No, the point is that there have been at least five posts so far that failed to recognize that the Bible does have something to say about polygamy, and it is negative. This is the same type of logic used in how we have gone about other issues in the church - divorce after remarriage, marital relations for clergy (like the serial monogamy issues we constantly glaze over), homosexuality, sex before marriage, you name it.
We just say nothing in the Bible prohibits this. We just ignore the inconvenient passages of the Bible.
Yes, polygamy is degrading for women and is not good for society. But, guess what, the Bible supports that position, and even iterates that it isn’t too good for the man, either.
Brad Drell
Lay, Western Louisiana
Brad:
In a more primitive nomadic warrior society with enemies all around, polygamy is beneficial for society in two ways:
it allows women to come under the protection of a strong warrior, and
it allows for more children to be born to replace the warriors who fall in battle or die later of their wounds.
This was the situation in ancient Judea, dark ages Mongolia, and the early Mormon church. In times of peace, polygamy tends to die out. In times of war, it becomes almost a societal imperative and informal polygamy, like the recognition of cadet and bastard branches of a noble house, fluorishes.
When you wrote “divorce after remarriage”, did you mean remarriage after divorce?
Bill in Ottawa bring up the idea which is very important. I am going from memory here, so if I am wrong please understand.
The last time a western culture was challenged with this issue was in England after WWI. At the time the armed forces of England were made up of units from sections of the country. As is usual in war some units have more loses than other. After WWI there were communities which were very lacking for men. While polygamy was not the answer, nor should it have been, some towns were very disrupted for a generation. Loses are part of war and after WWI units were made up of people from across the county so this social problem did not repeat.
In the Old Testament times, a look at the loses for the Jewish nation suggests that there may very well have been a lack of men in society. Holy Scripture suggests that a very great number of men under arms so at times there were great loses. In theory a society could withstand the lose of a great percentage of its men if polygamy were allowed for a generation. That, I suggest, is why it was part of Old Testament society.
Polygamy is like slavery. It is not exactly prohibited by Holy Scripture. On the other hand that does not make it proper.
Here’s one take, leaving scripture aside:
Murder, adultery, multiple partners, slavery and theft: all are wrong and condemned in law, either biblical or civil. But guess what: they are “normal” human impulses.
Homosexual behavior: prohibited by scripture but recently decriminalized in civil law. Aberrant or deviant behavior, to wit, NOT natural or normal. Unhealthy for body and soul.
Question: Which category of behaviors should we normalize and sanctify by church blessing? Answer: neither. especially not the latter.