Saya kira permasalahan melihat POLIGAMI antara ISLAM dan KRISTEN itu dari perbedaaan
cara mereka memperlakukan perempuan di Al-Kitab. Jadi, kita paham bahwa mereka anti
POLIGAMI.
Polygamy in the Bible:
The sections of this article are:
- Polygamy in the Bible.
- A brief look at polygamy in the Old Testament.
- Polygamy in the New Testament. Jesus allowed polygamy.
- Jesus' parable allows polygamy between 1 man and 5 women!
- My Challenge to all Christians.
- Some Christians believe that the Old Testament prohibited Polygamy.
See my rebuttal to Deuteronomy 17:17.
- Do Paul's 1 Timothy 3:2 and 1 Timothy 3:12 prove that polygamy
is prohibited in the Bible?
- Christians are hypocrites for following ONLY 1 Timothy 3:2 and 1 Timothy 3:12.
- 1 Kings 11:1-4 does not condemn polygamy!
- Conclusion.
There is a widely prevailing misconception about the Bible's New Testament prohibiting
polygamy. The Bible allows polygamy in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.
Please don't forget to visit the Christian sites that agree with Polygamy in the New
Testament that I linked to at the end of this page.
A brief look at polygamy in the Old Testament:
Let us look at some of the verses from the Old Testament that allow polygamy:
In Exodus 21:10, a man can marry an infinite amount of women without any limits to how
many he can marry.
In 2 Samuel 5:13; 1 Chronicles 3:1-9, 14:3, King David had six wives and numerous
concubines.
In 1 Kings 11:3, King Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines.
In 2 Chronicles 11:21, King Solomon's son Rehoboam had 18 wives and 60 concubines.
In Deuteronomy 21:15 "If a man has two wives, and he loves one but not the other, and
both bear him sons...."
There are a lot more verses from the Old Testament that allow polygamy, but I think
that the above are sufficient enough to prove my point.
Polygamy in the New Testament:
Here is a small quote from a Christian (R.M.) who agrees with Polygamy:
Hello,
I was just reading your article on polygamy. I am a Christian who
actually believes polygamy is a righteous form of marriage. Despite the
modern secular church you probably usually see, there are Christians who
are serious about God and Truth over men's traditions.
Another small quote from a Christian Pastor who agrees with Polygamy:
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: Thu, 7 Jun 2001 22:07:57 EDT
Subject: Your statement on Polygamy
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Great article for the most part. I am a born-again Christian and a pastor who
not only supports the Biblical teaching of polygamy but I also practice it. I
have two wives and seven children so far....
Before I present the verses from the New Testament that allow polygamy, I first would
like to prove to you that Jesus peace be upon him did honor the laws of the Old
Testament, and did order his followers (the Christians as we call them) to follow the
laws of the Old Testament:
Jesus said: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law (the Old Testament) or
the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the
truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke
or a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law (the Old Testament) until
everything is accomplished. (Matthew 5:17-18)"
Christians always say as an excuse "Oh this law doesn't exist in the New Testament, it
is only the Old Testament." Well, according to Matthew 5:17-18 above, we clearly see
that Jesus honored the Old Testament, and forces Christians to follow the unmodified
laws of it that have not been replaced by newer ones in the New Testament. The Old
Testament as we clearly see above does indeed allow polygamy without a shadow of a
doubt !!.
There is not a single verse from the New Testament that prohibits polygamy.
Christians usually mistakenly present the following verses from the Bible to prove
that polygamy in the New Testament is not allowed:
Matthew 19:1-12 "1. When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and
went into the region of Judea to
the other side of the Jordan.
2. Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
3. Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to
divorce his wife for any and every reason?"
4. "Haven't you read," he (Jesus) replied, "that at the beginning the Creator `made
them male and female,'
5. and said, `For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to
his wife, and the two will become one flesh' ?
6. So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man
not separate."
7. "Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate
of divorce and send her away?"
8. Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were
hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.
9. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness,
and marries another woman commits adultery."
10. The disciples said to him, "If this is the situation between a husband and wife,
it is better not to marry."
11. Jesus replied, "Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has
been given.
12. For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by
men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who
can accept this should accept it."
In the above verses, we see that Jesus was approached with a question about whether or
not it is allowed for a man to divorce his wife in Matthew 19:3. Jesus immediately
referred to the Old Testament for the answer in Matthew 19:4. He referred to Adam and
Eve, one man and one woman. The Old Testament does talk about the story of Adam and
Eve as one husband and one wife. However, the Old Testament which Jesus had referred
to in Matthew 19:3 does allow polygamy.
Also, when a man becomes a one flesh with his wife in Matthew 19:5-6, this doesn't
mean that the man can't be one flesh with another woman. He can be one flesh with his
first wife, and one flesh with his second wife, and one flesh with his third wife and
so on.... To further prove this point, let us look at the following from the New
Testament:
Matthew 22:23-32 "23. That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection,
came to him with a question.
24. "Teacher," they said, "Moses told us that if a man dies without having children,
his brother must marry the widow and have children for him.
25. Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since
he had no children, he left his wife to his brother.
26. The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the
seventh.
27. Finally, the woman died.
28. Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of
them were married to her?"
29. Jesus replied, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the
power of God.
30. At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will
be like the angels in heaven.
31. But about the resurrection of the dead--have you not read what God said to you,
32. `I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob' ? He is not the
God of the dead but of the living."
In Matthew 22:24-28, the Jews referred to Deuteronomy 25:5 from the Old Testament
where it states that if a woman's husband dies, and she didn't have any kids from him,
then she must marry his brother regardless whether he had a wife or not. When the
Jews brought this situation up to Jesus in Matthew 22:24-28, Jesus did not prohibit at
all for the childless widow to marry her husband's brother (even if he were married).
Instead, Jesus replied to them by saying that we do not marry in heaven, and we will
be like angels in heaven (Matthew 22:30).
So in other words, if Jesus allowed for a widow to marry her former husband's brother
even if he were married, then this negates the Christians' claim about the Bible
prohibiting polygamy. A man can be one flesh with more than one woman. In the case
of Matthew 22:24-28, the man can be one flesh with his wife, and one flesh with his
brother's former wife. Also keep in mind that Exodus 21:10 allows a man to marry an
infinite amount of women, and Deuteronomy 21:15 allows a man to marry more than one
wife.
Please visit: Widows are protected in Islam from their in-laws, but are forced and not
protected in the Bible's NT and OT.
Jesus' parable allows polygamy between 1 man and 5 women!
Let us look at Matthew 25:1-13 from the NIV Bible:
Matthew 25
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
1. "At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps
and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2. Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
3. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.
4. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.
5. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell
asleep.
6. "At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'
7. "Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.
8. The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going
out.'
9. " 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to
those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'
10. "But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The
virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11. "Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!'
12. "But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'
13. "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
According to Jesus' parable, the bridegroom married 5 of the ten virgins! It seems
also that Jesus in this parable really allowed for all women to be naked in one room
with their one husband. THIS IS INDEED VERY SICK!!! Polygamy is allowed in Islam,
but it is forbidden for the man to share the room with more than one wife at a time:
'Abd al-Rahman, the son of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, reported from his father: The
Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: "A man should not see the private
parts of another man, and a woman should not see the private parts of another woman,
and a man should not lie with another man under one covering, and a woman should not
lie with another woman under one covering. (Translation of Sahih Muslim, The Book of
Menstruation (Kitab Al-Haid), Book 003, Number 0667)"
But anyway, Jesus in his parable clearly and irrefutably allowed polygamy.
My Challenge to all Christians:
Where in the NT do you see a direct condemnation of polygamy? And if I were a
Christian with many wives, do I have to divorce them and keep just one?
Also, to those who disagree with my points on Matthew 25:1-13 above, why is Jesus'
parable not allowing polygamy to you? It seems quite clear and straight forward to
me. 5 virgins marrying one man is as clear as it gets.
Also, why is the Bible so big on "virgins"? I mean in the Old Testament, we see
commands about killing all non virgin women, men and children and keep the virgins:
"Now kill all the boys [innocent kids]. And kill every woman who has slept with a man,
but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man. (From the NIV
Bible, Numbers 31:17)"
In the OT, we also see that a virgin is forced to marry her rapist: "If a man happens
to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are
discovered, he shall pay the girl's father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the
girl, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives. (From
the NIV Bible, Deuteronomy 22:28)"
And in the NT we see Jesus using virgins in his parable in the section above. So if
women who lose their virginity without marriage mean that they lose their real value
and become something bad, then where would this leave more than 90% of American and
European women today? In the dumpster?
Some Christians believe that the Old Testament prohibited Polygamy:
Here is an email that I received from a Christian reader. My rebuttal is below her
email:
From: "Rachel Thomas" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: (no subject)
Date: Sun, 14 Oct 2001 17:45:28 +0000
mr.Osama..
I do seriously wonder if u will publish any part of my this mail in ur site
..but I cudnt help writing to u.
I only have one verse to quote from the Bible..Deut 17:17 Neither shall he
multiply wives for himself.
this is a commandment that God gave for the kings of his nation but sadly
none of the kings.ie David,Solomon obeyed it and if u will read the whole of
the Bible u will get to see the tragic consequences of their disobedience.So
what u re actually using to support ur theory is a broken commandment..a
source of much grief and trouble.
You have used many verses and derivations to support ur theory but it is
very distorted form the actual truth the Bible contains.
Fear God.
Rachel
My response:
Dear Rachel,
Here is what Deuteronomy 17:17 that you referred me to says in the NIV Bible:
"The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the
people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, 'You are not to
go back that way again.' He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led
astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. (From the NIV Bible,
Deuteronomy 17:16-17)"
In no way, does Deut 17:17 prohibit polygamy. It prohibited the King from marrying
MANY WIVES. I wonder what is the limit to that? Certainly it doesn't limit it to
just one wife.
"Many wives" clearly proves: (1) The person can have multiple wives, but not too much;
and (2) It doesn't limit marriage to only one wife. I don't know where do you see the
verse limiting marriage to only one wife.
Also Rachel, this verse is only talking about kings. It sounds very clear to me that
it is more like a restriction for the king rather than a general verse that would
apply to everybody.
I personally don't care about how many wives the Prophets of the Bible had, and what
was the limit of the many wives back then. My point still stands, and that is
Polygamy exists in both the OT and the NT in the Bible.
Beside, how can you suggest that the Old Testament prohibited polygamy when for
instance Deuteronomy 21:15 clearly states: "If a man has two wives, and he loves one
but not the other, and both bear him sons...." And also Exodus 21:10 allows a man to
marry an infinite amount of women without any limits to how many he can have.
Plus also, you are ignoring the fact that Deuteronomy 17:17 speaks exclusively about
kings and NOT about people in general. So even if your translation was the correct
one, it still doesn't disprove anything from my argument.
To me, the NIV Bible's translation to Deuteronomy 17:17 seems to be the correct one,
and the King James Version translation seems to be the false one. Anyway, if were to
take the KJV translation and apply it to all people, then we are obviously left with a
clear contradiction.
Do Paul's 1 Timothy 3:2 and 1 Timothy 3:12 prove that polygamy is prohibited in the
Bible?
Let us look at the verses 1 Timothy 3:2 and 1 Timothy 3:12 from the NIV Bible:
"Now the overseer [some translations have it as "bishop"] must be above reproach, the
husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to
teach, (From the NIV Bible, 1 Timothy 3:2)"
"A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his
household well. (From the NIV Bible, 1 Timothy 3:12)"
As we clearly see in those two verses, only church ministers and religious leaders are
prohibited from practicing polygamy. There is no mention for ordinary people or
general population. So unless every Christian in Christianity is considered a
"bishop", "deacon", "priest" or a "minister", then these two verses are without a
doubt irrelevant! They do not disprove polygamy in the Bible at all!
Also, Paul is known to have his own agenda and own words inserted into the Bible. In
1 Corinthians 7:25 for instance, we see in the Bible Paul's words and not GOD
Almighty's:
"Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who
by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy. (From the NIV Bible, 1 Corinthians 7:25)"
This very own verse from Paul contradicts his other own verse in 2 Timothy 3:16:
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and
training in righteousness, (From the NIV Bible, 2 Timothy 3:16)"
If the Bible was truly GOD Almighty's Holy Words, and if Paul was truly GOD Almighty's
Apostle, then we would'nt have this kind of junk in the Bible.
Also another side point, Paul obviously didn't know much about the Old Testament,
because the Bible itself admits that it is corrupted and not perfect. So it can never
be "All God-breathed":
"`How can you say, "We [the Jews] are wise, for we have the law of the LORD," when
actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely?' (From the NIV Bible,
Jeremiah 8:8)"
Another corruption from Paul is his disagreements and fights with the other disciples
who were more authentic than him, since they lived with and saw Jesus, while he never
even once saw Jesus. Most of the New Testament is nothing but conversations between
people, which are clearly not inspirations from GOD Almighty. For instance, Paul
fought with Saint Peter and accused him of being "clearly in the wrong" (Galatians:
2:11-12), and had a huge argument with Saint Barnabas (Acts 15:36-39). Now one must
ask, did GOD for instance favor Paul over Barnabas and Peter and inspired him the
words while he was fighting with them? If so, since Peter was "clearly in the wrong",
then how about his Gospels? Wasn't every word that Peter spoke supposedly inspired by
GOD? How then could he be "clearly in the wrong"? One of them must be in the wrong,
which in either case, would also produce another contradiction to 2 Timothy 3:16. Is
Paul GOD Himself? No Christian believes in that. So why
then take everything he says including 2 Timothy 3:16 as the Words of GOD Almighty
when they contain clear contradictions in them?
Please visit Many famous Historians and Theologians before came to conclusions that
Paul was not truthful.
The original Bible was lost! See comments from the commentary of the NIV Bible (one
of the most used Bibles world wide) itself admitting that most of the Books and
Gospels of the Bible are corrupted. No one ever claimed ownership of the current
Books and Gospels. The owners/writers are unknown.
Christians are hypocrites for following ONLY 1 Timothy 3:2 and 1 Timothy 3:12:
Since some Christians are so big on being politically correct to the majority of their
corrupted people, who practice open pornography, sodomy, homosexual marriage, open
sexuality (through tight and too revealing cloths), etc..., and they LOVE to use
nonsense such as 1 Timothy 3:2 and 1 Timothy 3:12 to prove that polygamy is prohibited
in the Bible, then I would like to ask them this:
If you're so big on following Paul's teachings, then why do you allow your women to
preach in churches?!
Didn't Paul himself say: "Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not
permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also
saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home:
for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. (1 Corinthians 14:34)"
Why then do you have popular female church ministers such as Mrs. Joyce Meyer? What
ever happened to Paul's command in 1 Corinthians 14:34?!
1 Kings 11:1-4 does not condemn polygamy!
A Christian emailed me telling me that it is true that King Solomon had 100s of wives
and concubines in the Old Testament, but that led him astray according to 1 Kings
11:1-4, thus this makes polygamy sinful and condemned in the Bible. Well, let us look
at the verses from the NIV Bible:
1 Kings 11
Solomon's Wives
1 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh's
daughter-Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites.
2 They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, "You must not
intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods."
Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love.
3 He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his
wives led him astray.
4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was
not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.
As we clearly see in 1 Kings 11:2, the marriage of multiple wives by itself is not
sinful and was never condemned. It was Solomon's marriage from the pagan women that
was prohibited by GOD Almighty, because they were idol worshipers, and it resulted for
him to be led astray and follow their pagan gods. I don't see any specific
condemnation of polygamy in general in this verse what so ever! I mean the Bible's
Old Testament (since 1 Kings 11:1-4 exist in the Old Testament) is crystal clear about
allowing polygamy: "If a man has two wives, and he loves one but not the other, and
both bear him sons....(From the NIV Bible, Deuteronomy 21:15)" How much more clearer
can it get?
The suggestion of these verses was nothing but a lame and desperate attempt to cover
the Truth. I fully understand that women in the West have a dominating power over men
(which is why the West is full of sexual sins and corruption!), and men have to be
politically correct with them. I am a married man myself, and frankly I could
careless about my wife getting offended by me when it comes to the Truth! The Truth
is the Truth. And the Truth here is that my points are still valid. Polygamy is
allowed in both of the Bible's Old and New Testaments. I don't care how many
Christian women get offended by that.
Conclusion:
The Bible in both the Old Testament and the New Testament does allow polygamy. Jesus
peace be upon him never prohibited polygamy. Jesus lived for 33 years of his life on
earth among a nation who practiced polygamy. He never even once denounced it! In
fact, in Jesus' parable in Matthew 25:1-13, he clearly allowed polygamy, and also he
seems to allow all wives to be naked in the same room with their one husband!
The Bible does allow men to marry an infinite amount of women. Women in Christianity
can be treated and considered as nothing but sex objects because the Bible doesn't
have any rules or controls over men in this issue. Also, women in the Bible are
forced to marry men in special cases such as forcing childless widows to marry their
brothers in law. It doesn't matter whether the widow wants to marry her brother in
law or not, she will still have to do it anyway without any choice!.
Another case where women in the Bible are forced to marry men is when a man rapes a
single woman, then she must marry him and she can't get a divorce from him (no matter
how bad he is) for the rest of her life according to Deuteronomy 22:28-30. Only death
can separate her from him!.
See how the Bible punishes to death the men who rape married women, but forces the
single raped women to marry their rapists. http://www.answering-islam.com/que10.htm
A Christian site that agrees with Polygamy. http://www.truthbearer.org/
Another Christian site that agrees with Polygamy (Be Free). http://www.bfree.org/
See Polygamy in Islam- Total justice to women in Islam.
http://www.answering-islam.com/polygamy.htm
Widows are protected in Islam from their in-laws, but are forced and not protected in
the Bible's NT and OT. http://www.answering-islam.com/widows_protection.htm
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