What other religions allow polygamy (7 photos)

It is widely known that polygamous marriages are allowed in Islam, where every Muslim, according to the Koran, can have up to four wives.





In addition to Islam, polygamy is also permissible in Buddhism, Judaism and Hinduism. So, the only religion that condemns polygamous marriages is Christianity.



In Judaism, polygamy becomes acceptable if the first wife is infertile, when a woman is saved from poverty, or when a man takes custody of the widow of a deceased brother.

And according to the fifth book of the Torah, Deuteronomy, a married warrior could marry his captive a second time if she agreed to this and converted to Judaism.





Hindus also have interesting rules about polygamy. Here, several faithful people are a sign of elitism. Shudras, for example, are a lower caste and only monogamous marriages are available to them. Vaishyas allow two spouses, Kshatriyas - three, and Brahmins - no more than four.



In Buddhism, polygamous marriages are not regulated at all. A person decides for himself, focusing on his life goals: to marry several times, once, or even remain single.



Why is polygamy prohibited in Christianity?

All confessions (Orthodoxy, Protestantism: Catholicism and the Ancient Eastern Churches) consider polygamy as a crime. The Bible says that a wife and husband are one and only the first marriage is blessed by God.

Among Catholics, a man can divorce and remarry only three times. The first marriage is sacred, the second is tolerated as a forced shame, and the third is the dirtiest act, which is little better than fornication.



But there were precedents. In the mid-13th century, the Pope gave permission for a second marriage for Count Ernst Gleichen of Thuringia. The ban was violated because of the daughter of the Ottoman Sultan, whom Ernst brought from the Crusade. A Turkish woman fell in love with him and helped him escape from his father's captivity.

In 1539, the founder of Protestantism, Martin Luther, went against the rules. He blessed the bigamist Philip of Hesse. This was a political move and Martin was simply afraid that if he did not do this, then Philip and his entire army would convert to Catholicism.



From the point of view of evolution, humans are characterized by all forms of marital relations: monogamy, polygamy, polygyny and polyandry.

Researchers analyzed different families in Tanzania and came to the conclusion that people of both sexes living in polygamous marriages were happier than others. An important factor influencing life satisfaction was material well-being, and polygamists are usually wealthy.

By the way, British ecologist Virpi Lummaa received interesting data in 2008 that polygamists live longer than monogamous people.