I shared this here after I read that in Eritrea, the government wants men to marry two wives and failure to do that, they will be jailed. I want us to do what we do best in this nation, and that is to THINK.
If this is true, what PROBLEM is this president solving? Is he solving a SINGLENESS issue? If so, what is wrong with someone who is not a eunuch (Mathew 19) being single throughout life as their choice? Even though God said it is not good for man to be sexually alone (Genesis 2)?
Is this man solving the problem of FAMILY? If so, is family restricted to marriage? If it is, is marriage exclusive to a man and a woman?
When westerners licensed homosexuality and are now advancing to incest. They were coherent with their libertarian theory where all human rights should be respected as a long those rights don’t hurt anyone physically (materialistically).
THE WEST
The west (America and Europe) has succeeded in that and have redefined what a FAMILY is. Family is no longer a variety of sexes with naturally reproduced children but it is also same-sex with either IVF/SURROGATE or ADOPTED children and it is still family even without children. It is no longer a divine ordination for a couple to have children as part of the family (Genesis 1:28-31) but a couple’s decision to make.
In the West, it is free entry and free exit as long as you agree on the terms legally. Both monogamy and polygamy are provided for in the systematic marital relations of the human rights liberty culture of the west.
While the west has solved physical problems with this measure, it has conflicted with the spiritual world as well as the natural order of things and we Christians have not retired and neither are we willing to give up on rebuking these measures on a sacred thing as marriage and sex.
THE EAST
The East, (Middle East, Asia, and Africa) on the other hand, is still stuck to the traditional view of what a family is. It is a man and a woman making children through the known means. Family is what has made the East and every success can be attributed to the strong family values and honor theEast has for it. The East is intolerant with anything outside the known setting of a marital relationship which is between a man and a woman.
What the East is conversant with is polygamy and our history is marred with that. The two divine BOOKS (Bible and Quran), born and birthed in the East, have no condemnation of polygamy and this leads me to what I call:
THE TWO PROBLEMS
Our world suffers from two problems; The first one is a CRISIS and the second is a CONFLICT. I will start with the crisis.
If marrying two wives has become a national mandate in some societies and nations have turned it into law, then we ought to pay attention to two things.
First to what such groups or institutions are solving and secondly, the implications of such a solution to the general life and perceptions of the same populations.
HUSBAND CRISIS
As far as am concerned, the first conflict we are face to face is what I call the HUSBAND CRISIS. Before we even attempt a look at the NUMBERS OF MEN in contrast with the women numbers in any given society/country, we ought to focus much on the number of husbands that are among the men whatever number these men might be.
To legislate that let every man marry two women is different from legislating that let every husband have a second wife. I insist we must work on the boy child to solve the problem of the girl child. If the president is solving the number of unmarried women in his nation, he must compare the number of single mothers, divorced and survivors of dysfunctional relationships with those who have never involved themselves with any of the above.
What the numbers will show is that the latter outnumbers the former by far. From there, I conclude, that OUR WORLD’S MARITAL PROBLEM IS NOT THE LACK OF MEN BUT THE LACK OF HUSBANDS. I have a shot funny video on my phone in which three girls comically display themselves and ask: Do you see how beautiful we are? Please marry us. Marry us. Come‘ on marry us.
Well, that might sound funny, but it is very representative of what is at the core heart of every sensible lady. But who is to marry them? Of course not men, it is husbands. We need to start on the project that begins from MAKING MEN OUT OF BOYS AND THEN MAKING HUSBANDS OUT OF MEN. We have a HUSBAND CRISIS.
THEOLOGICAL CONFLICT
If a government passes a polygamous law, what happens to the citizens whose beliefs advocate for monogamy? Isn’t a polygamous legislation a default dismissal and condemnation of the monogamous since the law has no provision for monogamy?
What happens to Bible readers whose Bible condones monogamy but doesn’t condemn polygamy. How do they live in a country where either monogamy or polygamy is legislated against the other? How should the Christians for instance in Eritrea treat this matter henceforth?
These and more questions are ones I thought we could think about from this point and the discussion can be extended even to other audiences.
Priest Isaiah-White
iTiS Well of Worship Fellowship
iTiS Well of Worship Fellowship (John 4:24) 