...if you believe in plural marriage, how much information is TOO much information? If you aren't up front about it, are you hiding it? Or, is it better to get to know someone FIRST, and then reveal Door Number Three?
This is where I contend that the proper foundation is key. I know from difficult experience that when Yahushua says the "
world will hate you" for "
My sake" He is referring to a 'church' which has tried since at least the 4th century to teach that His Word matters less than what men (and popes) say about it. Either He "
changes not", and that INCLUDES what He Wrote about marriage - or He is a liar, and the "doctrines of men" matter more than His commandments.
I do my very best to be consistent in every 'on-line' interaction I have, and in any 'profiles' which are put up on such sites. I frequently reference key verses, like Matthew 5:17-19, which say that "
not one yod or tiddle" of His 'teaching and instruction' (that's "torah" throughout Scripture, and THAT too is a good topic for early discussion!) have EVER "passed away" - because we can see that "heaven and earth" still exist!
John 5:47 applies here, too! Any potential "helpmeet" who will NOT believe His Writings is not going to believe "my words", either.
And I don't try to delude myself, or any woman ("chemistry" or not) into thinking that we could be "compatible" if we cannot agree on "Who we serve". My sex appeal and charm are not sufficient to overcome the heart of a woman who ultimately is not obedient FIRST to Him. Yes, I, too, once did not believe what I now know to be True. I am completely willing to recognize that others have, can, and WILL follow the same Path that I did to come to know Him, and believe that His Word - ALL of it, as originally Written! - is True, and applies to us today. But we are given the "parable of the seed", and SO many examples of people and marriages both desirable and not, for purposes of understanding and discernment. And ANYBODY who puts the "traditions of men" above the "commandments of YHVH" is going to have "trouble in the flesh" and in this world. And a 'wife' who will not submit first to Him will probably not listen to me, either.
Most women who are of even a remotely "Biblical" mindset seem to accept that what "society" expects in terms of dating and sex is at variance with what they already know, and may believe. For a man to express an understanding that sexuality should be confined to "marriage" -- WHATEVER that means! -- will not shock most such women. (Many may even have more 'husbands" than I do wives anyway!) And since I openly contend that what marriage really amounts to is a Covenant, and NOT a "licensed" contract before
Caesar, that, too, is often a basis for good discussion of Scripture, and what society has done by its 'traditions'.
Any on-line ''profiles" that I have openly reflect such views, and WHY I hold them. Were I to "meet" a potential helpmeet on-line, early on I can direct them to my website, and to LOTS of audio information (podcasts, teachings, and both daily and weekly shows) that paint a consistent picture of what Scripture says, and why I believe Him.
I contend that very few "Christians" understand what Philippians 2:5 really means...because, as Jeremiah 16:19 says, we have been taught "
lies" by our "
fathers". The idolatry of "Monogamania" is only one of them, and arguably not even the most important. My "mind" has been changed. Those women who either already know Him, or are willing to "study for themselves" (perhaps with me, even) to "s
ee if these things be True" WILL be convinced by His leading, not mine. What happens after that should also be placed in His hands as well.
It's not really about "saving time", or "leading someone on", or even being "honest". Again, someone who will not believe Him, and what He clearly says, is not about to believe me in spite of Him!
Polygyny, as an option for marriage, is simply CONSISTENT with what all of Scripture says. It is not "primary". Start with what matters most! A husband and wife who cannot agree on Who they serve will probably not be able to "walk in agreement" before Him, either.
