Sadly, in today’s materialistic world, many parents are like Laban. And some are far worse. According to one African newspaper, some marriages are negotiated “simply for the sake of profiteering by greedy fathers.” Another factor is economic pressure that tempts some parents into viewing their daughters as a means of easing a financial crisis.a

Some parents hold their daughters back from marriage because they are waiting for the highest bidder. This can cause serious problems. A newspaper reporter stationed in eastern Africa wrote: “Young people choose to elope to escape excessive dowries demanded by tenacious in-laws.” Sexual immorality is one of the problems caused by the demand for a high bride-price. Furthermore, some young men manage to buy a wife but are left in heavy debt. “Parents should be reasonable,” urged a South African social worker. “They should not demand high amounts. The newly married couple need to live . . . So why bankrupt the young man?”

How can Christian parents set an example of reasonableness when negotiating for the payment or receipt of a bride-price? This is a serious matter, for the Bible commands: “Let your reasonableness become known to all men.”—Philippians 4:5.

Reasonable Bible Principles

Whether Christian parents decide to negotiate for a bride-price or not is a personal decision. If they choose to do so, such negotiations should be conducted in harmony with Bible principles. “Let your manner of life be free of the love of money,” says God’s Word. (Hebrews 13:5) If this principle is not evident in marriage negotiations, a Christian parent might be making manifest that he is not a good example. Men with responsible positions in the Christian congregation are to be “reasonable,” not ‘lovers of money’ or “greedy of dishonest gain.” (1 Timothy 3:3, 8) A Christian who greedily and unrepentantly extorts a high bride-price may even be disfellowshipped from the congregation.—1 Corinthians 5:11, 13; 6:9, 10.

Because of the problems caused by greed, some governments have enacted laws that set a ceiling on the bride-price.

Greed for a high bride-price has overtaken some Christians and has led to tragic consequences. For example, consider this report from another branch office of the Watch Tower Society: “It is generally hard for single brothers to get married or for sisters to find mates. The consequence is a growing number of disfellowshippings because of sexual immorality. Some brothers go to the mines in search of gold or diamonds that they can sell in order to have sufficient means to get married. This may take them one or two years or more, and they usually become weak spiritually as they get away from the association with the brothers and the congregation.”