Why is it ok for a man to have a wife and one or more mistresses in western culture, but polygamy is banned? Isn't it more respect for a woman to be a mans wife. Why do people look down on polygamy, but the divorce rate is so high in this culture and the reason for most marriages are infidelity. Maybe the man still loves his first wife, but falls in love with another woman too. Polygamy would solve this. There are also more men than women in the world. Polygamy would allow the other women who would otherwise remain single to get married. What is your opinion?
2006-11-20 09:39:00 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
You ask a good question. You are right about love in a marriage being better than extramarital love or infidelity. You are right about the hypocrisy in our society that says its okay to be promiscuous but not be married to more than one wife. You are also right about having multiple wives solving a population imbalance. I particularly wonder about the number of good men compared to the number of good women. I fear that there are way more good women than there are good men, meaning that the women would have to share in order to not have to settle for something less than what they should have. I wouldn't want any woman to have to saddle herself with a bad man just because there aren't enough good men to go around.
Having said all of that, the reality is that we do have this double standard plaguing our society. When the LDS church tried polygamy, or more correctly plural marriage, it was for the purpose of caring for the extra women in the church population and for raising a new generation of church members as quickly as possible. The ambient population was outraged that such a practice was going on around them and created such an environment of persecution that the church was ultimately forced to abandon the practice. Even then the poiticians had to reluctantly admit that their own promiscuous ways weren't any better than what they were fussing over about polygamy.
I suggested to the church that we could probably get the old laws against plural marriage overturned in todays legal environment but the church declined to get involved so thus it sits.
We might see some of those laws get overturned by the ACLU in the not too distant future because of the blatant double standard that is exibited in our society today. Time will tell.
2006-11-20 09:56:57 · answer #1 · answered by rac 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't have a problem with polygamy personally. There isn't anything wrong with it as long as everyone is in agreement about it. However, the practical considerations for everyday life would make it difficult. The women would have to be very tolerant of one another, and the husband would have to balance the needs and wants of both...something difficult in a normal relationship.
The only objections I've seen on the board here seem to stem soley from religious or traditional positions: Not very convincing ones IMHOP. The OP is incorrect about there being more men than women in the world: The numbers are so close to even that the difference is irrelevant.
If something were to happen that reduced the male population radically, I could see many people changing their minds about polygamy fast, but that isn't likely to happen.
2006-11-20 09:59:59 · answer #2 · answered by Scott M 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think if done properly polygamy can be a good thing. It is a way to have a two party income and still have someone home with the children. If all parties in the family work it is more likely that some parent will always be home with the children. The most important thing is to make sure communication within the family is open and the children are taken care of if the marriage is dissolved. If polygamy was legal and accepted you would not have cults marrying young girls off to older men.
2006-11-20 09:59:11 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Women are naturally jealous. Aisha, r.a., was even jealous. So, this type of jealousy, the kind that does not wish harm on others though, is permissible/halal.
Sometimes men think about other women. Instead of having an affair or fling, the muslim man thinks about taking on another wife. He may then realize he can't afford it or really want to; but the fact that he has the option, can mean alot to him. He may decide to do it. Then the first wife has full knowledge of the situation (instead of a mistress situation), which gives her the ability to make an INFORMED DECISION about whether she wants to divorce or not. This is much better than him sneaking around, no?
Perhaps the best advice is "Never say never......." - see the link below. :)
2006-11-20 10:10:10 · answer #4 · answered by Niqabi 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are you talking about women having several husbands? unthinkable, however the Bible never condemned a man for having as many wives as he could afford to keep. But a stable of studs for woman is maybe going to really upset the apple-cart...why not is what I say.
2006-11-20 09:58:31 · answer #5 · answered by CHEESUS GROYST 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Wanna get married Izzie? Just Kidding
Why would a man want more than one wife? One woman can give a man enough grief, why multiply this agony?
2006-11-20 09:41:21 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
It is not okay for a man to have a wife and one or more mistresses in western culture and it is not okay to have more than one wife.
2006-11-20 09:50:10 · answer #7 · answered by MishMash [I am not one of your fans] 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
i totally agree. If more men practiced polygamy there would way less adultery going around.
2006-11-20 09:47:18 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
i'm not against it whatsoever and i understand the reasons behind it.
however, in today's society it is very hard for a man to support one family and befair enough to one wife.
2006-11-20 09:47:46 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Just who will support all these wives and children? No doubt Dad will be too exhausted to get out of bed.
2006-11-20 09:41:52 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋