Seven women for one man?
Published:Sunday | May 22, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Anastasia Cunningham, Senior Gleaner Writer
According to the biblical prophet, Isaiah, during a time of great judgement there will be a severe shortage of men leaving little option but for one man to take on multiple wives.
"In that day, seven women will take hold of one man and say, 'We will eat our own food and provide our own clothes; only let us be called by your name. Take away our disgrace!'" - Isaiah 4:1. Isaiah 13:12 reinforces the divine prophecy: "I will make man scarcer than pure gold, more rare than the gold of Ophir."
Many people contend that that time is already here as women, especially those in the church, claim it is increasingly difficult to find a suitable partner. Several churches are reporting their congregation's women to men ratio to be as much as 10 to one. Even in the secular world there are complaints from women that trying to find an acceptable partner is like searching for a needle in a haystack.
So should today's church give serious consideration to an ancient practice by endorsing polygamy as a viable option to address the problem? One Bible teacher believes that that should have been the practice all along. He says the practice of monogamy is cultural, not biblical.
Maurice Jensen, who has been studying the Bible and teaching from it for over 20 years, noted that polygamy remains acceptable in several cultures, adding that there is no account in either the Old or New Testament that specifically puts an end to it.
"The Old Testament was the age of polygamy. Great men of God had several wives. Jesus' ministry in the New Testament was in the midst of a culture that practised it and he never once denounced it. In fact, in none of God's word to any of His prophets that He had direct conversation with did He ever outlaw or condemn the practice," he said.
Jensen noted that in the Bible there are 15 examples of polygamy, 13 of those cases involving powerful men of God. Among them were Moses and Abraham. Jacob had two wives, while Gideon had many. David, a man God said was "after His own heart", had eight wives and several concubines. The most famous polygamist was Solomon who had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Solomon's son, Rehoboam, had 18 wives and 60 concubines, while Abijah had 14 wives.
Not chastised
Jensen insisted that at no point did God chastise them for it, adding that polygamy was primarily for producing a greater number of offsprings, and was also based on one's economic status - being able to maintain a large family.
"In Exodus 21:10 God allows it. In Deuteronomy 21:15-17 God gives instructions on how a man ought to treat his wives. And I could quote numerous other scriptures," said Jensen.
Jensen said he found it strange that God had a personal relationship with those great men who had many wives, and He did great things through them but failed to speak to and have a direct personal relationship with today's men who have one wife.
"The reality is that it's a matter of culture whether to practise polygamy or not. No one can find any scripture to definitely go against it," he said.
He said changing God's laws and going against nature and the natural order of things has led to a lot of the perversions taking place today.
Of course, not everyone supports that view.
Rev Hugh Elliston, general superintendent of the Open Bible Standard Churches of Jamaica, said polygamy was against God's perfect plan for marriage. He cites the Genesis account of Adam and Eve, which was later emphasised in the New Testament, as God's plan.
"The type of family God designed was a nuclear family. However, many of God's plans were corrupted after the fall of man in Genesis, which led to the breakdown and some of the practices that unfolded in the Old Testament," said Elliston.
Elliston, who said that his church had a higher percentage of women than men, with a 70 to 30 ratio, advised women who were having difficulty finding a partner to learn to live with their singleness while continuing to live a wholesome life.
"I know it's not easy, but they have to learn how," he said.
Prophesy not principle
Pastor Charles Francis from the Faith United Church of God International said although polygamy was practised under Judaism, it was not a principle that was transferred to the church age.
"The return of polygamy may have been prophesied about, but so were other terrible things for the end time, such as wars, earthquakes, false prophets and so on. The Isaiah account was a prophesy, not a principle God was commanding men to do," said Francis.
Francis, who said the female-male ratio in his church was five to one, said single women need to put their trust in God and wait.
Roman Catholic deacon Rev Peter Espeut said "The Old Testament is not relevant to Christians. Jesus established a new covenant, laws and ethics to govern Christianity. Whoever does not recognise the difference with the Old and New Testament is only creating problems."
He added, "Even if one man was on a desert island with 20 women, polygamy would still be wrong, it would be unethical. There would be no justification for it."
He also insists that it is a false belief that there is a shortage of men, given that in Jamaica, the ratio is 103 women to 100 men. "The shortage is in men whom women consider to be qualified," he said.
He does not support the view that a Christian woman should only marry in the church - she should be free to find a partner wherever she desires.
He said the solution to the problem was to elevate men in the education system. "We should never have a situation where 80 per cent of the population at the university are women," said Espeut.
For his part, Bishop Herro Blair from the Faith Cathedral Deliverance Centre said polygamy was anti-God and anti-scripture. He also supports the view that there was not a shortage of men.
"If truth be told, there are places where men outnumber women. We need to address the issue of segregation in churches and allow marriage between churches, especially where there is a shortage in one and a higher number in another. Cross-Christian culturalisation is important," said Blair, whose church reportedly has a three to one female-male ratio.
Name changed.