Polygyny in Bible

This blog is focused on the rights of adults to love, sex, and marriage. I generally try to stay out of religious disputes, only touching on religion in how the freedom of religion is violated with various marriage bans, or in whether or not certain religious groups support or oppose full marriage equality.

I support things like Islam-based polygyny or Mormonism-based polygyny (“plural marriage”) only in the sense that I support the right of consenting adults to enter into these marriages and have them legally recognized. However, this must be within a legal system that has gender equality, allows divorce, and prosecutes domestic violence.

With that in mind, I was interested in what Ronnie Bray had to say about plural marriage. Bray writes about himself…

I do not act under the direction of, on behalf of, nor with approval either overt or tacit of 'The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.'

I create these pages as a free agent who is a Mormon, having more three score years of direct experience with Anti-Mormon Ministries, their Ministers, and their publications relating to Mormons, Mormon History, and Mormonism.

Bray wrote a paper, “Plural Marriage Commanded by God in the Holy Bible.”

Having decided to attack Mormons and Mormonism over thesubject of polygamy, an Anti-Mormon Attacker [PBUH] on FaceBook asserts that Mormonism is wrong because, he says without evidence of any weight, that the Bible clearly teaches monogamy. That will be a surprise to many Bible scholars that do not find any Divine condemnation of plural marriage when the Patriarchs practised it. He will be surprised to learn that plural marriage is taught as a religious and social principle from the Mouth of God, rather than it being condemned. Had it been condemned, the list of what God says is holy and acceptable to Him, and the lists of what God does not consider holy and acceptable would have stated this. As it is,whenever plural marriage is mentioned, it is not to condemn the practice, but to regulate it.

He goes on to provide examples.

I support the right to engage in polygyny, and I appreciate polygynists who express solidarity for full marriage equality, rather than working against other freedoms to marry.