Hello,
Before I get into the nitty gritty of my post, I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. I just signed up on this forum but have been lurking for some time. I love reading about everyone's views and find this site to be extremely educational. The truth of the matter is that I have been intimidated to post anything since everyone here appears to be well versed in religions and the bible.
I was raised a catholic and was taught mostly fear. I was forced to go to church and hated every minute of it. The day I was old enough to make my own decisions, I stopped going, except on holidays to mostly please the family. I always questionned the existance of god in my mind but feared going to hell for even having such unpure thoughts. It wasn't until about a year ago that I let go of my irrational fear completely and stopped believing altogether. I don't know why I came to this conclusion but I think logic prevailed. It took long enough being that I am now 37 years old.
I lean toward labeling myself as an atheist but hold on to the Agnostic label since I have no proof of anything and can't 100% say there is not god; although I'm 99% sure.
Here is where I would love to tap into your knowledge. I watched the first episode of Sister Wives the other week; a show focusing on a polygamous family of one husband and 4 wives. Their lifestyle is based on religion since they are Fundamentalist Mormons. I got into a debate with a poster on the site regarding god's view on polygamy (not that his view matter since he doesn't exist)[/u][/b]. He was a cherry picker and stated that god was opposed to polygamy and condemned those who practiced it. This, of course, coming from the New Testament. I responded with Old Testament facts about how god condoned polygamy. Sorry I don't have his original post. Only my initial response and then his rebuttal. Can anyone help me with a response to his rant below?
[b][u]My response to his original posting.
Sorry but I had to respond. You said god only authorizes one man and one wife but what about in the Old Testament. Jacob and Joseph had multiple wives condoned by God and even Solomon was married to 700 wives and provided with 300 concubines by god himself. Please learn your bible before misquoting.
My comment does not mean I condone this behavior. I just wanted to point out some biblical facts.
His response to me.
Yep! You're exactly right! But that's the OLD Testament, which is nothing more than a "history book" now, for a couple of reasons.
First, God allowed multiple wives way back then because the Earth wasn't populated like it is today. He told Adam and Eve to "be fruitful and multiply" because they were the only humans on Earth at the time. Then he flooded the Earth to wipe out sin, saving only Noah and his immediate family. So HE had to father kids with his own daughters as well as his wife, to repopulate the Earth AGAIN.
Second, everything before Jesus was just a temporary "bandaid" on things. God commanded man to sacrifice animals on alters because the blood they shed was symbolic of the blood Jesus would EVENTUALLY shed. But the animals weren't "perfect" sacrifices because they aren't "human", and animals can't sin.
So when Jesus finally came along and willingly sacrificed himself on the cross for our sins, then conquered death by rising from the dead 3 days later, he became "THE perfect sacrifice" that didn't just wipe out all man's sins from the PAST, but covered all FUTURE sin as well.
And when THAT happened, the "NEW covenant" was established, as mentioned by Jesus himself at the Last Supper. I Corinthians 11:25.
And that new covenant changed a few things, like "NO MORE multiple wives"!
Examples:
1 Corinthians 7:2 "But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have HIS OWN wife and each woman HER OWN husband." (That means NO "SHARING" with other people.)
1 Timothy 3:2 "Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of ONE wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,"
Titus 1:6 "If anyone is above reproach, the husband of ONE wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. "
There are lots of other verses about this, but you get the point. Remember them the next time you get into a debate with some ignorant idiot who doesn't see a problem with polygamy!
And THANK YOU for your input! =)
Barry
Before I get into the nitty gritty of my post, I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. I just signed up on this forum but have been lurking for some time. I love reading about everyone's views and find this site to be extremely educational. The truth of the matter is that I have been intimidated to post anything since everyone here appears to be well versed in religions and the bible.
I was raised a catholic and was taught mostly fear. I was forced to go to church and hated every minute of it. The day I was old enough to make my own decisions, I stopped going, except on holidays to mostly please the family. I always questionned the existance of god in my mind but feared going to hell for even having such unpure thoughts. It wasn't until about a year ago that I let go of my irrational fear completely and stopped believing altogether. I don't know why I came to this conclusion but I think logic prevailed. It took long enough being that I am now 37 years old.
I lean toward labeling myself as an atheist but hold on to the Agnostic label since I have no proof of anything and can't 100% say there is not god; although I'm 99% sure.
Here is where I would love to tap into your knowledge. I watched the first episode of Sister Wives the other week; a show focusing on a polygamous family of one husband and 4 wives. Their lifestyle is based on religion since they are Fundamentalist Mormons. I got into a debate with a poster on the site regarding god's view on polygamy (not that his view matter since he doesn't exist)[/u][/b]. He was a cherry picker and stated that god was opposed to polygamy and condemned those who practiced it. This, of course, coming from the New Testament. I responded with Old Testament facts about how god condoned polygamy. Sorry I don't have his original post. Only my initial response and then his rebuttal. Can anyone help me with a response to his rant below?
[b][u]My response to his original posting.
Sorry but I had to respond. You said god only authorizes one man and one wife but what about in the Old Testament. Jacob and Joseph had multiple wives condoned by God and even Solomon was married to 700 wives and provided with 300 concubines by god himself. Please learn your bible before misquoting.
My comment does not mean I condone this behavior. I just wanted to point out some biblical facts.
His response to me.
Yep! You're exactly right! But that's the OLD Testament, which is nothing more than a "history book" now, for a couple of reasons.
First, God allowed multiple wives way back then because the Earth wasn't populated like it is today. He told Adam and Eve to "be fruitful and multiply" because they were the only humans on Earth at the time. Then he flooded the Earth to wipe out sin, saving only Noah and his immediate family. So HE had to father kids with his own daughters as well as his wife, to repopulate the Earth AGAIN.
Second, everything before Jesus was just a temporary "bandaid" on things. God commanded man to sacrifice animals on alters because the blood they shed was symbolic of the blood Jesus would EVENTUALLY shed. But the animals weren't "perfect" sacrifices because they aren't "human", and animals can't sin.
So when Jesus finally came along and willingly sacrificed himself on the cross for our sins, then conquered death by rising from the dead 3 days later, he became "THE perfect sacrifice" that didn't just wipe out all man's sins from the PAST, but covered all FUTURE sin as well.
And when THAT happened, the "NEW covenant" was established, as mentioned by Jesus himself at the Last Supper. I Corinthians 11:25.
And that new covenant changed a few things, like "NO MORE multiple wives"!
Examples:
1 Corinthians 7:2 "But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have HIS OWN wife and each woman HER OWN husband." (That means NO "SHARING" with other people.)
1 Timothy 3:2 "Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of ONE wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,"
Titus 1:6 "If anyone is above reproach, the husband of ONE wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. "
There are lots of other verses about this, but you get the point. Remember them the next time you get into a debate with some ignorant idiot who doesn't see a problem with polygamy!
And THANK YOU for your input! =)
Barry
