If the Heavenly Father has no law against polygamy and Jesus Christ did not speak against it in the Holy Bible, how could it be sinful?
Sina Adedipe
One thing I have realized from the reactions of readers in the ten years that I have been writing on polygamy in this column is that those who say the Heavenly Father is against multiple marriage, are people who had not read all the chapters in the 39 Books in the Old Testament. Consequently, they do not know that the Lord in Exodus 21:10 – 11 and Deuteronomy 21:15 – 17 gave orders to polygamous husbands on how to treat their wives and children to avoid conflict and have peace in their homes.
READ ALSO: Sins anti–polygamy preachers commit (2)
Also, because they had not read all the chapters in the 27 Books in the New Testament, the anti – polygamy preachers do not know that during the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus spoke on marriage or love relationship between a man and woman in Matthew 5:27 – 32, that he only dealt with and condemned adultery and divorce. He said nothing about monogamy or polygamy because God did not prescribe either of them for husbands in the Old Testament, let alone forbid multiple – marriage.
But the anti – polygamy preachers deceitfully and mischievously use what Jesus said in answering a question on divorce in Matthew 19: 4 – 6, which had nothing to do with monogamy or polygamy, to say he was telling a man to have one wife. I will return to this later to show the absurdity, hollowness or worthlessness of their interpretation, indeed misinterpretation, of the Lord’s statement.
This is what the Ancient of Days said in the Good News Bible on polygamy in Exodus 21: 10 – 11, the next chapter after He gave the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20: 1 – 17: “if a man takes a second wife, he must continue to give his wife the same amount of food and clothing and the same rights that she had before. “If he does not fulfill these duties to her, he must set her free and not receive any payment.” This is reference to the dowry he paid to the wife’s dad.
In Deuteronomy 21:15 – 17 where He spoke on inheritance the Most High said: “Suppose a man has two wives and they both bear him sons, but the first son is not the child of his favourite wife. When the man decides how he is going to divide his property among his children, he is not to show partiality to the son of his favourite wife by giving him the share that belongs to the first – born son.
READ ALSO: Sins anti-polygamy preachers commit (3)
“He is to give a double share of his possession to his first son, even though he is not the son
of his favourite wife. A man must acknowledge his first son and give him the share he is legally entitled to.”
Also, in Leviticus 18:8 and Deuteronomy 22:30, the Supreme Being told the sons of a polygamous father not to have intercourse with the other wife or wives of their old man. He said if they did otherwise they would only be disgracing their dad.
Would the King of kings have given polygamous husbands rules or guidelines to guarantee harmony in their families, if He was against a man engaging in multiple marriage? If the Heavenly Father has no law against polygamy and Jesus Christ did not speak against it in the Holy Bible, how could it be sinful, ungodly or unchristian for a Christian to marry more than one wife?
Next week: Exposing the ignorance, poor intelligence and ridiculous reasoning of the pastors and others who claim that Almighty God in Genesis 2:24 and Jesus Christ in Matthew 19:4 – 6, were instructing a man to be monogamous.
READ ALSO: Sins anti–polygamy preachers commit (4) – restitution
_______________________________
Phenomenal matriarch of the Adedipes, Falaes, Ade–Ojo and others (15)
In the 42 years Ondo State has been in existence, since 1976, the political appointments made from Akure by either military administrators or elected governors have been more from the descendants of Elemo Adedipe I or that of an half – brother of his, than from the forebear of any other patriarch or matriarch in our hometown. It began in October 1979 when Barrister Alexander Adeniyi Adedipe of blessed memory (1944 – 92), alias Aleco or Aleko of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), was chosen by his colleagues as the pioneer Majority Leader in the Ondo State House of Assembly. Alex was the descendant of Pa Olofin, one of the half – siblings of Elemo Adedipe I, but not a progeny of our Ilara – Mokin – born matriarch Mama Fatile Atoosin.
I was the first descendant of hers to be offered political appointment by the Ondo State Government when the military administration of Navy Captain Olabode George (1987 – 91) in December 1987 invited me to be a Commissioner in his cabinet. But as I had cause to disclose a few months ago I declined because I preferred to continue as the Editor of the Sunday Concord, a position to which I was appointed in March 1984. I served until May 1989.
Another reason for my action was that I was fourteen months older than Governor George whom I had known in 1965 in our boyhood years on Lagos Island and therefore could not see myself serving under him. Since protocol would make me to start saying Your Excellency or “yes sir”, to someone I had been on a first-name calling relationship with.
Or saying ‘yes ma’ to his wife who was younger than him, and whom I had known since 1967 through a mutual friend who later became Honourable Justice (Mrs.) Ayotunde Philips (nee Williams), a former Chief Judge of Lagos State. I had been calling her Feyi and could not imagine a situation in which the three of us would be together in Akure or Lagos and I would be calling Ayo by her name and be respecting Feyi with Your Excellency and saying ‘yes ma’ to her when she calls me or in response to her statements.
To be continued next week with the non-cabinet appointment I accepted from Governor George to serve in a government-owned company located in Lagos.
______________________________________
Ebenezer Babatope, the great (16)
Although Ebino and I are music – buff, but unlike him who was a vocalist with two bands at different times in our youth, I was not a musician. But I had three close friends who were and I was present at a number of performances by their bands. Two of them belonged to two of the three most popular hip hop bands in the country in the 1960s. While the third, played with a professional band in Ibadan, Chris Ajilo and his Cubanos.
The Lagos – based part – time bands of young men were the Soul Assembly and Cyclops. The members of the former included the late trio of Segun Bucknor, the Nelson – Cole brothers, Michael (Mike) and David (Dave), who were guitarists and Eddie Odedina (a.k.a. Eddie Small, because of his shortness).