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Ok scripture quoters... I need to tag y'all in

paterfamilias

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I regularly have conversations with Christians on the topic of polygyny and big surprise they rarely have any specific scripture to quote that say Jesus had banned polygyny as I am quite certain no such thing exists but they all seem to be of the opinion that ever since Jesus became part of the equation that polygyny was verboten.

So, while I realize that there is a tonne of references on the site, I have never seen a specific thread that presented each of the various references and a synopsis that gives context and an explanation of how it helps support the conclusion that polygyny is not just acceptable but ideally the best answer and with bells on. If there is such a thread then great. If not, then as the guy who likes to focus on the nuts and bolts practical side, I would like to ask that you lend a hand and contribute a couple of bullet points to the presentation one might give to another Christian to convince them in the most simplistic fashion/terms that they have been sold a lie. We know that getting off into the weeds often looses a more casual audience rather than convinces them so no weeds please.

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On a similar note though honestly not as high priority in my mind there is a notion that I was given in a conversation with a Christian that I am dubious about that I would like fact checked if you will forgive the modern obscene language. They made the claim "the Bible teaches that celibacy was better than marriage but that marriage was good and lawful".
That sounds to me like something that is likely to refer to particular situations or people rather than a broad sweeping notion. Christianity is a group selected faith rather than individualist. So I would have thought that the family and by extension marriage would be far more of a focus. So a bit of feedback there would be appreciated as well.

Thanks in advance
 
Regarding celibacy being better than marriage, I am sure the verse in mind was:

1 Corinthians 7:8 (ESV) To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am. 9 But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.​
 
Regarding celibacy being better than marriage, I am sure the verse in mind was:

1 Corinthians 7:8 (ESV) To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am. 9 But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.​
Which, uh, promotes polygyny.... But shhh, don't tell them that!

1 Corinthians 7
Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.
People think that 'her own husband' means that a woman should have a husband that only belongs to her and not anyone else.
The words 'own' in this sentence are different in the greek. So the first one, a man should have his own wife, means individual ownership, she belongs only to him. The second one, a woman should have her own husband, means it plurally. Like this is your own city. Yes, it's your city, you belong to it, but lots of other people belong to it too. It's not individual.

Matthew 19:4-5
He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?
The whole one flesh thing is very misunderstood. You can become one flesh with many different people, it's not set to just one. A man can become one flesh with a prostitute (1 Corinthians 6:16) for example.

A lot of people misquote Jesus when he's talking about divorce, they think he's talking about polygyny. I really need to get moving for the day and organise breakfast though so you'll just have to believe me or someone else can look them up and explain them lol.
 
The thing is that they have no scriptures to back up their position. There simply are none. Therefore what you’ll get is screaming outbursts, petulant denial and if they’re really dedicated to justifying their position they will inevitably fall back on “creation ideal”.

The truth is that engaging with this type of Christian is simply going to convince you further that you don’t want to be involved with the religion. I for one would prefer if you just ignored them.

Of course your position as a non-believer does give you a chance to make them try and win you over and so not lose their shit away. You can probably get in a few “but where does it say thats” before they disengage in epic fashion.
 
@paterfamilias, the information-in-one-place is on the main page of the website, in the drop-down "Resources" menu. Have a look through there and I think you'll find what you're looking for.

Under the "Biblical" section, there's an "Introduction" which summarises why plural marriage is Biblical, a "Scripture Index" which may be exactly what you're asking for, and a "Common Objections" article which will cover most of the responses you'll receive.

Under "Personal" there are some articles / letters to share with specific people to meet them where they are at today and explain this to them.

Under "Further Reading" there are articles and books of relevance - the booklet "Marriage from the Bible Alone" is a starting-point, and "The History and Philosophy of Marriage" is a fantastic book from 1869. There are links to many other books not hosted on this site also.
 
Tonnes of good examples, thanks everyone.

@FollowingHim you know... I am moderately sure that I knew that now that you mentioned it but honestly, I just went straight to the forums back when I joined and have only looked around a bit here and there since. Probably the last thing the author's want to hear but I am at least willing to own up. Kind of a let he who has not thrown away the instructions to the flatpack shelves cast the first stone scenario. Would put in a smiley face to show the humorous intent but I hate those bloody things and I imagine y'all get it. I will read through the references to find additional ones to those everyone was kind enough to provide.


One of these days I should try writing my own full treatise for why, over and above the practical stuff I have previously mentioned, I am a plural marriage advocate and ask everyone to do the full critique from a biblical prospective. It would be interesting to see how much if any dovetails with the Christian teachings.
 
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I just went straight to the forums back when I joined and have only looked around a bit here and there since. Probably the last thing the author's want to hear but I am at least willing to own up.
Don't worry, you're not the only one! It's the way the whole site is laid out, everyone ends up visiting the forum and forgetting the main page content exists even if they've read it before. This is normal. I often point people back to those articles for this reason.
 
I regularly have conversations with Christians on the topic of polygyny and big surprise they rarely have any specific scripture to quote that say Jesus had banned polygyny
It's an excellent question and Samuel has pointed you to the BF resources. However, if you read all the reference material once it's well worth reviewing it occasionally to keep the relevant answers in mind. Another place to look; @PeteR has a site with good resources and his new YouTube video series will also help you. Saying that, the biggest battle with the vast majority of Christians is that they just refuse to see the evidence for polygyny in the Bible. The burden of proof is on those who claim God changed His law when there is no such proof. Shalom
 
One of these days I should try writing my own full treatise for why, over and above the practical stuff I have previously mentioned, I am a plural marriage advocate and ask everyone to do the full critique from a biblical prospective.
I did and it's hugely beneficial. Highly recommend you do it. Just remember, there are seven days in the week and one day isn't one of them. :)
 
One of these days I should try writing my own full treatise for why, over and above the practical stuff I have previously mentioned, I am a plural marriage advocate and ask everyone to do the full critique from a biblical prospective. It would be interesting to see how much if any dovetails with the Christian teachings.
I believe it will dovetail closely with Scripture because it is God's design. In fact, monogamy-only is contrary to God's design and therefore indefensible from Scriptural or natural law. Christian teaching chooses blindness in this area because they love tradition more than truth.
 
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