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it be true that Divine Messages are being transmitted to us through
the newspapers? This is
the suggestion
of an associate who, because of his minor muscatel fascination,
cannot always be trusted. But he does make the entertaining point
that this very week, Americans were presented with two front-page
stories whose simultaneous presence “cannot be considered coincidental.”
Because idleness
is our co-pilot, let us take a closer look at his argument.
The first
story concerned the alarming increase in the number of households
led by single mothers. This story, based on census figures, was
hardly surprising — astute and highly reviled social scientists
have been talking about this for years. Nonetheless, the news is
grim because of its personal and societal implications, both for
the mothers, who will have a hard time scratching out a living,
and their children, who will have an increased chance of growing
up poor, illiterate, vicious, and routinely stoned.
The other
story was about a professed Utah Mormon who is now on trial for
polygamy. This is a rare prosecution, especially in light of suspicions
that a respectable rump of Mormons continue to walk the trail blazed
by founder Joseph Smith, who may have had as many as 52 wives. In
any event, my associate sees a Divine Hand at work here. By unleashing
these two events simultaneously, he argues, the Almighty is telling
us that polygamy is at least part of the solution to our larger
social problem.
This is a
provocative theory, to say the least. The Western tradition, for
one thing, has determined that polygamy is contrary to sound social
policy and sound theology as well. Why would the good Lord, who
is thought to be very pro-Western in His views, advocate such a
policy — and be reduced to using the public press to advance
the cause?
Such questions
of course have no answers. As it happens, however, there is a small
but vocal lobby that insists the Lord is indeed on the side of the
polygamists, including a fellow named Pastor Steve, who heads the
appropriately named Broken Shackle Ministries. The organization’s
organizing Verse is Galatians 5:13: “You, my brothers, were called
to be free.” His web address is bfree.org,
where a visitor finds Pastor Steve pictured with four women, all
of whom are smiling.
The pastor
explains his position this way: “Biblical Patriarchy is a family
chain of loving authority proceeding from Father God as Head of
Christ, through Christ as Head of man and man as head of woman.
It is evident that through this order God’s Headship and its blessings
are extended outward in a flow of His loving family government to
all who willingly choose to be so governed. Biblical Patriarchy
is not thus narrow and exclusive but is broad and expansive —
meant to provide a place in God’s order for all his sons and daughters.
This is the true principle behind Biblical polygamy.”
While some
will call him a radical, Pastor Steve reminds us that his views
are quite ancient. Solomon, a fellow with his own book in the Bible,
had 700 wives--plus 300 concubines. Holy bedsores, one might observe.
In a more serious vein, the pastor writes, “It is known that many
of God’s faithful patriarchs had plural wives and large families.
Examples are Abraham, Jacob and David, to name a few.” This all
came to an end when the “traditional Church adopted Roman forced
monogamy early on, along with many other Roman ideas and practices,
and is still under the influence of this unbiblical skewed view
of marriage and morality today. However, there is nothing in Jesus’
teachings or in the teachings of the apostles that has reversed
Biblical polygamy as being allowable according to the Scriptures.
It is not required of everyone. However, it is allowed to anyone
who is called to it.”
One senses
that with the right management, Pastor Steve could go places in
this world. Meanwhile, another pro-polygamy site tells us that “Among
the 849 human societies examined by the anthropologist Murdock (1967),
the vast majority (83%) practiced polygamy, men having more than
one wife; monogamy was characteristic of only 16% of the societies."
Anthropologists, of course, can be vicious liars, but cool-headed
observers, including the New York Times, report that polygamy
indeed is quite popular in some parts of the world, especially Africa.
All of which
returns us to the larger question: Can polygamy be a partial solution
to the plague of fatherlessness sweeping the land? To answer this
question, vast powers of theorizing must be brought to bear. While
many women are single parents for understandable reasons, some would
no doubt marry if a suitable man could be found. Many times, of
course, that is not possible, while in other cases various “issues”
may spook possible suitors: a thick waistline, a thin salary, or
a couple of malevolent and heavily armed children. By forming a
small cartel, however, a group of like-minded women could offer
an attractive and perhaps irresistible signing package — perhaps
including a Barcolounger and satellite television — in exchange
for which the male would make his own contributions, including duty
as a father figure.
Well, maybe.
As for myself, polygamy seems a hellish choice. My view of the appropriate
number of wives echoes what the Unitarians say regarding the likely
number of Gods: One at most. Yet such specialization is a sign of
advancement, and we are clearly in serious decline. To return to
my friend’s theological theme: Perhaps the Almighty is out to lure
humanity back down the ladder it earlier ascended, and when a predetermined
low point is reached, will reach over, click off the sun, and proclaim
“Good Riddance, turkeys!”
Of course,
that may simply be the muscatel talking.
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