfare in Polygamy Introduction Marriage is a universal trait of human kinship and social organization. It probably developed very early in the course of human social history. In human society, several cultures have used marriage to carry out some widespread functions. Some people are married because of love or romance. Yet, others are married for economic security, economic contribution, heritage, or political reason.

However, in spite of these general features, different cultures have developed. about a marriage system called polygamy? A man can marry as many women as he wants. Do you agree if your boyfriend or husband has other girlfriend or wife? Most women think polygamy is absolute nonsense and insincere sentiment, and some men think so too. On the other hand, some men think it sounds too good to be true because they can have an affair and cheating in state. Saudi Arabia, Myanmar and Bali agree polygamy. In this circumstance, there are.

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