Common Arguments
Against Polygyny

1. One Flesh

"A man cannot be one flesh with more than one woman!"

"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:5-6, Ephesians 5:31, Mark 10:8

"What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh." 1 Corinthians 6:16

-How do you become one flesh with someone?
-Does 1 Corinthians 6:16 not apply to already married men?
-Can a man be one flesh with both his wife and the harlot?
-Can a man be one flesh with both his first wife and second wife?

Sexual intercourse joins a man and a woman as one flesh, whether they are married or in sin. 1 Corinthians 6:16 shows that a man, married or not, can be one flesh with a harlot. If married the man is not only one flesh with his wife, but also with the harlot. Therefore, with simple reasoning, we see that man can indeed be one flesh with more than one woman. "But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit." 1 Corinthians 6:17 To add to this, this doesn't mean he is married to the prostiture as in 1 Corinthians 6:16. For marriage you need a covenant and consumation.
The man who penned Genesis and the words "the two shall be one flesh" was Moses. Moses himself had two wives, Zipporah the Midianite, as shown in Exodus 2:16-21, and an Ethiopian wife as shown in Numbers 12:1.

2. Gender Mutuality

"If it says 'this' for the husband the same is true for the wife, and vice versa!"

"Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;" Genesis 3:16-17

" And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even." Leviticus 15:19

" And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean. And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled. But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days." Leviticus 12:1-5

" For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing." Ephesians 5:23-24

-Do men menstruate or give birth to children?
-Did girls and boys have different ceremonies done for them at birth?
-Is the wife the head of the husband?
-Does the scripture ever differentiate between male and female?

Obviously men and women are different in many ways, inside and outside. They also have different roles as laid out by God. Feminism movements wish to say otherwise and make equality mean equal roles, but right from the horses mouth The Humanist Magazine has is quoted as saying "Feminism is humanism on its most advanced level." Femininity, on the other hand, is the Biblical movement of wives taking the intended marriage role and being who there are.
The husband is the head of the wife, not the other way around and not both ways. A body does not have two heads. When the Scripture says something about males or husbands, it is specifically referring to males or husbands. When the Word says something about females or wives, it is specifically referring to females or wives. It could not be made any clearer.

3. Own Husband, Own Wife

"The Bible says that every woman should have her OWN husband and every husband his OWN wife!"

"Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own (Greek 'heautou') wife (Greek 'gune'), and let every woman have her own (Greek 'idios') husband. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment. For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn." 1 Corinthians 7:1-9

1438 heautou {heh-ow-too'} (including all other cases) from a reflexive pronoun otherwise obsolete and the genitive case (dative case or accusative case) of 846;; pron. AV - himself 110, themselves 57, yourselves 36, ourselves 20, his 19, their 15, itself 9, misc. 73; 339 1) himself, herself, itself, themselves 2398 idios {id'-ee-os} of uncertain affinity;; adj AV - his own 48, their own 13, privately 8, apart 7, your own 6, his 5, own 5, not tr 1, misc. 20; 113 1) pertaining to one's self, one's own, belonging to one's self

"Heautou - can be used in the place of the
possessive pronoun autou in order to make the
expression of possession more forceful.

Idios - In the New Testament the adjective (i.e.
Idios - jl) - used as a possessive pronoun - has a
more or less emphatic stress: (cf.) Matt. 9:1.
In Matt. 22:5 the adjective is [used as a]
possessive pronoun as it is in Matt. 25:14; the
synoptic parallels to Matt. 25:14 (Mark 13:34 and
Luke 19:13) have respectively autou and
heautou instead.

In Paul's letters the often special stress of the
adjective (as opposed to allotrios) sometimes
has theological weight: (Here Rom. 8:32, 10:3 and
14:4 are listed as examples.)
Through conjunction with hekastos (and that is
the case in I Cor. 7:2 - jl) the individual
relationship is underlined. (Here I Cor. 3:8 is given
as an example.)
For the relationship of the wife to her husband or,
as the case may be, of the husband to his wife
Idios is used in: Acts 24:24, I Cor. 7:2 & 4, 14:35,
Eph. 5:22, Col. 3:18, Tit. 2:5 and I Pet. 3:1 & 5."

-What does it mean to 'own' something?
-What is the difference, if any, between the Greek words 'heautou' and 'idios'?
-In Matthew 19:8, the Greek 'gune' is translated as wives and in 1 Corinthians 7:2 it is translated as wife, does that mean gune can mean either wife or wives?
-What is the meaning of this passage? Is polygamy the topic?

A man and a woman own a house. They have, or possess, a home. Two people can own the same thing. Two wives can own the same husband. In a polygamous marriage each person has there own spouse. For example:

Matthew, Laura, and Betty are in a polygamous marriage.
Each person has their own spouse(s).
Matthew has Laura. Matthew has Betty.
Laura has Matthew.
Betty has Matthew.

There could very well be a reason why Paul used two separate words for "own". Heautou stresses the exclusivity of the possession, and idios the exclusivity of the relationship. In other words, the husband may say, "That is my wife, she belongs to me and me alone." The wife would say, "That is my husband, and I belong to him and him alone." The word structure, then, would very well leave extra room for polygamy.
The passage is not about the number of wives a man can have, but about having of a spouse in the first place. Paul is showing us that we can avoid fornication by marrying, "for it is better to marry than to burn" with marital desires.

4. Adultery

"Polygamy is adultery, and 'neither shalt thou commit adultery'! Deuteronomy 5:18!"

"And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbor's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death." Leviticus 20:10, Deuteronomy 22:22-23

"If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated: Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn: But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his." Deuteronomy 21:15-17

"And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things." 2 Samuel 12:7-8

"… Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish…While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; … And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage:…" Matthew 25:1-13

"And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah." Ezekiel 23:4, Jeremiah 3:6-14; 31:31-34

"And Leah said, God hath given me my hire (rewarded her), because I have given my maiden to my husband: and she called his name Issachar." Genesis 30:18

" And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man..." 2 Samuel 12:1-7

"But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou [art but] a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she [is] a man's wife. But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? Said he not unto me, She [is] my sister? and she, even she herself said, He [is] my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this. And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. Now therefore restore the man [his] wife; for he [is] a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore [her] not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that [are] thine." Genesis 20:3-7

"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry,….that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Galatians 5:19-21

-What is the definition of adultery?
-Was anyone in the Old Testament put to death for having more than one wife?
-If polygyny is adultery, than why the conflicting message in Deuteronomy 21:15-17?
-Reading 2 Samuel 12:7-8,would God cause a beloved servant to sin?
-Reading Matthew 25:1-13 and Ezekiel 23:4, would God use parables and analogies of himself committing a sin?
-Reading Genesis 30:18, would God reward a beloved servant for committing a sin?
-What was David's sin with Bathsheba? What was Abimelech's sin with Sarah?
-What is the difference between adultery and taking another wife?
-Reading Galatians 5:19-21, would adulterers and fornicators inherit the kingdom of God? Would he build his kingdom upon a man with plural wives?

No man was ever put to death for marrying more than one wife, but men and women were put to death for adultery. In the Levirate Law polygamy was, under certain circumstances, commanded. For example, as shown in Mark 12:19, "Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man's brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother". That commandment has no exception as to whether or not the brother was already married. Therefore, in cases where the brother is already married he is commanded to take his deceased brothers wife and be polygamous. If polygamy is adultery, then these verses would contradict. Adultery would not and is not condemned in one verse and commanded in the next. In the same manner, God would never command a beloved servant to sin, nor reward one for sinning. " The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple." Psalm 19:7
In Matthew 25 and Ezekiel 23 God uses polygamy in his parable and analogy. Our Perfect Lord would never use sin to describe himself. " As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him." 2 Samuel 22:31
David's sin was sleeping with another mans wife, which was adultery. On top of that he killed Bathsheba's husband Uriah. He was severely punished as a consequence. "Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die." 2 Samuel 12:9-14 After all of this Bathsheba bore him Solomon, Shimea, Shobab, and Nathan.
Abimelech was a king with wives and concubines. The only possible sin is his story is that he took another mans wife. It was not that he took another wife. He was spared because he took Sarah in ignorance that she was already married. If having another wife was adultery he would have been in trouble whether or not she was married. He did not repent of already having a wife or wives.
Galatians 5:19-21 shows that active adulterers and fornicators will not inherit the kingdom of God. If polygamy is one of these, than so many people called "of God" and "faithful" in the Bible would actually be hell bound. In a related example, the whole nation of Israel was built upon families with plural wives.

"A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one (Greek 'mia') wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach;" 1 Timothy 3:2

"Let the deacons be the husbands of one (Greek 'mia') wife, ruling their children and their own houses well." 1 Timothy 3:12

"If any be blameless (bishop), the husband of one (Greek 'mia') wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly." Titus 1:6

3391 mia {mee'-ah} irregular feminine of 1520;; adj AV - one 62, first 8, a certain 4, a 3, the other 1, agree + 4160 + 1106 1; 79 1) only one, someone 1520 heis {hice} (including the neuter [etc.] hen); TDNT - 2:434,214; numeral AV - one 229, a 9, other 6, some 6, not tr 4, misc. 17; 271 1) one

"Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore years old, having been the wife of one (Greek 'heis') man," 1 Timothy 5:9

"In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first (Greek 'mia') day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre." Matthew 28:1

-Are all bishops or deacons?
-For what reasons might a bishop or deacon be commanded to have only one wife?
-What is the difference between the Greek 'mia' and 'heis'?
-If the correct translation is 'first', what does the verse mean?
-If the correct translation is 'a', what does that verse mean?

These verses are specifically addressed to Deacons and Bishops. Some argue that this does mean that a bishop or deacon must be husband of one wife, as most translations have it. While some argue that it means that a bishop or deacon must be husband of first wife, meaning not divorced. Others conclude that it means he must be married.
Early Church fathers, Jerome and Chrysotom, thought that polygamy was not allowed for church officials and that these verses meant that it was widespread within the church. Please see "Breaking Past the 'ONE WIFE' Barrier" http://truthbearer.org/TruthBearer/teachings/mia-one-wife.htm

"But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way. Neither shall he multiply (Hebrew 'rabah') wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold." Deuteronomy 17:16-17

"Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father." 1 Kings 11:2-4

"Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives?" Nehemiah 13:27

"Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings." Proverbs 31:3

"Then again (Hebrew 'yacaph') Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah." Genesis 25:1

03254 yacaph {yaw-saf'} a primitive root; TWOT - 876; v AV - more 70, again 54, add 28, increase 16, also 6, exceed 4, put 4, further 4, henceforth 4, can 2, continued 2, give 2, misc. 17; 213 1) to add, increase, do again 1a) (Qal) to add, increase, do again 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to join, join oneself to 1b2) to be joined, be added to 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to cause to add, increase 1c2) to do more, do again

07235 rabah {raw-baw'} a primitive root; TWOT - 2103,2104; v AV - multiply 74, increase 40, much 29, many 28, more 12, great 8, long 3, store 2, exceedingly 2, greater 2, abundance 2, misc. 24; 226 1) be or become great, be or become many, be or become much, be or become numerous 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to become many, become numerous, multiply (of people, animals, things) 1a2) to be or grow great 1b) (Piel) to make large, enlarge, increase, become many 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to make much, make many, have many 1c1a) to multiply, increase 1c1b) to make much to do, do much in respect of, transgress greatly 1c1c) to increase greatly or exceedingly 1c2) to make great, enlarge, do much 2) (Qal) to shoot

-Drawing from Deuteronomy 17:16-17, can a man have more than one horse?
-Drawing from Deuteronomy 17:16-17, can a man have more than one piece of silver and one piece of gold?
-Drawing from Deuteronomy 17:16-17, can a man have more than one wife?
-How did Solomon's wives turn him away from God?
-What if Solomon's wives had been of the same religion?
-What is the difference between multiplying, in Hebrew 'rabah', wives and adding, in Hebrew 'yacaph', wives?

The many foreign wives turned Solomon's heart away from the Lord. His problem was not just carelessly multiplying wives, but where they came from. David's heart is said to have been perfect with the Lord, and David had only added wives. In Genesis 25:1, Abraham added a wife. Solomon multiplied wives, into the thousands. While Abraham and Solomon's father, David, simply added wives.

"For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed." Malachi 3:6

"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." Hebrews 13:8

"The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations." Psalm 33:11

"I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth [it], that [men] should fear before him." Ecclesiastes 3:14

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." James 1:17

"God [is] not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do [it]? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" Numbers 23:19

"Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed [it] by an oath:" Hebrews 6:17

"For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law." Romans 5:13

-Does God change?
-Do Gods values change?
-Can something that was not a sin in the old testament times be a sin now?

God does not change, therefore no component of him changes. His perfect Law does not change, because he does not change. A sin yesterday is still a sin today and what was right yesterday is still right today.
Many have been confused by the Mosaic Law, and what has 'changed' about it since Christ has come. The only thing that has changed is that certain parts of the Law are now forever taken care of. The penalties for sin and sacrifices are not fulfilled now, because Christ paid for our sins and was the Ultimate Sacrifice. Christ did not "come to destroy the law, or the prophets: … but to fulfil", "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled". Matthew 5:17-18 Christ has blotted "out the handwriting of ordinances that" were "against us, which" were "contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross." Colossians 2:14 (See also Hebrews chapters 9 and 10)

" If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, …" Deuteronomy 22:13

" If a man have two wives, …" Deuteronomy 21:15

" He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives (Greek 'gune'): but from the beginning it was not so." Matthew 19:8

" Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife (Greek 'gune') :" Matthew 1:24

"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife (Hebrew 'ishshah'): and they shall be one flesh." Genesis 2:24

"And Lamech took unto him two wives (Hebrew 'ishshah'): the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah." Genesis 4:19

-In Moses day, if a man was a polygamist, did he not have to follow Deuteronomy 22:13-30, because they only used the word "wife"?
-In Matthew 19:8, the Greek 'gune' is translated as wives and in Matthew 1:24 it is translated as wife, does that mean gune can mean either wife or wives?
-In Genesis 2:24, the Hebrew 'ishshah' is translated as wife and in Genesis 4:19 it is translated as wives, does that mean that ishshah can mean either wife or wives?

In the Mosaic Law, when "wife" is used, those laws could apply to monogamy or polygamy and when "wives" is used, those laws only apply to polygamy.
In the both the old testament and the new testament the same Hebrew and Greek words are used to denote both wife and wives.

"Let every soul be subject (Greek 'hupotasso') unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God." Romans 13:1

5293 hupotasso {hoop-ot-as'-so} from 5259 and 5021; TDNT - 8:39,1156; v AV - put under 6, be subject unto 6, be subject to 5, submit (one's) self unto 5, submit (one's) self to 3, be in subjection unto 2, put in subjection under 1, misc. 12; 40 1) to arrange under, to subordinate 2) to subject, put in subjection 3) to subject one's self, obey 4) to submit to one's control 5) to yield to one's admonition or advice 6) to obey, be subject A Greek military term meaning "to arrange [troop divisions] in a military fashion under the command of a leader". In non-military use, it was "a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden".

"Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour." Romans 13:7

"They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's." Matthew 22:21

"Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king." 1 Peter 2:13-17

"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." Genesis 2:24

"And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death." Genesis 24:67

-What does it mean to be subject unto the higher powers?
-Are we to obey mans rules when they conflict with Gods?
-How do we render them dues, honor, etc?
-What belongs to 'Caesar' and what belongs to God?
-What constitutes a marriage?
-What is the difference between polygamy and bigamy?

We are to be subject to our higher powers, but only to a point. There are things that directly belong to God and not the government. Our souls belong to God, for one. If we are to literally obey every law of man, then we will have to take the mark of the Beast. Another example might be that the government could force ministers to marry gay and lesbian couples. They could also force all obgyn's to give abortions on demand. One present problem is that many nations do not allow the gospel to be preached, so missionaries break the law by bringing the gospel into those countries. We should not obey mans law when it conflicts with Gods. Gods Law is the highest law.
We should render our leaders due honor, respect, taxes, excreta. Marriages are not something that should be given to the government. Marriages have been happening since Adam and Eve, way before governments came about. As we see in Genesis 24:67, Isaac simply took Rebekah into a tent and became one with her, and they were married. The Roman Catholic Church developed the system of marriage certificates and licenses so they could have more control over the public. Marriages are between the husband, wife, and God. Not the husband, wife, God, and the government. A marriage is made when a man takes a woman in and becomes on with her, physically and spiritually.
Taking that into mind, we do not have to break the law in the first place. Bigamy is when a man is 'legally' married to more than one wife. Polygamists do not need to 'legally' marry their wives, but married to them in Gods eyes. To avoid being falsely accused of fornication, a couple can have witnesses on the day of their marriage to sign a paper as proof if the need for proof ever arises.
Legalize Polygamy
Wilhelm Von Humboldt said, "It is clear from these conclusions that the results of marriage are as various as the characters of the persons concerned, and that, as it is a union so closely related to the very nature of the respective individuals, it must have the most harmful consequences when the State attempts to regulate it by law, or thought the force of its institutions make it rest on anything but simple inclination. When we remember, moreover, that the State can only contemplate the final results in such regulations - as, for instance, population, education of children, etc. - we shall be still more ready to admit the justice of this conclusion."
Marriage should not be regulated by the State. When two are in love and wish to marry, no human should decide whether or not they are allowed to go forth with their plans. To the most, they should set an age for girls and boys unto which they can not get married prior to. Perhaps 18 years of age. And if more, perhaps laws prohibiting forceful marriage or requiring the wife to know and accept polygamy before her husband takes another wife. Those laws are only for the protection of the innocent. Why regulate the rest of the components of marriage? Regulating the rest is only a form of control, which is gaining critics in today's world. Another reason is immigration. A husband can not immigrate to certain countries with his family unless he gets rid of any 'extra' wives.
In many monogamy ruled countries there have been recent strides to make polygamy lawful.

"Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's." Exodus 20:17

"But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way." 1 Corinthians 12:31

"She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard." Proverbs 31:16

"And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money. And Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee. And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread. But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread? And he said unto her, Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard. And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite. " 1 Kings 2:1-7

If you look up covet in Strongs, you will see it means "desire". Desiring something itself is not a sin. If you look at covetousness in Strongs, you will read "acquired by violence" and "greedy desire to have more". We see in the verses above that there is evil coveting, such as wanting thy neighbor's house, and good coveting, such as desiring God's gifts. Coveting is wanting something you cannot have, that you would have to sin for. In the example of the Proverbs 31 woman, she covets a field and buys it righteously. In the case of Ahab, he covets a field and when he is told he cannot have it he steals it.
In the very next chapter after being told not to covet, God's instructs a polygamous man to treat his wives fairy, which would require a woman wanting/having wanted to be in a polygamous family. Exodus 21:10 Surely He wouldn't say one thing that makes the situation a sin, and then be so permittable to it later.

``Polygamy is the highest form of Christianity that can be lived,… There's a lot of love, a lot of help. Women have each other.'' Beth Cook

Both monogamy and polygamy have their own set of benefits and drawbacks. Neither are the overall ideal, but for each individual there is an ideal marriage situation. For one it may be celibacy, for another monogamy, and for another polygamy. Neither the word monogamy or polygamy is found in the Bible. The Bible simply calls them both "marriage".

For Example:
-Polygamy enhances the economic power of the family, community and nation.
-Polygamy is a form of distribution of wealth.
-With polygamy one never 'has' to deal with a problem alone.
-Many hands do much more work, which leaves also more time to play and pursue goals.

Elizabeth Joseph, who's husband has 7 other wives, told an assembly that "polygamy is a feminist institution because it offers flexibility to pursue a career while maintaining a family".

In reply to claims that polygamy is 'a step back in evolution' (And no, I am not an evolutionist nor a femanisit per the quote above)
-Just pondering the advantages of polygamy, you can see that if polygamy was lawful for us and we maintained
human rights – we would 'evolve' with leaps and bounds.
-In evolution terms, natural selection would be greater if we could have the spouse we want.

Philip Kilbride, an American anthropologist, states in his book, Plural Marriage for Our Time, that polygamy as a solution to some of the ills of the American society at large. Research and History has shown that in monogamous societies; adultery, murder, divorce, abortion, and prostitution are more common.

Polygamy removes or reduces the seduction of innocent young women. A man cannot vow to marry a woman and then use his present marriage as an excuse to break that vow. It would force men to live up to responsibility and fidelity. Plus, as many have pointed out. If you were a polygamous man, would you dare cheat on your wives? Would you want your two, three, or four wives to find out? With so many eyes, they would, and would any man want to face four very mad women? No man in his right mind would do such a thing!

"The legal monogamy insisted upon by the Greeks and the Romans was often supplemented with institutionalized concubinage and widespread prostitution, and divorce was a recurring problem." Polygamy Reconsidered: African Plural Marriage and the Christian Churches, By Eugene Hillman, C.S.SP. Published 1975 by Orbis, Maryknoll, New York.
"An Afrikaner theology professor says South Africa should legalize polygamy for whites to beat a divorce rate amongst the highest in the world." Johannesburg (Reuters 1-15-99)

-Not only does polygamy allow for a man wife a barren first wife to have children,
it benefits the children themselves and the mothers.
-Many family members equals much more wisdom and different experiences, which help in raising children.
-A huge benefit for mothers is free and safe babysitting.

One argument that only takes one question to debunk is that polygamy is first mentioned in the context of a sinful society in rebellion against God where the murderer "Lamech took for himself two wives", therefore polygamy is sinful. "And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one [was] Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and [of such as have] cattle. And his brother's name [was] Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain [was] Naamah. And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt." Genesis 4:19-23 That society also, as shown in the same verses, first used brass and iron. Jabal was the first nomad whom traveled with cattle. Jubal, of that sinful society, was the first harpist and organist. If polygamy is a sin because it is first mentioned in the context of a sinful society, then is it a sin to be a harpist, an organist, a nomad with cattle, or use brass and iron? Obviously not! Evil men were monogamous then too, so does that make monogamy wrong as well?

"And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife." Genesis 16:3

"When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife." Genesis 30:9 Bilhah was also his wife. Also referred to as his wives in Genesis 37:2. On no occasion did he divorce these woman.

"Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give [them] unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. For thou didst [it] secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also [that is] born unto thee shall surely die." 2 Samuel 12:11-14

"Now king David was old [and] stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat. Wherefore his servants said unto him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the king, and let her cherish him, and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat." 1 Kings 1:1-2

"And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward, and fed them, but went not in unto them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, living in widowhood" 2 Samuel 20:3

David repented of adultery, with another mans wife, not polygamy. He already had many wives, and in 2 Samuel 12:8 the Lord even says that He gave David wives. David never committed adultery until he took Uriah's wife. Notice in 2 Samuel 12:1-14, Nathan reproves David of taking another mans wife, which is adultery, not of taking another wife. He does so in a story about a rich man taking a poor mans prize possesion.
"Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give [them] unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun."2 Samuel 12:11 God took away Davids wives as a punishment for his sin with the wife of Uriah, not for having more than one wife in the first place. He was also punished by the taking of his son and by evil entering his house from then on, hence the times of upheaval following. It is not known whether David took anymore wives, with an exception to Abishag. This marriage in 1 Kings 1:1-2 appartently was never consummated sexually because of David's impotence, but yet it is still commonly referred to as a marriage.

"Or when any of you utter aloud a rash oath for a bad or a good purpose, whatever people utter in an oath, and are unaware of it, when you come to know it, you shall in any of these be guilty. When you realize your guilt in any of these, you shall confess the sin that you have committed." Leviticus 5:4-5

"But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation." James 5:12

"Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant. And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously." Malachi 2:14-16

"Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. " Romans 1:31-32

"Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God." Proverbs 2:17

covenant \Cov"e*nant\ (k?v"?-nant), n. A mutual, binding agreement of two or more persons or parties, or one of the stipulations in such an agreement.

vow \Vow\, v. i. To make a vow, or solemn promise.

It a wedding contract and "oath/vow" or a "covenant"?
What is the nature of a covenant compared to a vow?
Who can change a vow? Who can change a covenant?

A rash oath is a sin, and can be forgiven. We should be open to whatever God plans for our future, including His plans for us concerning marriage. "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that." James 4:14-15
BUT
A marriage is a covenant, between three parties: God, the husband, and the wife. Though an oath can be broken, and the Bible warns against making oaths, a covenant is not to be broken. A covenantbreaker is "worthy of death". If a husband and wife have covenant which included her as being "the only one" or "forsaking all others", then that is the covenant. To change it, all parties must be in agreeance. We know God would allow polygamy, as long as we remain in His Will. Both the husband and wife have to agree to change their covenant, into a 'new covenant'. Some who advocate forcing wives into polygamy, deny this.

"Now these brethren of his were under distraction and terror, and thought that very great danger hung over them; yet not at all reflecting upon their brother Joseph, and standing firm under the accusations laid against them, they made their defense by Reubel, the eldest of them, who now became their spokesman: '…Our father's name is Jacob, an Hebrew man, who had twelve of us for his sons by four wives; which twelve of us, while we were all alive, were a happy family...'" Flavius Josephus Jewish Antiquities 2.100 (Whiston)

The Latter-day Saints stopped advocating polygamy in 1890, and excommunicated polygamist members after 1902. Since then many 'Mormon' Fundamentalist groups have formed, and allowed polygamy. They are in no way affiliated with the Mormon Church. Tens of thousands of people live in polygamous families in Utah, most involved in Mormon Fundamentalism. There are some larger polygamist groups, and numerous small independent polygamy-practicing churches, throughout the Rocky Mountain area. Most are confined to single communities, usually communal in structure. Though violations of human rights are much more common in Mormon Fundamentalist 'cults' than other religions that accepts polygamy, not all of them are abusive situations. The increased likelihood of abuse is caused by the closed-ness and isolation of the societies and the cult atmosphere. Charges against them range from child abuse and incest to welfare and tax fraud. Though these groups may tout the Bible as the basis for their beliefs, abuse, incest, and robbery are all condemned in the Bible as sins.
It is unfair and deceitful to carry these characteristics over onto Christian, Islamic, African, or any other polygamy-positive beliefs, customs, or people. Among open societies, without the cult atmosphere, polygamy actually reduces abuse, because the more wives in the family, the more likely they would come forward if such a thing were happening. There are many men committing "child abuse and incest to welfare and tax fraud" in monogamous marriages as well. It would, in the same manner, be unfair to squish all monogamists in the same category that those monogamists are in. In 1996 there were 808,370 cases of abuse confirmed. Not even a fraction of those are in polygamist households. Roy Potter, who once had three wives, says, "I've heard it called like a fulfilling of a fantasy. But the people who really try to do this thing like it is meant to be done find out that it's not a game, that it's not fun -- that it is serious business because it's part of their religious makeup…" Potter said also that he grieved the cases of incest and abuse in plural marriages, but he maintained that the practice of polygamy was not to be blamed in such cases.

Personally, I know of many happy polygamous families. And the ones I am thinking of are all conservative Christians!

People often shout that polygamists are just sex crazed. Anyone who marries for sex is going to be very disappointed. They will find their families falling apart from neglect in no time. The amount of responsibility, time, effort, and energy we put in one relationship can be enough for most people, let alone more than one relationship. Sex could be called the candle on the cake called marriage, but marriage is a big cake and brings along many new responsibilities. Each wives needs to be loved and nourished, cared for and encouraged. A husband needs to make time for his wives and family, while working a job, and well being the spiritual leader of the family. Marriage is a lot to handle, in all forms. Any married person can atest to that.

With a man who has much money and neglects his wives, it isn't even about sex but status. The Bible says to this, "If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish." Exodus 21:10 And throughout tells husbands to love their wives "As Christ loves the Church". This is the difference between Christian polygamy, and certain other applications of polygynous marriage in other cultures.

Does one get married for sex?

"Of course you don't suppose that lust provokes men to beget children, when the streets and the stews are full of means to satisfy that? We obviously select for wives the women who will bear us the best children, and then marry them to raise a family." Xenophon Memorabilia 2.2.4 (Loeb)

A few have used Leviticus 18, saying polygamy was a practice of those in the Land of Canaan and that we are not to do the same as those in the land of Canaan. How far does that go? Are we not to eat bread because they ate bread? The whole chapter is about pagan rituals, not polygamy.

Michal's mother was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz. 1 Samuel 14:49-50 The woman married to David, shown in 1 Chronicles 3:1 (2 Samuel 3:2) is Ahinoam the Jezreelitess. His marriage to an "Ahinoam" happened before Saul was dead (2 Samuel 3:2), which is before he married Saul's wives. They were given to him after Saul's death. (2 Samuel 12:7-8)

In the O.T. law when "wife" is used, those laws could apply to monogamy or polygamy (Deuteronomy 22:13, 22), and when "wives" is used, those laws only apply to polygamy. (Deuteronomy 21:15-17).

"He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so." Matthew 19:8 (Mark 10:5)
Adam and Eve also walked around naked in the beginning, using this reasoning we should do the same because that's the way God created it in the beginning. This verse is about divorce, and that divorce has always been wrong in God's eyes, not about how many wives one should have.

As in Matthew 19:8 "wives=gune", Matthew 1:24 "wife=gune". In the New Testament, the Greek word which is translated as wife is "gune", which is also the same word that is translated as wives!