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Word Usage Study and Short Essay
The Presumptuous Piety of Preemptive Polygamy In the world of Judeo/Christian polygamy, Abraham is held up as the epitome model, the Afather of all nations,@ who had more than one wife. The Lord=s approval of Abraham as a worthy disciple who overcame all things indeed provides a recurrent theme in the scriptures. It is easy, therefore, to look at his having practiced polygamy as requiring our emulation. The belief that Abraham was commanded of the Lord to enter into this second connubial marriage is supported by D&C 132. However, considering the dynamics of his situation, we must ask ourselves if that Acommandment@ came, as with the 116 manuscript pages that were lost, after much beseeching on the part of Abraham and Sarah. In other words, is it possible that this learning episode was intended to serve as a warning to us, not as a pattern worthy of emulation? The Lord has been known to do things Athat we might stumble, because we desired it.@ He did it with the children of Israel (Jacob 4:14); and he is now doing it with the Latter-day Saints. Why would the Lord not also teach this lesson to Abraham? He and Sarah were prime to succumb to this blunder. They had been given a promise of the Lord, and their advancing age would have been cause of consternation. Patience and faith surely gave way to pleading for an alternate approach, which the Lord finally granted them. Today=s headlines which constantly feature the tensions between the Arabs and the Jews (and the West in general) should provide us with a constant reminder of the folly of this alternate plan. A careful reading of Galatians 4 depicts Hagar as an example of leaning on the arm of flesh, rather than trusting in the promises of God: that he would fulfill his word despite the seemingly impossibility of doing so. In other words, according to Paul, Abraham and Sarah goofed on this one. Not only did they blunder in taking things into their own hands, but their doing so is now set before us as an allegory to dissuade us from our own tendency to rely in our own strength. Many modern national enmities and conflicts may be traced back to this original imbroglio of lack of faith, jealousy, and the casting out of one=s own beloved kindred. Contrast Paul=s parody with the historic Mormon view of polygamy in which the doctrine was promoted that in order to become heir to what Abraham inherited, namely the kingdom of God, we must likewise follow in his footsteps and take additional wives ourselves. The great paradox is that this phase of early Mormon history, including their adopting the practice of polygamy, actually becomes a corporate example of a people taking things into their own hands and thinking themselves righteous for having done so. To make matters more perplexing, it would seem that God went along with their self-imposed delusion and Apeculiarness@ and even strengthened it so that they might stumble in their weakness and thereby finally come to him with broken heart and contrite spirit. Absent was his mighty arm being made bare in avenging them from their oppressors, for absent was their unwavering loyalty to him and his way of doing things. Did God not say that in the latter-days he would establish a kingdom Awithout hands@? They thought they were building his kingdom. They volunteered their hands for the job. However, Awithout hands@ means administered from heaven. God is going to make bare his mighty arm, despite our foibled efforts to do his work. His temporal salvation from the oppressions that have and will yet come upon this people in earnest will be an act of grace, for we have sold ourselves for naught; but he will redeem us without money. Surely there will be a mighty core of men and women of God who will participate in this deliverance, but they will fully acknowledge his all-powerful arm compared to their puny hands. My reflections on this polygamy subject have not been extensive, but they have been brought into a focus recently as I have been reading Mormon Polygamy: A History, by Richard S. Van Wagoner (1989). At one point in my reading, after hearing faithful women frankly tell of their frustrations with the practice, I wrote the following: Should it be any surprise to us that a religious culture sprung from a history of polygamy raised to a pious fervor should now play the harlot as an institution and think their devotion to their Afirst love@ or Christ is on equal footing with their love of Babylon=s many suitors, when in practice, their Afirst love@ has grown very old to them and lacking in appeal C to the point that the relationship is nearly severed, though still hanging by the thread of religious piety? No, polygamy is not by definition the highest form of religious expression as it has been made out to be by some adherents (in word, not in deed). Certainly, those who enter into this furnace of self-imposed affliction and stretching will be purified as they yield their hearts to God. There may even be some rare instances of the Lord actually requiring this of people (Athat=s me,@ the majority of adherents tell themselves). However, the vast majority of cases are probably examples of God allowing insistors to be deluded into thinking this is His will for them, his purpose being to allow them to experience the desires of their heart and reap the consequences thereof.
LINK: Galatians 4:21-31; 5:1 C The Choice
A Bondwoman@ in the BibleWhen anticipating doing this word study related to polygamy, I felt that there was probably a key word from Paul=s above account, a careful study of which would provide some fresh insight to the subject of polygamy. My first hunch was the word, Abondwoman.@ This turned out to be a highly feasible pick, for Abondwoman@ occurs in only two places in the Bible: in Genesis 21 referencing the actual story of Sarah casting out the Abondwoman,@ Hagar (and Isaac); and the other is in Galatians 4, in which Paul comments on this. Hence, the biblical usage of this word, Abondwoman@ is isolated to the context in question. This evidences a very deliberate and purposeful word usage by the Lord; for surely the phenomenon of Abondwoman@ is replete in the story of the Bible; and if the story were being told by mere mortals, the word would have come up numerous times. A Bondwoman@ in the Hebrew (O.T.) LexiconOne of the great abuses within polygamy is the inherent tendency to degrade the stature of womankind. The Mormon doctrine on polygamy taught that accepting and adopting this practice was absolutely required to attain the highest heaven C that it was the marital relationship of preference in the heavens. This mentality evolved into equating numbers of wives and children with holiness or worthiness of manhood. The unspoken assumption (unspoken because it is patently ungodly, and anyone with any conscience can identify that fact) is that a man can manage (or even surpass) not just one woman, but many if he is of high enough caliber to attain godhood. Ironically, many of the men and women who accepted these beliefs because of the religious pressure that arose were indeed of the highest caliber. This perpetuated a false credibility and hence increased the delusion. The context in which the word Abondwoman@ comes in Hebrew contrasts this belittling notion with a very different view of a woman=s worth in the sight of God. 515 08;-! AGod is straight.@ 516 ;(:; -! AThou must not destroy.@ 517 .! Mother 518 .! (A) lo! behold!; truly; (B) whether; (C) (1) if; (2) though; (3) would that! (4) when. In contrast: 519 %/! A handmaid [e.g. Mary]; Female slave [bondwoman]; used even by a free woman when speaking to her superiors [implying inequality]. In reality: 520 %/! Beginning, head, and foundation of a thing. [%/! could be pronounced AEmma.@]A Bondwoman@ in the Greek (N.T.) LexiconThe following definitions surrounding the Greek word for Abondwoman@ take on interesting relevance when placed in the context of the 1835-1895 LDS church. 3802 pagideuo To lay snares for, trap; entangle. [Jacob 4:14 AGod hath done it that they might stumble, because they desired it.@]3803 pagis Whatever makes fast or holds fast; hence a snare, trap, meaning as a snare shall it come upon them, i.e., suddenly, unexpectedly. Metaphorically, the trap of the devil. [The early saints were expecting the pre-millennium tribulations to come very quickly. They viewed the Civil War as the beginning of a prophesied, impending collapse of the United States, to punish its inhabitants for their cruel treatment of their people. When their ill-based prophecies failed, so did their faith waiver, and their acquiescence to Babylon begin in earnest.]3804-5 pathema Suffering, affliction. The sufferings of a Christian are so called because they are endured for the sake of Christ and in conformity to His suffering. [While the Mormon=s embracing of polygamy should have been protected under the Constitution, the nation and the world were (hypocritically) appalled and the Saints found themselves to be scapegoats of a nation healing from the wounds of a horrible civil war.]3806 pathos Passion, lust. [All too often and too much the motivations for polygamy came from baser instincts.]3807 paidagogos An instructor or teacher of children, a schoolmaster. [The parallels between the trials of polygamy and the rigors of the law of Moses for the children of Israel are interesting to consider. The Lord gave the children of Israel the law of carnal commandments because they refused to accept a higher program.]3808 paidarion A little boy, lad. [The church was young and tender, having much yet to learn. (See box to right: TPJS, p. 392.)]3809 paideia Originally instruction to children. It evolved to mean chastening, correction. 3810 paideutes An instructor; a corrector, a chastiser. 3811 paideuo Originally to bring up a child, to educate, used of activity directed toward the moral and spiritual nurture and training of a child, to influence conscious will and action. 3812 paidiothen From a child. 3813 paidion A little child. (I) A child or children recently born, a baby, infant. (II) As an endearing appellation for the followers of Christ. 3814 paidiske A young girl, maiden, free-born [but imposed to be otherwise]. In the NT, a bondmaid, female slave or servant.3815 paizo To play or sport as a child. 3816 pais A child in relation to descent or age; a manservant, maid. 3817 paio To strike or smite, e.g. with the fist, a rod, sword. [chasten]3818 Pakatiane pr.n. 3819 palai In the past, long ago, of olden times. [Abraham, David, Solomon.]3820 palaios Old, not new, what is of long standing, (I) such as wine, leaven, testament, commandment, man (Rom. 6:6) means the sinful and unregenerate self previous to salvation.. (II) Old, worn-out, as a garment or bottles. [Old things are done away, all things are become new.] 3823 pale A wrestling, struggle or hand-to-hand combat. Syn. (73), struggle; (2873), toil; (3449), painfulness, travail. [(1) birthing of the manchild, the coming forth of the new; (2) A test, a Test, a Test!]3824 paliggenesia Regeneration, restoration, renovation, rebirth. Restitution of all things. [This is what the early saints sought for but were too young to accomplish. Their taking things into their own hands to fulfilling this prophecy is epitomized in their adopting polygamy without proper discernment of whether or not God actually wanted this folly recapitulated. Restitution is not quantitative but qualitative, referring more to a setting in order than rote mimicking.]3825 palin Back, back again, again, as simply implying to return back to a former place, state or act. Again the second time. [The saints= failure and the subsequent lapsing into apostasy (backsliding) is not going to be terminal. The Lord has promised that he will set his hand again the second time to recover his people; as the gospel is then taken from the Gentiles and given to the house of Israel.]
Thursday, a.m. C June 27, 1844. C [Joseph Smith on morning of martyrdom:] A When still a boy [Jesus] had all the intelligence necessary to enable Him to rule and govern the kingdom of the Jews, and could reason with the wisest and most profound doctors of law and divinity, and make their theories and practice to appear like folly compared with the wisdom he possessed; but he was a boy only; and lacked physical strength even to defend His own person; and was subject to cold, to hunger.... So it is with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; we have the revelation of Jesus, and the knowledge within us is sufficient to organize a righteous government upon the earth, and to give universal peace to all mankind, if they would receive it, but we lack the...strength, as did our Savior when a child, to defend our principles, and we have of necessity to be afflicted, persecuted and smitten, and to bear it patiently until Jacob is of age, then he will take care of himself.@ (TPJS, p. 392.)by Sterling D. Allan; Fountain Green, Utah; November 7, 1997 See Also
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"Would God that ALL the Lord's People Were PROPHETS" Free Energy • Patriot Saints • Remnant Saints • Inter-Continental Congress
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