Friday, November 9, 2007

What Did Luther Say About Polygamy?
Martin Luther said polygamy is permissible:

I confess that I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict the Scripture. If a man wishes to marry more than one wife he should be asked whether he is satisfied in his conscience that he may do so in accordance with the word of God. In such a case the civil authority has nothing to do in the matter. (De Wette II, 459, ibid., pp. 329-330.)

Martin Luther once advised an inhabitant of Orlamunde to take a second wife, in addition to the one then living. Luther also reluctantly approved of a bigamous marriage in the case of Landgrave Philip of Hesse, who was united to a secondary wife, Margarethe von der Saale, on March 4, 1540. Since this advice was given in a confessional, Luther refused to acknowledge his part in sanctioning the marriage.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

However, the context was a situation in which the sickness of a wife prevented matrimonial intercourse, and when asked for an opinion on polygamy in 1526, Luther wrote, "It is my earnest warning and counsel that Christians especially shall have no more than one wife, not only because it is a scandal, which a Christian should avoid most diligently, but also because there is no word of God here to show that God approves it in Christians.... I must oppose it, especially in Christians, unless there be need, as for instance if the wife be a leper, or be taken away from the husband in some other way."

Unknown said...

But here we have it again a mans opinion , and biblical correctness, the traditions of mans religion has distorted the word of God in so many ways. if we where to read Gods word without any one mans comments and allow the Holy spirit to teach us as Jesus said he would be our teach and no man would need to teach us , let us stand on Jesus words. when you see those who had many wives or concubines it was not a sin , to take another mans wife it was. to have incest, to be with a prostitute, etc, but nothing in scripture condemns polygamy or having mistresses or concubines, there is respect to those who disagree but respect needs to be for those who do not find it wrong. I do not agree of the Mormons views or there doctrine, I hate the fact the way they abuse young girls or isolate the woman to a slave type life style. warren jeff and others like him make me sick. but the word of God has a order in which one who has more then one wife he is to take care of her and lover her as Christ loves the church etc .. a father can have many children and love them deeply but all are different and cant love them the same way,but his love is unconditional, a wife can have only one husband as the church can have one head and the head is Christ. husband can have many wives as the head of the body has many memebers, a slave can only have one master but a master can have many slaves. he must treat them well for he has a master in heaven who is over him. the bible never approves birth control yet the Christian church of to day excepts it, a wife is not to separate or divorce from her husband but is to remain single or return to him . there are things Gods word says that the church today doesn't except but allows. talk about leaders quantifications husband of one or a wife ? another words he has to have a wife 1 or 10 and have children and other things. but its careful to say he manages his house hold well. the are pastors who don't have children pastoring? or they do and there children a rebellious, he can't control his wife or his children,pastors are not to be young men, yet there are pastors that are in there twenties ,the point I am making is let be real and if something does not convict a person and he believe in his heart what he is doing is according to Gods word then it is not sin to him though it maybe to you.