Polygamy & The Rejection of Orthodoxy

Orthodoxy is the quality of conforming to established doctrine or dogma. Unfortunately, that which is orthodox is not necessarily truth. However, we as mortals tend to accept things as truth if they are deeply engrained in social norms and traditions. Thus, quite often we associate orthodoxy with truth without questioning it; and when something comes along to challenge our world view or what we accept as truth, we often automatically dismiss it as false.

To me, this seems to be the main stumbling block to other religions accepting modern revelation: they just can’t get over the established dogma (established for nearly two thousand years now) that the Bible is the only word God has or will ever leave his children. Of course, anyone who has even the smallest desire to learn the history of the Bible soon discovers the absurdity of this orthodoxy (religious councils compiled the Bible, not God).

And so it is with polygamy - a key stumbling block to those intoxicated by orthodoxy. Antagonists of the Church and those seeking an excuse to leave it, commonly cite the early Church’s practice of polygamy as a sign of its alleged falsity. However, the more I study and mature, the more I believe that challenges to orthodoxy are sometimes sure-fire signs of authenticity.

How does any Bible reading Christian, or Jew for that matter, reconcile their repugnance for polygamy with the myriad of scriptures in which God, in times past, has prescribed it for his people? Indeed, the whole house of Israel was brought forth through the four wives of Jacob (Rachel, Leah, Zilpah, & Bilhah) (See Genesis 29-30). How is it that the chosen people of God could be rooted in such an erroneous practice? Furthermore, why would Christ on multiple occasions refer to himself in parables as a polygamist (i.e. parable of ten virgins, as bridegroom of the elect, etc.)? Why doesn’t this offend more people, and how do they reconcile it with their orthodoxy?

But, perhaps they are in good company. After all, when Brigham first heard of the command, he said he would rather go to his grave than have to submit to the practice. Parly P. Pratt and John Taylor also had similar initial reactions.

So, here you have it, the next installment in our effort to discuss the “classics”. The ground rules for this thread will be very open: please feel free to respond by discussing any aspect of the polygamy question/issue.