On the Perceived Immorality of God: Part One – Descriptions and Prescriptions, especially of Marriage

A blog post inspired as a response to my friend who imagines God as immoral because They fail to condemn or correct a variety of behaviors of “Godly people” in the Bible (as well as some truly “Ungodly ‘Christians’” in the present decline and fall of the American religion mistakenly called “Evangelical,”) Here are some reasons I hold fast to my faith, while trying to reconcile the beliefs of so many who say they share my faith.

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With regard to ignoring parts of the Bible, some say: "That was then; this is now." But all of scripture relates to the relationship with God which Christ offers to us. Yet not all the Bible is written as a prescription for our behavior today. Much of it accurately describes some very bad behavior, and how consequences follow our deviation from the prescribed behaviors. So following the thread of the Divine conversation throughout the story is of utmost importance. Understanding God’s half of the conversation requires more than memorizing certain prooftexts. “Truths” and “pithy aphorisms” are frequently cherry-picked from passages that address entirely different topics than those claimed to be “what scripture says.” With regard, for example, to marriage, sex, procreation, and family units,  historically, that cherry-picking has been done in Western Cultures by misogynistic chauvinists seeking to buttress their claims to male superiority – a position utterly indefensible in a wholly Biblical theology.

The chart I’m including here shows a few of the household arrangements included in scripture. They involve some very different circumstances than what is presumed by some to be “The Biblical Pattern of Marriage.” Denying this evidence, these “conservatives” (who ironically pursue radically liberal scripture-twisting) claim that the Bible’s “description” of these relationships does not represent God’s “prescription” for marriage. To them, the only legitimate household is based on a social, physical, and legal union of one man and one woman.

I do agree that there is a vast difference between description and prescription. But the so-called definition of “Biblical marriage” in Genesis 3 – a cisgendered, heterosexual, and monogamous couple – is not at all prescriptive. That passage is clearly descriptive. In fact that “definition of marriage” clearly announces not wholeness, but the brokenness of The Curse that followed The Fall resulting from the first/original sin.

Let’s consider the originality of sin for a moment. If the sharing of fruit from The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is the original sin (and it is), can we assume that the prior commands of God were obeyed? Yes. Therefore, whatever God prescribed for humans prior to The Fall must have been lived out in obedience.

Since the first Divine command to humans is “be fruitful,” what did the first humans do? Bearing fruit would be obedience to the second command, “multiply.” But whether each joining results in offspring (and joining at all was unnecessary in our original androgynous state – Genesis 1:27), to “be fruitful” denotes something often overlooked by those who unbiblically redefine “how things ought to be.”

The wise note, “Anyone can count the seeds in an apple. But only God can count the apples in a seed.” Think of that solitary apple, then. Ambitiously attractive. Sweet and delicious. Borne bountifully – providing apples aplenty. And undeniably ubiquitous in their open availability. Do you see yourself in this description? Do other adjectives come to mind? Are you open to being “the apple of others’ eye?” Can you see yourself providing some kind of healthy, nutritive sustenance to others?

In considering such sensuous interactions we see that the primary purpose of being fruitful is not to multiply, but to be consumed (in “the act of consummation”) by constantly appreciating ourselves and those around us as drawing our attention, attraction, and interaction toward one another? Our first command from God is to respond in eager anticipation (and application) of actions that sometimes may result in fulfilling that second command?

Yes, we do multiply. But first, God tells us to be fruitful. I recommend it.

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Next time: What it meant for humans to be “alone,” even as they pursued androgynously promiscuous passions (that God evaluates as part of what is “very good” in human lives and in Creation as a whole).

Coming soon: Why polyamory was insufficient for the fully androgynous bearers of God’s image and likeness to procreate both prodigiously and passionately.