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"I am not a criminal," proclaimed Joe Darger, a Utah man who has three wives and helped organize the rally. "If you commit adultery, that's not a felony. It's only a crime when you have a family and you pretend to be married" (quoted by Michelle Price, "Polygamous Families Protest Bigamy Law at Utah Capitol," Associated Press, Feb. 10, 2017).
Though God did not specifically prohibit polygamy in the Old Testament period, this was not His ideal for marriage. Jesus Christ showed from Genesis the original intent as one man united with one woman (Matthew 19:1-6). Being the husband of one wife was a requirement for ordination to the position of deacon or elder in the Church (1 Timothy 3:2; 1 Timothy 3:12; Titus 1:6).
It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming years. In a society in which nearly any kind of sexual relationship is celebrated, it's frankly surprising that polygamy remains illegal. As one quote in the article said, "If we were gay, we'd be OK."
The U.S. government had no problems opening the doors to same-sex marriage, which clearly violates the Word of God. And it seems only a matter of time before polygamy and many other types of marital arrangements are legalized. Confusion abounds when we don't rely on understanding from God, the Source of wisdom.
To understand God's true intent for marriage, be sure to send for or download our free study guide Marriage and Family: The Missing Dimension . (Source: Associated Press.)
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Keywords: polygamy marriage, attacks on same sex marriage implications
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