Marrying cousins

[.Mikha'el.]

The book of Leviticus gives a rather lengthy discourse on the inappropriateness of sexual relations with family members. However, there is no mention of cousins anywhere in that passage.

There are also a few verses in the New Testament that refer to the issue raised in Leviticus, but, they too, do not specifically refer to cousins.

I, personally, am uncomfortable with the idea of romantic or sexual relations with cousins, because I feel that cousins are too closely related. Yet, two of the Jewish patriarchs married cousins. So, I feel like I could not condemn anyone who chose to marry a cousin, if I ever encountered such a hypothetical situation.

What do you think? Is marrying a cousin acceptable? Is it immoral? Or, must it be left to the individual to decide?

 

[HeatherJay]

Personally, I think it's more of a social taboo than anything. It would be really weird for me to think about a cousin in that way, but it's all because of the societal conotation of 'incest'. I don't think it's immoral, per se, just really weird IMO.

 

[DailyBlessings]

I can't imagine there being anything wrong with marrying a cross cousin, at least not in terms of what the Bible does and does not prohibit. Fairly specific rules are laid out, and if marrying cousins were taboo, it seems that would have been mentioned. At any rate, for most of human history it was rare for settlements to have more than a few hundred people in them, so avoiding one's distant relations would have proven difficult. But of course, we are born with our own cultural taboos, and there is nothing wrong with that, either. One might as well marry according to the guidelines one was raised with.

 

[Rosieace]

I bet there are many out there who would marry a cousin if it werent for the stigma. There are states that allow marriage for cousins. Read 1 Corinthians 6:12"All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful.
1 Corinthians 10:23 "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful;but all things do not edify."
I dont think it matters to God that much, i guess that health concerns and children concerns are what matters.Genetics, and passing on bad genes.
Many great and famous people through history were married to brothers, sisters, cousins,etc., and it happens every day just in the US. I guess its like a multiracial marriage (bi-racial?) not always easy,but it happens all the time. I dont see anything wrong with it.
God bless you , Rosieace

 

[St. Worm2]

Kiss'n cousins, what about Abraham and Sarah? .. (Genesis 20:12)

 

[Snow Angel]

Well I Have always,Thought If you married a blood relative,your children ,would
be deformed.or mentally challenged .God Bless.

 

[DailyBlessings]

No, the danger in marrying kin is that the variation in the genetic pool decreases, so if a particularly nasty mutation appears in an individual- such as hemophilia- then it will stay in the family. A single match is not terribly dangerous, and a match of cousins is not nearly as dangerous as that for siblings (who more likely carry the same faulty genes from their parents); it's about as risky as just going out and marrying anyone. It is wise to check yourself and your partner for genetic disorders before having children anyway.

 

[HeatherJay]

Well I Have always,Thought If you married a blood relative,your children ,would
be deformed.or mentally challenged .God Bless.

LOL, I think for the most part, it's an urban legend (perpetuated by shows like Jerry Springer and the like ). DailyBlessings is correct...and most likely if there are genetic issues, they wouldn't show up right away, and maybe not at all unless the breeding within the same gene pool continued for several generations or more.

 

[ClementofRome]

Here is an interesting story for you:

I live in the Appalachain Mountains, and we receive a bit of grief about marrying too close to the old gene pool. I always thought that these legends were just that....legends. Until.... I dated a girl about 25 years ago who had moved into a particular mountain community (to remain un-named!) from Atlanta. We were laughing about the gene pool in that comminuty being to small, and she said, yes it is true. I just laughed it off until she brought out her high school annual! I was floored!.....most of the senior class looked alike. Most had unusually large ears and bulbous noses. I could't believe my eyes.

Maybe things have changed now that we are a more transient culture up here in these thar hills!

 

[Misty Minister]

One of the Patriarchs married his half sister.
Cousins, sure why not?

 

[Misty Minister]

Well I Have always,Thought If you married a blood relative,your children ,would
be deformed.or mentally challenged .God Bless.

Nonesense. There is not a problem at the cousin level.

 

[Misty Minister]

Here is an interesting story for you:

I live in the Appalachain Mountains, and we receive a bit of grief about marrying too close to the old gene pool. I always thought that these legends were just that....legends. Until.... I dated a girl about 25 years ago who had moved into a particular mountain community (to remain un-named!) from Atlanta. We were laughing about the gene pool in that comminuty being to small, and she said, yes it is true. I just laughed it off until she brought out her high school annual! I was floored!.....most of the senior class looked alike. Most had unusually large ears and bulbous noses. I could't believe my eyes.

Maybe things have changed now that we are a more transient culture up here in these thar hills!

Sounds like the book could have been members of the English Royal Family

 

[St. Worm2]

One of the Patriarchs married his half sister.
Cousins, sure why not?

Actually, in well over half the States in the US (including Kentucky), 1st cousin marriages are illegal (though 4-6 of those States allow it under certian circumstances).

 

[Abiel]

Cousins marrying is legal in the UK, but I think rare. Historically, I think it was allowed to keep property in the family.

 

[Snow Angel]

Kiss'n cousins, what about Abraham and Sarah? .. (Genesis 20:12)

Abraham and Sarah were not cousins.They were half brother and sister.They had the same father but different mothers.Check out the story of Abraham.Genesis-Chapter 12,Verse 29

 

[Snow Angel]

No, the danger in marrying kin is that the variation in the genetic pool decreases, so if a particularly nasty mutation appears in an individual- such as hemophilia- then it will stay in the family. A single match is not terribly dangerous, and a match of cousins is not nearly as dangerous as that for siblings (who more likely carry the same faulty genes from their parents); it's about as risky as just going out and marrying anyone. It is wise to check yourself and your partner for genetic disorders before having children anyway.

Marrying cousins is illegal in almost every state because of the danger of retardation.Why would anyone want to take a chance.After the fact is to late.
There are plenty of good christian men and women out there without marrying into your own family.I don't say this to be argumentitive but to state common sense.
In the bible there were cousins,half brothers and sisters,ever daughters that laid with their father,but that was something for that time for a reason that God had his own purpose for,not something we should embrace in our lives.

 

[Misty Minister]

Actually, in well over half the States in the US (including Kentucky), 1st cousin marriages are illegal (though 4-6 of those States allow it under certian circumstances).

They just found evidence that 1st cousins do not cause genetic weakness so thoes laws may change.

 

[Misty Minister]

Cousins marrying is legal in the UK, but I think rare. Historically, I think it was allowed to keep property in the family.

Looking at it from property rights and political power, one could make the case that the nuclear family model was created to centralise power and make it easier for the Rulers to control their subjects. Making a custom of marrying beyond the 1st cousin line would tend to spread power and create opportunities for skullduggery.

 

[St. Worm2]

Abraham and Sarah were not cousins.They were half brother and sister.They had the same father but different mothers.Check out the story of Abraham.Genesis-Chapter 12,Verse 29

Hi Angel, actually, that's what I was trying to point out in a kind of 'tongue and cheek' sort of way since we were discussing whether or not we thought it was Biblically proper for cousins to marry. I did give a clickable Scripture reference with it there in the post, but I should have been a little clearer about my meaning. Sorry about that!

Yours and His,
David

***WHOOPS, sorry Angel, I was wrong. I did include the Scripture reference "(Genesis 20:12)" in my first post in this thread, but I failed to link it to Bible Gateway's online Bible. I have done so now though. Thanks ..

 

[St. Worm2]

They just found evidence that 1st cousins do not cause genetic weakness so thoes laws may change.

Hi Misty, actually, while that may be true, I think I'm glad I didn't know. I have a number of beautiful 1st and 2nd cousins, and I could not have had the kind of relationship I had with them (still do, in fact) if I considered them as romantic prospects (or they me). It's nice to have people who are simply "family" (if you know what I mean) and to know that's all they ever could be! I hope my son never figures this out as I think he could miss out on one of the most important kind of relationships he can have in his life. Anyway, like Silent Angel pointed out, there are plenty of 'fish in the sea' w/o needing to look to family members for romance and marriage.

Yours and His,
David