Instant gratification is the way of our culture, and that saddens me. It is time for the prejudicial bigotry against polygamy to cease and desist. What are we to do with these instances of polygamy in the old testament. Reconstructing the book of mormons missing stories. Jun 18, 2012 so it is with books about polygamy, one of the most debated subjects within the history of mormonism. And he said to them, which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and i have nothing to set before him. If a marriage includes multiple husbands and wives, it can be called a group marriage. See the article in its original context from march 21, 1999, section 6, page 14 buy reprints. Reminderevent this wednesday persistence of polygamy. It was divine intervention, not political expediency, that led the church of jesus christ of latterday saints mormons to ban the practice of polygamy more than 100 years ago.
A spiritual witness of the truthfulness of the revelation on plural marriage. Since 911, we have observed that certain groups have tried to capitalize on that tragedy by attacking islam from all sides unfortunately, even some christian tv channels have joined in this islambashing and are trying to tarnish the image of islam and th. Polygamy had been permitted for millennia in many cultures and religions, but, with few exceptions, was rejected in western cultures. Jacob 2 describes how the prophet jacob condemned materialism and sexual immorality, including unauthorized plural marriage. Polygamy is the practice of having more than one spouse at the same time. The first in a threevolume anthology in which top scholars examine the entire range and history of mormon polygamy. Flds stands for the fundamentalist church of jesus christ of latter day saints, and theyre currently led by warren jeffs. May 24, 2011 god intended, from the beginning, for marriages to consist of one man and one woman for the duration of their lives. Mormon fundamentalism also called fundamentalist mormonism is a belief in the validity of selected fundamental aspects of mormonism as taught and practiced in the nineteenth century, particularly during the administrations of joseph smith and brigham young, the first two presidents of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church. Indeed, supporting polygamy is a sensible thing to do because men already like having many partners, it enhances personal freedom, helps to prevent or minimize adultery, is an integral part of some culture, was practiced by great men of christianity and islam and other religions, helps to decrease the number of single women in society, helps. The utah lds say it supports polygamy and the rlds say it doesnt.
Numbers and the book of deuteronomy, also lived in a polygamous marriage with two women. Victorian america saw plural marriage as immoral and joseph smith as. The correlative term polyandry describes the condition of a woman who has many men in family relation with herself. Polygamy bible verses in the king james version kjv about polygamy. This way, it would be an understatement to say, such is a worthless creature. This short section in an online book explains the situation with zaid, zainab, and muhammad. It was released by the church to help dispel myths about common public beliefs about how joseph smith introduced not just polygamy having multiple wives to the church, but polyandry marrying women who are already married to a husband. As we speculate about gods silence, there is at least one key factor to consider. Bible verses about polygamy bible verses related to polygamy from the king james version kjv by book order sort by relevance. Selections from the book of doctrine and covenants of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints.
Muslims practicing polygamy refer to the verse in the quran 4. The persistence of polygamy, volume 1 posted on april 11, 2015 by meg stout this intriguing volume has been available for several years now, but i. Byu studiesthis set will prove to be the standard to turn to in researching mormon polygamy. For a time, god did permit a man to have more than one wife. Divorce and polygamy were regulated in the laws given to moses, but polygamy was recorded long before then. Next, you have to read every book to the end especially if it is the. Polygamy international standard bible encyclopedia. Can a man be married to more than one woman at the same time and whenever he pleases. It should be easy to prove polygamy is a sin in scripture using commandments on sexual intercourse, assuming god was against polygamy. Jacob specified that plural marriage may be practiced when god commanded it, but insisted that monogamy was otherwise the norm. Apr 10, 2007 polygamy, or comarriage to multiple wives, is discussed in the quran as a response to a specific social situation. The essay covers early polygamy, focusing especially on joseph smith.
And if you read the stories about the characters referenced above, youll quickly find that polygamy was an unmitigated sociological disaster that created heartbreak and sowed familial discord. This volume explores mormon fundamentalism from several perspectives. And yet it includes a surprising amount of content that those wishing to understand polygamy during josephs life ought to know. In the context of wartorn society in seventhcentury arabia, one which left many women widowed and children orphaned, the discussion of polygamy was revealed as part of a directive to treat female orphans justly.
Hales a solid contribution to the historical and theological literature relating to joseph smiths life. Nov 21, 2008 chapter 2 of the book of jacob in the book of mormon addresses polygamy. The first reference to polygamy is found in genesis 4 in the lineage of cain. Personally i dont have any interest in the practice of plural wives. Unlike the 1831 revelation, the 1830 version of the book of mormon does not specify that the native americans. Because of its persistence for so long it became a strongly entrenched tradition and then followed the period of taqlid blind imitation and hence it persists in our times as well though quranically speaking, it has no validity whatsoever today. It is in the latter book, section 2, where god tells the prophet joseph smith that. Polygamy was a way of life until the quran was revealed 1400 years ago. That is why it is important to look at the full account in the scriptures, and not selectivity pick one or two verses. According to the book of kings, solomon had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, but his wives turned. It outlines polygamys place in anthropological theory and its rich sociocultural diversity in countries ranging from the usa and uk to malaysia, india, regions of africa and tibet. How might readers make sense of this connection between polygamy and material wealth. Joseph knew the practice of plural marriage would stir up public ire. For a more thorough analysis of polygamy in the quran, go to this online booklet and click on chapter 12.
Bible verses related to persistence from the king james version kjv by relevance sort by book order galatians 6. Differences that persist between the rlds and lds churches, by elbert a. Fundamentalist mormon polygamy emerged from lds church president wilford woodruffs 1890 manifesto, which ostensibly rescinded the practice of plural marriage among mormons. Polygamy has been practiced by many cultures throughout history 3 there are numerous examples of polygamy among close followers, devotees, and the faithful to god in the old testament, but it is generally not accepted by most contemporary christians, though other christian groups permit the. Polygamy the evil effects of husbands favoritism in deuteronomy 21. What the bible says about polygamy there are many polygamists in the bible. Understanding jacobs teachings about plural marriage from a. A crosscultural analysis provides an examination and analysis of historical and contemporary polygamy. Scripture tells us moses had two wives, zipporah, mentioned in ex 2. While polygamy is strongly denounced in several passages of the book of.
The church of jesus christ of latterday saints came out with another gospel topics essay titled plural marriage in kirtland and nauvoo. The persistence of polygamy, volume 2 posted on april 14, 2015 by meg stout this second volume of the persistence of polygamy series deals with polygamy following the death of joseph smith. What the bible really says about polygamy bible and. The doctrine and covenants, by contrast, wishes to explain how and when polygamy can be acceptable to god. Yet, there are thousands of men, women and children in polygamous households in the u. Polygamy, or plural marriage, in the church of jesus christ of latter day saints is generally. He has presented at numerous meetings and symposia and published articles in the journal of mormon history, mormon historical studies, and dialogue, as well the persistence of polygamy series. I45n book 142m24 and m27, dropping hy missing page numbers in footnotes.
Polygamy is the practice or custom of having more than one wife or husband at the same time. For instance, consider sexual relations in a polygamous marriage. The persistence of polygamy, volume 1 posted on april 11, 2015 by meg stout this intriguing volume has been available for several years now, but i only recently read it through in its entirety. The data is irrefutable, much of monogamy is a trainwreck, full of broken, unhappy lives and crime. Reminder that newell bringhurst and craig foster, editors of the third and final volume in the persistence of polygamy series. What you discover is, actually, there are no verses that contradict the idea of polygamy not being a sin.
We are losing our will to be persistent, and so much of what is healthy and good for our growth and strength comes out of the longterm. This second volume of the persistence of polygamy series deals with polygamy following the death of joseph smith. The king james quotations in the book of mormon, the history of the text of the book of mormon. What does the bible say about polygamy and open relationships. If it was a sin, why didnt god condemn such faithful ones as abraham for having hagar. Next, you have to read every book to the end especially if it is the biblical context. Polygamy practically means exactly polygyny gune, i. When a man is married to more than one wife at a time, sociologists call this polygyny. Every now and again a great book comes along that changes our perception of marriage. Among the topics considered is the history of mainstream latterday saint polygamy in mexico, john taylors controversial 1886 revelation. Mormons change references to blacks, polygamy the changes are the first since 1981, and deal specifically with the churchs original ban on black priesthood ordination and polygamy. It is in the latter book, section 2, where god tells the prophet joseph smith that he can marry as many women as he wants.
These verses make it sound like the book of mormon condemns the practice of polygamy, but verse 30 denotes otherwise. Bible verses related to polygamy from the king james version kjv by relevance sort by book order exodus 21. The adamgod doctrine and the persistence of polygamy jstor. The second in a threevolume anthology in which top scholars examine the entire range and history of mormon polygamy. For if i will, saith the lord of hosts, raise up seed unto me, i will command my people. The following essay is the official lds released essay entitled plural marriage in kirtland and nauvooo. The revelation on plural marriage was not written down until 1843, but its early verses suggest. Egans february 28, 1999, article, the persistence of polygamy. When a woman is married to more than one husband at a time, it is called polyandry. Polygamy, or comarriage to multiple wives, is discussed in the quran as a response to a specific social situation. Generating even more controversy in discussing the revelation was an officially sanctioned scriptural work entitled, latterday revelations.
Polygamy has been practiced by many cultures throughout history 3 there are numerous examples of polygamy among close followers, devotees, and the faithful to god in the old testament, but it is generally not accepted by most contemporary christians, though other christian groups permit the practice. Polygamy is the next battleground for marriage in the united states in fact, just last month a federal judge declared laws on the books in utah that guard against polygamy to be unconstitutional the state may still outlaw plural marriages, but it cannot. God authorized jesus christ to reinstitute his original standard of monogamy. Some have observed that monogamy is a monumental failure in the marriage stakes. God declared in the book of mormon that monogamy was the standard. And this has been the case from the very start, as several essays demonstrate in a new book called the persistence of polygamy. From joseph smiths martyrdom to the first manifesto, 18441890 newell g. Should we ban polygamy because it too, has failures. Due to patriarchal societies, it was nearly impossible for an unmarried woman to provide for herself. A fascinating bit if history on section 2 that i was previously unaware of. Lets look at some bible passages that mention polygamy and remember. He also contributed a chapter to he persistence of polygamy.
The silent tears of polygamy is a captivating story about a woman named ana who was born and raised in america and converted to islam. Hales is the author of seven books dealing with mormon polygamy. This article further explains why christians do not accept polygamy. Joseph smith and the origins of mormon polygamy bringhurst, newell g. The persistence of polygamy, scattering of the saints, and modern polygamy in the united states. The people jacob was teaching were under condemnation for their adulterous lifestyle. The bible does not specifically say why god allowed polygamy. So it is with books about polygamy, one of the most debated subjects within the history of mormonism.
An interesting new book well worth reading on polygamy is remarriage is adultery unless by david pawson. It does not only believe every single word of a book to be literally true, but puts all its efforts to convince others to believe the same. There are positives in this article, though there is much more than can be said. As will be demonstrated in this article, the quran sets two clear conditions that must be met before polygamy may be allowed. Fundamentalist mormon polygamy from 1890 to the presentpublished by john whitmer books, will be here this wednesday, september 30. Such a creature with no modern mental faculty whatsoever, knows nothing beyond the words of a book, written hundreds or thousands of years ago, when ignorance was the default mode of thinking in the society. Some of them were gods favorite people including abraham, jacob, gideon, solomon, and david. Polygamy is a general term and might mean a multiplicity of partners in the family relation by one of either sex. In the first volume of the persistence of polygamy, the bringhurst and foster compiled an anthology of original articles on the controversies surrounding joseph smith jr. The persistence of polygamy, scattering of the saints, and. The battle to control the public memory of joseph smith. The book of mormon account is basing its statements on an interpretation of mosaic law to defend a new to them negative position on polygamy.
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