Dissertation supervised by Dr. George Worgul, Ph.D. Marriage is humanity's essential characterist... more Dissertation supervised by Dr. George Worgul, Ph.D. Marriage is humanity's essential characteristic. It is the essential union between male and female geared towards raising and sustaining rational family life in society. This is what makes people human and differentiate them from other animals. Marriage is a natural institution and a socio-cultural reality in which each group of people should determine, according to their own context. In other words, every institution, society, and culture have a right to choose what type of marriage arrangement that best explains and works for it. Nevertheless, the Western European understanding of marriage, as adopted by the Catholic Church's Magisterium in her teaching, have been presented as a standard for varied cultures and social groups as may exist within the church. This position brought tension between Christianity and polygamous practices in the Church. But it known that Christian marriage, as it now canonized, did not come down from the sky, it is the result of historical development that is still in process. However, to maintain the Churches position, v the code of canon law title seven, cann. 1055-1165, especially cann. 1055.1 presented monogamy as the only acceptable form of marriage. 1 The Catechism of the Catholic church part two, chapter two, article 7 deals exclusively on the sacrament of matrimony, especially nos. 1601-1611 sets monogamy as the acceptable form of marriage in the Church. 2 Moreover, the Christian doctrine determined to obliterate all forms of polygamy long before its encounter with traditional polygamy in Africa. At the encounter of Christianity with African tradition, the former condemned polygamous marriage as a pagan practice and sought to bring it down. Although polygamy was permitted for a certain time, as it appears in the lives of the Old Testament patriarchs such as Abraham, Jacob, and David, with the coming of Christ, polygamy was revoked, Matthew 19:3-9; Mark 10:1-2; and Luke 16:18. So polygamy is thought to be an inadequate institution for expressing oneness, justice, equality and love in marriage. Nevertheless, after many years of Christianization, polygamy in Africa has vivaciously persisted as a cultural institution. But on arrival to the African continent, the Christian missionaries require married converts to Christianity to be monogamous. Those in polygamous marriage prior to their conversion ought to send away their wives but one before receiving baptism. The Church requires polygamous people to send away all wives but one, preferably the first, in order to receive baptism. This requirement is largely viewed by traditional polygamists as in injustice and lack of compassion especially to the wives and children involved. Although, the Church has kept
Dissertation supervised by Dr. George Worgul, Ph.D. Marriage is humanity's essential characterist... more Dissertation supervised by Dr. George Worgul, Ph.D. Marriage is humanity's essential characteristic. It is the essential union between male and female geared towards raising and sustaining rational family life in society. This is what makes people human and differentiate them from other animals. Marriage is a natural institution and a socio-cultural reality in which each group of people should determine, according to their own context. In other words, every institution, society, and culture have a right to choose what type of marriage arrangement that best explains and works for it. Nevertheless, the Western European understanding of marriage, as adopted by the Catholic Church's Magisterium in her teaching, have been presented as a standard for varied cultures and social groups as may exist within the church. This position brought tension between Christianity and polygamous practices in the Church. But it known that Christian marriage, as it now canonized, did not come down from the sky, it is the result of historical development that is still in process. However, to maintain the Churches position, v the code of canon law title seven, cann. 1055-1165, especially cann. 1055.1 presented monogamy as the only acceptable form of marriage. 1 The Catechism of the Catholic church part two, chapter two, article 7 deals exclusively on the sacrament of matrimony, especially nos. 1601-1611 sets monogamy as the acceptable form of marriage in the Church. 2 Moreover, the Christian doctrine determined to obliterate all forms of polygamy long before its encounter with traditional polygamy in Africa. At the encounter of Christianity with African tradition, the former condemned polygamous marriage as a pagan practice and sought to bring it down. Although polygamy was permitted for a certain time, as it appears in the lives of the Old Testament patriarchs such as Abraham, Jacob, and David, with the coming of Christ, polygamy was revoked, Matthew 19:3-9; Mark 10:1-2; and Luke 16:18. So polygamy is thought to be an inadequate institution for expressing oneness, justice, equality and love in marriage. Nevertheless, after many years of Christianization, polygamy in Africa has vivaciously persisted as a cultural institution. But on arrival to the African continent, the Christian missionaries require married converts to Christianity to be monogamous. Those in polygamous marriage prior to their conversion ought to send away their wives but one before receiving baptism. The Church requires polygamous people to send away all wives but one, preferably the first, in order to receive baptism. This requirement is largely viewed by traditional polygamists as in injustice and lack of compassion especially to the wives and children involved. Although, the Church has kept
Dissertation supervised by Dr. George Worgul, Ph.D. Marriage is humanity's essential characterist... more Dissertation supervised by Dr. George Worgul, Ph.D. Marriage is humanity's essential characteristic. It is the essential union between male and female geared towards raising and sustaining rational family life in society. This is what makes people human and differentiate them from other animals. Marriage is a natural institution and a socio-cultural reality in which each group of people should determine, according to their own context. In other words, every institution, society, and culture have a right to choose what type of marriage arrangement that best explains and works for it. Nevertheless, the Western European understanding of marriage, as adopted by the Catholic Church's Magisterium in her teaching, have been presented as a standard for varied cultures and social groups as may exist within the church. This position brought tension between Christianity and polygamous practices in the Church. But it known that Christian marriage, as it now canonized, did not come down from the sky, it is the result of historical development that is still in process. However, to maintain the Churches position, v the code of canon law title seven, cann. 1055-1165, especially cann. 1055.1 presented monogamy as the only acceptable form of marriage. 1 The Catechism of the Catholic church part two, chapter two, article 7 deals exclusively on the sacrament of matrimony, especially nos. 1601-1611 sets monogamy as the acceptable form of marriage in the Church. 2 Moreover, the Christian doctrine determined to obliterate all forms of polygamy long before its encounter with traditional polygamy in Africa. At the encounter of Christianity with African tradition, the former condemned polygamous marriage as a pagan practice and sought to bring it down. Although polygamy was permitted for a certain time, as it appears in the lives of the Old Testament patriarchs such as Abraham, Jacob, and David, with the coming of Christ, polygamy was revoked, Matthew 19:3-9; Mark 10:1-2; and Luke 16:18. So polygamy is thought to be an inadequate institution for expressing oneness, justice, equality and love in marriage. Nevertheless, after many years of Christianization, polygamy in Africa has vivaciously persisted as a cultural institution. But on arrival to the African continent, the Christian missionaries require married converts to Christianity to be monogamous. Those in polygamous marriage prior to their conversion ought to send away their wives but one before receiving baptism. The Church requires polygamous people to send away all wives but one, preferably the first, in order to receive baptism. This requirement is largely viewed by traditional polygamists as in injustice and lack of compassion especially to the wives and children involved. Although, the Church has kept
Dissertation supervised by Dr. George Worgul, Ph.D. Marriage is humanity's essential characterist... more Dissertation supervised by Dr. George Worgul, Ph.D. Marriage is humanity's essential characteristic. It is the essential union between male and female geared towards raising and sustaining rational family life in society. This is what makes people human and differentiate them from other animals. Marriage is a natural institution and a socio-cultural reality in which each group of people should determine, according to their own context. In other words, every institution, society, and culture have a right to choose what type of marriage arrangement that best explains and works for it. Nevertheless, the Western European understanding of marriage, as adopted by the Catholic Church's Magisterium in her teaching, have been presented as a standard for varied cultures and social groups as may exist within the church. This position brought tension between Christianity and polygamous practices in the Church. But it known that Christian marriage, as it now canonized, did not come down from the sky, it is the result of historical development that is still in process. However, to maintain the Churches position, v the code of canon law title seven, cann. 1055-1165, especially cann. 1055.1 presented monogamy as the only acceptable form of marriage. 1 The Catechism of the Catholic church part two, chapter two, article 7 deals exclusively on the sacrament of matrimony, especially nos. 1601-1611 sets monogamy as the acceptable form of marriage in the Church. 2 Moreover, the Christian doctrine determined to obliterate all forms of polygamy long before its encounter with traditional polygamy in Africa. At the encounter of Christianity with African tradition, the former condemned polygamous marriage as a pagan practice and sought to bring it down. Although polygamy was permitted for a certain time, as it appears in the lives of the Old Testament patriarchs such as Abraham, Jacob, and David, with the coming of Christ, polygamy was revoked, Matthew 19:3-9; Mark 10:1-2; and Luke 16:18. So polygamy is thought to be an inadequate institution for expressing oneness, justice, equality and love in marriage. Nevertheless, after many years of Christianization, polygamy in Africa has vivaciously persisted as a cultural institution. But on arrival to the African continent, the Christian missionaries require married converts to Christianity to be monogamous. Those in polygamous marriage prior to their conversion ought to send away their wives but one before receiving baptism. The Church requires polygamous people to send away all wives but one, preferably the first, in order to receive baptism. This requirement is largely viewed by traditional polygamists as in injustice and lack of compassion especially to the wives and children involved. Although, the Church has kept
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