ISSN 0794-3636
JOURNAL OF ARABIC AND RRELIGIOUS STUDIES
Volume 17
December, 2003
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The Department of Religions
University of Ilorin,
Ilorin, Nigeria.
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ECCLESIASTICAL DOCTRINE OF MONOGAMY IN THE AFRICAN
CONTEXT: THE YORUBA EXPERIENCE
P.O. Abioje
Introduction
Before the advent of Christianity, African society, being highly inclusive,
could not be classified as either polygamist or monogamist, it was both. And even
though the Western form of Christianity insists on monogamy as the only type of
marriage ordained by God, many African Christians assert their freedom and remain
either in the polygamist or the monogamist camp, just like their non-Christian
counterparts.
Crises *do arise, however, which tear many families apart, based on the
emphasis placed on monogamy by many churches. In Yorubaland, for instance, a
mother and her children may abandon the father for the only reason that he has
decided for one more wife. A family may alienate a daughter for deciding to marry a
man who is already with one or more wives; or a son for deciding to marry one more
wife. Rejection and absence of mutual support often prevail, bringing agony to both
parties in the divide. Many persons suffer from psychological, spiritual, social, and
financial trauma.
This article aims at establishing the biblical and a genuine theological opinion
on whether polygamy is truly against the law of God, and if. indeed. Jesus Christ said
it is. As it is written: "You will know the truth, and the truth v\:l! make you free".
(John 8:32).
One's initial argument is that Jesus Christ d:d net appear to preoccupy
Himself with destabilizing and disuniting people v. ho have agreed, consensually, to
Jive together. The discussion evolves under four subheadings: (1) Polygamy in
traditional Yoruba culture. (2) Polygamy in the Old Testament; (3) Polygamy in the
New Testament; (4) Effects of the ecclesiastical doctrine of monogamy on Yoruba
Christians.
Polygamy in Traditional Yoruba Culture
In the traditional culture of the Yoruba, neither polygamy (otherwise called
polygyny) nor monogamy is viewed as a sin. As a matter of fact, many polygamists
enjoy enormous respect and influence, because polygamy has to do with physical and
intellectual abilities, together with attendant psychological capability and
magnanimity that are required to organise, order, run and maintain a polygamous
family. When these qualities are lacking in a man, it is difficult to see how he can
make the right choices, judgments and decisions, and so, he may not be a
successful polygamist. As Okediji and Okediji note, polygamy is supposed to be for
the affluent who are in a strong position to maintain a big household.1
Based on one's experience and research in Yorubaland, it would be wrong to
assume that every polygamous home is a disaster or ends in regret. The Yoruba
traditional orientation and unbiased approach to polygamy, help to forestall
demoralization of women in polygamous homes to a very great extent. Hence, E. A.
Ayandele advises that:
Non-African observers should disabuse their minds of the assumption
that women in the traditional society did not like polygamy and that
quarrels among the wives, and with their husband, were bound to be
endless. As a general rule harmony prevailed because the exact
position and dupes of each \\ife and the code of behaviour that should
subsist between the one and the other were clearly defined by
tradition."
As a matter of fact, a Yoruba woman may find one or more other women to
marry her husband, if her husband requests, or if she can persuade her husband that
she cannot solely meet his sexual and (or) industrial demands. But, even if the
woman to be married is found by the husband, the woman at home must be involved
in the marital procedure, or at least she should freely or by persuasion consent to the
move As Awolaiu and Dopamu note, "Among the Yoruba, marriage is the affair of
the family and not mere concern of the individual."3
It is not realistic to speak for every Yoruba woman, however, since one cannot
rule-out individual differences, in terms of temperament, tolerance, accommodation
and level of understanding. But the culture, fundamentally and traditionally
accommodates polygamy and monogamy
Incredible as it may sound to people who may not be familiar with the Yoruba
traditional matrimonial culture, many women find fulfilment in joyful polygamous
homes. After all is said and done, most things in human life have their negative and
positive points and impacts. And so, the Yoruba proverb may not always be true in
the assertion: Orisa, je n pe meji ohinrin ko de 'nu, which means that no woman prays
sincerely that her husband should marry another woman in addition to herself. On the
contrary, some women said they themselves persuaded their husbands to marry one or
more women. One man's meat is another man's poison. It is not impossible that
some people feel better when they are in a group or association than when they are on
their own More importantly, many elderly Yoruba women said they would prefer to
DC in a polygamous home than living without a husband. They claimed that it is not
always easy to get a husband, if only because it is believed that there are more women
than men and women develop in physical maturity faster than men. It is also worthy
of note that in spite of the Yoruba saying: Okan soso poro I'obinrin dun mo, which
means that marriage is sweeter and easier when only one wife is involved in it, many
traditional Yoruba men are polygamists, and some are very successful and happy with
their families. Jacob Olupona notes that:
An Odu Ifa (Ifa corpus) advises that marrying one wife
is the ideal because multiple wives lead to problems at
home. Yet, in another chapter of Ifa, we read that a
woman who has no co-wives cannot discern her own
inadequacies because she has no other wives from whom
to compare notes.4
Many Yoruba men would marry more than one wife when they find
themselves to be the only son or child of their mother. Their belief is that they would
be more psychologically and socially secured with a bigger family than one wife can
provide.
At other times, a Yoruba man would marry one more wife to engender
competitive effort and a challenge to the woman in his home. The Yoruba believe
that: B’obinrin ko j’owu, obe kii dun, which means that sometimes unless there is
competition or envy, cooking may not be at its best… Of course, competition
expectedly brings out the best in human beings, generally speaking.
Sometimes, polygamy develops from an extra-marital sexual relationship that
graduates into marital status with or without children. Whereas this type of
phenomenon is called polygamy by Western-based Churches in Yorubaland, it is
called having a mistress in the Western world.
One has heard of cases in the West, in which when a wife becomes mentally
and (or) physically invalid, a husband may abandon her and move-in to live with
another woman. What comes to mind is that in the traditional Yoruba society, the
husband may marry a second wife and do his best to care for the two women. Of
course, no conscientious man anywhere would want to abandon a wife because she
becomes invalid, but a cultural recognition of polygamy may help the well-being of
both the valid and the invalid better, especially where there is a high level of
understanding and appreciation.
There are scholars who would hold that many polygamous men are less
sexually reckless than monogamous men. While one may not want to participate in
such a controversy, one would like to share S. A. Adewale's concern that:
Every Church in Nigeria today is aware of the problem of polygamy
among its lay-members and the hypocrisy arising from enforcing
monogamy on them. A polygamist in order to enjoy Church
membership and rites declares one wife publicly and conceals
information about other wives. This is hypocritical monogamy."5
He laments further that even though the founding fathers of the African
Church (to which he belongs) originally intended to promote and uphold the culture
of the people, and were vocal and dynamic in support of polygamy, monogamy is now
entrenched in the Church's constitution "to run away from the criticism of Europeanrelated mission churches and be like them without any convincing reason other than
that other churches impose it." As far as Adewale is concerned, "Polygamy does not
make a person satan. while monogamy does not earn him salvation."6
One should re-examine the philosophical or theoretical assumption that
monogamous families are much more peaceful and that greater love prevails in them
than in polygamous homes David 0. Eyiyere rightly advises that anybody who
believes that less number of wives brings less number of troubles should avoid
marriage altogether so as to avoid having any trouble at all. His own conviction,
which appears plausible is that monogamy or polygamy is not what determines joy
and peace, but "obedience to the will of God,"7 it is needless to say that for Eyiyere,
polygamy is not necessarily against God's wi)) in every case.
Fadipe, in his book, (The Sociology of the Yoniba), notes that polygamy
aggravates sharing of inheritance because, as he puts it, "children of different mothers
by the same father are more likely to fall out over the collective enjoyment of property
rights than are children of the same mother."8 One's investigations revealed that
traditionally, the Yoruba share properties among recognised wives and not among the
children. Properties, particularly landed properties that Fadipe is referring to, are
usually shared among all the legitimate wives, equally, even if a wife has no child for
the man. One would have thought that a woman with only one child or no child at all
should not receive the same amount of property as a woman with several children, but
the traditional Yoruba wisdom holds that children constitute a special a special
blessing or privilege to the mother concerned, while every wife must have rendered
some useful services to the man in his earthly existence, children or no children.
Besides, many interviewees from polygamous homes said they find greater
sympathy and understanding in some children of their father’s other wife (or wives)
than in their own brothers and sisters who are of the same mother with themselves.
That may not always be the case, but it does show that life can be enigmatic and
intractable. The Yoruba rightly believe that: A bi’ni mo’ni ko ‘pe ki a feran arra eni,
which means that friendship does not depend on family ties.
It would thus appear prejudicial and preposterous to assume that polygamy in
Yoruba traditional culture is barbaric, contrary to God's law and always counterproductive. One's opinion is that the Yoruba may have a good reason for embracing
polygamy, and they may not be mistaken in every case. For instance, the ecclesiastical
doctrine of monogamy is, in practical terms, creating unusual problems for widows in
Yorubaland, because very often they are neglected, since many able male Christians
now hide under the law of monogamy to abandon widows to their fates Even when a
man may want to take proper and adequate care of a widow, the
wife may raise a very strong objection, and if she deems it necessary and possible,
she may create obstacles.
Thus, the monogamy doctrine seems to be promoting selfishness and
egocentricism in Yourbaland, to a great extent. That is found to be against the law of
God, as laid-out in Deuteronomy 25:5-10, for instance. This passage which asks a man to
take care of his dead brother's wife as his own, fur financial, social and sexual security,
conforms with what obtains in the traditional Yoruba culture. Of course, Yoruba
culture also recognises human limitations, but it expects a man to do his best, in any
circumstance. Hence, a widow may sue for divorce if she decides that her interests
can be better attended to outside the family of her dead husband. Yet, age. sickness,
disability and other circumstances may dictate no alternative, and many widows may
suffer, particularly due :o problems created by the ecclesiastical doctrine of
monogamy. Raymond Brown that a doctrine does not solve all questions pertinent to
the issue it sets out to address. 9
In traditional Yorubaland, every woman in the family is called "our" younger
or elder "mother" by all the children and people eat together from the same bowls and
plates: they drink from the same cup not necessarily rule out envy, hatred, intrigue,
betrayal and so on, but what does? The point is that the Yoruba family culture supports
both monogamy and polygamy in such a way that strangers may never imagine. Polygamy
in traditional Yorubaland certainly does no evoke the same negative emotions and
sentiments that have been perpetrated in many Christian quarters off contemporary
Yoruba society.
Polygamy in the Old Testament
Obviously, the words polygamy and monogamy are not biblical terms
Beyond that, there is no catechetical teaching or doctrine on the number of wives that
a man should marry, throughout the Old Testament (OT). While Lot and Uriah are
presented, in the OT. as monogamists, Abraham, David and Solomon are presented as
polygamists. It would appear that, like in the traditional culture of the Yoruba, the
OT does not make any moral judgment on either monogamy or polygamy. Unlike on
some other subjects, such as mercy, justice and obedience, God is not said to have
made any pronouncements on whether a man may marry more than one wife. David
O. Eyiyere notes that:
It should be noted that there was never such controversy
or problem over polygamy both in the times off the Old
Testament and the New Testament. There are so many
examples in the Bible of faithful and divinely approved
men of God who were polygamists. There is no single
instance in the Bible where anyone was condemned or
blamed for being a polygamist10
One can say, without any fear of contradiction, that in the OT, there is no
name that is greater and more prominent than that of Abraham (our father in faith);
Jacob, from whom the Jews derived their name, Israel, and who Jesus Christ refers to
in His saying: the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob (Matt..
22:32); David, through whom God secured peace and plenty for the Jews in
Jerusalem, and from whose lineage Jesus Christ is said to have descended, and to
whom Psalms and poetical songs are attributed in the Bible and his son Solomon the
wise. Yet, all these men were polygamists For the benefit of doubt, it should not be
forgotten that David was not punished by God for being a polygarnist, but for his
murder of Uriah, after committing adultery with the latter's wife. (2 Sam. 11 & 12).
Likewise, even though Solomon is said to have "seven hundred wives of royal rank,
and three hundred concubines", he enjoyed God's favour until he allowed his foreign
wives to«"sway his heart to other gods." (IKgs. 11 :lff). Thus, in the OT, polygamy
per se did not constitute a sin. Sin means wickedness, and not mere consensual
decision of adults to live together in marriage.
The foregoing notwithstanding, Christian advocates of the doctrine of
monogamy, who argue that monogamy is the only form of marriage ordained by God,
contend that by creating only one woman (Eve) to be Adam's companion, in the OT,
God has set monogamy as the pattern of marriage to be followed by every human
being They reach that Jesus Christ confirms that in Matt. 19:3-8 and Mark 10:6-8.n
Since the New Testament perspective on polygamy-monogamy is discussed
below, one would only deal with the aspect of the argument which centres on Adam
and Eve. because they are OT figure-; May be it made sense in the past to treat the
story about Adam and Eve as if it were a historical event, but that is no longer the
case As Ravmond E Brown notes
In loyalty to modern biblical scholarship, we should point out that the
Genesis story is not an exact historical account of the origins of man.
Thereby we prepare students for the possibility that, under the impact
of theological reflection, the Church may not always phrase the
doctrine of original sin in terms of a sin committed by Adam and Eve
as sole parents of the human race 12
In a nutshell, Adam and Eve are currently believed to be mythical rather than
historical personalities, and so, the story about them cannot serve as an absolute
criterion or example to be followed by every human being. One would think that
even if Adam and Eve were real human 6eings, they must still have their peculiarities
and individual differences. For instance, it only makes sense for God to create only
one wife for Adam if He realised that He has not created him with the inclination,
disposition, ability and wherewithal for more than one wife. For, as a matter of fact,
it is not every man that would want to have more than a wife, whether any Church
mandates it or not. There are men who would not even want to have any wife at all.
The celibacy of the Roman Catholic Church may not be a very good example, since it
is believed by many that some of their priests, reverend brothers and sisters have
secret dealings with people of the opposite sex, but it can still serve as a fair example
of persons who would not want to involve themselves in any wedlock at all, be it
monogamy or polygamy.
Thus, even if Adam was a real human being, one must ask about his type of
person, in terms of choice, preference, ability and capability. Would be want to be, and
could he have been able to manage a polygamous home successfully, as some Yoruba
men can be seen to have done? For, there are men who cannot even manage a
monogamous home successfully, talkless of a polygamous home. Such persons
become perpetual bachelors, whether they like it or not.
There are women also in Yorubaland, who survive in polygamous homes,
while some others cannot even stay for long in a monogamous marriage. The latter, in
many cases, become, eventually, what is called in Yoruba, Ilemosu – women who live
in their parents’ homes. How is one to interpret a situation in which human beings are
characterized by differing traits, if the story of Adam and Eve is the sole yardstick?
With specific reference to the ecclesiastical doctrine of monogamy, Eyiyere wr ites:
The protagonists of the monogamy doctrine claim that the creation of
one wife for Adam is proof that God wants only monogamy and
condemns polygamy. They say that if God had wanted to permit
polygamy he could have created more than one wife for Adam . . .
Under polygamy all the men would not marry the same number of
wives. Some will marry two, some three, some four and so on. Howmany wives, then, would God have created for Adam if he permits
polygamy9 If he had created two wives for him, the type of reasoning of
the protagonists of the monogamy doctrine would suggest that those
who marry more than two wives are sinners. 13
One's conclusion is that the ecclesiastical advocates of the doctrine of monogamy
have read their own monogamistic tendency and instinct into the OT story about
Adam and Eve. The OT makes no definitive statement on the issue of polygamy monogamy. A mythical or imaginary story cannot be the basis for determining the
real life, which is complex and diverse in its forms. The stories of Abraham, Jacob.
David, Solomon and other OT polygamists, who are not said to have been condemned
God, indicate that Yahweh left human beings with the freewill or freedom to
decide on number of wives.
Like every decision, it may be responsible or
irresponsible, depending on the individual and his circumstances If the matter were
allowed to rest on this note, it would have been in -consonance with the Yoruba
perspective and practice on the issue of polygamy-monogamy: freedom of choice.
Polygamy in the New Testament
There appears to be no indication that Jesus Christ preoccupied himself with
issues related to polygamy-monogamy or the number of wife (wives) that a man must
marry. Throughout His entire ministry on record, polygamy did not arise as a
problem. Nobody in the four gospel accounts asked Him about it, and He did not
consider it a pressing subject to initiate a discussion on it. What appears to be
problematic or controversial in His days was the issue of divorce. Hence people
asked His opinion and He gave a teaching or. \: He said, unequivocally, that there
should never be a divorce, that once God has joined two persons together in wedlock,
they have become united as one person, and they should never be separated. (Matt.
19:3-6).
Many Western-based churches have, however, forced monogamism into the
mouth of Jesus Christ The argument runs that in His teaching on divorce. He would
have spoken of wives rather than a wife, if He did not mean to legislate against
polygamy Those who argue this way conveniently forget that Jesus was not asked
about polygamy or monogamy, but about divorce, and He did not set-out to address
the issue of legitimate number of wives, but whether divorce is permitted after
marriage.
One would have thought that it is normal that a man should become one with
any wife he marries. If the two do not become one, how can there be marriage at all?
One would think that Jesus Christ was only saying the ordinary thing that marriage
means becoming a couple, and not whether a man can become a couple with several
women. The latter is not the issue in the context. It is not the problem raised. The
question is whether divorce is permissible. What seems reasonable is that God could
not have desired divorce, since it is ordinarily a negative term, which means a
ruptured relationship. Divorce often implies regret, sadness, pain and suffering.
It smacks of intellectual dishonesty to read monogamism into Jesus Christ's
answer to a question on divorce. One would think that scholars, such as Igenoza, who
do that are doing so probably because they are lecturers as well as church ministers
who have to align with the position of their churches. For instance, Igenoza argues in
respect of Matt. 19:3-9 and Mark 10:2-12, that:
Jesus' emphasis on the 'two' becoming one flesh underscores the
importance he attached to monogamy, as the one form of marriage for
believers who earnestly desire to fulfil the perfect will of God in the
area of marriage.14
Quite on the contrary, the periscopes referred to in the two gospel accounts
(Matt. 19:3-9 & Mark 10:2-12) are entitled: "The question about divorce". (Cfr. The
Jerusalem Bible or any Bible that has sub-headings in its chapters). Thus, the
passages are not on number of wives, but on the need to avoid dissolution of marital
union. Hence, no objective and impartial theologian is expected to infer that Jesus
Christ or the evangelists set-out to institutionalise monogamism in the cited
periscopes. Linguistically speaking, divorce and polygamy are not synonymous
terms, neither can a linguist that is worthy of the name equate union of husband and
wife with automatic monogamy, as it has been assumed in many ecclesiastical circles
for long. In Yoruba experience, a man can unite himself with a number of women
and succeed in forming a united familv with them, depending on his charisma,
including intellectual psychological and managerial abilities In Yorubaland, some
polygamous families are much more successful than some monogamous families,
depending on the dramatis personae and the circumstances
A true story can be cited for illustration. Jacob Olupona's father, who was an
Anglican Church vicar, denied baptism and confirmation to the parents of his son's
childhood friend, on the ground of polygamy. Later in life, Olupona justified his
father's action by saying to his charging friend: "My late father was simply taking
orders from his Bishop " " The implication is that ecclesiastical officers are not
expected to oppose or take positions that contradict those held by their churches. But,
objective research requires impartiality and dispassionateness. No wonder, scholars,
such as Charles Davis, distinguish between theology as done in an ecclesiastical
milieu from that done in a University setting.16 If the latter is smothered through the
influence of ecclesiastical dogmatism, advancement in knowledge of God-human
relationship and knowledge in general are in serious jeopardy, as history has
abundantly testified, with particular reference to scientific and technological
breakthroughs. Rreason, logic and openness to reality, rather than rhetoric of authority,
appear to be real ways to subduing and conquering earthly obstacles as enjoined in
Genesis 1:27-28.
With specific reference to the issue of monogamy, it appears reasonable and
fairr to aver that if the Lorrd Jesus perceived monogamy to be a sine qua non for the
Kingdom of God on earth, He would have spoken pointedly on it, as He did on love
(Mtt. 5:43-48, Luke 6:27), on divorce (Mtt. 19:3-9, Mark 10:2-12), on vengeance
(Mtt.5:38:41, Luke 6:29), on mercy (Mtt.5:7), on peace-making (Mtt. 5:9), on
compassion and generosity (Luke 0 36-38), and on the last judgment (Mtt. 25 3! 46).
One would argue that if Jesus Christ must be made to guide human beings on every
issue, including number of wives. Me should be made to tell people the appropriate
number of children per couple, especially since babies are the most vulnerable and
dependent segments of humanity, and many couples appear incapable of deciding to
limit themselves to the number of children that they can adequately cater for. It is
known that the decision is now taken for citizens, rightly or wrongly, by some
societies, such as China. One's candid discovery is that polygamy and overpopulation
were not problematic in Israel in the time of Jesus Christ, and so, He gave no teaching
on them.
It must be observed that in Yorubaland many Christians and Muslims are
polygamists, with varying number of wives. It would appear that the freedom given to
human beings by God cannot be taken from them, not even in the name of religion,
except, of course, in case of crime. Apparently, there are many Christians and
Muslims who do not consider polygamy per se to be a crime.
The bottom line is that attributing monogamism to Jesus Christ in His
discussion on divorce represents quoting Him out of context, and forcing an opinion
on Him over an issue He did not address at all. As David 0. Eyiyere notes:
There is nothing in the New Testament to show that polygamy has * been
abolished. Instead there is abundant evidence in the New Testament that
polygamy was allowed and practised in the early Christian Church. The
first evidence we are to consider is that in 1 Timothy 3:2 and 12. The fact
that Paul advised Timothy to appoint those with one wife as bishops and
deacons shows that monogamy was not the general accepted practice of
the Christians. If having more than one wife is already regarded as a sin,
there would be no need to give this advice.
Historically speaking, the doctrine of monogamy appears to be an ecclesiastical
decision emanating from such philosophical schools as Manichaeism, which denigrate
human flesh while appreciating only the spiritual element of men and women, as if
the physical were not created by God to be cherished, cared-for and enjoyed.
St. Augustine is reputed to be a foremost influential theologian of the ancient
Church. As Placher notes, "his authority stood second only to that of the scripture".18
It should be remembered that St. Augustine was a Manichaean before becoming a
Christian. Uta Ranke-Hememann observes that: "Augustine's conversion to
Christianity, from love of pleasure to hatred of it, took place by classifying women as
stimulants and ignoring them as partners."19 Is it impossible that such ecclesiastical
leader as St. Augustine, who became born again, through conversion from hedonism
to asceticism, and a celibate priest, would allow maximum of only .one wife for a
Christian9 In a bid to legitimize it as a doctrine, at some point in history, Jesus Christ
is quoted out of a divorce context as saying that God has allowed only one wife to a
man17
In summary, there is no indication that there was any problem over issues
relating to polygamy-monogamy among the Jews in the time of Jesus Christ. Nobody
asked Him about it, and He did not take the initiative to discuss it in any of His
teachings. As far as Jesus Christ was concerned, marriage has relevance only in this
world, and not in heaven (Matt. 22:30, Mark 12:25). The implication is that number
of wives per se cannot be what earns a person God's curse or blessing. In biblical
times, a person was free to marry any number of wives, except in case of incest and
all such laws. That leads to the next subheading.
Effects of the Ecclesiastical Doctrine of Monogamy on Yoruba Christians
Monogamy has been given a decisive position in most Western-based
ecclesiastical institutions, to the extent that polygamy constitutes a barrier to full
communion in such churches, and polygamists and their wives are denied what many
Christians consider to be essential spiritual and temporal privileges. Hence, as E A.
Ayandele notes, when radical newspapers emerged in Yorubaland (Lagos Observer 1880 -, The Eagle and Lagos Critic - 1883 -, and The Mirror - 1883 - ), reactions
against certain aspects of the Western form of Christianity were in constant focus,
and its objection to polygamy was attacked. In Ayandele's words:
For the first time the necessity for the establishment of an
African Church was expressed. All people who had
grievances against the exotic kind of Christianity;
polygamists who were denied the privilege of the Sacrament
and positions in the Church began to urge the advisability of
an African Church through the newspapers.20
One would venture to analyse some of the basic spiritual privileges of which
polygamists are denied by Western-based churches in Yorubaland (and some
indigenous churches that imitate Western monogamism). In many ecclesiastical
circles, a polygamous man and his wives would not be baptised, and baptism is the
sacrament through which a person is initiated into the Christian fold. The synonyms
of baptism include rebirth, being born again and regeneration. As far as many
churches, Christian groups and movements are concerned, hardly can an unbaptised
person be called a Christian This may be premised on the teaching attributed to the
Lord, Jesus Christ.
1 tell you most solemnly, unless a man is born
through water and the spirit, l i e cannot enter the
kingdom of God; what is born of the flesh is flesh:
what is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Do not be
surprised \\hen 1 say: You must be born from above.
(John 3'4-7 )
The Lord, according to the Scriptures, also said to have ordered His adherents to
make disciples of all the nations of the world, by baptising persons in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. (Matt. 28:10). Thus, baptism i s s a i d
to be a sine qua non for becoming a Christian, and Western-based churches would not
avail polygamists and their wives of it (except the first wife).
Moreover, in many churches, a baptised man who did church wedding
becomes disqualified from receiving holy communion (the eucharist) from the
moment he maintains a marital relationship with another woman. In the same way, a
woman who marries a man who is already in a marital relationship with another
woman or women loses the right to receive the holy communion. Yet, the eucharist is
said to be important, because it involves a ritual meal in which a person is believed to
receive Jesus Christ into his or her life, in body and blood, either substantially as the
Roman Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox Church believe, or symbolically as most
Protestants believe. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that “the eucharist
occupies a unique place as the ‘Sacrament of sacraments’: all other sacraments are
ordered to it as to their end.”21 The Lord, Jesus Christ, is quoted as saying:
I tell you most solemnly, if you do not eat the flesh of
the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have
life in you… For my flesh is real food and my blood is
real drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood
lives in me and I live in him. (John 6:53-66).
This explains the weight of the value placed on the eucharistic sacrament by many
Christians, and the pain experienced by a polygamist and any woman who marries
him, for being disallowed to receive the eucharist.
In sum, anybody who is involved in polygamy loses the right to any
ecclesiastical sacrament and official position in the church. There can be no full
membership for him or her, but the freedom to attend liturgical services and the
obligation to contribute financially and materially for the up-keep of the church in
question are allowed Anybody who is involved in polygamy cannot officiate in any
capacity or become a council or committee member in the running of church affairs.
In Yorubaland, monogamist churches, so to say. offer polygamists the option
of choosing one of their wives for church marriage and laying-of the others, whether
the women have children or not. Many of the polygamists ignore the option, and
prefer to remain as second-class member.-, of the churches in question. A good
number also oblige, however, but in most cases, they do so only outwardly, since they
continue to mate with, the so-called abandoned wives. That, is how the Church
inadvertently creates hypocrites.
Thus, in Yorubaland, Western-based churches and indigenous churches that
imitate them encourage Christian polygamists to destabilise their own families and
commit divorce which Jesus Christ outrightly said is wrong, in favour of monogamy
over which He did not offer any opinion (Matt. 19:3-6). Speaking on how Jesus
Christ has been misrepresented in many instances by the Church, Albert Nolan
observes: "The supreme irony is that some of the things he opposed most strongly in
the world of his time were resurrected, preached and spread more widely throughout
the world-in his name."22 In all sincerity, one cannot see how Jesus Christ could have
endorsed divorce, which usually brings about disunity, abandonment, alienation
psychological difficulties and material poverty to those involved, one way or the
other. In his days, there were many polygamists in Israel and around the world, yet,
He did not consider it essential to address Himself to the issue of number of wives.
On the other hand, the gospel accounts have left nobody in doubt that Jesus
Christ advocated love, good neighbourliness, unity, mercy, compassion, justice, and
avoidance of divorce. Nobody needs to quote Him out of context in order to prove
His position on these virtues. It cannot be reasonably or experientially argued that
only monogamists possess such Godly virtues that matter the most to Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
This study shows clearly that Jesus Christ did not address the issue of
monogamy-polygamy in any of the gospel accounts, but the question of divorce,
which He ventured to explain, in such texts as Matt. 19:3-6. Theologians, such as
David Eyiyere, also argue that one should not take the story about Adam and Eve as a
yardstick, since all men do not possess the same type of temperament, level of
tolerance, ability for relationship, availability of physical and material resources, and
so on Eyiyere argues, for instance'
If we assume that because God created one wife for Adam and asked
them to produce children, therefore, everyone must do likewise, then,
those who decide to remain single are committing sin. By remaining
single they are unlike Adam who was married and who was father of
several children.23
S. A. Adewale also quotes one Coker as arguing that God did not prohibit polygamy.
and Jesus Christ did not mention it in any of his discussions. Coker is quoted as
arguing further that if polvgamists put away those they regard as their wives, as they
have been asked to do in Yoruba land, it would result in divorce, which Jesus Christ
actually objected to. 24
Western form of Christianity, through its doctrine of monogamy, has created so
much disaffection in many parts of Africa, such as in Yorubaland. Hence, E.A.
Ayandele writes:
Nobody can argue against the fact that the Christian
missions broke into tribal solidarity with their
denominational varieties and rivalries. . . . Take for
instance the preposterous regulation that polygamists
who wanted full membership and privileges of the
Church must first disown all wives but one. In a
polygamous community, this regulation could upset the
society if there were many polygamist converts
disposed to listen to the missionaries.25
Notes and References
1. F. 0. Okediji and 0. O. Okedeji, eds., "Introduction", in N. A. Fadipe, 1978, The
Sociology of the Yoruba (Ibadan: University Press), p. 19.
2. E. A. Ayandele, 1991, The Missionary Impact on Modem Nigeria: 1842 - 1914:
A Political and Social Analysis (Ibadan. Longman Group Ltd.), p. 336.
3. J. 0. Awolalu and P. A. Dopamu, 1979, West African Traditional Religion
(Ibadan: Onibonoje Press & Book Industries (Nig.) Ltd.), p. 178.
4. J. Olupona, 2003, "Foreward" to A. 0. Igenoza, Polygamy and the African
Churches: A Biblical Appraisal of an African Marriage System (Ibadan:
The African Association for the Study of Religion, Nigerian Publications
Bureau), p. x.
5. S. A. Adewale, 1988, The African Church (Inc.): 1901 - 1986: A Synthesis of
Religion and Culture (Ibadan: Oluseyi Press Ltd.), p. 86.
6. Ibid. pp. 86 - 87.
7. D. O. Eyiyere, 1994, One-Man One-Wife Doctrine: From God or From Man?
(Benin City: Doe-Sun Publishers), p. 19.
8. N. A. Fadipe, 1978, edited by F. 0. Okediji and O. 0. Okediji, The Sociology of
the Yoruba (Ibadan: University Press), p. 179.
9. R. E. Brown, 1981, "The Importance of How Doctrine is Understood", in The
Catholic Elite, August/September, 1981 (Ibadan: The Marist Brothers of
the Schools), p. 6.
10. D. O. Eyiyere, 1994, p. 1.
11. cf, for instance, H. Ward, 1980, What is Christian Marriage? (Ibadan: Scripture
Union (Nigeria)), p. 4.
12. R. E. Brown, 1975, Biblical Reflections on Crises Facing the Church (New
York: Paulist Press), p. 18.
13. D. O. Eyiyere, 1994, p. 5.
14. A. O. Igenoza, 2003, Polygamy and the African Churches; A Biblical Appraisal
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
of an African Marriage System (Ibadan: The African Association for the
Study of Religion, Nigerian Publications Bureau), p. 214.
J. Olupona, 2003, p. vtii.
C. Davis, 1962. Theology for Today (New York: Sheed and Ward), p. 3.
D. O Eyiyere. 1994. p. 48s.
W. C. Placher. 1983, A History of Christian //ieo/ogy: An Introduction
(Philadelphia. The West Minster Press), p. 108.
U, Ranke-Hememann. N9u. 1-iwmchs for the Kingdom of Heaven: Women,
Sexuality, and the ('atholic ('/lurch (New York: Penguin Books), p. 82.
E. A. Ayandele, 1991, p. 197
The Catechism of the Catholic Church. 1994 (Ibadan: St. Pauls) no. 211-314.
A Nolan, 1991, Jesus Before Christianity (New York: Orbis Books), p.3.
23. D.O. Eyiyere, 1994, p.6.
24. S.A. Adewale, 1988, p.83f
E.A. Ayandele, 1991, p.330.