Is polygamy a sin?

My point exactly. Scripture is silent on polygamy, but you insist Scripture states it's sin. The "biblical principle" would be to NOT say something's a sin where Scripture is silent.

 

You are right that there is no NT reference to polygamy...either for or against. Since 2 Tim 3:16 states all Scripture is useful for teaching, rebuking, etc., and there is no condemnation of it in either the NT or OT, we cannot assume the practice is sin where Scripture is silent.

 

Is it the ideal? No.

Is it a sin? No.

Les

 

What, September = 11??? raying: raying:

Congrats!

 

It is a sin in the United States at least as it is against the law, and if we break the law, we are sinning.

 

September 16th will be 11 years of marriage to my gorgeous bride. :love2:

 

Me either. Can anybody who's married imagine having more than one mother-in-law?

 

You are miunderstanding or misinterpreting what I said. There are also 2 issues here.

1. Whether the Bible is silent or not on a topic is one issue.

2. Whether the Bible's silence on any given topic means we should be silent on that topic is a second issue.

I didn't voice a view on the 2nd issue - my response was related to the first issue. Your post relates to the 2nd issue and is therfore a non-sequiter to the point I was making.

 

I don't get where you say that. The New Testament has a lot to say about men being "one woman " men for leadership.
So there was no particular reason that was said?
And men who don't aspire to leadership can be polygamists?

There are a number of topics that are not tidily addressed in the form you seem to desire, such as abortion, infanticide, slavery. Yet all of them and polygamy are addressed by principle and sometimes more explicitly and are wrong.

 

So I can go on record saying that several Baptists believe that polygamy is not a sin? (There are many "Christian" sites advocating polygamy -- and I don't mean Mormon sites).

In that case, we need to apply some biblical principles to a polygamous marriage.

In that case, does this mean that in a marraige of one man married to 3 women, let's say, the 3 women have authority over his body?

Since polygamy is not a sin, according to several of you, then we should be able to apply all the NT teachings concerning marriage to a man with more than wife, right?

 

I doubt that all his wives were doing fine with David. What sad lives they had! They, I presume, had food and clothing in relative abundance, but not the kind of marriage that would meet their real needs as a wife.
God designed marriage to be far more than wives being property for men to acquire.

 

No you cannot go on record saying that. Read my first response in this thread.

The Scripture you posted is dealing with the relationship between a man and a woman in marriage, as I have stated with the other Scripture you posted. I fail to see from that an argument either for or against polygamy.

 

You are right, Marcia. I have been astonished lately at the number of "Christian" sites advocating polygamy.
You can say about anything strongly and get a following.

 

Also, as Karen pointed out, the "one woman kind of man" requirement for an overseer (1 Tim 3.2) means that if you are not in church leadership, it's okay to have more than one wife. Right?

I just want to get this straightened out by those of you who do not think it's a sin to have more than one wife.

 

And you know this...how?

And you presume this...how? We weren't there during that age and culture. We don't know this, and cannot know this.

 

Yeah, one woman takes plenty of your time!

Does Scripture say either way?