Yes. Polygamy is forbidden by the Book of Mormon. Verses mentioning polygamy are:
Jacob 2:27
Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none.
Jacob 3:5
Behold, the Lamanites your brethren, whom ye hate because of their filthiness and the cursing which hath come upon their skins, are more righteous than you; for they have not forgotten the commandment of the Lord, which was given unto our father-that they should have save it were one wife, and concubines they should have none, and there should not be whoredoms committed among them.
Adultery is strongly condemned in the bible.
Well... Let's throw a bit of cold water on that idea.
Remember, the concept of what a marriage is has changed over the 4000+ years that the texts making up the modern Christian Bible have been written.
The both Testaments are fairly clear on the concept of adultery - it is explicitly forbidden, and considered a sin.
That said, both Testaments are pretty fuzzy about what a "marriage" actually is, though the New Testament is more rigidly defined marriage. What modern day Western society thinks of as a marriage is mostly based on the New Testament, where only two persons are involved.
As marriage in the Old Testament days was not a legal concept, but a social construct, who you were "married" to was rather mutable, and "divorce" wasn't really a concept as we think of it today.
For instance, if your brother died, you (as a surviving brother) were duty-bound to bring the widow into your own house and provide for her and her children. Depending on the scholarly interpretation, "provide" for her may also included sexual relations (assuming she was willing). This is NOT adultery.
Likewise, servants were part of the household, and sexual relations with them were not forbidden. Abraham (the "father" of all three major Abrahamic religions - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) explicitly had sex with Hagar (a handmaiden to his wife) to have a son, as his wife Sarah was barren.
In addition, the concept of polygamy isn't well addressed by the Old Testament, most likely because it was a rather common practice (or, more correctly, activities of the Israelites which modern day people would call polygamy were not considered as such). Islam expands on the concepts found in the Bible via the Quran, which does explicitly permit polygamy.
If we're going to be generalizing, then we can say that the New Testament recognizes monogamous marriage only, while the Old Testament doesn't have much to say on the topic at all.
In terms of sexual relations, the simple truth is that neither Testament really condemn sex outside of marriage. They condemn fornication in many places, but it's hard to call this strictly true. The reason being is that while fornication is repeatedly called out as a sin, many other places in the Bible explicitly approve of what should plainly be labeled fornication. And, of course, much of this has to do with failure to really be specific about what "marriage" actually is. In that context, while monogamous relations (not just marriages) are plainly "preferred" by the Bible, polygamous relationships are much fuzzier in their approval/prohibition.
Because men in the ancient Arab/Jewish societys could keep as many wives as they liked. women were powerless to do anything about it.
No, it is not practiced in bible. However people of biblical times practiced it.
No.
The first documented person to practice polygamy is Lamech in the Old Testament of the Bible. His marriage to two wives is found in Genesis 4. Many other men in the Bible practiced polygamy, such as Abraham, Solomon, David, and Jacob. Polygamy is also found in many societies which do not believe in the Bible, and in most cases that practice dates to ancient times before written history.
Yes, polygamy is still practiced in the United States by some groups of people, but not with legal consent.
Polygamy may be practiced by all classes where it is legal.
No it is not
Brigham Young practiced polygamy because he believed that God had commanded him to do so.
There are several problems with this question: First, Polygamy did not enter the Mormon church until 13 years after it began. It was not practiced by the membership of the church until 1843. Second, nowhere in Mormon doctrine does it say that God is a polygamist. This is not an official doctrine of the church. Third, Mormons do not deny that the church practiced polygamy from 1843 to 1890. Just because they ended the practice doesn't mean they deny it ever happend. But, to answer the question, yes. The majority of Americans do know that early Mormons practiced polygamy. In fact, many polls have indicated that polygamy is the first thing people think of when they hear the word "Mormon." The church is trying to change this, as they haven't practiced polygamy for over 120 years.
Polygamy is practiced in every country for many reasons, including religious belief, social norms, and personal desire.
Polygamy was legal for the Ancient Egyptians. Although polygamy was legal it was generally only practiced by the wealthy the prospect of paying maintenance to several women must have reduced the practice.
Study polygamy or practice polygamy? JWs dont do either one :)
Several religious groups believe in or allow polygamy, including Muslims, some Hindus, and some Christians. Anciently (in Biblical times) Jews commonly practiced polygamy as well.
To my knowledge, Quakers have never practiced polygamy.
As Jordan is a Muslim country, men may have up to four wives (with constraints like consent and necessity also applying); this form of polygamy is called polygyny. However, women may not have more than one husband.