Editing Polygyny (section)

==Religion==

=== Buddhism ===
[[Buddhism]] does not regard marriage as a [[sacrament]] – it is a [[secular]] affair, and normally Buddhist monks do not participate in it (though in some sects priests do marry). Hence marriage receives no religious sanction.<ref name="access to insight">{{cite web |url= http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/dewaraja/wheel280.html |title= Accesstoinsight.org |access-date= 13 September 2011}}</ref> Forms of marriage, in consequence, vary from country to country.

[[Polygamy in Thailand]] was legally recognized until 1935. [[Myanmar]] outlawed polygyny from 2015. In [[Sri Lanka]], polyandry was legal in the [[Kingdom of Kandy]], but outlawed by British after conquering the kingdom in 1815.<ref name="access to insight"/> When the Buddhist texts were translated into Chinese, the [[concubine]]s of others were added to the list of inappropriate partners. [[Polyandry in Tibet]] was common traditionally, as was polygyny, and having several wives or husbands was never regarded as having sex with inappropriate partners.<ref name="Berzin2010">
{{cite web |url= http://studybuddhism.com/en/tibetan-buddhism/path-to-enlightenment/karma-rebirth/buddhist-sexual-ethics-main-issues |title= Buddhist Sexual Ethics: Main Issues |work= Study Buddhism |first= Alexander |last= Berzin |date= 7 October 2010 |archive-date= 30 January 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160130091910/http://next.berzinarchives.com/tibetan-buddhism/guidelines-for-study/relating-the-teachings-to-personal-relationships/buddhist-sexual-ethics-main-issues |url-status= live |df= dmy-all }}
</ref>
 
The Parabhava [[List of suttas|Sutta]] states that "a man who is not satisfied with one woman and seeks out other women is on the path to decline". Other fragments in the Buddhist scripture seem to treat polygamy unfavorably, leading some authors to conclude that Buddhism generally does not approve of it<ref name=" ethics of Buddhism">[https://books.google.com/books?id=URZNk9noWJEC&pg=PA101 The Ethics of Buddhism], Shundō Tachibana, Routledge, 1992, {{ISBN|978-0-7007-0230-5}}</ref> or alternatively regards it as a tolerated, but subordinate, marital model.<ref name="introduction to Buddhist ethics">[https://books.google.com/books?id=URZNk9noWJEC&pg=PA101 An introduction to Buddhist ethics]: foundations, values, and issues, Brian Peter Harvey, Cambridge University Press, 2000, {{ISBN|978-0-521-55640-8}}</ref>

===Christianity===
{{Main|Polygamy in Christianity}}
Polygamy is not forbidden in the [[Old Testament]]. The [[New Testament]] is largely silent on polygamy, however, some point to Jesus's repetition of the earlier scriptures, noting that a man and a wife "shall become one flesh".{{efn|{{bibleverse||Genesis|2:24|ESV}}, {{bibleverse||Matthew|19:3–6|ESV}}}} However, some look to [[Paul of Tarsus|Paul]]'s writings to the [[First Epistle to the Corinthians|Corinthians]]: "Do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, 'The two will become one flesh.{{'"}}{{efn|{{bibleverse||1 Corinthians|6:16|ESV}}}} Supporters of polygamy argue this use of the phrase in relation to prostitution in this verse, means "becoming one flesh" refers to a merely physical, rather than spiritual, union, even when it is used about marriage in other verses.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}

Most Christian theologians argue that in Matthew 19:3–9 and referring to Genesis 2:24,{{efn|{{bibleverse|Genesis|2:24}}}} [[Jesus]] explicitly states a man should have only one wife:
{{Blockquote|Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?|source=Matthew 19:3–9{{efn|{{bibleverse|Matthew|19:3–9}}}} }}

In the [[New Testament]], scriptures state that polygamy should not be practiced by certain church leaders. [[1 Timothy]] says that certain Church leaders should have but one wife: "A ''bishop'' then must be blameless, the husband of one wife ({{langx|grc-x-koine|mias gunaikos andra||one-woman man}}), vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach". Verse 12 has similar advice regarding deacons having only one wife.{{efn|{{bibleverse|1 Timothy|3:2-12}}}} Similar counsel is repeated in the first chapter of the [[Epistle to Titus]].{{efn-lg|The digital [[Nestle-Aland]] lists only one manuscript (p. 46) as source of the verse, while nine other manuscripts have no such verse, cf. [http://nttranscripts.uni-muenster.de/AnaServer?NTtranscripts+0+start.anv University of Münster ''Institute for New Testament Textual Research'': Transcripts]}}

Periodically, Christian reform movements that have aimed at rebuilding Christian doctrine based on the Bible alone (''[[sola scriptura]]'') have at least temporarily accepted polygyny as a Biblical practice. For example, during the [[Protestant Reformation]], in a document referred to simply as {{lang|de|Der Beichtrat}} (or ''The Confessional Advice'' ),<ref>[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_kqyauQISxFEC <!-- quote=Dr. Martin Luthers Briefe, Sendschreiben. --> Letter to Philip of Hesse], 10 December 1539, [[De Wette]]-Seidemann, 6:238–244</ref> [[Martin Luther]], whose reformation caused a schism in the Western Christian Church leading to the formation of the Lutheran Church, granted the [[Landgrave]] [[Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse|Philip of Hesse]], who, for many years, had been living "constantly in a state of adultery and fornication",<ref name="Michelet1904">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/lifelutherwritt00luthgoog |title=The Life of Luther Written by Himself |date=1904 |page=[https://archive.org/details/lifelutherwritt00luthgoog/page/n271 251] |chapter=Chapter&nbsp;III: 1536–1545 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/lifelutherwritt00luthgoog#page/n271 |editor-last=Michelet |editor-link=Jules Michelet |translator-first=William |translator-last=Hazlitt |translator-link=William Hazlitt |publisher=[[George Bell and Sons]] |location=London |series=Bohn's Standard Library}}</ref> a dispensation to take a second wife. The double marriage was to be done in secret, however, to avoid public scandal.<ref>[[James Bowling Mozley]] ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=ofwE7kEdx6QC&pg=PA403 Essays, Historical and Theological]'' 1:403–404 Excerpts from ''Der Beichtrat''</ref> Some fifteen years earlier, in a letter to the Saxon Chancellor Gregor Brück, Luther stated that he could not "forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict Scripture." ({{lang|la|Ego sane fateor, me non posse prohibere, si quis plures velit uxores ducere, nec repugnat sacris literis.}})<ref>Letter to the Chancellor [[:de:Gregor Brück|Gregor Brück]], 13 January 1524, [[De Wette]] 2:459.</ref>

The [[Lutheran World Federation]] hosted a regional conference in Africa, in which the acceptance of polygynists and their wives into full membership by the Lutheran Church in Liberia was defended as being permissible.<ref>{{cite book |last=Deressa |first=Yonas |title=The Ministry of the Whole Person |date=1973 |publisher=Gudina Tumsa Foundation |language=en |page=350}}</ref> The Lutheran Church in Liberia, while permitting men to retain their wives from marriages prior to being received into the Church, does not permit polygynists who have become Christians to marry more wives after they have received the sacrament of Holy [[Baptism]].<ref name="KilbridePage2012">{{cite book |last1=Kilbride |first1=Philip Leroy |last2=Page |first2=Douglas R. |title=Plural Marriage for Our Times: A Reinvented Option? |date=2012 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |language=en |isbn=978-0-313-38478-3 |page=188}}</ref> Evangelical Lutheran missionaries in Maasai also tolerate the practice of polygyny and in Southern Sudan, and some polygynists are becoming Lutheran Christians.<ref name="Moses2016">{{cite book |last=Mlenga |first=Moses |title=Polygamy in Northern Malawi: A Christian Reassessment |date=13 January 2016 |publisher=Mzuni Press |language=en |isbn=978-99960-45-09-7 |pages=41–42}}</ref>

On the other hand, the Roman Catholic Church criticizes polygyny in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Under paragraph 2387 of "Other offenses against the dignity of marriage" of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, it states "is not in accord with the moral law". Additionally, paragraph 1645 of "The Goods and Requirements of Conjugal Love" states "The unity of marriage, distinctly recognized by our Lord, is made clear in the equal personal dignity which must be accorded to husband and wife in mutual and unreserved affection. Polygamy is contrary to conjugal love which is undivided and exclusive."<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/ccc_toc.htm|title=Catechism of the Catholic Church|publisher=Vatican|access-date=14 November 2019}}</ref> There are small numbers of Roman Catholic theologians that claim polygyny can be an authentic form of marriage in certain regions such as Africa.<ref>Vittorio Messori (1985). ''The Ratzinger report: An exclusive interview on the state of the Church — Pope Benedict XVI'', Ignatius Press, p. 195. {{ISBN|0-89870-080-9}}</ref>

In [[Sub-Saharan Africa]], there has often been a tension between the Western Christian insistence on monogamy and the traditional practice of polygamy. In some instances in recent times there have been moves for accommodation; in other instances, churches have resisted such moves strongly. African Independent Churches have sometimes referred to those parts of the Old Testament that describe polygamy in defending the practice.

===Hinduism===
The [[Hinduism|Hindu]] scriptures acknowledge numerous occasions of polygyny; it was the norm among kings, the nobility and the extremely wealthy. For instance [[Pandu]], the father of the [[Pandava]]s in [[Mahabharata]], had two wives Kunti and Madri. Similarly, [[Dasharatha|Dashratha]] had three chief wives: Kausalya, Sumitra, and Kaikeyi. Having more than one wife was a social custom that was believed to increase the prestige of a man.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rao |first=CN Shankar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jjscEAAAQBAJ&dq=vivaha+man+woman&pg=PA103 |title=Sociology of Indian Society |date=September 2004 |publisher=S. Chand Publishing |isbn=978-81-219-2403-0 |page=106 |language=en}}</ref> Although many other personalities including [[Rama]] had only one wife, as monogamy was regarded as the morally superior type of marriage, polygyny remained customary and widely acceptable among Hindus until it was legally abolished for Hindus in India by the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955.

=== Islam ===
{{Main|Polygyny in Islam}}
[[File:The old wife and the new one.jpg|thumb|277x277px|''Old wife and a new one'' (1935) by [[Azim Azimzade]]]] 
Under [[Islamic marital jurisprudence]], Muslim men can have up to four wives at a time. [[Polyandry]], the practice of a woman having more than one husband, is not permitted.

Based on verse 30:21 of [[Quran]] the ideal relationship is the comfort that a couple find in each other's embrace:
{{Blockquote|And one of His signs is that He created for you spouses from among yourselves so that you may find comfort in them. And He has placed between you compassion and mercy. Surely in this are signs for people who reflect.|{{qref|30|21|c=y}}}}

Polygyny is allowed in the Quran but if a man fears he cannot deal justly with them he should only marry one. This is based on verse 4:3 of [[Quran]] which says:

{{Blockquote|If you fear you might fail to give orphan women their ˹due˺ rights ˹if you were to marry them˺, then marry other women of your choice—two, three, or four. But if you are afraid you will fail to maintain justice, then ˹content yourselves with˺ one or those ˹bondwomen˺ in your possession. This way you are less likely to commit injustice.|{{qref|4|3|c=y}}}}

There are strict requirements to marrying more than one woman, as the man must treat them equally financially and in terms of support given to each wife, according to Islamic law.<ref name = Lukito>{{cite book|author=Ratno Lukito|title=Legal Pluralism in Indonesia: Bridging the Unbridgeable|page=81|publisher=[[Routledge]]}}</ref>

Muslim women are not allowed to marry more than one husband at once. However, in the case of a [[divorce]] or their husbands' death they can remarry after the completion of [[Iddah]], as divorce is legal in Islamic law. A non-Muslim woman who flees from her non-Muslim husband and accepts [[Islam]] can remarry without divorce from her previous husband, as her marriage with non-Muslim husband is Islamically dissolved on her fleeing. A non-Muslim woman captured during war by Muslims, can also remarry, as her marriage with her non-Muslim husband is Islamically dissolved at capture by Muslim soldiers. This permission is given to such women in verse 4:24 of Quran. The verse also emphasizes transparency, mutual agreement and financial compensation as prerequisites for matrimonial relationship as opposed to prostitution; it says:
{{Blockquote|Also ˹forbidden are˺ married women—except ˹female˺ captives in your possession. This is God's commandment to you. Lawful to you are all beyond these—as long as you seek them with your wealth in a legal marriage, not in fornication. Give those you have consummated marriage with their due dowries. It is permissible to be mutually gracious regarding the set dowry. Surely God is All-Knowing, All-Wise. |{{qref|4|24|c=y}}}}

[[Muhammad]] was monogamously married to [[Khadija bint Khuwaylid|Khadija]], his first wife, for 25 years, until she died. After her death, he married multiple women, mostly widows,<ref>"[http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/articles/134426/prophet-muhammad-and-polygyny-i Prophet Muhammad and polygyny]", IslamWeb.</ref> for social and political reasons.<ref>Sahar El-Nadi, "[http://www.onislam.net/english/ask-about-islam/ethics-and-values/muslim-character/166258-why-did-the-prophet-have-so-many-wives.html Why Did the Prophet Have So Many Wives?]," OnIslam.net</ref> He had a total of nine wives, but not all at the same time, depending on the sources in his lifetime. The Qur'an does not give preference in marrying more than one wife. One reason cited for polygyny is that it allows a man to give financial protection to multiple women, who might otherwise not have any support (e.g. widows).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.islamweb.net/ver2/fatwa/ShowFatwa.php?lang=A&Id=18444&Option=FatwaId |title=IslamWeb |publisher=IslamWeb |date=7 February 2002 |access-date=13 September 2011}}</ref> However, the wife can set a condition, in the [[nikah|marriage contract]], that the husband cannot marry another woman during their marriage. In such a case, the husband cannot marry another woman as long as he is married to his wife.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ahlalhdeeth.com/vb/showthread.php?t=165257 |title=ahlalhdeeth |publisher=ahlalhdeeth |date=12 September 2013 |access-date=13 September 2011 |archive-date=14 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214201552/http://www.ahlalhdeeth.com/vb/showthread.php?t=165257 }}</ref> According to traditional Islamic law, each of those wives keeps their property and assets separate; and are paid [[mahr|mahar]] and maintenance separately by their husband. Usually the wives have little to no contact with each other and lead separate, individual lives in their own houses, and sometimes in different cities, though they all share the same husband.

In most Muslim-majority countries, polygyny is legal with [[Kuwait]] being the only one where no restrictions are imposed on it. The practice is illegal in Muslim-majority [[Turkey]], [[Tunisia]], [[Albania]], [[Kosovo]] and the [[Central Asia]]n countries.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XHF8AgAAQBAJ&pg=PT230|title=Women, Islam and Everyday Life: Renegotiating Polygamy in Indonesia|first=Nina|last=Nurmila|date=10 June 2009|publisher=Routledge|access-date=10 December 2016|via=Google Books|isbn=978-1-134-03370-6}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thinkafricapress.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fthinkafricapress.com%2Ftunisia%2Ffuture-state-feminism#2848 |title=Tunisia: Protecting Ben Ali's Feminist Legacy |author=Maike Voorhoeve |work=[[Think Africa Press]] |date=31 January 2013 |access-date=23 January 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Kudat |first1=Ayșe |last2=Peabody |first2=Stan |last3=Keyder |first3=Çağlar |title=Social Assessment and Agricultural Reform in Central Asia and Turkey |date=3 April 2000 |publisher=The World Bank |isbn=978-0-8213-4678-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=njPYSxcBV-EC&pg=PA272 |language=en |doi=10.1596/0-8213-4678-4|access-date=10 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|url= https://www.un.org/press/fr/2007/FEM1625.doc.htm|title=Les Experts du CEDAW s'Inquiètent de la Persistance de Stéréotypes Sexistes et de la Situation des Minorités en Serbie|publisher=[[United Nations]]|date= May 16, 2007|access-date= February 3, 2016|author1=((Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women))|author2=((UN Department of Public Information))|id=Economic and Social CouncilFEM/1625|language=fr}}</ref> Kazakhstan is the only country among the [[Central Asia|Central Asian]] states [namely [[Turkmenistan]], [[Tajikistan]], [[Kyrgyzstan]] and [[Uzbekistan]]] to not criminalize polygyny.

Countries that allow polygyny typically also require a man to obtain permission from his previous wives before marrying another; they may require the man to prove that he can financially support multiple wives. In [[Malaysia]] and [[Morocco]], a man must justify taking an additional wife at a court hearing before he is allowed to do so.<ref name="Modern">{{cite book |title=Modern Muslim Societies |date=2011 |publisher=Marshall Cavendish Reference |location=Tarrytown, New York |isbn=978-0-7614-7927-7 |pages=32–35 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/modernmuslimsoci0000unse/page/34/mode/2up |chapter=Family Life — Focus: Polygamy|via=Internet Archive}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=n4Eye4ilLVkC&pg=PA35 (Alternative link — via Google Books)]</ref> In [[Sudan]], the government encouraged polygyny in 2001 to increase the population.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1493309.stm |title=Omar Hassan al-Bashir, has urged Sudanese men to take more than one wife to increase the population |work=BBC News |date=15 August 2001 |access-date=13 September 2011}}</ref>

===Judaism===
{{Main|Polygamy#Judaism}}

Polygyny is permitted by the Bible with certain restrictions (e.g. {{Bibleverse|Exodus|21:10|HE}}), and numerous Biblical figures are recorded as having multiple wives. In practice, though, the incidence of polygyny among ancient Jews was limited, and likely was largely restricted to the wealthy.<ref>Gene McAfee [http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t120.e0669 "Sex"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728085805/http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t120.e0669 |date=28 July 2020 }} The Oxford Companion to the Bible. Bruce M. Metzger and Michael D. Coogan, eds. Oxford University Press 1993. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. 19 March 2010.</ref>

Since the 11th century, [[Ashkenazi]] Jews have followed [[Gershom ben Judah]]'s ban on polygyny (except in rare circumstances).<ref>[http://www.faqs.org/faqs/judaism/FAQ/04-Observance/section-55.html Frequently asked questions, Judaism and Polygamy].</ref> Some [[Mizrahi Jews|Mizrahi]] (Middle Eastern) Jewish communities (particularly [[Yemenite Jews]] and [[Persian Jews]]) discontinued polygyny more recently, after they immigrated to countries where it was forbidden or illegal. [[Israel]] prohibits polygamy by law,<ref>''Penal Law Amendment (Bigamy) Law'', 5719-1959.{{verify source|date=August 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=The English Law of Bigamy in a Multi-Confessional Society: The Israel Experience|first=P.|last=Shifman|date=1 January 1978|journal=The American Journal of Comparative Law|volume=26|issue=1|pages=79–89|doi=10.2307/839776|jstor=839776}}</ref> and Mizrahi Jews are not permitted to enter into new polygamous marriages in Israel, though existing polygamous marriages may be maintained. Polygamy may still occur in non-European Jewish communities that exist in countries where it is not forbidden, such as Jewish communities in Iran or Morocco.