Not only do almost all of the Biblical patriarchs have multiple wives, but Jesus himself never comes close to criticizing polygamy. In fact, as you may recall, in the Parable of the10 Virgins (Matthew 25) Jesus distinguishes between 5 virgins who were wise and 5 who were foolish. They are all waiting for their groom to arrive and the 5 that prepare their oil lamps in anticipation of his arrival are rewarded with his "companionship" and he shuts the door in disgust on the 5 foolish virgins who failed to prepare. Of course, the theme is about preparing for the Judgement, but my point is that Jesus plainly had no problem with the fact of polygamy, and in this story he implicitly approves of it. I have spoken with countless Christians who aren't familiar with even this elementary story (I mean really, guys, the Gospel of Matthew?) so if you wonder why social "liberals" are so quick to respond patronizingly to evangelical moralizing about sexual issues, here's a start.
2007-08-10
08:00:55
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23 answers
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asked by
karin p
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Religion & Spirituality