[greenbear]

Amanda,

God created mankind with freewill and the ability to choose to either believe what He says about Himself or to believe a lie. I believe the Lord created mankind this way, different from the angelic host, for the purpose of sharing the love that the Godhead shares with Himself, with man. It's something infinitely better than what the angels have. The Father and His Son chose to incarnate His Son as a Man. For Eternity. Jesus will always be a Man. He will always have the scars in His hands and the hole in His side. He did that for us. For you and for me, and for the poverty-stricken black woman in Sub-Saharan Africa with a husband and co-wives, and children that they all raised together.

The quality of life that we enjoy in modern western society for the last 50, 100, 200 years is like a second in the 6000 years of human history. We are just a small fraction of a percent of the people who have lived on this earth. The vast, vast majority of human beings have lived lives of poverty, hunger, pain, suffering and spiritual darkness. In their struggle to survive they haven't had their piano lessons, their little league games, their computer time, their vacations and the relative ease that we enjoy today. We shouldn't look at human history or the Bible, which was finished over 2000 years ago, through our exalted perspective of our riches in Christ even now, or our material blessings. Most people haven't lived as we live.

God's plan for the redemption of men and women for Himself is much larger than our present church age. Women have been so blessed by the church type of marriage of one man and one wife. But it didn't used to be that way, and in some places it still isn't that way. I find polygamy much more than distasteful. It would never happen, but if my husband and I lived in a country which allowed for polygamy, and he decided to take another wife, I would leave him even if I had to live on the street as a beggar. I wouldn't if I had dependent children, though. It would be an act of supreme cruelty to me. But he would never do that to me. I believe the Lord would be angry at the cruelty. You and I weren't raised with the expectation or the ability to handle something like that. I can't imagine the jealousy and the hurt of having other wives competing for my husbands affections. Having him love another, younger wife better. Perhaps coming to despise me as I age. Men can do that. But we have to accept that having multiple wives is in the Law of Moses. We must recognize that women have had to bear that hardship for most of human history.

If we're honest with ourselves, I think it really is evident that there were men with more than one wife who were saved and came into the churches in Paul's day. Paul made clear that deacons, pastors, bishops, could only have one wife. He showed the pattern the church was to follow. There's no difference today. In heathen cultures where multiple wives are allowed by law, if a man with more than one wife is saved, he doesn't have to put one or all of them and his children away. He doesn't have to stop sleeping with them. They are his wives. The marriages are recognized by God. If the early church didn't require the putting away of wives, why would the church today? Has there been an addition to the Bible since the Apostles day that would change how we should handle the situation? No.

In my last post I tried to give perspective on the issue with the few pieces of information about modern day and history of polygamy. I included the commentaries to show that I'm not giving some unheard of interpretation of scripture. The Bible is the most important thing in my life. Through it and the Holy Spirit I live my life in Christ. I believe every single word in that Book. I can handle being accussed of wresting the Bible to fit my own private ideas. That doesn't bother me too much. I am sad that it's so clear to me yet supposed brothers and sisters insinuate that I am not fit to be among them. Of course, it's all insinuation, not direct communication, so it can easily be denied.
I'm more sad that the blessing of one man one woman marriage seems to be such a sacred cow that some would directly disobey a clear command of Jesus for man not to put asunder what God has joined in order to keep a commandment of men.

You mentioned the Mormons that take underaged girls as wives. They are criminals and child-rapists, and if I was King or (Queen) I would put those who have underaged girls as wives and were having sex with them, to death for their crimes.

I remember a year or so ago when the authorities raided a Mormon "compound" and ripped the small children from their mothers and kept them with children's services for days or weeks, I don't remember. I cried because of the pain of the children and their mothers. Children's services is full of satanists and predators. Polygamy is illegal in this country but for the most part the authorities leave them alone because what's the solution? Stealing peoples children? That is menstealing and it is evil. Children are the property of their parents, not the state. God forbid that we would follow that path just so that we can remain comfortable in our happy little lives and not have to be disturbed by the presence of something strange to us. That is the opposite of Love. That is the willing destruction of the lives of people for whom Christ died. That's Satan's job, not ours. Our lives are not to be centered around rules, but centered in Christ's love for the lost and for His church.

I honestly see some Pharisees on this forum. Lately, legalism has become predominant, there remains little, if any, grace. Insinuations, dishonesty, unrighteous judgements, maliciousness. That's death, not life. If it continues this way you won't have to try to get me banned (disfellowshipped, what a joke!) I'll leave of my own accord. There would be nothing to keep me here.