Norman geisler and thomas howe, in when critics ask. There are serious problems with drawing that conclusion. In the first place, much of the king james version of the bible has been reproduced verbatim in the book of mormonat least 25,000 words. What the bible says about polygamy there are many polygamists in the bible. This book has none of the characteristics of gods word, and instead has. More accurately, polygyny would be one man with multiple wives, while polyandry would be one. In biblical times it was common to find the custom of having more than one wife or husband at the same time. In most of the book, he explains the philosophy youll need to know to understand the arguments in the last chapter of the book. Why did king solomon have more than one thousand wives and concubines. Thomas aquinass firstcause argument for gods existence.
Matt slick is the president and founder of the christian apologetics and. Does the bible condemn polygamy new creation person what the bible says about polygamy apologetics research resources on religious movements, cults, sects, world religions and related issues. Bible verses related to polygamy from the king james version kjv by book order sort by relevance genesis 4. That would totally leave out polygamy and make it not ok and sinful. Bible verses related to polygamy from the king james version kjv by relevance sort by book order exodus 21. God never commanded polygamy like divorce, he only permitted it because of the hardness of their hearts deut. First, description is not the same as prescription. Every seminary student worth his salt knows that the bible doesnt approve of everything it records. Faithlife staff wed, august 21, 2019 biblical studies, books, featured, lexham publishing, products. Bible book of mormon, doctrine and covenants, pearl of great price prophets, prophecy and revelation polygamy temples grace, works and salvation priesthood church history satan, sin, and hell general church doctrine miscellaneous contradictions. Well, over the years, i have spoken with various christian friends about polygamy and decided out of curiousity to study the topic, to see what the bible really said on it. The bible does not specifically say why god allowed polygamy. Kaisers remarks on polygamy in his book toward old testament ethics, pp 182190, which further discusses some of the historical and exegetical issues. Bennetts spiritual wife system and warned if any man writes to you, or preaches to you, doctrines contrary to the bible, the book of mormon, or the book of doctrine and covenants, set him down as an imposter.
The bible teaches us to have one wife or husband if you are a woman, and to be faithful. Next, you have to read every book to the end especially if it is the biblical context. Abraham and sarah would have been monogamous apart from a low point in their faith when hagar became a second wife note how much strife this caused later. Since the bible begins at the creation with genesisthe book of beginningsand ends with the book of revelation which many scholars believe was the last recorded book of the bible, students of the scriptures often assume that the bible was compiled chronologically. The bible does not say anything against premarital sex.
After five decades of practice, it was officially abolished by church manifesto in 1890 under the weight of pressure from the federal government and the desire. Listener email regarding the age of the earth, apologetics. Let each man have his own wife and each woman have her own husband. And if you read the stories about the characters referenced. Because of king sauls sin, which is recorded in 1 samuel 15. As we speculate about gods silence, there is at least one key factor to consider. Did the ot writers promote polygamy or prohibit it. In april 1844, joseph smith referred to polygamy as john c. So much for arguing against polygamy using the bible alone. Does scripture or god allow polygamy let us reason. The first instance of polygamy bigamy in the bible was that of lamech in genesis 4. Polygamy was not considered wrong in ancient cultures, but was a departure from the divine institution god ordained. What the bible really says about polygamy bible and.
Mar 03, 2009 however, if you find polygamy interesting and want a book that gives the perspective of a child bride, this book may well be interesting to you, but im afriad it wont be a regular on my reread list. The term plural marriage is used as a synonym for any of the above. The baker encyclopedia of christian apologetics says of polygamy that, the scriptures repeatedly warn against having multiple wives. In 1 kings 11, verse 3, we read that solomon, the king who ruled at the pinnacle of israelite power, had 700 wives and 300 concubines. But polygamy clearly played a strong role in these terrible stories. Those books include historical accounts, books of poetry, devotional writings, ancient wisdom, prophetic utterances, eye witness accounts, and letters of exhortation. The opponents of christianity often use them in their attempts to discredit christianity. I was blessed to speak with pastor matthew vander els of founded in truth ministries on the topic of polygamy in the bible.
Polygamy, or the principle of plural marriage, had its genesis in a revelation received by founder joseph smith and subsequently practiced by brigham young and a host of church leaders. We ought not to be overly simplistic when interpreting these stories, as if to say that polygamy was the only problem, or that these things never happen outside polygamous settings. The bible is an incredibly candid book when compared to the religious writings of other traditions. Our popular new answers book series covers many of the mostasked questions about creation, evolution, and the bible. For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the. Divorce and polygamy were regulated in the laws given to moses, but polygamy was recorded long before then. The word comes from poly meaning many and gamos meaning marriage.
It is notable that every instance of polygamy in the bible produces some ill effect. God allowed polygamy in the old testament because of the. One of jesus disciples was later inspired by god to write. So the bible does teach on polygamy and, through stories, teaches us of its problematic nature.
Polygamy in the bible bible studies on christian polygamy so says jehovah, the god of israel, i. Introduction to bible difficulties and bible contradictions. Dec 30, 2016 by nick jun 7, 2016 apologetics, bible, bible study, read the bible, word of god. Unlike the bible, the book of mormon has no corroboration from other books written by other authors to its supposed history, and no eyewitnesses to the events recorded therein. Yet, there are thousands of men, women and children in polygamous households in the u. Since then, geoff has read the book of mormon more than 10 times and have read the entire bible at least five times. Jacob was tricked through laban, into taking leah first, and then rachel, to whom he had been betrothed. This, however, is a gross misunderstanding of the bible. Speaking schedule books give contact march 3, 2020.
Polygamy is clearly prohibited by god in many ways. Mormon questions, apologetics, lds, scriptures, polygamy, lds. The first reference to polygamy is found in genesis 4 in the lineage of cain. The book is by far the best apologetics book ive ever read. Polygny is the condition or practice of having more than one wife at one time polyandry is the condition or practice of having more than one husband at one time polygamy is a marriage in which a spouse of either sex may have more than one mate at the same time. The book of mormon, and lifting the veil of polygamy.
Bible difficulties, or apparent bible contradictions, exist. First, we know that monogamy is the correct pattern of marriage because it. The top 3 apologetics books christian philosophers say you. Contradictions between the book of mormon and the bible. No where does it teach that a man is suppose to fulfill his sexual desires with those he loves. The bible discusses lots of things that is doesnt permit. There would be much, much more to say as to why the book of mormon is not an ancient record but an obvious production of a very intelligent and creative person, joseph smith, who used a number of books, including the bible, to create it. God never approved of polygamy nor did he intend it to be the norm. Further, it may very well not be referring to polygamy at all in fact, most protestants see it as an issue for divorce. However, polyandry is the technical word for having more than one husband. The body of the book continues, contained in four parts, which are broken up by historic periods.
The bible is a collection of 66 books, written over some 1500 years, spanning a period of about 4000 years of mankinds history. Apologetics press chronology and the bibles arrangement. From the very beginning god created one woman for one man see genesis 1. Before joining he read a lot of antimormon literature. For example, mosiah 14 is a reproduction of isaiah 53. And yet as paul says, everything in the bible was written for us. Prophet muhammad peace be upon him was a messenger of god filled with sympathy and mercy to people and a leader for all muslims. When abraham took hagar as a concubine and produced ishmael, ishmael became the father of arab peoples, who have been the enemies of the jewish people throughout history, even until this day. In still another case, several men who wished to register to vote in the territory of idaho took the preparatory oath that required them to swear that they neither practiced polygamy nor belonged to any organization that encouraged its practice. But dont expect any arguments to the best explanation, since the book is about st. While the bible acknowledges polygamy, it doesnt approve of it. What the bible says about polygamy the annotated bible. Oct 11, 2018 why did god allow polygamy bigamy in the bible. The problem stated since the bible doesnt directly say that polygamy is prohibited, many presume that it is not forbidden in scripture.
Lets look at some bible passages that mention polygamy and remember that its never in a positive way. Polygamy has been practiced by many cultures throughout history 3 there are numerous examples of polygamy among close followers, devotees, and the faithful to god in the old testament, but it is generally not accepted by most contemporary christians, though other christian groups permit the practice. And he entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of god. And if you are using bible verses, make sure it doesnt include the word divorce because you can commit polygamy and still be married and not divorced. Does it mean that only the books of genesisdeuteronomy are relevant to ones faith thus making us sadducees who deny the resurrection. I realized when i wrote the first edition of this book that any attempt to harmonize the polygyny mentioned in the bible with other biblical passages on the morality of marriagedivorce relations would be difficult to accept, because it runs against the grain of much tradition, as well as modern thought. It is a must read for every parent, youth worker and teacher out there. The protestants problem with polyamory catholic answers.
Polygamy has been practiced by many cultures throughout history 3 there are numerous examples of polygamy among close followers, devotees, and the faithful to god in the old testament, but it is generally not accepted by most contemporary christians, though other christian groups permit the. Mormonism apologetics archives sourceflix living hope. May 24, 2011 god intended, from the beginning, for marriages to consist of one man and one woman for the duration of their lives. The book of mormon purports to be an inspired and accurate translation of an ancient historical narrative covering more than a thousand years. The back of the book has notes, a note on sources, sources cited, acknowledgements, and a fairly good 15page index. Sometimes these attacks undermine the faith of christians who either dont understand the issues or dont have the resources to deal with them. The discussion regarding polygamy has been unleashed in a messianic movement that is largely unsure about how what it means to recapture a torah foundation for ones faith in yeshua. And whereas the bible is organically linked to the earthly ministry of jesus christ by extensive surviving manuscript evidence going back as far as a. Polygamy and the bible the liberated christians group has made the following claims.
If you listen to skeptics long enough, you will hear questions like these plus many, many more attacks on the reliability of scripture. Nowhere in the bible does it state that polygamy, swinging, premarital sex, or other sexual perversions are acceptable to god. Prostitutes and polygamists book trailer david lamb youtube. Jun 11, 2016 geoff biddulph is a convert to the church of just over 15 years. However, in a booklength consideration of the problem, william george blum argues that. Polygamy was both forbidden and permitted at different times in the old. Just because the bible reports certain behaviors does not mean it approves of it. The bible does not say we should live in monogamous only with one other person marriages. He didnt practice polygamy for the sake of sexual pleasure at all. In this article, my goal is not to make you a believer for or against polygamy. Nevertheless, god permitted polygamy, just as he permits people to do other sinful acts. Polygamy in the bible bible studies on christian polygamy so says jehovah, the god of israel, i anointed you david king over israel. How can we really subscribe to a faith that uses a book that cant be trusted. Polygamy is the practice of having more than one spouse at the same time.
Now second of all, as paul copan points out in his book, is god a moral monster. However, it was the spirit that converted him and helped him be open to being baptized. God allowed polygamy as well as diviorce in the old testament because of the hardness of peoples hearts matt. If the events it records did not happen, and if it is actually modern rather than ancient in origin, then the book of mormon cannot be the word of god. Written by joe carter the bible is a book about god, not a book about us. Since the bible doesnt directly say that polygamy is prohibited, many presume that it is not forbidden in scripture. A closer look at the verses marshaled against polygamy will show that the bible really does not endorse the anti polygamy position. I want to know if there are any catholic articles, videos, etc. This new series on apologetics will address dozens of the contemporary attacks on the word of god that come from critics, skeptics, false religions, and even from within the church. Its validity as scripture depends on its being historically authentic. In the case of plural marriage, the bible and the book of mormon teach that monogamy is gods standard for marriage unless he declares otherwise official declaration 1 heading, or, in jacobs language, if i will, saith the lord of hosts, raise up seed unto me, i will command my people to practice plural marriage. Lot offered his daughters up for rape, david committed adultery or rape. Due to patriarchal societies, it was nearly impossible for an unmarried woman to provide for herself.
Even though the bible holds up marriage as being between two people only, it does not say that polygamists are excluded from gods people. Polygamy is the practice of having more than one wife. Upon viewing them, i remain amazed that any honest mormon could still continue in his belief, after being confronted with the facts. A comprehensive apologetic for the authority of scripture cowan, steven b. Then please read entire article before making your final conclusion. This book is almost classifiable under apologetics as it answers issues that are.
The compilation of noted speakers and authors in apologetics for a new generation on pertinent topics that face this and our next generation is absolutely outstanding. Recommended resources for apologetics pprotestant and noncatholic authors books. Polygamy is the practice or custom of having more than one wife or husband at the same time. I would like to commend you on your excellent videos, the bible vs. None of the important mormon doctrines of today are in the book.
After all, this foundational premise was drawn directly from the bible genesis 2. A popular handbook on bible difficulties, argue that the bible unequivocally teaches that monogamy is gods standard for the human race. The bible is a realistic book, and it doesnt spare any of the gory details. In fact, he specifically said not to have more than one wife because, in part, they can turn a persons heart away from god. Polygamy the evil effects of husbands favoritism in deuteronomy 21. Prostitutes and polygamists and millions of other books are available for. So those who want to try to pick holes in scripture, or want to justify their sinful sexual lifestyles by appealing to polygamy in the bible had better find a new approach. There are also maps, but no other illustrations beyond the small ornaments at the head of each chapter. No person who is serious about affecting the lives of young people for christ should be without the insight and wisdom contained in this book.
Muslim apologist osama abdallah offered the following justification for muhammads polygamy. Not only does the bible not provide very good reasons to reject polygamy, it might be seen to argue for it. Some of them were gods favorite people including abraham, jacob, gideon, solomon, and david. Why did so many men in the bible have multiple wives. In the bible there are about 15 examples of polygamy from the time of lamech to the first century. Does jesus contradict the old testament on polygamy. In fact, there is a hint that there were polygamists in the church of the new testament. From the very first book of the bible, gods plan for monogamous marriage is laid out, a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to. The term has also come to mean having more than one husband. Most believers would probably say that this is an easy question, but that is not necessarily true. The question of polygamy is an interesting one in that most people today view polygamy as immoral while the bible nowhere explicitly condemns it.
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