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Chat GPT AI's position on polygyny

Gary Slaughenhaupt

Gary Slaughenhaupt

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Gary Slaughenhaupt

Is polygyny a sin according to the bible


Polygyny, or having multiple wives, is not considered a sin according to the Bible. There are several examples of polygamous relationships in the Old Testament, such as King David and King Solomon, who had multiple wives and concubines. However, it is important to note that the Bible also teaches that monogamy is the ideal for marriage, and that one should only enter into a polygamous relationship if they are able to treat all their wives with equal love and respect.

Gary Slaughenhaupt

What reasons are given to say that monogamy is the ideal?


The Bible teaches that monogamy is the ideal for marriage for several reasons.
  1. The first reason is that monogamy reflects the relationship between Christ and his church. Ephesians 5:31-32 states that "a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." This verse is often understood to be a reference to the idea that a marriage between one man and one woman is a reflection of the spiritual union between Christ and his followers.
  2. Another reason for the Bible's emphasis on monogamy is that it promotes faithfulness and exclusivity in marriage. Monogamy means that each partner is committed to the other and is not looking for other relationships. This is seen as essential for building trust and intimacy in a marriage.
  3. Monogamy is also seen as a way of avoiding jealousy and competition among multiple partners, which can lead to emotional and relational problems.
  4. The Bible teaches that sexual immorality is a sin, and having multiple sexual partners is seen as a form of immorality. Monogamy helps to avoid this.
It is important to note that while monogamy is the ideal, the Bible also acknowledges that not all people are able to live up to this standard and that God's grace and forgiveness is available to all.
 
I actually did the same with it a few weeks ago, got basically the same results, it can only go off of what data it has, and what it has is a lot of false teaching in writing, unfortunately.

On another note, it can also do translations, so I've played around with it translating some greek words and passages and asking about what they mean, etc ... it does a fairly good job of that as well, it's a cool tool to have, the next version will be a lot more powerful, it'll be interesting to see what comes out of it.
 
My mind sort of rebels against the idea that something can be less than ideal, but not a sin. It seems to be that if it is less than ideal it must be sin, which is by definition falling short of the ideal, or standard.

For example, Matthew 5:48 "You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.". Being less than perfect is a sin. Now God has a plan for that (the Gospel), but that does not mitigate the fact that being less than perfect is not just "not ideal", but is a sin. God wants the ideal (the perfect) for us and anything less is sin, right?

The greatest commandment is "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." There is no less than ideal here. There is no compromise. It is 100% or nothing. Anything less is sin.

I am just saying that the position that polygyny is less than the ideal, but not a sin, seems non-sensical to me. "Less than the ideal" is practically the definition of sin.
 
cnystrom said:
My mind sort of rebels against the idea that something can be less than ideal, but not a sin. It seems to be that if it is less than ideal it must be sin, which is by definition falling short of the ideal, or standard.

For example, Matthew 5:48 "You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.". Being less than perfect is a sin. Now God has a plan for that (the Gospel), but that does not mitigate the fact that being less than perfect is not just "not ideal", but is a sin. God wants the ideal (the perfect) for us and anything less is sin, right?

The greatest commandment is "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." There is no less than ideal here. There is no compromise. It is 100% or nothing. Anything less is sin.

I am just saying that the position that polygyny is less than the ideal, but not a sin, seems non-sensical to me. "Less than the ideal" is practically the definition of sin.
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Lot's of things are "less than ideal", but not a violation of the Law.

Remarriage after the death of a spouse is not ideal (ideally the spouse would not have died). Killing your opponent in war is lawful but not ideal (peace rather than war being ideal). Eating meat is lawful but not ideal (man was created as a vegetarian, and permitted to eat meat only after the great flood).

Maybe this "less than ideal" concept just isn't a meaningful concept. We live in the world in which we live.
 
When even the non-religious guy in the group can dunk on the lame pat reply, you know your bot ain't that intelligent
 
Instead of "ideal" I think a better understanding would be "expected majority" vs "expected minority". There is an expectation that the majority of people will get married and have children, but there is clear provision and instruction for those who do not. For example, you could say the ideal is to be fruitful and multiply, but being single makes Paul less than "ideal" and under @cnystrom's evaluation, sinful. I don't buy it. I would say it is expected that a majority of marriages end up monogamous but there is clear provision and instruction for those that do not. It's not about "ideals" or even sin, it is about what the majority should expect and the minority knowing what their role is if they don't fit the majority instructions. The more I learn, the more I am amazed at the wisdom and planning God shows by making the scripture applicable for all and for all time.
 
NS4Liberty said:
. For example, you could say the ideal is to be fruitful and multiply, but being single makes Paul less than "ideal" and under @cnystrom's evaluation, sinful.
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You over-simplify my position. If indeed it is the case that God wants all men everywhere and without exception to be fruitful and multiply to the best of their ability then Paul would indeed be sinning by remaining single. However, this is not the case and Paul himself makes the case for remaining single. As usual, one most look at the overall body of work and not just at one scripture out of context.

As @rockfox points out above, the right question is whose ideal is it? That is the key question. If it is God's ideal, then it is important (and sinful to ignore). If it is man's ideal then who cares what others think?

As far as polygamy those who make the "polygamy is not the ideal" imply without stating that it is God's ideal. This is a backdoor way to make it a sin without saying so (or having to defend the position).

If they are just saying that it is less than ideal as a practical matter, then I think we are all in agreement. Indeed, advice on here is generally to avoid polygamy if you can. It is very difficult and can cause lots of problems.
 
Bartato said:
Lot's of things are "less than ideal", but not a violation of the Law.

Remarriage after the death of a spouse is not ideal (ideally the spouse would not have died). Killing your opponent in war is lawful but not ideal (peace rather than war being ideal). Eating meat is lawful but not ideal (man was created as a vegetarian, and permitted to eat meat only after the great flood).

Maybe this "less than ideal" concept just isn't a meaningful concept. We live in the world in which we live.
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I respectfully disagree. Your position that those items are less than ideal is a matter of perspective.

Let's take the death of a spouse, for example. The Bible tells us that the death of the saints is precious in the eyes of the Lord. True, if you lose a spouse, it may cause intense grief, but if we could see things from God's perspective, we may see that it was part of God's perfect will.

Secondly, when the Israelites came into the Promised Land, it was ideal for them to destroy the inhabitants of the land. Certainly, for those who died without knowing God, it would seem less than ideal, but if they were allowed to live, more children would be born to them and eventually experience the eternal judgment of God.

Thirdly, God is the one who gave man meat to eat, and I cannot imagine that God would do anything less than ideal. Certainly, God had an excellent reason to do that.

The less-than-ideal ideology has a tendency to lift men up in pride or allows them to compromise. With God, there is either sin or holiness, it is man that tries to add all the shades of gray.
 
blessedwith1 said:
I respectfully disagree. Your position that those items are less than ideal is a matter of perspective.

Let's take the death of a spouse, for example. The Bible tells us that the death of the saints is precious in the eyes of the Lord. True, if you lose a spouse, it may cause intense grief, but if we could see things from God's perspective, we may see that it was part of God's perfect will.

Secondly, when the Israelites came into the Promised Land, it was ideal for them to destroy the inhabitants of the land. Certainly, for those who died without knowing God, it would seem less than ideal, but if they were allowed to live, more children would be born to them and eventually experience the eternal judgment of God.

Thirdly, God is the one who gave man meat to eat, and I cannot imagine that God would do anything less than ideal. Certainly, God had an excellent reason to do that.

The less-than-ideal ideology has a tendency to lift men up in pride or allows them to compromise. With God, there is either sin or holiness, it is man that tries to add all the shades of gray.
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Agreed,.and that's basically what I suggest with my additional comment.

"Maybe this "less than ideal" concept just isn't a meaningful concept. We live in the world in which we live."

God is absolutely all wise, all knowing, and all powerful. In some way, He ordains all of history.
 
Bartato said:
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Agreed,.and that's basically what I suggest with my additional comment.

"Maybe this "less than ideal" concept just isn't a meaningful concept. We live in the world in which we live."

God is absolutely all wise, all knowing, and all powerful. In some way, He ordains all of history.
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I didn't realize that is what your last sentence meant, but it makes since now that you point that out. I think it is important for us to try understand both side of an issue even if we don't agree, and I think you did a good job of doing that.
 
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