Sonoma State Star

Issue date: 10/7/08 Section: Letters to the Editor

[In response to "Vote NO on Prop 8," Issue 5]: While I don't know much about proposition 8, I do know a few things about the Bible. I'd like to suggest that some of the critical assumptions that your letter is based on are biblically false or misapplied, specifically those regarding polygamy and the purpose of marriage.

While you are right about polygamy occurring in the Bible, your assumption that the Bible teaches it is amiss. The Bible is divided into two distinct sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament. Everything after the book of Genesis that occurs in the Old Testament occurs under the Law of Moses and before the coming of Jesus Christ. This time period is the time period in which King David lived and in which polygamy took place. However, the Bible never condones this sort of behavior; in fact it rebukes it. Even so, the Mosaic Law was done away with when Jesus Christ came in the New Testament. Christians, also known as followers of Christ, believe in the New Testament teachings of Jesus. As far as Jesus' teachings about marriage all evidence points to marriage being a union between one man and one woman. Thus your assumption that Biblical marriage is a union "between one man and as many women as he could get" is erroneous.

Later in your letter you assume that Religious Rightists see raising children as the fundamental purpose of marriage, however, the Bible clearly points out that it is not. The first example of marriage in the Bible occurs in Genesis with the creation of Adam and Eve. The Bible says Adam was created first prior to the creation of Eve. The Bible also says in Genesis that "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him." Notice it does not say, "The man needs a way to procreate, so I'll make him a helper." The only logical conclusion that can be drawn from the phrase "It is not good for the man to be alone," is that he needed companionship. In this same passage God creates Eve and says "For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife…" In other words, an individual will leave the closest of family ties in order to have companionship with his/her spouse. Again we see that this biblical passage mentions nothing about procreation as the purpose of marriage. Jesus also quotes this passage in the New Testament, affirming its validity with Christians.

So as far as marriage goes, the Bible teaches that it is between one man and one woman. And as far as the purpose of marriage goes, the Bible teaches that it is for companionship.

I don't know much about Proposition 8, but I do know that the more accurate the information is that the public is receiving about the fundamental principles of marriage - or about anything for that matter - the better informed they will be when it comes to making political and moral decisions.

Oh and it wasn't King David who had all the wives and concubines, that was Solomon (and if you read the story in the book of 1st Kings at chapter 11 you'll see that God was not pleased with Solomon either).

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