Q. I am 23 years old, I don't believe in God, and I'm very interested in living polygamously. I've kept myself celibate and intend to be faithful to my wives. How can I go about converting women to this lifestyle and can you give me any other advice?

My knowledge is limited to Christian/Messianic polygamy and to a lesser extent Mormon and Moslem. To be successful generally in polygamy does absolutely require a common set of beliefs and hierarchical structure based on love. I have seen many polygamous relationships break-up because these things were not in place. And unless you're a massochist, it just isn't worth all the suffering when things inevitably go wrong. The secret of our success is, I believe, because our marriage is empowered by Christ and runs along the railtrack of a carefully assembled doctrine and practice of life which we believe to be immutable. These are the core ingredients - the scaffolding and the power house - that make it so successful. Without it you will have a marriage like a fish without bones, a direction that is aimless or always changing, and a powerhouse which is as strong as you are individually. Without the common goal any polyganmous relationship will quickly disintegrate into multiple monogamy (wives headed in different directions), disharmony, and eventual dissolution. Unless you intend to make your wives prisoners (chattels), the only form of polygamy that really works is Christian/Messianic. Were I in your shoes right now, I'd settle for monogamy.

Author: SBSK