• Biblical Families is not a dating website. It is a forum to discuss issues relating to marriage and the Bible, and to offer guidance and support, not to find a wife. Click here for more information.

GPS on plural

W

welltan

Member
Real Person
Male
I think it would be interesting to hear comments about where plural is going. This could be a contrast between where we would desire it to go and what actually will or is occuring in the world today and tomorrow. There is much good information (including on this forum) about where it has come from historically. Is the emphasis and energy of plural based in and energized by history alone or is there something modern going on. What is God doing? What is society doing?

Many of us became interested in plural totally independantly through study or our own issues prompting us to evaluate the subject. A few (not on this forum) have even claimed ownership of the topic. However, the topic now can be introduced from daily news, TV shows, web searches and from many areas. Perhaps we could say plural has taken on a life of it's own. Even though it finds roots in human behaviour, theology, religion, freedom, and legal reform, these roots do not always have a goal or lend to prediction of what will happen in the future.
 
Eugene Hillman in Polygamy Reconsidered, on page 12 stated:

...."could produce so drastic an imbalance among the sexes that plural marriage would become a necessary means of survival for this or that particular people in the West. Then, contrary to previous custom and law, an over-riding natural and moral inclination might arise in favor of polygamy. In such a situation, we may be sure, theologians and church leaders would quickly enough produce weighty reasons and biblical texts to justify a new conception of marriage among their own people.


I personally feel there is more to the energy behind plural marriage then survival and drastic reasons.
 
I think that it will continue to grow, but will also continue to divide the church. The PM families and supporters will continue in a home church setting for our lifetimes I believe. The growth might seem big to the PM community, but the concept of polygamy is not ever thought about by the majority of people including Christians until there is a raid on a compound, which brings out the prairie dresses with tennis shoes stereotypes, and the assumptions that go along with those images. We have had friends tell us that they know it happened in the Bible, but now only mormons do it. The automatic assumption is that you are converting to mormonism.

So, while I do feel and see the growth happening even right now, going from 30 adults with 5 PM families at a retreat to 100 people with 10 PM families will only seem like a huge deal to us. The people next door, or in the same neighborhood, or in the same city and state will go about their lives without even a hint of this change. I am not wanting to belittle this movement that I am a part of, but I know that just with the numbers of women to men, the percentage of PM families will not be a large one, regardless of the level at which we are accepted. Tolerated or ignored for a quite a while more is my thought, but still growing as God brings people in to the circle.
 
You are probably correct. A world where plural was growing greatly or very prevalent would change things that most people sadly do not want changed. At the moment Hollywood and porn seduce men's hearts. If many men's hearts were towards plural families and wives then the sex business would lose money. Even if it was totally accepted most men would not want the responsibilty for extended homes. It is tempting to say that plural could solve a lot of the world's problems. But what the world needs is Christ. However, the truth of plural still blesses many plural and non-plural homes. I think that it will continue to grow and hopefully will be accepted or tolerated more.
 
Naaaaawwwwww. Didn't y'all watch the YouTube video about Moslems? 2.11% & 1.8% & 1.3% reproduction rates? 20 years from now, the moslems will own most of the world. The Mongamist Christians will be dying out (hasn't anybody looked around the churches lately?) And, aside from conversions, the only Christian groups holding their own and/or growing in the (former?) developed countries will be the pligs.

Forget about music, *busting into song* "Weeeee believe in children, O-o-o-oh, weeeeeeee believe in kids!"

The forgoing is a cooperative work between Cecil & Sir BumbleBerry as it is only 1/2 in jest.

Seriously, I think it is going to keep growing. Consider that each poly friendly / active person can easily, without even particularly trying, influence or set the seed growing in the minds of at least 100 others.

'Specially if they move all over the country every couple of years as someone on this list tends to do. *sigh*
 
The future? It will be bright if men find women that either have children, or want to have many children. A good place to look might be lonely single mothers who want a husband to love them and be a father to their children. I can tell you that the Black Muslims have their eyes on the many singles mothers in Black communities.

And, the barren women you marry will be able to help raise the other children and experience that blessing as well.

So many lonely women in the world and so little time...
 
Just in our circle of friends alone we have been unwelcomed, to tolerated, now to invitations again! And it's only been a short while. Of course all of our parents are still not on the same page, but at least our siblings are there. I truly appreciate the siblings welcoming us "back".

As far as the GPS on plural marriage, when PM is tolerated (which there is no way in society it even comes close to that today) those who are in "hiding" will be able to come out freely.

As far as in church, our family hasn't been to church in months because our husband doesn't know where to bring us. We would like to be welcomed by at least one pastor/reverend/leader etc. so that we will be able to be guided honestly and feel like we aren't hiding in our place of worship. However, our lack of attendance in church has brought our husband's leadership role to an all new level of excellence. We talk about God and Jesus more and more with the kids, and our faith is being strengthened from within the home instead of depending on a church to bring us there.

I miss the structure of a weekly service, but it makes us all very thankful. Instead of one day of the week talking about God and thinking about him, we talk about him every single day, we pray out loud all the time, our five year old is voicing many more questions and concerns and worries and gratefulness since church. He asked alot before, but now is questions are amazingly in-depth.

GPS on PM: pretty much non-existent unless you are a husband or wife in a PM. The world knows nothing because they don't want to. tolerance, or the lack thereof,will always cause some sort of issue in our world.
 
What God revealed to me a couple of months ago and I think I shared here somewhere is that Isaiah 4 is a 'death sentence' for the enemy's plan. Once the devil sees Christian polygyny coming to its fullness in true believers, he knows that the end is near for him. Therefore, he is going to fight tooth and nail to prevent it from coming to fruition. However, it WILL come to pass even as God has planned it. There will come a critical point at which we will round the bend in a logrithmic curve in which polygyny will grow exponentially, just as the end-time events will escalate in a similar fashion. I believe there will soon come a time of growth in the PM community that will astound us. However, for the fullness of Isaiah 4, there will be a severe world war and series of disasters that will leave many people, (mostly men) dead and PM will become more of a necessity. I believe that we are near the time of exponential growth.

Be blessed,

Dr. Ray
 
Yes Ray, if it has not already happened by then, as the context of Isaiah 3 and 4 is examined, the drastic need will motivate into plural marriage happening after drastic events. But the action they take could already have a basis and have happened leading up to these events.

The energy of the verse (Isaiah 4:1) is the action of the seven women and the freedom women have to do that action. If there is to be a modern return to plural , I think it will have very little to do with Old Testament (Torah) teachings (except for those who's background require a scriptural validation). Rather a modern plural foundation as found in this verse shows a need, the freedom and power of women to do such a thing, and the cooperation (more or less) of the man.

Perhaps Isaiah 4:1 is a power boat of ladies that quickly overtake the patriachal canoe.
 
At the Orlando retreat in May, we were having an open floor discussion, when Duke Of Marshall asked everyone what our denominations were. I thought that maybe he was just making conversation at first and I didn't see how it pertained to PM. I did, however, notice that we were all from different denominations, some of us changing many times throughout our lifetimes. About a month later I was weeding my garden, which is where I happen to do my best thinking, and the lightbulb came on for me. It was to show us that this PM movement, however big or small it may be, is God's movement. We cannot claim that it's just a Mormon thing or just a Messianic thing. It's not just a movement of a particular religion or fad, but it is our wonderful Creator raising up families for His purpose. He is proving that it is His hand in this by laying His biblical truth on the hearts of families that are all different walks of life, occupations, hertiages and religous backgrounds. His timing is perfect and I just want to urge us all to stay away from trying to have an agenda to spread this movement, even though most of us have been taught a "numbers in ministry" doctrine our entire lives. We don't want PM to become the focus, but to stay focused on the One who has given it.

I have heard of missionaries going into a dangerous area that say, "If just one soul gets saved during my ministry there, my sacrifice will be worth it." I feel like if just one single mother can get married to a Godly man who will love her unto death and raise her children in the admonition of the Lord, then this networking tool is worth it to be able to minister to them. If just one single woman is weighed down by the fact that the odds of finding a single God-fearing man are not in her favor, but happens to wonder if plural marriage is biblical and can get solid truthful answers here on this site, then it's worth it.

Where is Plural Marriage heading? I don't know, and I don't even know where it's heading in my own family. I just want God's perfect Will and His truth to be revealed to the persons of His choice. I know how much I love being married and it makes me terribly sad that some women miss out on it just because there are more women on this planet than there are men. Then break that statistic down into how many Christian men they have to choose from and the odds get slimmer. Then break that down into how many Godly men there are and it looks like their chances of marriage are even worse. That's why I am open to the thought of sharing my husband with someone so that he could provide and love someone who may not otherwise find a man who is up to her standards. I think that if some person or some web site had been telling me about PM, I don't think I would have been so open to it. Since it was God through His word that revealed it to me, I know it to be true. That's why this group is so good. It's to minister to those who are seeking truthful answers or already know the truth. It's not people with an agenda.
 
let me be the first to say;
That is a really good post.
 
I know how much I love being married and it makes me terribly sad that some women miss out on it just because there are more women on this planet than there are men. Then break that statistic down into how many Christian men they have to choose from and the odds get slimmer. Then break that down into how many Godly men there are and it looks like their chances of marriage are even worse. That's why I am open to the thought of sharing my husband with someone so that he could provide and love someone who may not otherwise find a man who is up to her standards.
Click to expand...

This is a great way to represent a woman who is not married yet. In many cases, the woman is looked at as flawed, or she has some secret problem, even if she is physically attractive the assumption is never a good one. I think that looking at it from the angle that she will not settle for less than she wants and is willing to wait is great. Especially when the comments regarding a second are sometimes "she only did that because she couldn't get one of her own."

The other thing is the differentiation between christian men and Godly men. It is a statement that is unfortunately true many times. Great post.
 
DeeAnn,

Awesome post! I hope all the women, past, present and future will see this one, (and the men too :D ).

When you said...
DeeAnn said:
...we were all from different denominations, some of us changing many times throughout our lifetimes.
Click to expand...

It made me think of a Joyce Meyer joke about a man who was cast away on a desert island and one day was rescued. The people who came for him saw that he had built three buildings on the island on which he was stuck. They inquired about this and asked what the first building was. He replied, "That is my house." Then they asked what the second building was and he said, "That is my church." Puzzled as to what the third building was, the rescuers asked, "What is that building." To which the man promptly replied, "Oh, that's the church I used to go to." :D

Be blessed,

Ray
 
Yeah, like many of the massive moves of God in the past this is transcending denominations. Those of us on the forefront need to be using this time to hone every skill we have because we're going to have to lead soon. Not just to poly but in many areas, many of us here already know we're going be leaders in some capacity. Just this year I was asked to apply for my camp's board of directer, it was by someone in the minority party but it still gives me a significant chance of getting a position, and I am over a decade younger than any man on that board. None of the older folks have asked me anything about polygamy, so its safe to bet they don't know we're for it, but I have significant support among the youth (well, people my age too 5 or so years younger) I wonder what will come of that. If I get on there are only two people assertive enough to deal with me quickly if they decide that I have to go for being poly, one of them is wise and may be persuaded, the other is strong but I've dealt with him before and he cannot get the better of me. Odds are if I was there I'd have two weeks of being free and open about polygamy in a very conservative Christian environment where I can effectively influence people, that would certainly leave an impact. Best case scenario I'll be able to host a summer Norther retreat :) But I'll have to see what comes of that.

Already most of us have changed the way people think, already we are doing something powerful to clarify God's word and give people more insight into His nature and how we should relate to Him and others. If we can help people that is treasure for us, if we are attacked for what we are saying that is all the more treasure for us, its a win\win, everything will work out for us no mater how things work out for the world.
 
Tlaloc said:
Already most of us have changed the way people think, already we are doing something powerful to clarify God's word and give people more insight into His nature and how we should relate to Him and others. If we can help people that is treasure for us, if we are attacked for what we are saying that is all the more treasure for us, its a win\win, everything will work out for us no mater how things work out for the world.
Click to expand...

I agree, speaking of Christ and plural can be very rewarding and satisfying. Sure, there will be some negative responses. But, initially most all of us responded negatively.

There are motorcycle groups for Christ, Christian dating groups, Christian runners, etc. We can share Christ in the context of plural and be proud of this truth. Just view the negative responses you receive as reactions like people who don't like leather jackets with "Jesus Saves" written on the back. You may not (as I also do not) have a motorcycle, but you have the truth of Christian plural and God gave you that truth because He thought we/you could do something with it. Sharing it only on this web forum is fine, but sharing it with others as God leads can be very rewarding. Be wise as to who and how to share it but since God gave it to you, tell somebody.

Everyone should have a friend you can confide in. If you don't have someone you can tell how you feel then, first off we should pray for a friend. Retreats are a good place to find them. There are single, mono, and plural people at retreats, and all enjoy the fellowship. (Although the food is a close second motive)
 
welltan said:
I think it would be interesting to hear comments about where plural is going. This could be a contrast between where we would desire it to go and what actually will or is occuring in the world today and tomorrow. There is much good information (including on this forum) about where it has come from historically. Is the emphasis and energy of plural based in and energized by history alone or is there something modern going on. What is God doing? What is society doing?

Many of us became interested in plural totally independantly through study or our own issues prompting us to evaluate the subject. A few (not on this forum) have even claimed ownership of the topic. However, the topic now can be introduced from daily news, TV shows, web searches and from many areas. Perhaps we could say plural has taken on a life of it's own. Even though it finds roots in human behaviour, theology, religion, freedom, and legal reform, these roots do not always have a goal or lend to prediction of what will happen in the future.
Click to expand...

Hello Brother,

I would say that the total truth about Biblical Marriage will never be a major movement. I do believe it will grow and grow, however.

Blessings
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top