Can P-NG’s polygamists

become Christians?

From a Port Moresby correspondent

The Anglican Church in Papua-New Guinea is investigat ing the possibility of admitting some polygamists to the pre liminary stages of church membership.

This move—potentially one of nmense religious and social signi :ance in the territory—is the result F careful deliberations on the subject iiring the Anglican Church’s recent iocesan conference ( PIM , Oct., p.

D- Over the years, thoughtful Anglican ergy and laity in Papua-New uinea have become increasingly mcerned over the church’s prevail ig policy, which prevents poly imists from becoming Christians id even bars them from the itechumenate. The catechumenate is le first stage towards church lembership, in which people receive itensive instruction in the faith be ire being baptised.

The proposal now is that church ithorities should explore the pos bility of admitting as catechumens jople who were polygamists before le church came to their area.

A message will go from Papua ew Guinea to next year’s Lambeth onference of Anglican bishops from 1 over the world, asking for a ibate and decision on the matter.

In the meantime, assistant Bishop evan Meredith has been assigned to nd out from other churches in the rritory what their thoughts are on olygamy and how they tackle the roblem.

Remarkable step

To non-Christians, and churchmen npatient for reform, such timid loves, so hedged about with caution, lust seem unadventurous in the (treme.

Yet these moves are in fact re larkable, since they pose searching uestions about traditional church ;achings and could well lead eventu lly to major policy changes.

There are many Christians, both Lite and brown, who oppose these loves to bring selected polygamists loser to the church. They point ut that the church’s teaching on larriage provides only for unmitiga ;d monogamy and are against admit ng polygamists under any terms ther than those currently offered—

, . that is, only if they put away their surplus spouses.

But this is something more easily suggested than done, since quite apart from the feelings of the persons in volved, church Authorities have to be satisfied before admitting a former polygamist as a Christian that the extra spouses can be put away, without hardship or unkindness.

It is not that the opponents of reform mostly sane and com passionate churchmen think that New Guinea polygamists are necessarily bad people. Indeed, they would admit that many of them are

men of excellent character who often strongly support the church in their areas.

It’s simply that they feel that not only must Christian marriage be taught as right, but that it must also manifestly be seen to be right—by the invariable exclusion of poly gamists from church membership.

There’s some force in their argu ment that it would cause confusion among primitive people to be told that monogamy was the only way and then to be introduced to polygamists as fellow Christians.

In fact the new proposal as it now stands is a typical Anglican compromise. While undoubtedly representing a sincere attempt to wrestle with the problem, it actually satisfies neither viewpoint. Most

eople among the reformers seem to ie 1 that the opportunity for ad fission to the catechumenate should e extended to all polygamists, rather lan being confined to those in new fission areas.

However, it is a little hard to ;e what would be gained by allow ig polygamists to become catechu lens without following this stage to s logical conclusion of baptism, Ibviously, such a plan springs from commendable desire to help poly amists more. But what would really e achieved, other than to make them lore knowledgable about the faith ) which they would still be denied ccess?

In a way, raising polygamists to le catechumenate would prove to e an unkinder policy than the total an now placed on them, by show ig them the promised land in detail nd then denying them entry.

There are, though, a number of lore extreme reformers who think ic church should go the whole way nd baptise polygamists as Christians.

Is it a sin?

They argue that by turning away olygamists the church is in effect ;tting up polygamy as an unforgiv ble sin; on professing repentance nd faith in Christ, thieves, mrderers, prostitutes, pimps, dulterers, extortioners, or any other 3rt of sinner, can be baptised and ecome a Christian—but not, ap arently, a polygamist.

There is even doubt in some uarters that polygamy can properly e termed a sin at all in cases where olygamous marriages were con acted before those concerned mbraced Christianity, Guilty or not, by present church ractice polygamists are barred from le two great sacraments of baptism nd communion, both of which the mglican catechism describes as being generally necessary to salvation”.

From this, say the more extreme formers, it may be inferred that le church is withholding from poly amists two mighty means to spiritual ilvation something which they fink it has no right to do.

One of the other jobs given to ishop Meredith is to contact bishops i those parts of Africa where poly amists are reported to have been aptised, to see what problems this as given rise to.

Whatever the outcome of all the liking and investigating, the church dll have shown that it is at least ware of a profound problem in s midst and that, however haltingly. has endeavoured to arrive at a alution.