WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT MARRIAGE

TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE?

The Bible contains 40 cases of polygamy including polygamy entertained by the major prophets, Here is a guide of 8 forms of marriage described in the Bible. See narrative that follows.

When someone says that there is only one type of marriage – this simply isn’t true. The diagram below lists the eight (yes eight) types of marriage.

Please recall how the tobacco executives stuck together and lied through their teeth to Congress. Sadly the conservative Christian fraternity will do what they can to defeat people they truly detest – gays. The vitriol is so extreme that this issue alone is defining them. People think of “conservative Christian” and think of hate. 18 Christian groups are listed as LGBT hate groups.

Ask if you are getting a true word at your church… especially the main-line churches. I am not suggesting these pastors are bad people. I do believe they operate as a syndicate in that few are willing to stick their necks out for our LGBT family and friends. It is safer in the fraternity.

It is hard to believe in 2015 that the church would be excluding people (or giving them nominal roles). Recently, a publisher was cut off from its Christian parent company because it published a book about gays and Christianity. Standing for LGBT’s can be a career decision.

There is no doubt that conservative Christianity is a club. Liberty (University) Counsel is paying legal fees for Scott Lively. He is the man exporting Christian gay hate to Russia and Uganda and elsewhere. He is being supported by Liberty while gays have been killed and jailed (for life in Uganda).

What we don’t know about Christian marriage

This is easy, right? Folks… you will be stunned to learn that POLYGAMY and “Marriage through Rape” are affirmed in the Bible and never disavowed by God.

I am not suggesting that you take this literally – but neither should you trust literal interpretations from others. Scriptural “cherry picking” is dishonest and is used to marginalize and promote hate. God gave us brains to use!

A marriage is a consensual, convenantal, and monogamous union between one man and one woman. Right? Wrong! Not exclusively anyway.

POLYGAMY  The Bible endorses polygamy in the Old Testament and never… even through the New Testament… spoke against the practice. It’s all there. 40 men practiced it. According to the Bible, polygamy is not considered sin and is not considered adulterous, promiscuous, or a form of rape. Just the facts.

MARRIAGE VIA RAPE      Leviticus 22:28-29   If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered,  he shall pay her father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the young woman, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.

QUESTIONS FOR PASTORS:

(1) Why do pastors cherry pick only the verses they “like?” Why aren’t we told about other “sanctioned” marriages?

(2) Why do pastors preach against gay marriage and not focus on polygamy and “marriage through rape” which are atrocities?

(3) Since gay orientation was not understood in the context of the times… who can know that God was against it?

(4) What other parts of the Bible are not being disclosed?

(5) How influenced is any pastor by the fraternity of evangelical pastors who are mostly conservative? Is there any room for dissent and independent thinking? Or would this be a job killer?

The biblical information contained below illustrates that biblical marriage was far more diverse and complicated than what many think of as "traditional marriage." 

POLYGAMISTS

		Abraham	Ahab	Ahasuerus
Ashur	Belshazzar	Benhadad	Caleb	David
Eliphaz	Elkanah	Esau	Ezra	Gideon
Heman*	Hosea*	foIbzan*	Issachar**	Jacob
Jair*	Jehoiachin	Jehoram	Jerahmeel	Joash
Lamech	Machir	Manasseh	Mered	Moses
Nahor	Rehoboam	Saul	Shaharaim	Shimei*
Simeon	Solomon	Terah*	Zedekiah	Ziba*

(some individuals are imputed, for say, having forty sons)

Twenty-seven people God spoke to in Old Testament (including prophets who were polygamists)

– Adam

– Abraham

– Jacob

– Aaron

– Miriam

-Cain (Gen 4:6)
-Noah (Gen 6:13-21, 7:1-4, 8:15-17)
-Noah and his sons (Gen 9:1-17)
-Job and his friends (Job 38:1-42:6)
-Abimelech (Gen 20:3-7)
-Isaac (Gen 26:24)
-Jacob (Gen 28:13-15, 35:1, 9-12 … maybe 32:26-29)
-Joshua (Jos 6:2-5)
-Samuel (1Sa 3:4-14, 15:10, 16:7)
-David (1Sa 23:2, 23:4, 30:8; 2Sa 2:1, 5:19, 5:23-24)
-Nathan (2Sa 7:4-16 … 2Sa 12:1 by implication)
-Solomon (1Ki 3:5-15 … maybe 6:11-13)
-Jehu (1Ki 16:1-4)
-Elijah (1Ki 19:9-18)
-Isaiah (2Ki 20:4; Isa 6:8-12, 8:1-11)
-Ahaz (Isa 7:10-25)
-Manasseh and his people (2Ch 33:10)
-Jonah (Jon 1:1-2, 3:1-2, 4:4, 4:9-11)
-Ezekiel (Eze 1:3)
-Hosea (Hos 1:2-5)
-Haggai (Hag 2:10-23)
-Zechariah (Zec 1:1-17)