I don't believe in polygamy, only because I can barely take care of the one wife I have now. But as to whether it is against God's ways, I question that. Many of the people in old testament times had more than 1 wife, and they always married them young. The only times that only one wife were stipulated in the new testament was dealing with church leadership Elders, Decons and Bishops.

    There are many cultures today that still practice polygamy, and to go into their cultures, we can not say Biblically that they are in sin. But if they desire to be in church leadership, then it is required.

    Also remember it is only recently (last 75 yrs or so) that women were married at 14 yrs old here in America. My grandmother was married at 14 yrs old and had her first of nine children at 15 yrs old.

    And as to communes, the Israelis live in communes, to help make a stronger community.

Not that I want to or have a 14 yr old wife or live in a commune, but think it wise to remember that our ways in America are not always right, it is just the culture we are in. 

    Like I said, I don't believe in polygamy, and I understand that Adam had one wife, Eve. As to marriage vows? I don't remember reading any marriage vows in the Bible. Preachers say them, my wife and I took one, but not from the Bible.

    My only comment was to say in our culture it is not excepted, but in other countries (remember that mychurch is global on the Internet) it is still an accepted practice. We can not take our cultural beliefs and  make people in other counties into American Christians.

   Sin is sin, no matter what culture it is, but is it sin to have more than one wife? No I am not LDS, but I am just asking Biblically.

I would be interested also, it seems most of the things we hear about this...it is related to cults...Jim Jones kinda things..

    I am speaking about primarily the unsaved, as a missionary, do we make Disciples of Christ, or disciples of the American Christ. If some one comes to believe in Christ and lives in an African tribe that still practices polygamy, do we change their culture, because we believe it is sin.

    The same on our streets, when we disciple a new believer from the streets, do we make him feel that he is not a "true" christian unless he can aspire to what we have come to believe as "making it", is a new convert made to feel he has to have a car in the garage, and a picket fence around the yard to be "prosperous". 

I know I got of the subject is a way, but it all comes back to culture, and how we see ourselves, as Christians. Do we in turn try to pass this same vision onto converts, whether from India, or from the gutters of America.

but "that subject", is it our culture, or is it Biblical truth we teach?

That is something that I try to watch coming out of my mouth.

A bit off subject again, but where the Lord called me, the pastor's wife was from Germany, and in Germany (Europe), the women don't shave like women in the US do. So there were murmurs in the body about how uncouth it was that she did not shave, this caused a lot of issues and eventually helped to destroy the fellowship. Again, culture! 

I know it is not the same as polygamy, but is it culture or Biblical.

The Saudis practice polygamy, as to many of the Muslim factions, so when we try to convert them, are we converting them to a Biblical Jesus, or an American Jesus?

 When we are able to answer this question, how many other cultural "truths" do we expect from new converts.

And again, I stress, sin is sin biblically. But there is a biblical sin we teach converts to abstain from, and then there is cultural sin that gets mixed in.

    I say again, I don't believe in polygamy, but how to convert someone that does, with scripture!

    I have been looking online, and there is a strong push not only in America, but Canada and other countries to legalise polygamy. Some have already legalised it to appease the Muslims.

    I have also read numerous pages the Church's have put out about the sin of polygamy, but to battle it scriptually, where is it? 

  I understand Cheryl's comment, about Adam and Eve, but then the Lord allows it with Abraham, and the others in OT. He does not come against it, except to warn David and Solomon, that it can/will lead to problems.

    In the NT the only reference against it is for leadership. 

    I ask because I have an acquaintance that does believe that polygamy should be legalised, but I have yet to show him with scripture why we should not!