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Copyright 2006-9 Judie C. Snelson and The Center for Unhindered Living
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Purposes of Marriage |
Century Life |
Whether you believe in creation or evolution, the answer is basically the same: because some mating practices are better for some species and not so good for others. It depends on a lot of factors. The Creator knew this, and so programmed each species with a certain mating pattern. However, the evolutionary process also came into this because over time conditions change and this might subtly alter the animal's mating practices in order to maximize survival of the species.
Basically what I am saying is, monogamy is good for some animal species and not so good for others. Out of some 4,000 species of mammals, less than three percent are considered truly monogamous. Those considered truly monogamous include duikers, the colobus monkey, and the prairie vole. Baboons are highly polygamous animals, which may help ensure their survival. Wolves and African wild dogs are also monogamous, but mostly due to their unusual pack social structure in which only the alpha female and male mate (1). A lot of times, monogamy is advantageous for a reason. The offspring often require a lot of attention to survive, or they live where food is scarce. It then requires two parents to insure the survival of the offspring. While one is caring for the offspring, the other must go quite some distance to obtain food, or perhaps if the environment is quite hostile, it takes two parents to protect the offspring. Whatever the circumstances, monogamy always exists FOR A REASON, mostly for survival purposes, and not for any moral purpose.
Now let's look at humans. Were human relations always monogamous? Not according to studies of molecular genetic data, which look at and can trace the Y-chromosome back through different human populations. "The Y chromosome is passed mostly unchanged from father to son, along with occassional identifying mutations, allowing a detailed comparison of patrilineal relationships descent within and between families and population groups, just as mitochondrial DNA has permitted comparisons of matrilineal relationships and descent. These comparisons have shed light on the origins of modern humans, our relationships with other primates, how populations spread across the globe and mixed with each other, and how individuals are related to each other". According to the analysis of samples from all continents, it appears that humans have been polygynous for most of their history, with a recent shift from polygyny to monogamy. A small percentage of societies also practiced polyandry.
Why the shift
from
polygyny or polyandry to monogamy? Obviously it happened because
it was beneficial to the population who adopted monogamy AT THE
TIME. It's
not beneficial anymore. See the Purpose of
Marriage
References:
1. Onion, Amanda. (2003). "Lethal Monogamy: Study Finds Mammals That Sleep Around Stick Around." ABCNews.com Available Online: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=97619&page=1
2. Dupanloup I, Pereira L, Bertorelle G, Calafell F, Prata MJ, Amorim A, Barbujani G. Shift from Polygyny to Monogamy. J Mol Evol. 2003 Jul;57(1):85-97.