I recently came across an interesting post which took an even more interesting turn. In his post, The Polygamist Next Door, Dan Myers asked a simple question; if a polygamist family comes to Christ, how do we counsel them in regards to their marital situation. Some good discussion follows including a some-what convincing argument about whether polygamy is prohibited in scripture or simply a modern moralism.
My counsel would be that their marital situation is between them and God. On what textual basis could I deplore their union? The Bible depicts polygamy without criticism wherever the matter is discussed. It’s not my choice and not my faith, but also not my place to judge.
The problem arises because the polygamist (polygynist) says ” show me where polygamy is expressly prohibited” while the monogamists says ” let me show you where monogamy is encouraged”
The bible doesn’t specifically talk about every conceivable situation, so we must search the scriptures for answers that support one position over another. There are many examples of things that are not specifically condemned but are clearly not “accepted” either.