What would you do

Originally Posted by Dr. Vaughn

It looks as if several states will begin recognizing Gay marriages.....

Whats next? Of course the next battle with be for Polygamous marriages and it will eventually pass... trust me who would have ever thought Gay Marriage would.....

So. Polygamy is no longer against the law... it's not forbidden in scripture.... what would you tell a member of your church or circle of friends that wanted you to marry them.... would you, yes or no?

If no,, what scriptures would you give them to show them they are going against Gods ordinances.....

of course your cant use the "breaking the law" argument anymore.....

Just thought it would make for interesting exchange of ideas.. trust me it is coming in our lifetime.....

You can show scriptures against Gay marriage where it is forbidden.. can we do the same for Polygamy?

and NO I DO NOT BELIEVE in Polygamy.. just up late and thinking too much

Churches can set their own standards and bylaws. The only thing that might be of question is if the church tried to force a polygamous family from attending services open to the public.

As for polygamy, various Christian groups have practiced it down through history for various reasons. Many of the so called Apostolic Modalistic groups down through history also practiced polygamy. Martin Luther allowed for it and even the Catholic church allowed for it on several occasions. The Pilgrims, though monogamous in marriage, lived in close quarters where intercourse was often had while sleeping in a room or even in the same bed with other couples in the family. Some of the beds the Pilgrims used were even equipped with a wooden board dividing adult beds to separate the two couples sharing that bed to offer some semblance of privacy. The point is…accepted social morals about marriage and love making fluctuate and have fluctuated down through history.

But biblically speaking, Paul appears to indicate that every man was to have his own “wife” and a bishop couldn’t have more than one wife. So biblically one could argue that according to the New Testament monogamy is God’s perfect will for man and should be the form of union ordained by the church.

Here’s a question I always had. Let’s say you’re a missionary in a country that allows men to have more than one wife. A man comes to church and is saved and the next service he brings his five wives and 12 children. In this culture a divorced woman has little hopes of ever honorably supporting herself without resorting to prostitution. Do you force him to divorce 4 of his wives? What do you do ask that he do with the children?