Polygamy

The word polygamy means many wives. There are some countries in the world today that allow a man to have more than one legal wife. Most of these countries but not all of the countries are Islamic and their laws allow for four wives who must all be treated equally.

The Christian Bible states that a Bishop must have one, and only one, wife but leaves an option for a man to have more than one wife if he is not a bishop. The bible tells us of many men both in the old and new testaments that had more than one wife. King Solomon had hundreds of them.   

The culture of the first century and before permitted polygamy. Western European countries after the fall of Rome passed laws allowing only one wife at a time. Before Utah became a state it allowed polygamy because the Mormon Church permitted it. In order to achieve statehood the Mormon Church abandoned the practice. There are groups of Mormons today who still who hold to those old ways. There is even a TV show called “Sister Wives” that touts the “lifestyle” as though it is a good thing.

Should marriage laws be tied to religious beliefs? Should US laws allow for religions to set and practice their own standards for the number of wives? What do you think about this?