Christian Polygamy

[Cappadocious]

Roman law which forbade polygamy:


Cleopatra: A Sphinx Revisited - Google Books




Romans did not impose their marriage laws on Jews:



Choosing a Legal System in First Century Judaism



quote:


''These interactions between different legal systems shows that these groups were aware of each other. Gradually one sees them adopting the best aspects of each other's procedures and laws. There was no formal means by which this would happen. The Roman authorities did not impose marriage laws on the Jews, and they were happy to incorporate or work alongside established legal practices. ''

My wait for an actual citation of Roman Law and/or edict remains.

It's the Romans, people. They wrote.

 

[HonestTruth]

My wait for an actual citation of Roman Law and/or edict remains.

It's the Romans, people. They wrote.

Sorry, cannot provide such a citation. While I am a literary scholar and have a doctorate in the field of law, my knowledge does not extend to the Latin language. Therefore, I suggest that you write to the Vatican and they may be able to supply your need.

 

[dayhiker]

Well, the author site who has a PHD in 1st century Rabbinical Judaism was good enough for me. It also fits in with what I know of the stoics and their influence on Rome at the time.

If you want to know the actual quote from Roman law I suggest you do as some do and actually go do the research yourself and think thru the implication of what that means to you, Cappadocious.

 

[Cappadocious]

The burden of proof is on you.

An enormous amount of material cited in secondary sources---even peer-reviewed sources--- doesn't actually exist. This is a holdover from 19th century historical fraud and error.

So if you're going to claim this sort of thing (it may be true, for all I know) you need a primary source. Since this claim is so important to MJ's, restorationists and others, you'd think one of them would have obtained it by now.

 

[HonestTruth]

That's like saying we need a direct quote from Moses to validate the teachings in the Old Testament.

Sorry, but that is another area where I cannot be of help to you.

 

[ChristsSoldier115]

Why would you think you need more than one wife?

Self-entitlement is the unnamed sin of the Bible.

We don't deserve anything, short of death, in all honesty.

 

[dayhiker]

Well, the Bible is all the proof I need. That's what I have committed to God to live by. What went on in the Roman government just expands the context of what was going on in Jesus' time.

Do you have a reference for what your referring to from the 19th century. I'd be interested in reading it.

The burden of proof is on you.

An enormous amount of material cited in secondary sources---even peer-reviewed sources--- doesn't actually exist. This is a holdover from 19th century historical fraud and error.

So if you're going to claim this sort of thing (it may be true, for all I know) you need a primary source. Since this claim is so important to MJ's, restorationists and others, you'd think one of them would have obtained it by now.

 

[dayhiker]

This to me shows you don't understand these relationships. The women who are in a relationship have all personally chosen to be in relationship with me. I in now way pressured them them. So it has nothing to do with entitlement or what I deserve.

Why would you think you need more than one wife?

Self-entitlement is the unnamed sin of the Bible.

We don't deserve anything, short of death, in all honesty.

 

[ViaCrucis]

"All things are lawful to me, but not everything is profitable."

A case can be made that polygamy is not strictly speaking sinful or in violation of divine commandment.

But that doesn't make it wise or good either. There are plenty of things which may not be explicitly sinful or in violation of divine commandment which are nevertheless unwise and harmful.

It is difficult for me to see polygynous polygamy (one man, multiple wives) as anything other than a system of female chattel. That may be less a concern if we extend polygamy in a more diverse sense, such as polyandry (one woman, multiple husbands) or polyamory (multiple men and women). Though I don't feel like endorsing any of the above any time soon as particularly prudent, healthy marriages.

Perhaps in traditionally polygamous societies it could work. For example the Masai of southeastern Africa traditionally practice both polygyny and polyandry. That seems to work for them.

I'm not convinced that in our traditionally monogamous society that it would work quite so well. We're socially hardwired monogamists. And for all of our talk of biologically we aren't very monogamous (and hence we cheat on one another) the fact remains that socially that is how we have been wired. Perhaps some people could make it work, but do we really think either men or women would be able to avoid getting jealous of their partner's other husbands or wives? I mean even in Islam which arose out of a traditionally polygamous Arabian culture a man is only permitted to marry another woman if the first wife accepts it and he can emotionally, physically, and financially keep all his potential wives happy and satisfied--otherwise he should remain monogamous; so even traditionally polygamous societies put limits on polygamy and recognize the need for rigorous structure in order that a marriage function.

So while I may not say it is explicitly sinful (and I say that tentatively anyway, that's not a hard line position I'm taking here) I would say it's not exactly wise.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Cappadocious]

Do you have a reference for what your referring to from the 19th century. I'd be interested in reading it.

The works of Gerald Massey are a good exemple of this phenomenon. And even in the 20th century, one example, Zechariah Sitchin who is still cited from time to time.

Or consider the entire Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon.

 

[ChristsSoldier115]

This to me shows you don't understand these relationships. The women who are in a relationship have all personally chosen to be in relationship with me. I in now way pressured them them. So it has nothing to do with entitlement or what I deserve.

You still haven't answered my question.

Why do you think you need more than one wife?

 

[bottledwater]

Im Curious About Christian (Non Mormon ) Women Views On Polygamy? Do You Thinks Its Ok Biblically? Would You Be Up To It?

I personally think that it is just another way to disguise sexual immorality, so that men can feed their own "Idolatrous" appetites.

 

[Albion]

Well, this was good for a giggle.... page four and only men answered! lol

I thought so, too! The OP asked for the women's opinion about this, and in the following two months and 35 posts, not a single woman cared to reply. Even now, your post stands alone in that regard, but we've got over 40 comments from men.

 

[dayhiker]

Well, 115, monogamy never really worked for me.
I don't know that I need more than one wife. When my ex divorced me I figured I'd never get married again. But as I got to know ladies I kept finding they wanted to be in a relationships with me and I find I loved them as well. So its a mutual expression of love to be together. Well, the 2nd command is to love people. They have been the best relationships of my life.
So God is blessing us in many ways just as He promised He would do.

 

[HonestTruth]

I personally think that it is just another way to disguise sexual immorality, so that men can feed their own "Idolatrous" appetites.

And yet Solomon who practiced it so often was said to be the wisest man who ever lived.

 

[ChristsSoldier115]

Well, 115, monogamy never really worked for me.
I don't know that I need more than one wife. When my ex divorced me I figured I'd never get married again. But as I got to know ladies I kept finding they wanted to be in a relationships with me and I find I loved them as well. So its a mutual expression of love to be together. Well, the 2nd command is to love people. They have been the best relationships of my life.
So God is blessing us in many ways just as He promised He would do.

If you can't handle one wife, what makes you think you can handle more?

 

[HonestTruth]

If you can't handle one wife, what makes you think you can handle more?

Praying for divine guidance in this endeavor would be a good start.

 

[BeforeThereWas]

It is unacceptable today. In the Old Testament God tolerated it but it was not the original plan. Matthew 19:3-9 shows this to be true. God permitted it because the hearts of the Israelites were hard. As Christians we cannot harden our hearts and we must submit to the will of God.

That is a gross distortion of what's actually stated in Matthew. Nowhere does it say anything about polygyny. The context is about divorce. The two terms are not synonymous.

God MORE than condoned polygyny, He even GAVE some men plural wives. No matter how many toes that crunches underfoot, the truth remains, as it is written.

BTW

 

[BeforeThereWas]

How does the old, a man clings to his wife and the two become one flesh work in a case of polygamy.
Sounds a bit corrupt to me.. In fact, I look at it as sexual immorality.
A clear case of someone endulging their sexual appetite first, and placing God second, if at all.
It just doesn't add up

If it were corrupt, then the Lord would never have given men plural wives.

BTW

 

[BeforeThereWas]

We are supposed to keep fleshly things to a minimum, not find additional ways to expand them.

Since when is marriage "fleshly"? God defined and ordained marriage, and nowhere does He relegate it to the realm of being merely "fleshly".

BTW