Conflicts Within the Plural Marriage Doctrine

[_Ray A]

Incorrect. This is where D&C 132 comes in...

38 David also received many wives and concubines, and also Solomon and Moses my servants, as also many others of my servants, from the beginning of creation until this time; and in nothing did they sin save in those things which they received not of me.

39 David’s wives and concubines were given unto him of me, by the hand of Nathan, my servant, and others of the prophets who had the keys of this power; and in none of these things did he sin against me save in the case of Uriah and his wife; and, therefore he hath fallen from his exaltation, and received his portion; and he shall not inherit them out of the world, for I gave them unto another, saith the Lord.

The bold emphasis is mine...for your benefit of course.

Maybe you still don't see the contradiction.

Jacob 2:

23 But the word of God burdens me because of your grosser crimes. For behold, thus saith the Lord: This people begin to wax in iniquity; they understand not the scriptures, for they seek to excuse themselves in committing whoredoms, because of the things which were written concerning David, and Solomon his son.
24 Behold, David and Solomon truly had Many Wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord.

The D&C says David was only guilty in the case of Uriah. The Book of Mormon says he was guilty because he had many wives.

In the Book of Mormon David doesn't get off the hook, anywhere, it's a blanket condemnation. The problem with polygamy is that it corrupted both David and Solomon. Therefore, said the Book of Mormon,

I the Lord God will not suffer that this people shall do like unto them of old.

No, never, ever, and they were forbidden from practising it, even between 1-421 AD.


Fast forward to 1843, plural marriage becomes a commandment and one cannot attain exaltation without living it.

[_moksha]

Okay, so lets logically examine the supposed purpose of polygamy. To raise seed. Please explain this to me???

Perhaps, we should look at this more literally. In an agrarian sense, if you have a lot of wives, you can send them to the fields to plant, tend and harvest so you can reap a bumper crop of fruits, veggies and nuts. Raising up seeds! If you are a lacto-ovo vegitarian, you will also always have milk before meat.

This apologetic stuff can be fun.

[_Yoda]

If you are a lacto-ovo vegitarian, you will also always have milk before meat.

This apologetic stuff can be fun.

What a wise little penguin you are! The whole "milk before meat" analogy makes perfect sense to me now. LOL

[_Jason Bourne]

Interesting that the quote said 'was abominable'. The action was an abomination to God but the was specifies that he is speaking of a specific incident. If it were a general rule then the most correct book should have said "which thing is abominable before me". There is also the proviso about raising up seed which I have never seen an effective argument against. The general rule seems to be no multiple marriages unless I (meaning God) s

I think you are really jumping through some real strangled hoops by hanging your argument on was vs is.

The passage is clear. God says what David and Solomon did were abominations, period. No qualification for any of them. Later in D&C 132 the Lord seems to have changed his mind.

.

[_Jason Bourne]

Where is the conflict? Jacob 2:30 allows for plural marriage to be practiced under God's authorization.

Sorry. I meant the earlier passages in Jacob 2. There is clear conflict there.

And we can note that Jacob 2:30 seems a pretty weak qualifier and preferably to be avoided. And one wonders why would God ever command to do something that he in the same discourse calls an abomination-with no qualifiers.

[_Brackite]

Where is the conflict? Are you forgetting Jacob 2:30?

Interesting that the quote said 'was abominable'. The action was an abomination to God but the was specifies that he is speaking of a specific incident. If it were a general rule then the most correct book should have said "which thing is abominable before me". There is also the proviso about raising up seed which I have never seen an effective argument against. The general rule seems to be no multiple marriages unless I (meaning God) say so.

Hello There,

There is absolutely NO Evidence whatsoever, that the Phrase, 'raise up seed unto me', in Jacob 2:30, refers to that the Lord God will command His People to enter into the Practice of Polygamy. The Lord God intends to command His People to marry Monogamously, in order to be able to raise up a righteous seed unto Him. This is really meaning raising up righteous children, righteous sons and daughters, unto the Lord God. It can and will be done through the Practice of Monogamy. The Lord God intends to raise up a righteous seed unto Him, through Monogamy, (NOT Polygamy), as can be clearly seen when correctly comparing Jacob 2:30 to 1 Nephi 7:1, and then correctly comparing 1 Nephi 7:1 to 1 Nephi 16:7-8.

Here is Jacob 2:30, Compared to 1 Nephi 7:1:

Jacob 2:30:

[30] For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things.


1 Nephi 7:1:

[1] And now I would that ye might know, that after my father, Lehi, had made an end of prophesying concerning his seed, it came to pass that the Lord spake unto him again, saying that it was not meet for him, Lehi, that he should take his family into the wilderness alone; but that his sons should take daughters to wife, that they might raise up seed unto the Lord in the land of promise.

Here is Now 1 Nephi 7:1, Compared to 1 Nephi 16:7-8:

1 Nephi 7:1:

[1] And now I would that ye might know, that after my father, Lehi, had made an end of prophesying concerning his seed, it came to pass that the Lord spake unto him again, saying that it was not meet for him, Lehi, that he should take his family into the wilderness alone; but that his sons should take daughters to wife, that they might raise up seed unto the Lord in the land of promise.


1 Nephi 16:7-8:

[7] And it came to pass that I, Nephi, took one of the daughters of Ishmael to wife; and also, my brethren took of the daughters of Ishmael to wife; and also Zoram took the eldest daughter of Ishmael to wife.

[8] And thus my father had fulfilled all the commandments of the Lord which had been given unto him. And also, I, Nephi, had been blessed of the Lord exceedingly.

Nephi and his brethren took just one wife each, in order to be able to raise up seed unto the Lord God.
Nephi and his brethren did fulfill the Commandment of the Lord God, with them just taking one wife each, in order to be able to raise up righteous seed unto the Lord God.
A Righteous Man is able to raise up a righteous seed unto the Lord God, with having just one righteous wife.
It is a Good thing that the Brackite is here, to help BCSpace and The Nehor here, To correctly interpret the Scriptures for them.

[_Ray A]

Where is the conflict? Jacob 2:30 allows for plural marriage to be practiced under God's authorization.

Even if this was a "provision", i.e., "allows", that's very different to it being a commandment. In fact, this "provision", i.e., "allows" is consistent with the Old Testament, where God "allowed" polygamy at times, never commanded it. It was Sarah who suggested that Abraham take Hagar as a wife, not God. That is, he "allowed it".

God also "allowed" polygamy, but warned the people that it would corrupt their leaders. The kings were told "not to multiply wives", but they were still given a choice.

Deut 17:

15 Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the Lord thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother.
16 But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the Lord hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.
17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.

The provision to "raise up seed" is connected with keeping tribal purity and religious beliefs, not marrying outside the faith, and this was another of Solomon's faults, because he took "strange women" (unbelievers) as wives.

Jeremiah 44:

9 Have ye forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, and the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, and your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they have committed in the land of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem?
10 They are not humbled even unto this day, neither have they feared, nor walked in my law, nor in my statutes, that I set before you and before your fathers....15 Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros....

Genesis 31:

17 Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels;

50 If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt take other wives beside my daughters, no man is with us; see, God is witness betwixt me and thee.

This is the context of the Book of Mormon "injunction" in "allowing" polygamy, and it also has reference to past practice. It is reflecting what was "allowable" in times past.

To suddenly make this a requirement for salvation and exaltation, is quite a stretch!

[_Yoda]

To suddenly make this a requirement for salvation and exaltation, is quite a stretch!

Yes, QUITE the stretch! Dare I say, QUITE the conflict! ;)

[_Yoda]

It is a Good thing that the Brackite is here, to help BCSpace and The Nehor here, To correctly interpret the Scriptures for them.

The Brackite rocks! :)

[_Brackite]

It is a Good thing that the Brackite is here, to help BCSpace and The Nehor here, To correctly interpret the Scriptures for them.

The Brackite rocks! :)

Thank You, Liz! :)