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Isn't it just like a woman to say that...

Y

ylop

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During one dinner table conversation, Luther remarked, “The time will come when a man will take more than one wife.”

Katherine responded, “Let the devil believe that!” to which Luther answered, “The reason, Katy, is that a woman can bear a child only once a year while her husband can beget many.”

Undismayed, Katherine cited from First Corinthians 7:2. “Paul said that each man should have his own wife.” Luther quipped back, “Yes, ‘his own wife’ and not ‘only one wife,’ for the latter isn’t what Paul wrote.”

The jesting continued for a while longer until Katherine ended the discussion when she said, “Before I put up with this [polygamy], I’d rather go back to the convent and leave you and all our children.”

Sourced from http://www.corndancer.com/fritze/reformation/refmaton_arch/refmaton_katie.html
 
Thanks for posting this. Being Lutheran and working for a Lutheran church, I'm very interested in Luther's viewpoint about polygny. I've run across one of his statements in a marriage book that he wrote. I can't remember the exact quote, but it basically said he approved of bigamy over divorce. If Luther wasn't under such persecution from the reformation, I wonder if he would have taken his stance on polygny further? I've pointed out to one of the elders of the church I work for, who knows my belief in Biblical marriage, about Luther's stance on it. This elder is also studying to became a deacon, he said that in his classes, they breeze right past this subject.
 
I haven't read his writing recently, but testing my memory, he told Philip of Hesse that it was wrong to divorce but biblical to take a second wife. And Philip did, and had a nice family with her.
 
Maybe we can call ourselves Real Lutherans or something. The more I learn about the man the more I think he rates just below Paul on the most theologically significant Christian of all time list.
 
He and his compatriots told Henry VIII not to divorce but to become a polygamist. Henry VIII ignored them, left the Catholic church, started the Anglican church, divorced and murdered his wives...

Philip of Hess pestered Luther for many, many years to allow him to become a polygamist. Philip seems to have had a sex addiction, and when monogamous could not restrain himself from also having a string of mistresses, but was convinced that with two wives he could control his temptation and refrain from sin. Luther reluctantly agreed provided it was done in secret - because he did know the scripture said it was ok. When the secret came out Luther was very embarrassed and tried to distance himself from it. Incidentally Philip must have been a Godly man himself, shown by the fact that William Tyndale fled to Philip when his life was in danger, and the fact that Philip was so upset over his own immorality that he refused to take communion for many years until he could get on top of his sin.

When free-thinking Lutherans and Anabaptists in Munster rebelled and declared polygamy legal, the Lutherans slaughtered them. This was while Luther was still alive, so it was not an act of people afterwards who had forgotten his teachings. Luther stated about a related rebellion a few years before ‘I, Martin Luther,’ said he, ‘have shed the blood of the rebellious peasants; for I commanded them to be killed. Their blood is indeed upon my head; but, I put it upon the Lord God, by whose command I spoke’ - so it is likely he was also involved in crushing this rebellion.

So Luther saw the truth. But he is far from a shining example of someone standing up for that truth, he cared more about the opinions of man in the end.
 
I will point out that from all accounts he was actually against the idea of Polygamy, but simply could not refute it via the Bible and considered it preferential to divorce. I used this in one of our "discussions" with previous church leadership to point out that one does not have to like something for it to be in the Bible, and that even such a prominent and important semi-modern religious figure could not refute it.

I confess that I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict the Scripture. If a man wishes to marry more than one wife he should be asked whether he is satisfied in his conscience that he may do so in accordance with the word of God. In such a case the civil authority has nothing to do in the matter. (De Wette II, 459, ibid., pp. 329-330.)
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I amusedly reflected on your signature line there, Untoldglory: "Daniel, Forum Moderator - If you need help, please PM me!"

After all, PM is often used as an abbreviation for 'Private Message', but I've also seen it used as an abbreviation for 'Plural Marriage'...

Nice double entendre.
 
I have said for years that people only want to be thought about all the feel good stuff that makes them believe they are living correctly. Most don't want to hear or be taught the tuff things. I personally like to hear and be taught about all of the truth. That way as the head of my house, on judgement day I will at least know what I have to stand in account for.
 
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