What do you think of concubinage?

[chingchang]

I disagree in that the scripture does promote monogamous relationships and the practice of polygamy in the OT is an example of God's tolerance just as divorce was.

Nah...I'd say II Samuel 12:7-8 is pretty clear that God blessed David with wives (multiple). He tolerated divorce...true...but he had NO problem with polygamy. Like I said...a majority of the OT Patriarchs were polygamists.

This is confirmed through Genesis 2:24 which the author uses as a concept that transcends the fall. It is emphasized as a the definition of marriage that we should look to by Jesus in Matthew 19 and it Paul uses the same passage to show the roles of marriage.

The "author" you speak of was most likely Moses...a polygamist. Each instance of marriage is one man and one women.

At the very least the concept of marriage is between 1 man and 1 woman which by nature is monogamous. It is only when you add more women it becomes polygamous. No matter where the marriage turns we all start in monogamous relationships. The bible is clear that it promotes marriage so at the very least it promotes monogamy so monogamy is not the issue but instead polygamy.

Bad logic. You're inserting your bias. I am in a monogamous marriage...so I understand your bias.

When it comes to polygamy what is more important is not that the law is silent about it but instead that the design of God is absent and this is because it is a man made design.

Why would the law be silent on it? Because it isn't a sin! Polygamy certainly was practiced when the law was handed down...gee...I guess God wasted that golden opportunity to correct his chosen people. Right.

When the law does not comment about the issue yet the design of God is clear and emphasized as a NT concept we should use that design to form our concept of the issue.

You're having a hard time wrapping your mind around this very easy to understand concept...likely because of the social conditioning that most of us have been exposed to from an early age. You're holding tightly onto your construct...your safety blanket. Let go. Polygamy fits just fine with God's design. A man can become one flesh with more than one woman. It is still one man and one woman in each instance of marriage. In the same way...we can each have a personal relationship with Christ. What matters is the ethic. If a man has two wives...how does he treat them? Do they love God?

CC

 

[Stars of the Pharaohs]

 

[dayhiker]

I love those dresses .. they are so pretty. I've never warn anything like like he has on before.

 

[Orange_County_Chopper]

Is that Thailand, and are those his concubines?