Reclaiming Marriage

Can you hear the assault waves crashing on the beaches of traditional marriage?  One after another, each wave causes more and more erosion.  A new wave is coming.  Or, I should say, a new wave is here.  For the first time, yesterday, I learned that there is a TV show on TLC called Sister Wives.  This reality show chronicles the lives of a man, his four wives – did you even blink when I said FOUR wives? -- and thirteen children.  They were originally living in Utah (who would have guessed that?), but when the heat started turning up there they moved to Vegas where no one is bothering them at all.  What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, right?

But, what is happening there?  This lovely family is showing you just how “normal” polygamy can be.  Here is a handsome, personable man with his attractive, upbeat wives, having a great time together.  There is apparently enough jealousy between them to keep the show interesting for those who like soap opera drama.  But, all in all, they say, they just love one another, love their kids, and should be left alone.

This is the same line that has lead us down the path of tolerance, then acceptance, then glorification of gay and lesbian families in America.  I recently read that a family in England was denied the privilege of adoption because their biblical Christian beliefs will not allow them to sugar-coat the idea of homosexuality.  They refused to feed “tolerant” lies to the children they raise.  Here, in the state of Florida, homosexual adoption is still illegal, but for how long?  The sands are shifting everywhere.

I was under the impression that you cannot legally make a profit from committing a crime (see:  http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2239/how-are-criminals-prevented-from-profiting-from-their-crimes), so, how come this polygamous family gets to make lots of money from filming their day-to-day lives of crime?

Because no one is saying or doing anything about it.  There are about 15 pockets of known polygamous groups in the United States.  Most are off-shoots (not recognized) by the Mormon church, but there are a few Muslim groups as well.  (Did you know that Mohammed was a polygamist?)  Our law enforcement apparently got tired of enforcing this particular law.  And now, the police in Las Vegas are apparently downright ignoring it.  All this is going on as our President encourages the non-enforcement of the Defense of Marriage Act – a law that has been ratified by Congress and has NOT been shown to be unconstitutional!

Why is that a problem?  Live and let live, you say.  But, the denigration of the human family – one man and one woman bonded in marriage for the purpose of pro-creation – leads to the denigration of society as a whole.  Every great empire that has fallen has shown symptoms of disease in this area.  Once the idea of homosexuality is accepted and applauded (as it was in Roman and Greek culture), the door is open to every type of perverse behavior.  If I can marry the same gender, what will stop me from marrying an animal, or a young child, or a baby, or 6 wives or 3 husbands?  There is no end.

God created one male and one female and called it “good.”  He put them in a garden setting because He was cultivating.  He was cultivating plants and animals.  He cultivated the family.  He created the institution of marriage.  It was designed to give the best greenhouse accommodations for “godly offspring.”

Malachi 2:15

And did not he make one? …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

You say, “Well, some of the patriarchs had more than one wife.”  That is true.  And some of the patriarchs were murderers and adulterers and liars as well.  It is through Abraham’s concubine, Hagar, that we have the unrest in the Middle East -– Ishmael is still at war with Isaac. 

If we do not live in godly relationships (man and wife), we will not get godly offspring.  And the world is ungodly enough without adding more ungodly offspring.  We need to start putting sandbags down to stop this erosion!

Sandbag #1 - Keep our marriages sacred.  Stay married to the man you married.  Pray for him daily.  If you don't know what to pray, get a copy of Stomie O'Martian's book Power of a Praying Wife.

Sandbag #2 - Teach your children by word and example that marriage is godly.  Make it look inviting and yummy.  It is not a vegetable or a pill we must take.  We don't want them to spit it out!  Need help?  Check out Love and Respect by Emerson Eggerichs.

Sandbag #3 - Encourage your children to marry and raise godly children.  It is not easy to come against the feminist influences of our times, so try reading So Much More by Ana Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin.

Sandbag #4 - Pray for our city, state, nation, world.  Pray that we will return to the values that God desires for us.  (2 Chronicles 7:14, "If my people will humble themselves and pray...)

Sandbag #5 - Seek for something you can do to encourage our legislators and policy makers in the area of godly marriage.