Polygamy

[Wondell]

I figured I would start a discussion on this subject because I had a requestion.

Anyone pro or con polygamy. If so or not why?

[j.e.]

Polygyny (as Yahuah ordained - a man with more than one wife) is scriptural. Yahuah allowed it and made rules for it. I don't think it's for me, but it is certainly not a sin.

There is a discussion of it here:

http://yahuahreigns.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=95

[Wondell]

You are absmurfly correct

[Jason Jordan]

Let's always go back to what the Word says about issues, especially polygamy.

The follwoing information is the most comprehensive study ectracting all information regarding polygomy. I post it here to help people undersand this issue from a completely Scriptural perspective. - Shalom

What Does the Word Say About Polygamy.

I am amazed that I feel the need to address this issue at all but several fellowships, not affiliated with our Union, have recently started the practice and others are entertaining the idea.
With the success of HBO’s “Big Love,” a polygamist sitcom and the manhunt and subsequent arrest of Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Prophet Warren Jeffs, leader of America's largest and most secretive polygamous sect, there is renewed interest concerning polygamy even amongst Torah observant Believers. Jeffs, 51, is charged with two felony counts of rape as an accomplice for having forced a religious marriage between a 14-year-old follower and her 19-year-old cousin in 2001. He’s been in jail since September 2006.


Some of the excuses for polygamy given by such groups are: “Automatic childcare in a sexist society gives women more effective choice to have a career without devaluing the role of homemaker.

Being able to marry men who are already married means that women can marry men who have already proved themselves, therefore minimizing their risk.

Being able to marry the men who attract most women means they don't have to settle just for what's left after other women have the best pickings.

Having the possibility that a husband can remarry without divorce extends practical security to a woman. She needn't worry about losing her husband and income as she loses her looks, because if her husband is attracted by a younger woman, he doesn't even have to think about leaving his wife.

Polygamy removes the pressure on a husband to commit adultery, and removes damaging deceit from a marriage.

Polygamy provides a method where a woman can have a female friend for life as well as a husband.

Polygamy therefore provides more people and a better chance of meeting diverse needs.
Polygamy provides a potential for at least three adult incomes, reducing state dependence and the fear of unemployment.” (modernpolygamy.com)

Obviously, one cannot rely on such logic, let’s turn to Scripture and study this topic.

“[The King] must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. (Deuteronomy 17:17)”

“Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, (1 Timothy 3:2)”

“An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. (Titus 1:6)”

“A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well. (1Timothy 3:12)”

The Torah prescribes Yahweh’s perfect will concerning marriage. “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. (Genesis 2:24)” Man, male and female, are created in the image and likeness of Elohim who in turn gave them to each other creating the covenant relationship of marriage. Elohim then says, "Be fruitful and multiply. Let the two become one!" The act of marriage shows how the oneness is more than just a fleeting passion; it is a union of “echad”ness. It moves from just a physical sensation into a metaphysical reality when the two become one, nine months later you've got to give that "one" a name, for the child embodies the oneness of the two in union.

Rabbi Sha’ul taught, “…each man should have his own wife (singular word), and each woman her own husband(singular word). The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. (1 Corinthians 7:2)”
King Messiah YahShua said, "Haven't you read that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what Yahweh has joined together, let man not separate." (Matthew 19:4-6)

The great Netzarim teacher, Tertullian, said concerning this passage: “We do not indeed forbid the union of man and woman, blest by Yahweh as the seminary of the human race, and devised for the replenishment of the earth and the furnishing of the world, and therefore permitted, yet singly. For Adam was the one husband of Eve, and Eve his one wife, one woman, one rib. (Tertullian, To His Wife)”

Polygamy is not good for society. The Rabbis of the Talmud said that four wives was the allowed maximum for a man, so that he could devote the proper amount of time for sexual relations with each of them. If you legalize polygamy, “out of 100 men and 100 women, 25 men will have an average of 4 wives that means 75 out of 100 men will never have wives. If all men who can only have 2 wives then 50 men will never have wives. If only half the married men have 2 wives and the others have one then 33 men will never have wives. If the ratio of number of wives varies between 1 and 4 then a significant portion of the male population can only have sex with each other or must resort to rape…as is the case of homosexuality among unmarried Muslims or blame is placed on the victim as is the case with rape in Muslim countries or groups of Muslims.” (in response by Tim Hof to the article “Female Desire and Islamic Trauma”)

In ancient times, a man, as a patriarchal figure to extend his power and influence, used sex. You would multiply wives and/or concubines because in multiplying women, you would be multiplying your household, and the children would in effect be slaves from such unions. The amassing of these wives and concubines however was not to be viewed as the same kind of relationship made with the original wife and her offspring. The original wife was not viewed as a slave and her children were heirs.

“Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a promise. (Galatians 4:21-23)”

So Hagar, which is not her name but her status – alien woman - bore children of slavery, whereas Sarah bore Abraham a child of promise in freedom. Two forms of marriage -- one freedom and the other slavery. Abraham's household was fractured because of jealousy between Hagar and Sarah.

After the death of Sarah, Abraham legitimized Hagar and we learn her name, Keturah: "Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah." (Genesis 25:1-2) The point of Genesis 25:6, however, is that Keturah's children and the children of Abraham's other concubines were not considered his heirs. It is interesting to note, everyone of Hagar/Keturah children’s descendents are enemies of Israel – Isaac’s descendents.

Because of the conflict polygamy caused in his family Isaac was not a polygamist! Isaac's wife, Rebekah, like her mother-in-law, Sarah, was barren. But Isaac did not take things into his own hands and have children by her handmaids, nor did he take a concubine. Neither did Rebekah do as Sarah had done, and resort to bringing a servant girl to Isaac to produce a son for Rebekah in her stead. Instead of using human reasoning, and taking things into his own hands, Isaac TRUSTED YAHWEH!

Because of polygamy Jacob endured spousal rivalry that kept his family in conflict. Remembering this conflict, Yahweh commands: “And you shall not take a woman as a rival to her sister, uncovering her nakedness while her sister is still alive. (Leviticus 18:18)” Interestingly enough Yahweh put a stop to the conflict that kept Rachel in a state of oppression when He took Rachel, Jacob’s second wife (Genesis 35:19), leaving only Jacob’s first and true wife Leah.
“The earliest codes attempt in various ways to regulate the custom of polygamy. Not only Adam but also Noah, the second founder of the human race, represents monogamy, and on that account recommends it as [Yahweh’s] ordinance. It is in the line of Cain that bigamy is first represented, as though to emphasize the consequences of the Fall. (“Dictionary of the Bible,” edited by Frederick C. Grant and H.H. Rowley, Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1965, pages 292) The first record of polygamy is committed by Lamech: “Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah. Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. (Genesis 4:19, 20)” In a society where a man may have more than one wife they named each child, not after the father, but after the mother, because this obviously assures more precise identification. Lamech's polygamy is indirectly confirmed by the fact that Tubal Cain's other name identified him, not as the Ben Lamech, but as the son of one of his wives--by naming which wife in particular: Tubal-Cain Ben Zillu. “Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron. (Genesis 4:22)” Tubal Cain's name identified him, not as the son of Lamech, but as the son of one of Lamech’s wives.

Several prominent men in the Tanach (Old Testament) were polygamists. Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon, and others all had multiple wives. However, where polygamy is reported, often in the same context we find the results of such relationships, namely, jealousy, strife and turmoil. It is true that the Torah does permit polygamy but does not prescribe it: “If he marries another woman, he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing and marital rights. If he does not provide her with these three things, she is to go free, without any payment of money. (Exodus 21:10, 11)”
Remembering how Jacob favored Joseph over Reuven, the firstborn son, Yahweh commands “If a man has two wives, and he loves one but not the other, and both bear him sons but the firstborn is the son of the wife he does not love, when he wills his property to his sons, he must not give the rights of the firstborn to the son of the wife he loves in preference to his actual firstborn, the son of the wife he does not love. He must acknowledge the son of his unloved wife as the firstborn by giving him a double share of all he has. That son is the first sign of his father's strength. The right of the firstborn belongs to him. (Deuteronomy 21:15-17)” So, it is allowed amongst the laity but you must not deprive the original wife nor first born. These are laws of permission and governance not prescription and favor which shows how Yahweh understands the oppression of such arrangements.

Take the story of Hannah and Peninnah, the wives of Elkanah ben Jeroham in 1 Samuel 1. Peninnah and Hannah battled one another over a lifetime for Elkanah's affections and his offspring.

“Year after year [Elkanah ben Jeroham] went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to Yahweh Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of Yahweh. Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and Yahweh had closed her womb. (1 Samuel 1:3-5)”

The overly fertile Peninnah bears children in rapid succession until it almost kills her, while Hannah finds herself barren for the first years of her marriage. Hannah has all of Elkanah's love and devotion, with nothing to show for it, while Peninnah finds herself the object of Elkanah's lust . . . and mother of his growing brood of children.

“Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, ‘How long will you keep on getting drunk? Get rid of your wine.’

‘Not so, my lord,’ Hannah replied, ‘I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to Yahweh. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.’

Eli answered, ‘Go in peace, and may the Elohim of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.’ (1 Samuel 1:14-17)”

“Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before Yahweh and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah lay with Hannah his wife, and Yahweh remembered her. So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, ‘Because I asked Yahweh for him.’ (1 Samuel 1:19-20)”

Hannah was given a child by Yahweh, so as a righteous woman, she gave him back to Yahweh: “I prayed for this child, and Yahweh has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to Yahweh. For his whole life he will be given over to Yahweh.’ (1 Samuel 1:27, 28)”

“Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy ministered before Yahweh under Eli the priest. (1 Samuel 2:11)”

The two women finally iron out their differences and raised a formidable family to carry Elkanah's name for generations to come. Samuel, the most famous of them leads his people against the Philistines, rules as a wise judge over the Israelites in time of peace, and anoints Kings Sha’ul and David in his lifetime. So even in a family of pious people, polygamy is still oppressive.

King David had eight wives (Michal, the second daughter of King Sha’ul; Ahinoam bet Ahimaaz of Jezreel who was captured by David while he was at war with King Sha’ul; Abigail, previously wife of the evil Nabal; Maachah daughter of Talmai, King of Geshur; Haggith; Abital; Eglah; and Bathsheba bat Eliam, previously the wife of Uriah the Hittite) and numerous concubines in direct opposition to the Torah. David's last concubine was Abisag from Sunam. Polygamy was a curse in David’s family.

David married Michal, Sha’ul’s daughter. Then when David was exiled by King Sha’ul, he gives Michal as a wife to Phaltiel of Laish, and David takes several other wives including Abigail.
Despite an apparent prohibition in Deuteronomy 24:1-4 on re-marrying a previous spouse who has subsequently remarried, David remarries Michal after he is crowned in Judah following Sha’ul's death. Phaltiel follows her weeping but is powerless to prevent her from leaving him.

“And David sent messengers to Ishbosheth, Sha’ul's son, saying, 'Deliver me my wife Michal, which I espoused to me for an hundred foreskins of the Philistines.'

And Ishbosheth sent, and took her from her husband, even from Phaltiel the son of Laish.
And her husband went with her along weeping behind her to Bahurim. Then said Abner unto him, 'Go, return.' and he returned. (II Samuel 3:14-16)”

David put away Michal, Sha’ul’s daughter because she laughed at him when he danced, partially nude in public, before Yahweh in a religious procession and kept her under palace arrest and made sure that she produced no grandchildren to Sha’ul’s House.

Yahweh directly says to David, “...I gave you...your master’s wives into your keeping...” (2 Samuel 12:7-8). These women were given “...into your care...” There is no indication either in Scripture or in history that David married King Sha’ul’s harem.

Among his eight wives was a woman named Maacah, who bore King David a son named Absalom and a beautiful daughter named Tamar.

Now Amnon, the son from one of David's other wife, Ahinoam of Jezreel, lusted after Tamar. Faking an illness to get Tamar in his room, he then raped his own half-sister causing her to lose her mind. Absalom found out about the rape and later murdered his half-brother Amnon.

“David trampled down the first and the best law of nature … and for his trouble he spent all his after-days in a hell upon earth. David's palace was a perfect pandemonium of suspicion, and intrigue, and jealousy, and hatred—all breaking out, now into incest and now into murder...

A little ring of jealous and scheming parasites, all hateful and hating one another, collected round each one of David's wives. And it was in one of the worst of those wicked rings that Absalom grew and got his education.” (Alexander Whyte)

It was polygamy that allowed David to commit the tremendous sin of taking Bathsheba and having her husband murdered. “Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own… Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel. (2 Samuel 12:10-12)”

What calamity? Yahweh said the “sword will never depart” from David’s house -- his family. This calamity was done publicly by David’s own son Absalom when he lay with David’s concubines:

“Ahithophel answered, ‘Lie with your father's concubines whom he left to take care of the palace. Then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself a stench in your father's nostrils, and the hands of everyone with you will be strengthened.’ So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and he lay with his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel. (2 Samuel 16:21-22)”

Absalom ultimately mounted an attempted coup but was put down and killed. David repented. “Then David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against Yahweh.’

Nathan replied, ‘Yahweh has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.’ (2 Samuel
12:13)”
However, the son to be born of this adultery did die. Yahweh took all David’s wives except Bathsheba. The reason for this, I believe was two fold: (1) by living the rest of his days with Bathsheba, David had to stay in a state of repentance and (2) she, as a fruit of repentance had to mother of Solomon, through whom Yahweh kept His unconditional, dynastic, promise to David -- a forefather of King Messiah YahShua
“When David returned to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines he had left to take care of the palace and put them in a house under guard. He provided for them, but did not lie with them. They were kept in confinement till the day of their death, living as widows. (2 Samuel 20:3)”
David practiced polygamy no more.
The consequence of polygamy kept destroying David’s family even after his death. Adonijah, the fourth son of David, after the death of his elder brothers, Amnon, and Absalom, became heir-apparent to the throne. But Solomon, a younger brother, was preferred to him. Adonijah, however, when his father was dying, caused himself to be proclaimed king. But Nathan and Bathsheba induced David to give orders that Solomon should be proclaimed King immediately, and admitted to the throne.
Adonijah fled and took refuge at the altar, and received a pardon for his conduct from Solomon on the condition that he show himself "a worthy man" (1 Kings 1:5-13.) Adonijah afterwards made a second attempt to gain the throne, by trying to marry David's last concubine, Abisag from Sunam, but Solomon denied authorization for such an engagement, even if Bathsheba now pleaded on Adonijah's behalf. He was then seized and put to death (1 Kings 2:13-25.)

Unfortunately, these lessons were not learned by Solomon. King Solomon who had 700 wives and 300 concubines. “King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh's daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. They were from nations about which Yahweh had told the Israelites, ‘You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.’ Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to Yahweh his Elohim, as the heart of David his father had been. He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of Yahweh; he did not follow Yahweh completely, as David his father had done. (1 Kings 11:1-6)” Yahweh gave the absolute command regarding the kings of Israel -- telling them they must not do as the pagan nations around them whose kings had harems: "Neither shall he multiply wives to himself!"

וְלֹא יַרְבֶּה-לּוֹ נָשִׁים, וְלֹא יָסוּר לְבָבוֹ; וְכֶסֶף וְזָהָב, לֹא יַרְבֶּה-לּוֹ
loo irabah loah vezahav vechsif levavoo yasur veloah nashim loo irabah Veloah
he multiply nor gold money his heart torment nor women he multiply Neither
מְאֹד
meahod
extremely

“Neither (shall) he multiply women nor torment his heart, nor (shall) he multiply money (or) gold extremely.”

Sha’ul, Israel's first king, disobeyed this command and Yahweh took the Kingdom from his family. David started out in polygamy, but Yahweh punished him and he repented. Solomon committed polygamy which led to idolatry, and Yahweh punished him by ripping the Kingdom away from his son, Rehoboam (who had 18 wives and 60 concubines) which caused the division and scattering of Israel.

Even in Messiah YahShua’s time, King Herod the not-so-Great had ten wives. Now, he didn’t have them all at once because he murdered two of them, but he had several at a time.

If polygamy wasn’t the prescribed way of life for mankind, why didn’t Yahweh forbid it. The reason he didn’t forbid it is there are always extenuating circumstances.

“If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband's brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her. The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.

However, if a man does not want to marry his brother's wife, she shall go to the elders at the town gate and say, ‘My husband's brother refuses to carry on his brother's name in Israel. He will not fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to me.’ Then the elders of his town shall summon him and talk to him. If he persists in saying, ‘I do not want to marry her,’ his brother's widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, take off one of his sandals, spit in his face and say, ‘This is what is done to the man who will not build up his brother's family line.’ That man's line shall be known in Israel as ‘The Family of the Unsandaled.’ (Deuteronomy 25:5-10)”
Remember, this very question was dealt with by our Messiah: “That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. ‘Rabbi,’ they said, ‘Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and have children for him. Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. Finally, the woman died. Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?’

YahShua replied, ‘You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of Yahweh. At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in Heaven. But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what Yahweh said to you, “I am the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob?” He is not the Elohim of the dead but of the living.’

When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching. (Matthew 22:23-33)”
This was sanctioned to keep the family line unbroken not to amass wives for polygamy sake. “Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in Yahweh's sight; so Yahweh put him to death.

Then Judah said to Onan, ‘Lie with your brother's wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to produce offspring for your brother.’ But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so whenever he lay with his brother's wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from producing offspring for his brother. What he did was wicked in Yahweh's sight; so he put him to death also. (This was a deliberate dereliction of familial duty punished by death.)

Judah then said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, ‘Live as a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up.’ For he thought, ‘He may die too, just like his brothers.’ So Tamar went to live in her father's house. (Genesis 38:6-11)”

The duty of marrying Tamar should then devolve on Shelah, the third and last son, but Judah is afraid that Tamar caused the deaths of his two sons. Therefore, he tells her that Shelah is too young for marriage, and she must wait until he is mature.

Tamar returns to her father's house and lives as a widow (v. 11) not free to marry, for she is bound to Shelah. But as time went by, Judah still did not send Shelah to marry Tamar, even after he had grown of age (vv. 12, 14). Tamar took control of her destiny.

“Tamar was told, ‘Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep,’ she took off her widow's clothes, covered herself with a veil to disguise herself, and then sat down at the entrance to Enaim (opening of the eyes), which is on the road to Timnah. (Genesis 38:13, 14)”
As Tamar intended, Judah took her for a harlot. And since he was now a widower, who had recently completed the period of mourning for his wife (v. 12), he was susceptible to the lure of a prostitute. Judah agreed to the payment of one kid from his flocks. As collateral Judah leave with Tamar his family signet-seal and his cord and staff.

Interestingly, the Hebrew word "hotam [signet-seal]" resembles "hatan [father-in-law]", "petil [cord}" resembles "peti [simpleton]" and "matteh [staff]," can also be used for the male member.
Judah later sent his friend Hirah to deliver the kid and redeem the signet-seal, cord and staff, but the woman had disappeared.

“About three months later Judah was told, ‘Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant.’

Judah said, ‘Bring her out and have her burned to death!’

As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. "I am pregnant by the man who owns these," she said. And she added, ‘See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are.’

Judah recognized them and said, ‘She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn't give her to my son Shelah.’ And he did not sleep with her again.

When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist and said, ‘This one came out first.’ But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out, and she said, ‘So this is how you have broken out!’ And he was named Perez. Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread on his wrist, came out and he was given the name Zerah. (Genesis 38:24-30)”

While polygamy is permitted, it is not prescribed except in very limited circumstances.

“During the Second Temple period, monogamy was preferred even on the conceptual plane by, above all, the Dead Sea Sect (who were the exiled true Priests and their followers)whose halakhah explicitly prohibited polygamy. In the reworked version of the statutes of the king in the Temple Scroll, it is stated: "he shall not take another wife in addition to her, for she alone shall be with him all the days of her life" (LVII 17-8). In the Damascus Covenant, criticism is leveled against the 'builders of the wall' (Pharisees?) in the following terms: 'they shall be caught in fornication twice; once by taking a second wife while the first is still alive... it was known in Jewish society as represented in rabbinic literature, polygamy was not widespread in practice, especially not among the sages themselves…' [Jewish Writings of the Second Temple Period: Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, Qumran Sectarian Writings, Philo, Josephus. Michael E. Stone (ed.), Fortress:1984. pg. 85, 86]”
“…polygamy…was countenanced by the School of Shammai but not by that of Hillel. (New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Colin Brown, eds. Zond. s.v. "Marriage, adultery, bride, bridegroom”)’

Polygamy was never a practice of the Netzarim, however, it was a practice of the apostate Gnostics. Irenaeus condemned the Gnostics for their polygamy lumping it up as a sex sin: "Others, again, following upon Basilides and Carpocrates, have introduced promiscuous intercourse and a plurality of wives..."

Even amongst the Orthodox Jewish Community, Rabbi Gershom "the Light of the Diaspora", a great German Rabbi around 1000 years ago, banned polygamy, though it had long since been abandoned. Some Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews (particularly those from Yemen and Iran, where polygamy was a social norm) discontinued polygamy much more recently, as they emigrated to countries where it was forbidden.

Yahweh is no polygamist. “Hosea and other prophets constantly dwell upon the thought of a monogamous marriage as being a symbol of the union between [Yahweh] and His people; and they denounce idolatry as unfaithfulness to this spiritual marriage-life.” (“Dictionary of the Bible,” edited by Frederick C. Grant and H.H. Rowley, Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1965, pages 292)

There are those that claim Israel has a covenant and so does the Church. This is called “dual covenant” theology. This would make Yahweh a polygamist if he marries Israel and the Church. Others claim the Church replaced Israel but the churches are many -- Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox Catholic, hundreds of Protestant churches. Is the Messiah, as the express image of Yahweh, going to marry each one of these? Messiah is not a POLYGAMIST! He has only one bride!

“Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. (Revelation 19:7)”

(End of Part One)

[Jason Jordan]

Polygamy - What does the Word say (Part Two)

It is not that Yahweh disallowed something He previously allowed. Yahweh is restoring marriage to His original intent. According to Genesis 2:24, polygamy was not Yahweh’s original intent. In Scripture, marriage is presented not only as a social institution, but a model, a "type," of the relationship between the Express Image of Yahweh and Israel. Marriage is characterized not only by fidelity and integrity, but also by monogamy.

“Be imitators of Yahweh…Wives, submit to your husbands as to Elohim. For the husband is the head of the wife as Messiah is the head of the Assembly, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the Assembly submits to Messiah, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Messiah loved the Assembly and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant Assembly, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Messiah does the Assembly — for we are members of his body. ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Messiah and the Assembly. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. (Ephesians 5:1, 22-33)”

Polygamy, though permitted for the masses, was not the prescribed perfect will of Yahweh for the Commonwealth of Israel. Taking the example of the King, those in Netzarim leadership are to be monogamous, the “husband of one wife” in the office of elder & deacon: 1Timothy 3.2 and Titus 1.6. Polygamy disqualifies you for leadership.

אַ רֹאשׁ הָעֵדָה תָּמִים יִהְיֶה בְּא שֶׁמֶץ דָּבָר בַּעַל־אִשָּׁה אַחַת שָׂם
sham ekhät ishshä' ba’al davar shimitz beloah yeheyeh tamiym ha’aydah Rosh Echi
reputation one wife husband speech blemish without must be perfect Witness Head A
דֶּרֶ נְבוֹן דָּבָר וְרָצוּי לִבְנֵי אָדָם דְּלָתָיו לְאֹרֵחַ יִפְתַּח וְאִישׁ מַשְׂכִּיל masichiyl ve’aish ipetach le’aorechi delataiu adam liveni verayooi davar negun derech educated person developed not drunk accessible son of herald speech wise mannerly
לְלַמֵּד׃
lelamid
to teach
“A Head Witness must be perfect, without blemish, (keep his) word, husband (of) one wife, mannerly reputation, wise (in) speech, (a) son of Adam (human) herald, accessible, not drunk, (a) developed person, educated to teach.”
In other words, the leadership cannot build a harem on the backs of the people. The word הער rä•ä' translated as "pastor" is a root word meaning "shepherd," which in Jewish metaphorical usage carried the understanding that the “Rosh Ha’aydah” (Head Witness) was in authority, looking after the sheep, directing them, nurturing them, protecting them, and guiding and governing them. The “Rosh Ha’aydah’s” life must constantly reflect Torah values, morality, conduct, and integrity in the Community.

These leaders are told to be examples to the flock, and the Believers are told to follow the example of the apostles, disciples, and leaders. For instance, this “Rosh Ha’aydah” is supposed to be given to hospitality. But that is demanded of all Believers in 1 Peter 4:8-10.

“Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. (Philippians 3:17)”
“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the Elohim of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:9)’
“You became imitators of us and of Yahweh; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the Believers ... (1 Thessalonians 1:6-7)”
“For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. (2 Thessalonians 3:7)”

In other words, all Believers are to emulate the purity and scripturally-mandated characteristics of our elders and deacons.

“Christian polygamists, is there such a thing? Yes, they claim to have over 14,000 participants worldwide and many of them are moving to the western United States, particularly Utah. Their main purpose in coming to Utah and surrounding areas is to convert the Mormon polygamists to Christian polygamy (since they don’t believe Mormon fundamentalists to be Christians). “ (Tapestry Against Polygamy)

“In Islam, polygyny is allowed, with the specific limitation that men can only have up to four wives at any one time. However, the Qur'an specifically states that men who choose this route must deal with their wives as fairly as possible, doing everything that they can to spend equal amounts of time, money, and love on each one of them. Although many Muslim countries still retain traditional Islamic law which permits polygyny, certain elements within Islam challenge its acceptability. For example, polygyny in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Syria, and Lebanon is prohibited by law.” (Wikipedia) "Marry women of your choice, two or three or four; but if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly with them, then only one or one that your right hands possess. That will be more suitable, to prevent you from doing injustice…You will never be able to deal justly between wives however much you desire (to do so). But (if you have more than one wife) do not turn altogether away (from one), leaving her in suspense..." (Qur'an 4:3, 129) However if you look at the context of these verses, polygamy is only mention in reference to 'dealing with orphans".

There are several words for polygamy:

Polygamy, a Greek and Latin hybrid, "poly (many) gamiā (marriage)" meaning any form of marriage in which a person [has] more than one spouse.

Bigamy, a Greek and Latin hybrid, "bi (two) gamiā (marriage)" which refers to someone who has two spouses at the same time.

Trigamy, a Greek and Latin hybrid, "tri (three) gamiā (marriage)" which refers to someone who has three spouses at the same time.

Polygyny, a Greek and Latin hybrid, "poly (many) gune (wives)" referring to the practice of a man having more than one wife at the same time while not enjoying a sexual relationship. This is the most common form of polygamy. Often, the wives are sisters, a custom known as sororal (sisterly) polygyny.

Polyamory, a Greek and Latin hybrid, meaning "poly (many) amour (loves)" or "loving more than one.” It is "participation in multiple and simultaneous loving or sexual relationships" (Webster's New Millennium Dictionary)

Polyandry, a Greek and Latin hybrid, meaning "poly (many) andros (man)" is a breeding practice where a woman has more than one male sexual partner simultaneously.

“No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has had but one husband, and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds. (1 Timothy 5:9, 10)”
By far the most famous group of polygamists were the Mormons. The history of Mormon polygamy begins with claims that their founder Joseph Smith received a revelation from “God” on July 17, 1831 that Mormon men would be commanded to practice "plural marriage" as an “everlasting covenant.” The real reason was he had met and fallen into lust for a 16 year old organist named Fannie Alger. This revelation is now canonized as scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants section 132 by the Mormon Church.
"And I will bless Joseph Smith and multiply him and give unto him an hundredfold in this world, of fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, houses and lands, wives and children, and crowns of eternal lives in the eternal worlds….And if he have ten virgins given unto him by this law, he cannot commit adultery, for they belong to him, and they are given unto him; therefore is he justified….But if one or either of the ten virgins, after she is espoused [to Joseph Smith], shall be with another man, she has committed adultery, and shall be destroyed; for they are given unto Joseph Smith to multiply and replenish the earth, according to my commandment, and to fulfil the promise which was given by my Father before the foundation of the world, and for their exaltation in the eternal worlds, that they may bear the souls of men; for herein is the work of my Father continued, that he may be glorified." (Doctrine and Covenants Section 132:55, 62-63)

Verse 52 instructs Smith's wife, Emma, to "receive all those that HAVE BEEN GIVEN unto my servant Joseph, and who are virtuous and pure before me; and those who are not pure, and have said they were pure, shall be destroyed, saith the Lord God." Joseph Smith was married to wife, Emma and 33 or more women marrying them between 1833 and the year of his death, 1844. "I have identified thirty-three well-documented wives of Joseph Smith, which some may regard as an overly conservative numbering ...Historians Fawn Brodie, D. Michael Quinn, and George D. Smith list forty-eight, forty-six, and forty-three, respectfully. Yet in problematic areas it may be advisable to err on the side of caution…Eleven of Smith's wives were between ages 14 and 20, nine were in their 20s, eight were in Smith's own peer group of 31 to 40, two were in their 40s and three in their 50s….Toward the end of Smith's life, knowledge of his secret marriages began to leak out. William Law, Smith's second counselor ... filed suit against the church leader for living 'in an open state of adultery' with 19-year-old Maria Lawrence. ("In Sacred Loneliness--The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith," by Todd Compton)

Polygamy is in direct opposition to the Book of Mormon (the original Mormon hoax), in Jacob 2:27- 31. “Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none; For I, the Lord God, delight in the chastity of women. And whoredoms are an abomination before me; thus saith the Lord of Hosts. Wherefore, this people shall keep my commandments, saith the Lord of Hosts, or cursed be the land for their sakes. For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things. For behold, I, the Lord, have seen the sorrow, and heard the mourning of the daughters of my people in the land of Jerusalem, yea, and in all the lands of my people, because of the wickedness and abominations of their husbands.”

The Mormon practice something called “Law of Sarah” states that states a man's first wife has the right to consent to, or prohibit, her husband's wishes to marry additional wives from a quote in their Doctrine and Covenants, Section 132. It was her choice who these additional wives would be.

If she refused her husbands polygamy there were serious consequences. In Doctrine and Covenants, Section 132:64, “God” threatens to utterly destroy any wife if she does not consent:

"And again, verily, verily, I say unto you, if any man have a wife, who holds the keys of this power, and he teaches unto her the law of my priesthood, as pertaining to these things (plural wives), then shall she believe and administer unto him, or she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord your God; for I will destroy her..."

In Section 132:65, “God” considers the non-complying the wife a transgressor, and the husband is exempt from the “Law of Sarah”:

"Therefore, it shall be lawful in me, if she receive not this law, for him to receive all things whatsoever I, the Lord God, will give unto him, because she did not believe and administer unto him according to my word; and she then becomes the transgressor; and he is exempt from the law of Sarah, who administered unto Abraham according to the law when I commanded Abraham to take Hagar to wife."

Joseph Smith said the reason he had so many wives, is because “God” commanded him to.
Zina Huntington Jacobs was concerned because she already had a husband when Joseph Smith asked her to marry him. Joseph told her: "I put it off and put it off till an angel with a drawn sword stood by me and told me if I did not establish that principle upon the earth I would lose my position and my life."

Almera Johnson said she was afraid to marry Joseph but Joseph explained: "...an Angel with drawn Sword Stood before him and declared that if [he] longer delayed fulfilling that command he would Slay him."
Mary Rollins Lightner was hesitant because she was already happily married when Joseph asked her to marry him. Joseph explained the possible danger he was in : "The angel came to me three times between the year of ?34 and ?42 and said I was to obey that principle or he would slay me."

In 1844, a group led by First Presidency counselor, William Law, split from the teachings of Joseph Smith. They exposed some of the secret practices of the Mormon leadership including plural marriage in the local newspaper, "The Nauvoo Expositor." Joseph Smith told Brigham Young that he had to preach polygamy even if it cost him his life, for "it is the work of God, and He has revealed this principle, and it is not my business to control or dictate it" (Brigham Young Discourse, Oct. 8, 1866, Church Archives). Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were arrested for the alleged crime. A mob later broke into the jail and executed both of them. After Joseph Smith’s death, another 335 women were sealed to him, many of whom he did not know. (Religion and Sexuality, p 156)

Eight years after Joseph Smith's death, on August 29th 1852, the Mormon Church publicly acknowledged the practice of polygamy to its laity. "It was read in the Conference held in Great Salt Lake City, and Apostle Orson Pratt delivered the first public discourse on that principle" arguing it was essential for eternal salvation and to bring more posterity into the world. "When a man who has a wife, teaches her the law of God, and she refuses to give her consent for him to marry another according to that law, then, it becomes necessary, for her to state before the President the reasons why she withholds her consent; if her reasons are sufficient and justifiable and the husband is found in the fault, or in transgression, then, he is not permitted to take any step in regard to obtaining another. But if the wife can show no good reason why she refuses to comply with the law which was given unto Sarah of old, then it is lawful for her husband, if permitted by revelation through the prophet, to be married to others without her consent, and he will be justified, and she will be condemned, because she did not give them unto him, as Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham, and as Rachel and Leah gave Bilhah and Zilpah to their husband, Jacob." (The Seer, Vol.1, No.3, p.41) In the 19th century, about 33% of Mormon households were polygamist. Pratt defended polygamy to the death—literally—when he was shot in the back stealing his twelfth wife.
Brigham Young replaced Joseph Smith as the Prophet of the Mormon Church. He continued the practice of polygamy. He had 55 wives, ten of them divorced him, and fathered 56 children. He taught "The Scripture says that He, the Lord, came walking in the Temple, with His train; I do not know who they were, unless His wives and children." (The Prophet Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses Vol. 13, p.309)
Third church leader John Taylor had 15 wives. Three wives divorced him. (A Book of Mormons, 1982, pg 354) In an 1884 general conference, John Taylor asked for all monogamists serving in ward bishoprics or stake presidencies either make preparations to marry a plural wife or to offer their resignations to the church office. (Abraham H. Cannon Journal, April 6, 1884, Vol. I pp 177-8)
The Church taught: "Now if any of you will deny the plurality of wives and continue to do so, I promise that you will be damned..." Reported in the Deseret News, November 14th 1855.
Fourth church leader Wilford Woodruff had at least 10 plural wives. In 1862 during their first term with full control of both Congress and the White House, the Republicans issued the Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act and the Emancipation Proclamation. The Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act clarified that the practice of polygamy was illegal in all United States and its territories. With the US Army poised to invade Salt Lake City, the successor to Joseph Smith, Wilford Woodruff banned polygamy and denied they had practiced it (Doctrine and Covenants official declaration pgs 256-257) thus abrogating a supposed everlasting covenant.
However it was secretly still practiced away from the prying eyes of the US Government back in Washington D.C. "The law…was not enforced in the Utah territory because Mormons controlled the judicial system. ...Probate courts functioning as local tribunals had jurisdiction over most criminal offenses, and federal indictments for polygamy could not be obtained from grand juries composed of Mormons. ...Thus, despite Congress's efforts, the Mormon Church still exercised considerable control in the [Utah] territory." ("Society of Separationists v. Whitehead")
"The only men who become Gods, even the sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy...I heard the revelation on polygamy, and I believed it with all my heart... 'Do you think that we shall ever be admitted as a State into the Union without denying the principle of polygamy?' If we are not admitted until then, we shall never be admitted." From the Journal of Discourses, Vol. 11, page 269, 1866)
"Now, where a man in this church says, 'I don't want but one wife, I will live my religion with one,' he will perhaps be saved in the Celestial kingdom; but when he gets there he will not find himself in possession of any wife at all. He has had a talent that he has hid up. He will come forward and say, 'Here is that which thou gavest me, I have not wasted it, and here is the one talent,' and he will not enjoy it but it will be taken and given to those who have improved the talents they received, and he will find himself without any wife, and he will remain single forever and ever." Reported in the Deseret News, September 17th 1873.
In 1880 Mormon Prophet "Wilford Woodruff submitted a revelation he had received from God to church president John Taylor and the Twelve Apostles. God promised retaliation against anyone who seeks "...to hinder my People from obeying the Patriarchal Law of Abraham...your enemies shall not prevail over you." ("A Chronology of Federal legislation on Polygamy," by Perry Porter)
Prophet Wilford Woodruff complained in 1887, "...scores of the Leading Men of the Church [are] in prison and the Presidency and Twelve & many others in Exile for obeying the Law of God."
"... members of the [Mormon leadership] individually or as a unit published twenty-four denials that any new plural marriages were being performed." (LDS Church authority and new plural marriages, 1890 – 1904, by D.M. Quinn)
The Mormon ledership were lying. Wilford Woodruff’s real opinion was: "We have many bishops and elders who have but one wife. They are abundantly qualified to enter the higher law and take more, but their wives will not let them. Any man who permits a woman to lead him and bind him down is but little account in the church and Kingdom of God."
Finally, a vision showing Mormon Prophet President Wilford Woodruff that continuing plural marriage endangered the temples and the mission of the Church, not just statehood, so he issued the “Manifesto” in of September 24, 1890 dictating an official end to new plural marriages. “Inasmuch as laws have been enacted by Congress forbidding plural marriages, . . . I hereby declare my intention to submit to those laws, and to use my influence with the members of the church over which I preside to have them do likewise.”
With national attention again focused on the practice in the early 1904 Mormon Prophet President Joseph F. Smith issued this "Second Manifesto": "Inasmuch as there are numerous reports in circulation that plural marriages have been entered into contrary to the official declaration of President Woodruff, of September 24, 1890, commonly called the Manifesto. ... I, Joseph F. Smith, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, hereby affirm and declare that no such marriages have been solemnized with the sanction, consent or knowledge of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." Joseph F. Smith married at 20 and then married five others later. His first wife divorced him on the grounds of "adulterous intercourse" with his "concubines." He taught that “at the marriage in Cana at Galilee, Jesus was the Bridegroom and Mary and Martha the brides.” (Wilford Woodruff Journal, July 22, 1883)
Yet, secret marriages were apparently sealed as late as 1910 for trusted leaders of the Church in Mexico or Canada. And is rumored they still go on.
"... polygamous weddings (or sealings, as we call them) are still performed in Mormon temples around the world today. These sealings unite living members of the church to deceased members in a 'spiritual' polygyny that the church teaches will become actual in the next life. For faithful LDS, in a very real sense it [polygamous marriages] never left." ("Polygyny facts," by M.J. Barrett, Salt Lake Tribune, December 29th 2000)
Church Apostle Bruce R. McConkie has prophesied: "Obviously the holy practice (of polygamy) will commence again after the Second Coming of the Son of Man and the ushering in of the millennium." (Mormon Doctrine, 1966 edition)
The Mormon women were spiritually battered by their religion:
Mary Ann Angell Young, Brigham Young's second wife, said, "God will be very cruel if he does not give us poor women adequate compensation for the trials we have endured in polygamy."
Zina D. Jacobs Smith Young, another wife of Brigham Young counseled a woman victimized by polygamy, “you the only woman who is suffering torments on account of polygamy. There are women in this very house whose hearts are full of hell, and in that room … is a woman who has been a perfect fury ever since Brother Young married Sister Amelia Folsom. Brigham Young dare not enter that room or she would tear his eyes out. It is the system that is to blame for it, but we must try and be as patient as we can."
Phebe Woodruff, first wife of Apostle Wilford Woodruff shared her feelings on polygamy, "I have not changed my views about polygamy. I loathe the unclean thing with all the strength of my nature, but Sister, I have suffered all that a woman can endure. I am old and helpless, and would rather stand up anywhere, and say anything commanded of me, than to be turned out of my home in my old age which I should be most assuredly if I refused to obey counsel."
There are over 30,000 people practicing polygamy in the US mainly in Utah, Idaho, Montana and Arizona, who either regard themselves as preserving the original Mormon beliefs and customs, or have merely adopted polygamy as a desired way of life and may or may not be a part of the teachings of any organization.
I don’t think we want to be linked with such cults.
Polygamy is illegal in the US and most countries. In Texas, the governor recently signed into law measures aimed directly at polygamists, including raising the age of consent to marry from 14 to 16 and outlawing "stepfather marriages." Any attempt to circumvent the law by only ceremonially marrying while not legally licensing it is against the spirit of the law and what the Scripture tells us to do, that which is right not just in the eyes of Yahweh but in the eyes of man.
“Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. (Romans 12:17)”
“Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of Yahweh, but also in the sight of men. (2 Corinthians 8:21)”
However, there are organizations trying to change US laws on polygamy: “The president of the American Civil Liberties Union says polygamy is among the "fundamental rights" that her organization will continue to defend.
During a question-and-answer session after a speech at Yale University, ACLU president Nadine Strossen stated that her organization has ‘defended the right of individuals to engage in polygamy,’ reported AgapePress, noting that the comments cited by the Yale Daily News received little attention.
The student paper said Strossen was responding to a ‘student's question about gay marriage, bigamy, and polygamy.’
The ACLU chief said her organization defends ‘the freedom of choice for mature, consenting individuals,’ making it ‘the guardian of liberty ... defend[ing] the fundamental rights of all people.’
Some opponents of same-sex marriage -- including, notably, Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa. -- have argued that its acceptance will create a slipperly slope, leading to the sanctioning of other types of relationships, including polygamy.” (“ACLU Defends Polygamy,” reported in WorldNetDaily.com)
The Coalition for Religious Freedom and Tolerance went to the Utah ‘s state Capitol in January 2002 to demand a constitutional amendment that would legalize polygamy.
Even worldly gentiles see polygamy as immoral. I am reminded of 1 Corinthians 5:1-2, speaking of another sexual practice: "It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, impurity of a sort that does not even occur among the heathen . . . you ought to mourn until the person who has done this is removed from your fellowship."
The Sacred Scripture cautions us we must not allow our liberty to be the cause of someone else’s fall. “…take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak. (1 Corinthians 8:9)” We are told over and over in the Scriptures to obey the laws of the land, unless that the law forbids us to follow the dictates of our Elohim.
“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which Yahweh has established. The authorities that exist have been established by Yahweh. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what Yahweh has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is Yahweh's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is Yahweh's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are Yahweh's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. (Romans 13:1-7)”
“Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good (Titus 3:1).”
“Submit yourselves for Yahweh's sake to every authority instituted among men…(1 Peter 2:13).”
“Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. (Hebrews 13:17)”

[Karren]

I dont think we are eqipped to handle polygamy with our socialization.

[Wondell]

Polygamy would solve SOOO many problems in the african american community.

I agree with what is being said so far. That just means we need to reprogram the minds of our brethren. Because if they mess around and get a couple of wifes just for sex, I'd give them 2 months into before they'd barely be able to move.

Most men don't realize they are not supposed to ejaculate everytime they have sex. So they will wear themselves out with 2 wives.

Polygamy is a welfare system. As well as the Tithes.

The tithes were for the levites as well as the Widows and Orphans (single mothers and their children) I wish there was a Widow and Orphan's fund that our beloved sisters could gleam from rather than having their hands out for Uncle Big Brother Sam.

[Zealot X]

I completely agree with this. Polygny is actually a viable solution WHEN you have righteous individuals involved. I'm for it but have no plans or intentions of engaging in it because... honestly, I feel like the mindset in most women today simply will not allow it. I do not expect a woman to go from being so independent in society back to the way things were overnight. I mean there were cases were you would have to take someone as a wife. I think that proves the case for it legally. But the issue I have is actually getting it to work with the very strong women in our society today. Men and women both need to change before this would be acceptable in practice and not just theory.

shalom

[Wondell]

I couldn't agree more

[Yahhasheardme]

I have waaaaay too much to say on the topic so I will just say that i agree with alot of what sisiter Abiyah said on the topic. Though....I agree with the pro's of polygamy just as long as the motives are compleely pure and to build our nation. I don't however see it happening for me right away because I PERSONALLY have many hangups to deal with before I would feel comfortable with that type of family. I don't bash it for others though.--Much agreed Brother Wondell.

[Wondell]

And that should be respected! The way you feel about it should be respected. I hate when sisters gather together and try to tell a sister that she is being selfish and insecure just cuz she can't deal with watching her man be with another woman.

Polygamy should be a Plan Z not a plan A

It's a way to repair a damaged situation. So if it aint broken then it don't need to be fixed.

I'm not for it, I'm not against it. I just don't judge it.

But if brothers were honorable with their co-wives it would be a boon to EVERYONE involved as there would be 3 incomes instead of 1 or 2. These single mothers would have masculine influence.....

Well I'll get into my diatribe about it later when we get more responses.

[Wondell]

lol. so basically you're saying that it's cool if he has her over to live temporarily, he just can't get none?

[Daniel Sanders]

Shalom,

Just to play the devils advocate, so to speak, the reason would be the time of niddah. Many men have a very strong sex drive and to abstaing for 7-14 days is difficult. This would be a time of possible weakness to temptation of the flesh. Obviously, a man walking in the Spirit would overcome any temptation of the flesh so this is not really a valid excuse.

Daniel