[GCFL-discuss] Polygamy

[Discussion of the Good, Clean Funnies List]

Here is an interesting twist on the claim that G-d ordained marriage to
be the union of one man and one woman:

I asked an Orthodox rabbi, who is planning to vote yes on a marriage
amendment next week, how it was possible for King David, and King
Solomon, to have multiple wives, not even getting into all their
additional concubines.

He responded "Whatever gave you the idea that the Torah bans polygamy?"
(The Torah is Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. These
books of course contain most of "the Law" which Christians refer to as
Old Testament -- although the prophets and other writings expound on it a
good deal.

Well, I haven't been able to find any such thing. In the absence of such
a foundation in the Torah, I'm not sure Jesus ever came down firmly for
monogamy over polygamy either. (He said some things about divorce, but
did not specify that a man could not have other wives at the same time).
PAUL used language about a man being "the husband of one wife." But where
does THAT come from if it was not part of Jewish law?

I am told that among Ashkenazi Jews in Europe, polygamy was formally
ended (it hardly existed anyway -- Jewish men were too poor to afford a
second wife) because French Christians were agitating about Jews being
polygamous. This, however, did not apply to Sephardic Jews, who were
living in Muslim caliphates, where polygamy was also acceptable.

So maybe the Mormons were correct? I prefer monogamy, and none of this
provides any basis for issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, but
the complex possibilities in any such discussion puts simple slogans on
billboards and lawn signs to shame.

Siarlys