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Plural Marriage: In That Day Seven Women Shall... - Page 18

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I guess some believe that the Lord has yet to clarify it?

Exactly, we are all waiting for some answers ;D

Shall Women Day That Marriage Plural

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I guess some believe that the Lord has yet to clarify it?

During the early days of the Church, there were a few practices that were in flux.  For example, with the idea of "sealing" and "adoption" many people wanted to be sealed to Joseph Smith.  Thus, men and women were sealed to the Prophet, becoming part of his family.  This also happened to many of the other leaders.  Eventually, Brigham Young pointed out to everyone that they already had fathers and mothers, to whom they owed a huge debt.  Thus, the practice among the saints, which had never been taught by the Brethren, was stopped.

NightHawk

Plural Marriage: In That Day Seven Women Shall... Studies Doctrine Mormon

As a follow-up to what Nighthawk said above, a Prophet of the Lord has clearly defined what the Lord had to say about plural marriage and our consequences in following / not following it.

Okay, let us take this topic a little further. We see from doing genealogy that the focus on lineage is based on the man's last name. A man may have married several women, but they take the last name, this is done in civil proceedings too. My emphasis here is the idea that 'man' is key to the union of man and woman or in other words many women to one man, but not many men to one woman? In a deeper sence you can see physically why men are not able to have children and why they need no 'time period' in procreation. It seems to fit together physically. Socially it may seem unacceptable to many though.

What do you think?

Page 18 Shall Women Day That Marriage Plural

I would take it more in a genetics/bloodline direction.

In Judaism, Jewishness follows the mother.  That is, if the mother is a Jew, the child is a Jew.  If the mother is a Gentile and the father is a Jew, the child is a Gentile.

Think about it.  There is no doubt about who the mother is.  If the mother is married to one man, and is faithful to that marriage, there is (very) little doubt as to the exact parentage of the child.  If the mother is married to more than one man, or is having relationships with more than one man, then there is no way, in traditional society, to identify the heritage.

However, your point about the time necessary for procreation is also excellent.  I hadn't thought of it.

NightHawk

Shall Women Day That Marriage Plural

True about the jewish culture following the mother's blood....but most societies follow after the father, I was always very interested about this in judaism.

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It seems to fit together physically. Socially it may seem unacceptable to many though.

Excellent point. Personally I think is only a matter that fit physically. Yes socially it may seem unacceptable because of how women are perceived (weak) but if they think about it deep, the most hard 'work' that a  person must do on this Earth is done by womens . (yes!, give birth to a child)

Plural Marriage: In That Day Seven Women Shall...

Yes, we can better see how one man can actually 'generate' a whole community in co-operation with his wives (it being a plural marriage in those days). Thus, more spirit children to be born under Covenant and hopefully be taught the Gospel.
[offtopic]We can see strong evidence of this in the Islamic religion which is a strong advocate of plural marriage. Their religion is growing in leaps and bounds not so much because of missionary work, but because of one man having such huge families.[/offtopic]

Plural Marriage That Day Women Shall... - Page 18

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Yes, we can better see how one man can actually 'generate' a whole community in co-operation with his wives (it being a plural marriage in those days). Thus, more spirit children to be born under Covenant and hopefully be taught the Gospel.

You know I never thought of it in terms of more children being born under the covenant.  Very good point.  And, not one to take lightly.  

Does lead me to another question though.  Can a father of 20 be as good of a father and as hands on with his children as can a father of 1 or even 6?  Do we not at some number of wives and children reach a point where all the father becomes is a "donor."  If you have 60 children, how well will you really know each child.  How much time will each child have with you.  Can you go to all the ball games, etc.?  Isn't it important in this day and age that children have a personal relationship with their fathers?  I think this is especially true today with all the drugs and morality issues facing teenagers today that didn't exist 100 years ago.

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Think about it.  There is no doubt about who the mother is.  If the mother is married to one man, and is faithful to that marriage, there is (very) little doubt as to the exact parentage of the child.  If the mother is married to more than one man, or is having relationships with more than one man, then there is no way, in traditional society, to identify the heritage.

 

I think Nighthawk presents a very good explanation for why men can have more than one wife, but women only one husband.  Never really was comfortable with that reasoning before, but what he says makes perfect sense.  At least it does to me.

Plural Marriage That Day Women Shall... Mormon Doctrine Studies - Page 18

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Can a father of 20 be as good of a father and as hands on with his children as can a father of 1 or even 6?

The way I see it is the same as a Bishop for his ward or a Branch President for his Branch. It is that one man's job to know all his members well, their needs, their spiritual needs, etc. The reason I 'liken' it to this is the role of the Patriarch. He does not act as the 'lord' of the group, but as the serveant for the temporal and spiritual needs. The mother on the hand is the nurturer, which may be something needed more than a constant demand for spiritual or temporal needs. Thus the role of woman is far more significant in the lives of children than man. Not that man should not have a significant part, but I hope you understand my point of view/opinion.