Judy Taylor wrote:
Dave Hansen wrote:
DAVEH: I believe there have been times when the Lord has not only
allowed polygamy, but has actually encouraged it.
I'm curious about what you base the above belief on
DaveH because Jesus said it was not so in the beginning. God ordained
marriage between one man and one woman; He told them to "be fruitful and
multiply" When questioned about bills of divorcement Jesus said these were because of the hardness
of men's hearts (due to the
fall).
DAVEH: When was the law of monogamy introduced,
Judy? IF you believe it was initiated in the Garden of Eden, then at
what point was it first violated?
Well Daveh there is no record that Adam had more than
one wife is there? We don't know about Cain and Abel
but by Genesis 6 mankind was in such a mess that God
was repenting about ever getting involved with them to
begin with.
Was there any prohibition against polygamy in the Law of Moses? If
God did not want polygamy practiced, there would have been a formal
prohibition, wouldn't you think?
Not necessarily - God knew what was in man - just
as is written of Jesus in John 2:24,25
and not much would
change before the
resurrection.
If on the other hand, you
believe God did not want men to live polygamous lives, then how does one
reconcile
that many OT people lived in polygamous relationships....including
prophets of God without being reprimanded for it,
Mankind's fallen nature but this is not what God
ordained at the beginning: see Mark 10:6-12. I would say
that in God's eyesight a polygamous relationship is
also an adulterous one. God may not have dealt with
this under the old covenant but today He tells all
men to "Repent"
excepting those instances where such action was based on sinful intent
and actions, such as was the case with Bathsheba. 2Sam 12:8-12 even
suggests that in the aforementioned incident, God gave those wives to David,
and furthermore would give those wives to his neighbor. Does that
not imply that God might be condoning this polygamous relationship?
No it does not imply that God condones polygamy; this
was a middle east custom that didn't come from God.
Was David criticized by the Lord for his multitude of wives?....No, just
for the manner in which he acquired one of them. If polygamy were
sinful in the OT times, why would an OT character described as doing right in
the eyes of the Lord, only be chastened for wrongly taking one particular
wife? (1Kg 15:5)
God knows our frame and could be he chose his
battles. You can see what this proclivity did in the life
of
David's son Solomon I hope. His pagan wives
turned his heart causing him to die young and lose the
Kingdom
in spite of God's pleasure with him and all the
wisdom showered upon him at the beginning.
So
Judy.....at what point to you believe polygamy became unlawful?
At the beginning .. I believe God put up with it
rather than ordained it. A man and a woman become ONE flesh
What kind of flesh do a man and ten women
become??
BTW.........What better way for men
to fulfill God's command to "be fruitful and
multiply" than by polygamy!
There is a family in Springvale, AR, one man and one
woman who prove you wrong, they have had 16 beautiful children in 17yrs. I would say that this family has truly honored
God's command by faith.
At other times he has forbidden it. As I see it, most Christians
only acknowledge those times when it was discouraged or forbidden, apparently
without recognizing that some of the Lord's chosen people (including his
prophets) had multiple wives without His condemnation.
God put up with a lot in former times, Paul says he
winked at it but he now commands everyone to "repent!"
DAVEH: When do you believe he told everyone to
"repent!" from polygamy?
From the time of John the Baptist on...
Do you believe in a Jesus that allows marriage in heaven?
Not necessary
..
However, as you may know but
may not have considered......procreation on earth can be accomplished without
marriage. So......do you suppose there could be a deeper reason for
marriage other than simply procreation, Judy? For instance.....IF the
only reason for marriage were procreation, then why would divorce by deemed so
undesirable in the Lord's eyes? After child bearing years are
passed, what possible reason would there be to continue being married?
Wouldn't you think the Lord could/would allow divorces subsequent to bearing
and raising families?
People also procreate without marriage because of sin
and that because of the fall of mankind and rebellion
toward God. Divorce is undesirable because it
breaks the law of love. Marriage is much more than
procreating.
Marriage is teamwork, friendship, and companionship
undergirded by love. Children are just for a
season.
From my (LDS) perspective, marriage
is much more than simply for procreating mortal children. And, proper
marriage (sealing) do not end in divorce or death, as do marriages performed
by most Christian ministers.
If we looked at some honest statistics Daveh I figure
LDS marriages probably equal those of other persuasions so far as divorce is
concerned - and every Mormon will die married or not.
The Lord has suggested that marriages should not be put asunder, yet that
is exactly what happens in a traditional Christian wedding where the pastor
proclaims the marriage will end at death. If God does not want
those who are joined together to part....why do you think most Christians
believe the Lord does not families to be united in heaven?
Because marriage is temporal and sometimes one
partner dies before the other causing them to part.
