Money corrupts part one

A few years ago, the government of Mongolia experienced a small windfall from mining operations in Mongolia. That year’s election campaign issue became how to best spend that extra money. Some politicians promised one thing, other politicians promised another. After the election was done and the votes were taken, the government passed a bill giving about $400 to each newly married couple. At the time, that amount of money was equivalent to about two months wages in Mongolia.

I am certain that the government had the best intentions. For example, second marriages were not allowed to obtain the bonus which was reserved only for first marriages. The thought was that the money would provide newly married couples with new opportunities. The marriages were required to be properly registered.

Despite the government’s best intentions the program was severely abused. The number of marriages in the first year of the program were three times as many as the previous year. We had Mongolian friends who had been living together for years—had two children together—who “got married” and asked the government for their $400.

A few years after this government program, a lady began coming to my church. She surprised me one day with the question: “Can I divorce my husband?” As I probed as to her marital status and problems, she told me that her and her husband had never loved each other.

“Then why did you get married?” I asked.

“To collect the $400,” she responded without any hint of regret. “We split the money $200 a piece.”

My point is this: any time the government offers to give away money, it will affect people’s behavior. Someone might say, “But don’t we want to see young people married to each other rather than living together?”

Yes, we do. However, in too many cases in Mongolia, young people were “getting married” merely to collect $200 each. Such is not a Biblical purpose for marriage. Rather than strengthen the institution of marriage in Mongolia, the offer of money only encouraged frivolous marriage. The overall effect was to weaken the institution of marriage in Mongolia.

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