But, but, but, the TWO become one!

[CecilW]

Don't they? Not the three or the four?

So how can Plural Marriage work, with Jim and Jill AND Sue?

Good question. Does the Bible give us any more hints?

Jesus prayed, in John 17:21 that they ALL may be one. That would have been at least 12, right? So, the idea of more than two being involved in a one-ness isn't totally illogical or impossible scripturally.

On a more practical note, some years ago I noticed raindrops on a window pane. One drop began to slowly move. It soon encountered another single drop and they merged, becoming a larger single drop. The two had become one. Shortly the new unified drop encountered another single drop and merged. Then another and another.

In each case, a unified, inseparable WHOLE merged with another WHOLE, and the two became one.

To me, that is a beautiful picture of marriage between ANY man and woman, whether THIS woman is the first one to merge with him or not. The end result is a new whole, inseparable, a family! Can anything be more beautiful?

Or natural? Lacking any resistance, it just happens so naturally! How much easier our lives would be if we would resist being separated, but joyfully embrace being united? Don't we, all to often, do the exact opposite?

One final lesson from the window: As the raindrop grew, it moved faster and faster. Not just the original one or two raindrops, but the whole united "family" of them. United, they got much further than any of them would have gotten alone!

 

[Beta]

Great post Cecil! Beautiful. Your first point is definitely sound scripturally. I've heard much weaker arguments preached as if they were sound. Which proves that the truth is there, it's just deliberately ignored, or worse, denied.

It took me a minute to get what you meant by this:

whether the woman is the first to merge with him or not.

You meant whether she is the first woman or second or ... etc. Yes, it shouldn't matter. Selfishness causes individualism and seeing only what's happening 'to me'. Without a goal, any family will fail. The goal is the big picture. The big picture has to be envisioned in order to 'go for it' !

I'd like to bring in another point in regards to the raindrops. I absolutely love rain by the way! The merging of the raindrops happens so perfectly because THERE IS NO RESISTANCE. Resistance is the sole problem in merging. Resistance may also be the sole problem in marriage.

I came across this scripture:

After this, Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family, seventy-five in all. Acts 7:14

Now that's a GREAT family! And they all moved together... as one. After the one admittedly major resistance issue.

 

[CecilW]

Thank you, Beta. I'll revise the post for clarity and to incorporate the "resistance" point. Hoping to make a kinda lighter teaching article out of it.