• 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.

Meat WHY is polygyny so important?

Can't say I've ever read or heard anyone asserting such a thing, @Communication. Given that you chose to address this concern here, could you please provide an example? Or, at the very least, keep your powder dry until you come across such an example of people asserting that covering is necessary for covering. In the absence of that, I'm going to consider it a red herring.

I think we're more likely to find examples of pebbles in our sandals.
It is a little uncomfortable for me to bring your attention to these "such an example"-- which actually come from your posts.
You refer here to "the fact that every woman needs a man to be her covering." Every. Woman. I put the full quote below.

One of the perils of monogamy-only is that it almost forces men to elevate the importance of physical attraction and moral perfection above all other considerations, including something you and others have pointed to, @Maddog : the fact that every woman needs a man to be her covering. Because we believe we're stuck with only one for the rest of our lives, if nothing else our carnal desires will lead us toward maximizing our level of arousal, and our spiritual desires will lead us toward maximizing our drive for purity (and just those two present enough of a dilemma), but, while Yah endows us with physical attraction, that doesn't mean it represents His only imperatives in the matter of marriage. We are also called to be available to cover all women who need it, and both the generally-considered-unattractive and the generally-considered-impure women, if anything, need that covering even more than the pretty virgins. I have since I first began to seriously consider polygamy (elementary school) believed that it is a failure to glean the whole message of Scripture to compound that insistence on beauty and purity by demanding it when one asserts one is available to be a man of more than one wife. Yah very clearly wants everyone to be loved, and Yeshua set this example over and over and over again.

The focus on questioning a woman's history, as such, should be less focused on the actual history itself and much more on whether she is ready to repent and be redeemed.

Then there's this, where you are asking for Scripture on how to respond to a woman who asserts "her covering is now Christ and she therefore needs no earthy man as her covering." If a woman asserted that to me, I would tell her that Christ's covering is sufficient. Why were you asking for "Bible verses related to why a woman needs to have a covering..."? Did you find those Bible verses?
Where do I go on here to find the best thread to find the best Bible verses related to why a woman needs to have a covering and/or that Yah expects her to have a covering? I am specifically interested in being able to properly respond to someone who asserts that, when a woman is widowed, her covering is now Christ and she therefore needs no earthly man as her covering.

Thanks.

[Edit: I should have been more specific. I didn't mean a head covering. I was referring to having a male covering, as in a protector and provider -- like a girl's father, who would be replaced by her husband -- but what happens when she's a widow and not covered by the Levirate law?]

Responses to me today have brought up terms like "garbage" and "red herring" and the "read your Bible." Today's tone is uncharacteristic of what I have observed in the past on this forum. Maybe it's just who is on today, but I find it discouraging.
 
Try not to let it discourage you. As you read certain posts you'll sometimes see there are differing views held quite strongly. We don't deliberately try to offend one another (most of the time :)). Shalom
Shalom. Not a Hebrew Roots person, but I love that word.
 
It is a little uncomfortable for me to bring your attention to these "such an example"-- which actually come from your posts.
You refer here to "the fact that every woman needs a man to be her covering." Every. Woman.

Then there's this, where you are asking for Scripture on how to respond to a woman who asserts "her covering is now Christ and she therefore needs no earthy man as her covering." If a woman asserted that to me, I would tell her that Christ's covering is sufficient. Why were you asking for "Bible verses related to why a woman needs to have a covering..."? Did you find those Bible verses?

Responses to me today have brought up terms like "garbage" and "red herring" and the "read your Bible." Today's tone is uncharacteristic of what I have observed in the past on this forum. Maybe it's just who is on today, but I find it discouraging.

And I don't find that your approach inspires confidence that you're seeking to be iron sharpening iron. You shift the goal posts. Again, no one was talking about salvation, but you keep talking about how Jesus is sufficient, even though you've already identified that assertion as specifically related to salvation when the discussion is not focused on salvation.

To me it's just silly to pretend that women only need salvation. "Sure, ma'am, you've got your covering -- if all you're seeking is salvation -- but what about protection, provision and due benevolence.?" Between him and His Father, Yeshua directly and solely provides the salvation, because we're incapable of providing that for ourselves. However, the manner in which They provide the covering for women is indirectly, through male members of the Body of Christ.

And if it's a red herring, then it's a red herring. Or is it your expectation that every time you provide a statement that doesn't address the actual meat of a discussion but instead functions as a diversion to provide you with what you assume to be a legitimate opportunity to engage in the verbal jousting you hope to inject into a discussion in order to divert it to the discussion you'd rather have that the only proper way to confront you is to point out that you're providing a statement that doesn't address the actual meat of a discussion but instead functions as a diversion to provide you with what you assume to be a legitimate opportunity to engage in the verbal jousting you hope to inject into that discussion in order to divert it into becoming one you'd rather have? Because, to me, it's just far more efficient to point out that it's a red herring rather than have you derail it.

I have no problem with you quoting anything I've written. Given the breadth of time over which I've written, some of it I may want to disown, but most of it I will stand solidly behind. Just please do me a favor and ensure that you're comparing apples to apples. Perhaps you could define what you mean by covering, given that you want to challenge what tends to be the pretty consistent use of the term among us here. What is your definition, @Communication? Once we know that, we may have to agree to disagree on definitions, but I may be 100% ready to agree with you that, based on your definition, no woman needs covering. Until then, though, I'm going to rest on a lifetime of observation and study of Scripture -- but perhaps most especially on just having enough common sense to look around the world to see just how peachy life is or isn't for women who pretend that they don't need men. If you were involved in the more extended discussions I had with those who responded to me privately, you would know that the widow in question was simultaneously declaring Christ as all the covering she needed while struggling with her needs for physical intimacy and orchestrating a whole network of men in her life to take care of the various things she either didn't want to have to handle or had no clue how to handle. These kinds of situations are much more nuanced than a cavalier comment about how Christ covers everyone can address. And when I say that I also say that with emphasis to myself, because I used to rest on that: "Oh, Jesus takes care of the lilies of the field, so he'll take care of her and her and her, which means I don't have to." I've been taking note of what you pay attention to and what you don't, and in this instance you just seem to be poking the stick in the fire and/or pouring water on it rather than taking note of the fact that the matter at hand involves an intention to cook substantive meals that will actually feed people.

I remain in a state of wonder as far as what your intentions are here, Mr. Communication. It appears to me that you're asking for and coming close to demanding that you receive an ongoing warm welcome, while you poke that stick and pour on that water. Someone says something uncomfortable to you, and you come back with evasion (you're asked to provide scriptural backing for covering being simply a matter of salvation, but instead of doing so you deflect and ask if anyone gave me scriptural backing for what I was previously seeking), make veiled challenges, and, when you're challenged for your challenges, run behind the skirt of
we may have disagreements and it might be helpful to understand each other with a spirit of generosity so we can together respond to the grace of God.
We all want to be saints, but I find it difficult to extend that effort to someone who seems to be expecting sainthood from us but also expects us to take him at face value rather than wonder if he's a wolf in sheep's clothing.

[Note to moderators: this was carefully crafted to avoid being censored; if I failed in my mission, I guess I'll make another stab at it, once again.]
 
ok thanks, steve, for that. i think you misunderstand me, or at least my intent. you got a lot of wisdom, and i wouldn't be here if i didn't believe that. we may have disagreements and it might be helpful to understand each other with a spirit of generosity so we can together respond to the grace of God.
Wow
 
1. OP posts list of benefits of biblical polygyny
2. Then, something not yet discussed on the thread appears: the idea that polygyny increases access for women to have a suitable "covering".
3. I disagreed. I personally wouldn't promote that idea as a benefit, and I was hoping for some discussion on that. The way I have seen "covering" used on this site (with respect to a man being the "covering" of the woman), I did not think had Scriptural support.

I think you (KM) have treated me poorly in your responses. You (KM) have questioned my motives and been generally aggressive. Maybe I should have waited longer before saying this (as a noob) to give the "seasoned members," the overseers of this site and its culture, a chance to say something.
To the overseers: Your likes and comments push the community in one direction just as your silence lets it move in another. Thank you Frederick, for speaking up in a brotherly manner towards me. Maybe you'all want to keep your counsel to yourself in this case, but I can tell you as a fairly new member that if one person or persons does something to make a new member feel unwelcome, and there isn't someone like Frederick to counteract that, it may hinder engagement.

btw: steve, I am going to interpret your "Wow" as you being generous of spirit, so thanks for that. If it is meant in another way, I hope you'll make that clear because I don't like to assume ill-intent on people.
 
What I feel needs to be said is: I have seen the word "covering" being used as if it added something to (specifically a woman's) salvation.
Actually, @Communication, your caveat is 'adding to salvation.' If you study Scripture, and particularly the Torah, you'll find that all commandments, except one (that I can find), are given to the men and they have the responsibility of teaching them in the home and leading their respective families.

Interestingly, the one command given to the 'edah' (Ex. 12:3), or entire body of Israel, is Pesach. 12:43-49 specifically states that equal access is given to male/female, slave/free, and native/foreigner. Paul points directly at this in Galatians 3:28 where his context is equal access to salvation/Messiah.

So, no, nothing is added to a woman's salvation by being covered. What IS added is her access to the Assembly, to sound doctrine, a leader, etc... all the blessings of being covered. All of Scripture, apart from salvation, is within the context of God's protective authority structure.
 
btw: steve, I am going to interpret your "Wow" as you being generous of spirit, so thanks for that. If it is meant in another way, I hope you'll make that clear because I don't like to assume ill-intent on people.
I’m glad that you brought this up.
I took exception to several of your statements and you just blew me off by telling me that I had misunderstood you. But yet you offered no explanation to clear it up.
It obvious to me that you aren’t here to be a support for the concept of poly, nor are you here to learn the things that we have to share.

Go on playing your little game, the fruit will become evident soon enough.
 
Actually, @Communication, your caveat is 'adding to salvation.'
This is a basic problem with how many Christians like to simplify things. Everything is either sinful or perfect. Everything is either for salvation or not. And so on.

Just because a man is a woman's covering, and that that is a good thing, does NOT mean it has anything to do with salvation. As others have said, it is only you that have linked those two things @Communication, and then have objected to it. It's a straw man (you may have accidentally put it up, but it's still a straw man). Let's just dismiss that as a temporary misunderstanding on your part. If we get rid of it, do you have any further objections?
 
Last edited:
I will say that when Christie died she left five children behind and although they lost their mother they are not motherless. And Steve is not a single parent trying to raise4 them.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.
For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.
Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?
And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.


My paraphrase is that a team of two is great for all sorts of practical reasons, and a team of three is more resilient (not quickly broken) because if one is injured / dies you still have a team of two.

We're not told a team of three is better than a team of two. We are simply told it is more resilient.
 
Let’s lighten up on @Communication. While I can’t think of a specific example off the top of my head, I have also gotten the impression that the circumcision guys tie headship with salvation. I know of other people who have gotten that impression as well. It must be a miss understanding, but regardless, that’s how y’all are coming across.
 
We’ve been accused of tying Torah to salvation and now we have to accept the accusation that we believe that a woman’s salvation is dependent somehow on her being under proper headship?

I’m telling you that it’s a dammed lie.
Not to mention that it’s extremely irritating.
 
Let’s lighten up on @Communication. While I can’t think of a specific example off the top of my head, I have also gotten the impression that the circumcision guys tie headship with salvation. I know of other people who have gotten that impression as well. It must be a miss understanding, but regardless, that’s how y’all are coming across.
I’m reposting this for consistency.
 
We’ve been accused of tying Torah to salvation and now we have to accept the accusation that we believe that a woman’s salvation is dependent somehow on her being under proper headship?

I’m telling you that it’s a dammed lie.
Not to mention that it’s extremely irritating.

Whoa, simmer down there. I didn’t say you did believe that, I said that’s how it comes across. If you don’t like what the mirror is showing you, does smashing the mirror really fix anything?
 
We’ve been accused of tying Torah to salvation and now we have to accept the accusation that we believe that a woman’s salvation is dependent somehow on her being under proper headship?

I’m telling you that it’s a dammed lie.
Not to mention that it’s extremely irritating.
Right? We all know that through childbearing she’ll be saved!
 
Whoa, simmer down there. I didn’t say you did believe that, I said that’s how it comes across. If you don’t like what the mirror is showing you, does smashing the mirror really fix anything?
You aren’t my mirror.
This was already addressed twice, that’s why I came down hard. Because you were contributing to false rumors.
Maybe you just want to believe anything negative about us, idk.
 
This is a basic problem with how many Christians like to simplify things. Everything is either sinful or perfect. Everything is either for salvation or not. And so on.

It is not on topic as such but I liked this discreet portion of @FollowingHim 's remark.
I had a bit of a debate with someone online recently which this remark caused me to recall. The meat being that all intimate activities, even those within the bonds of marriage were by definition sinful. One presumes that if we were to all reach the ideal state they would advocate for then Christians would simply disappear within a short period. I met the notion of all of Christianity converting to a cloistered monks like existence with a good amout of skepticism as you can imagine. Anyway, I liked the acknowledgement that nuances do have a place.
 
Last edited:
You aren’t my mirror.
This was already addressed twice, that’s why I came down hard. Because you were contributing to false rumors.
Maybe you just want to believe anything negative about us, idk.
Talk about assuming the worst, good grief. Whatever you say Steve.
 
Back
Top