im confused about which is supposed to be practiced.There are scriptures that seem to suggest polyamorous relationships are acceptable in the bible when you look at kings and other people.it looks like the original plan was for a monogamous relationship when you read genesis.can anyone explain..
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are people supposed to be in monogamous relationships or polyamorous relationships?
- Thread starter sense12
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whirlingmerc
Well-Known Member
monogamous
the two shall be one flesh
there are accounts of patriarchs with multiple 'wives' and not one of them is a happy story
marriage is a temporary parable of permanence
a picture of Christ and his bride, the church
sooda
Veteran Member
In the Bible men had multiple wives and concubines.. They married sisters.. they married their own half sisters.. and then there was Levirate marriage.. Women couldn't inherit so they had to have a son.
whirlingmerc
Well-Known Member
But no multiple wife situations were happy.
In rare cases women could inherit. Job gave his daughters an inheritance with his sons.
There was also the first legal challenge in the Bible where there were no sons and the daughters of Zelophehad went to Moses and God said they were right and they should get an inheritance to carry on their father's name, this was further qualified to say they had to marry in their tribe to keep the inheritance land in the tribe.
sooda
Veteran Member
I have no idea whether they were happy on not.
whirlingmerc
Well-Known Member
The accounts in the Bible showed a lot of strife
In fact, in the case of Rachel and Leah the strife spilled over to the next generation
with favoritism and strife between brothers (one being sold to Ishmaelites then to Egypt)
sooda
Veteran Member
Without drama there is no story.
BSM1
What? Me worry?
Its an old book penned over hundreds of years by multiple writers.
My view, do it how you want so long as its legal in your jurisdiction.
metis
aged ecumenical anthropologist
Because of war, there often was a shortage of available men, so many societies with the same problem allowed for polygamy.
Also, since we share about 98% of our dna with chimps, and chimps are promiscuous, our sex unbridled sex drive tends to encourage promiscuity. However, since that is so disruptive to human society because of how long it takes children to mature, most societies abandoned it as a model or sharply restricted it, regardless of religion.
Obviously, Christianity teaches only monogamy, or as one of my former professors called it, "monotony".
Ponder This
Well-Known Member
People are supposed to take their amorous relationships seriously as in making a truly responsible commitment as opposed to engaging in sexual relationships without any real care for the consequences or solely for the purpose of self-gratification.
Polyamorous relationships are, more often than not, a sex-fantasy of self-gratification rather than a commitment to to a serious relationship. I'm not saying that people can't be committed in a polyamorous relationship or that people shouldn't have polyamorous relationships... but, in general, it just doesn't work out that way.
Should you consume alcohol? It's fine as long as you don't abuse it... but in practice, you're eventually going to drink too much even though you never meant to. The world is a wonderful place, you can pretty much do whatever you want... except if you're irresponsible to begin with... then you can't be allowed or trusted to do anything anywhere anyhow! And you also better be prepared for worse than Hell because:
Heav'n has no Rage, like Love to Hatred turn'd,
Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman scorn'd.
-The Mourning Bride, William Congreve
Nor Hell a Fury, like a Woman scorn'd.
-The Mourning Bride, William Congreve
So I would say that it isn't so much that polyamorous relationships aren't acceptable but that they are more often than not the product of vice rather than of virtue.
So, on the one hand, Kings were under an obligation to provide an heir to the throne (virtue), and, on the other hand, it was a thinly veiled excuse to indulge (vice). The line is thin, indeed, for those that walk it. Multiple lovers is a ticking time bomb.
Probably the marital relationships are evolving culturally and spiritually evolving with monogamous relationships becoming the cultural norm.
Even the quotes in full context do not justify the monogamous relationship in marriage, and only refer to the spiritual nature of the marriage relationship between a man and woman.
Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
Well nature tends to have a lean towards polygamy. Replication is a driving force of life.
Stability of the family unit and social cooperation also tend to be important factors in evolving replication. Some animal species tend toward polygamy and some monogamy.
Ellen Brown
Well-Known Member
It appears that God is still allowing us to figure that out for ourselves.
Jeremiah Ames
Well-Known Member
Genesis is not a biology or history textbook.
The answer to your question is in your heart, not in a literal reading of Genesis.
Ellen Brown
Well-Known Member
I've been very close to it in Islam, and heard lots of talk about it with the early Mormons. I was asked to be wife 2 once, but wife one would not approve it. No woman I've known to be involved with it was pleased by it.
Those who insist on one wife, do not hold any moral high ground or any particular authority on the matter/
Those who insist on one wife, do not hold any moral high ground or any particular authority on the matter/
