Are Muslims who practice polygamy guilty of adultery?

[Holly3278]

Hi everyone. Are Muslims who practice polygamy guilty of adultery? I ask this because we know that one can only truly be married to one spouse. So, would they be considered by the Catholic Church to be guilty of adultery? Sorry if this is a silly question.

 

[Reuben_J]

Hi everyone. Are Muslims who practice polygamy guilty of adultery? I ask this because we know that one can only truly be married to one spouse. So, would they be considered by the Catholic Church to be guilty of adultery? Sorry if this is a silly question.

Is this thread opens to non-Muslims? Catholic got this one wrong so it seems. Solomon and David practiced polygamy many times more than the four wives quota, except for the Prophet , and so polygamy is allowed by God. Don’t know where Catholic got the teaching that it is prohibited.

 

[Jay53]

Is this thread opens to non-Muslims? Catholic got this one wrong so it seems. Solomon and David practiced polygamy many times more than the four wives quota, except for the Prophet , and so polygamy is allowed by God. Don’t know where Catholic got the teaching that it is prohibited.

I needed that. Thank you.

 

[leopolis1]

Yes, they are. Islam allows it, but God doesn’t.

 

[1ke]

Hi everyone. Are Muslims who practice polygamy guilty of adultery? I ask this because we know that one can only truly be married to one spouse. So, would they be considered by the Catholic Church to be guilty of adultery? Sorry if this is a silly question.

Polygamy is a sin against the Sixth Commandment. From the Catechism:

2400 Adultery, divorce, polygamy, and free union are grave offenses against the dignity of marriage.

Moreover, a person living in polygamy who wishes to convert must renounce polygamy:

2387 The predicament of a man who, desiring to convert to the Gospel, is obliged to repudiate one or more wives with whom he has shared years of conjugal life, is understandable. However polygamy is not in accord with the moral law." [Conjugal] communion is radically contradicted by polygamy; this, in fact, directly negates the plan of God which was revealed from the beginning, because it is contrary to the equal personal dignity of men and women who in matrimony give themselves with a love that is total and therefore unique and exclusive." The Christian who has previously lived in polygamy has a grave duty in justice to honor the obligations contracted in regard to his former wives and his children.

 

[Crazy_Diamond]

Don’t know where Catholic got the teaching that it is prohibited.

Roman/Greek culture required a maximum of one wife. Gentile converts to Christianity imported monogamy as a marriage requirement. Neither OT nor NT ever condemns polygamy. However, there are plenty of difficulties with the practice. It’s obviously one that could not easily be practiced with excellent adherence to moral requirements. I can understand how it’s a very, very, very bad idea for the vast majority.

In answer to the OP, my understanding of Catholic doctrine is that a polygamist is automatically guilty of adultery/fornication. However, regaining good standing requires more than just booting the extra wives and kids - there are still obligations of financial support and fatherhood that must be met.

 

[Ruthie]

Roman/Greek culture required a maximum of one wife. Gentile converts to Christianity imported monogamy as a marriage requirement.

Not true. Read Gen. 2:18-24. Note that all the parts I bolded are singular, not plural.

Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”…So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh; 22 and the rib which the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,
“This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
**she **shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man.”
24 Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh.

Like Jesus, I say that, even though David and Solomon were polygamous, “From the beginning it was not so.” (Mt 19:8)

YSIC,

Ruthie

 

[Crazy_Diamond]

Not true. Read Gen. 2:18-24. Note that all the parts I bolded are singular, not plural.

Monogamy is clearly the ideal; however, nowhere does either OT or NT condemn polygamy.

Like Jesus, I say that, even though David and Solomon were polygamous, “From the beginning it was not so.” (Mt 19:8)

He wasn’t answering a question about polygamy at all. It had nothing to do with David or Solomon, who never “put away” any of their wives. In fact, the original question had little to do with divorce, either:

3The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?

From what I’ve read, the practice of “putting away” was a lot more like technically legal abandonment.

4And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,

5And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?

6Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.

Jesus utterly condemns this sort of abandonment. Then the Pharisees try to trap him by shifting the subject:

7They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?

A writ of divorcement left her free to marry again; “putting away” really didn’t.

That passage didn’t have anything to do with polygamy, but with dishonest breaking of marriage ties.

Monogamy’s clearly the ideal. However, the Scriptures leave polygamy open as an option. I do think churches ought to severely limit the sorts of people allowed to marry polygamously to a very narrow set. However, I can’t condemn the practice as a general rule, since Scripture doesn’t. I don’t honestly know what I’d do if someone I knew wanted to marry polygamously. It would probably take at least a year of serious conversations to convince me that the people involved could handle it. I’d have to do one big boatload of research on the practical aspects of the subject.

 

[Reuben_J]

…

Monogamy’s clearly the ideal. However, the Scriptures leave polygamy open as an option. I do think churches ought to severely limit the sorts of people allowed to marry polygamously to a very narrow set. However, I can’t condemn the practice as a general rule, since Scripture doesn’t. I don’t honestly know what I’d do if someone I knew wanted to marry polygamously. It would probably take at least a year of serious conversations to convince me that the people involved could handle it. I’d have to do one big boatload of research on the practical aspects of the subject.

I can understand your argument and I am sympathetic to it.

In the final analysis, the question would be, does the Bible (Church) allows polygamy or not? The answer is of course an obvious no.

Many things are not stated explicitly in the Bible but also we are not Sola Scriptural. We also have the Magestrium and Sacred Tradition as sources of our teachings. Having said that any practical ways for living for Christians then must conform to the value of the Bible / God. That’s why polygamy is a no no.

My rationale for no polygamy simply is to be found in the beginning which Jesus confirmed as he quoted the same verse in the Gospel. Gen 2:24 (NAB) That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body. In other translation the words cleave and flesh is being used.

By becoming one flesh rules out polygamous marriage because it would break the sacred command of one flesh. Thus we cannot bring in the practice of polygamy in our marriage. The rest of moral teachings on sex and marriage I think derive from this principle.

In some earlier thread I did post on this issue and one of my observations was polygamous marriage by the patriarch and kings of the OT only brought about bad things and misfortunes. I did use the word curse but I guess it is too strong. And this is true. It seems all polygamous marriage led to something bad and unfortunate for them.

 

[Xiaahmad]

I would like to ask Christians frnd here to show me:

Any where in bible:

**Where POLYGAMY IS CONDEMNED or PPL WHO PRACTICED IT ARE CONDEMNED COZ OF POLYGAMY **

 

[cathopologist]

I would like to ask Christians frnd here to show me:

Any where in bible:

**Where POLYGAMY IS CONDEMNED or PPL WHO PRACTICED IT ARE CONDEMNED COZ OF POLYGAMY **

"For we forecast what may be good not only before God, but also before men."

• 2 Corinthians 8:21

A Christian’s first rule of thumb. Never to misrepresent God’s intention to please the greed or lust of men or women.

Genesis 2:20-24: God put a husband and wife together to become one. He did not put four wives and a husband together. He took one of Adam’s ribs, not four ribs.

 

[Reuben_J]

I would like to ask Christians frnd here to show me:

Any where in bible:

**Where POLYGAMY IS CONDEMNED or PPL WHO PRACTICED IT ARE CONDEMNED COZ OF POLYGAMY **

To me, maybe I can’t or may I can if I try hard enough. To me it is not important because we are not Sola Scriptural, meaning we do not get all our teachings from the Bible alone. We have the Magestrium and Sacred Traditions, the latter having produced the Bible.

I do not know what the purpose of the question because Christianity forbids polygamy regardless of our answer if any, to your question.

If you want to discuss about polygamy as a whole you are welcome. Then we can go into the why and the what of it.

 

[inJESUS]

I would like to ask Christians frnd here to show me:

Any where in bible:

**Where POLYGAMY IS CONDEMNED or PPL WHO PRACTICED IT ARE CONDEMNED COZ OF POLYGAMY **

God did not condemn polygamy, but it is not the ideal and the Bible mentions its bad consequences, just as God did not condemn divorce but it is not the ideal and Jesus points out to the original plan by saying no divorce and one man to one woman, not a group by quoting the very begining of the OT, Genesis. In the Quran you read explicit command from Allah for all men to take up to 4 women in addition to right hand possessions. Where does God in the Bible give a direct command that all men can be polygamous?
there isn’t, as far as i know.

 

[inJESUS]

As to Muslims, they are following what Muhammad did and thaught, defending the practice by looking at Solomon and David. So they aren’t following what God revealed in the very begining but what some men (not all) did later, nor are they following Jesus so to them it it not adultry; to us, they are following the practice of men and not God’s ideal for marriage. And mind you that Islam allows divorce in case of polygamy, if the woman chooses so, which means Islam allows both polygamy and divorce *because *of polygamy though Allah *hates *divorce but in case of polygamy it is ok for males’ sake. I cannot see a better example for “harshness of hearts”.

 

[ralphinal]

Any honest married man, away from his wife, will agree with me.

There is NO WAY an all-knowing God would encourage polygamy. One wife is enough to send a man to his grave. More than one is tourture.

Trust me on this. It is the strongest indictment of Islam and LDS being inspired.

 

[rmcmullan]

I believe that polygamy is distinct from adultery. There is no vow to be broken if they are married. Adultery can be committed in a polygamous marriage only when the man takes one he is not married to or when the women gives herself to one she is not married to.

This is a fairly legalistic response but the question is fairly legalistic too.

 

[Reuben_J]

Any honest married man, away from his wife, will agree with me.

There is NO WAY an all-knowing God would encourage polygamy. One wife is enough to send a man to his grave. More than one is tourture.

Trust me on this. It is the strongest indictment of Islam and LDS being inspired.

Not if you consider them ‘property’ to be beaten when necessary. Not if you can have eleven women at one sitting or is it one night? People who fit in this category would find polygamy advantageous whether God allows it or not. If God does not allow it, what prevent them to set up their own rule, which it seems to be the case.

 

[ralphinal]

Not if you consider them ‘property’ to be beaten when necessary. Not if you can have eleven women at one sitting or is it one night? People who fit in this category would find polygamy advantageous whether God allows it or not. If God does not allow it, what prevent them to set up their own rule, which it seems to be the case.

Perhaps it would be a good idea to read the reasons in the Qur’an that allow for polygamy.

Can you list the reasons it is allowed for us?

 

[ralphinal]

I believe that polygamy is distinct from adultery. There is no vow to be broken if they are married. Adultery can be committed in a polygamous marriage only when the man takes one he is not married to or when the women gives herself to one she is not married to.

This is a fairly legalistic response but the question is fairly legalistic too.

Perhaps, perhaps not.

What are the words of marriage in Islam?

You know that in Christianity, we do have the “forsaking all others” which does create a vow that is broken by polygamy.

 

[rmcmullan]

You know that in Christianity, we do have the “forsaking all others” which does create a vow that is broken by polygamy.

Not all Christianity uses those words. And even where they are, I’m not sure that they are understood to imply a vow of monogamy or of fidelity.