Whether Christian or not, everyone has noticed the cultural shift marriage is undoubtedly on a steady decline. Dedeker: For us too because that just sailed right over me. All rights reserved. What Should Christians Know about Polyamory? There's this, the polyamorous Christ is this new term that's gaining traction which I'm all for. Especially when we're children growing up Christian, or at least it was for me or like to outsiders like Emily, where it's sort of like, this is the book that has all the answers. Emily: You basically put a very different life you're leading me now, Jase. There's actually a lot of what the Bible is about and that's how I prefer to live. Is "Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin" in the Bible? Thinking of the Bible and putting it in place historically versus the way that at least I think the Bible is presented to a lot of us. I remember years ago, it's probably like 10 years ago or something, a friend of mine who did end up going into seminary after we went to college together and he is a pastor now, he talked to me about some statistic and I'm fudging these numbers, but it was something like 90% of pastors were raised in like a mega church type setting. That's fine. We'll finally know, I haven't read the whole thing. Right. Is there any other kind of interpretation that people are throwing up there in talking about these instances of polygamy in the Bible? These are romantic, intimate relationships, but different from polygamy or swinging. to sign up for that. Any advice from a fellow poly christian would be great. Recently, he told me that he's really struggling with the morality of having a physical relationship with someone outside of his marriage. Mechelke:Yes, it was great to talk with you guys. I shook my head I know a little bit at one point but mostly, yes. They ask him the question like, "Who of these would be her husband in heaven, or in the kingdom of God?". The findings indicated that identity gaps in the personal . If you're in an environment where they're not looking to be more extensive. There are clues you can look at is to how open a congregation might be. Austin Adkinson, a Methodist pastor in Seattle, and J.D. The ideas of sin in the Bible are more about there's this other thing going on. I think it can be really misleading because we think the Bible must be that same sort of guidebook. For other Christians, polyamory is only considered when being used in a slippery slope argument against same-sex relationsif we allow gay relationships, why not poly relationships? Harber came back to Orthodox Christianity where the compassion, mercy, and grace of Jesus Christ are only possible because God died on the cross. It was just like that, but in my mouth. Yes, it's like, we're past the point of having this individual identity that is separate from God to a certain regard. What do Christians need to know about polyamory to engage sensitively, intelligently, and truthfully on the subject? Yes, it's like, we're past the point of having this individual identity that is separate from God to a certain regard. Living in a polyamorous household will naturally lead them to witnessing even more of this sorrow. Just like anyone being like, "I'm, going to use that now.". Dedeker: I guess we'll do this one at a time, can both of you introduce yourselves and let our listeners know a little bit more about who you are and what it is that you do? I can tell that you're working on your Ph.D. right now and on your thesis because I could tell your brain just has too much information. Dedeker:Can you give us a citation for that? They see Jesus perceived silence as proof of his approval of non-monogamous, non-heterosexual romantic relationships and critique Pauls views on sexuality, dismissing him as an illegitimate representative of the views of Jesus (Ibid). The other person is the reason. No, I would say it's absolutely a minority viewpoint within most of Christianity today. Mechelke: Mark 12 is what you were quoting. But he was one of the only people in my entire extended family I actually respected. We have these ideas of what Christianity is within our culture and within western literature. What Was the Sin of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Bible? In the narrative, she's raped by this man and in the Hebrew, there's this word "defiled", I forget the actual Hebrew word, but the word 'defiled is not put on her rapist, it's put on her. There's not a clear prescription that we can give, but if I was a person looking for a church and I was polyamorous, I wouldn't come out if I am at a church that wasn't already welcoming, explicitly welcoming of LGBTQIA folks. Obviously, that's the old liberal church. Im simply summarizing a growing opinion expressed in both pop culture and academia. For some people, it feels like, "It means that we're being forced to talk about how bad we are." For some Christians, polyamory seems so extreme and rare that there's no need to talk about it. Yes, they're amazing then give a little kickback to us. Austin:I would guess both of us are well enough versed that we could go through those one by one, but we could also point to written materials out there that people could just sit and read on their own and not run through them one on one. Yes, it's super convenient. Even Christians Are Rethinking Monogamy - Splinter Posted by 1 year ago. I think what you're getting at J.D. It's my opinion that in the Bible sexuality is many times negatively tied to economics in some little harmful ways. I actually think it's more similar than--. 176 - Christianity and Polyamory Multiamory That's really all we're going to talk about. In that case, why adopt the framework of a lunatic who claims to be the Son of God? All rights reserved. It is a very useful guide, but it is not an instruction manual. Too many people today engage in relationships not to serve God or others, but rather themselves. He wants us to give the same love He has given us. Christian Polyamory : r/polyamory - Reddit I feel like there are enough barriers that keep people from finding a religious community that will help them have that kind of growth. Wow. Mechelke to dive into the tricky topic of polyamory and Christianity. All Rights Reserved, Why Christians Need to Think about Polyamory, I often get asked, whats the next discussion that Christians need to have about sexuality and gender? My immediate answer is: polyamory, though the morality of, while polyamory is not necessarily marital. Polyamory is a type of open or non-monogamous relationship that follows certain guidelines." Another buzzword for polyamory is being in an "open relationship." (Stay tuned for a later blog on this.) I learn more and faster through having multiple relationships at once.. Rev. We'll finally know what the heck it's all about. It was so interesting that when I was researching this, that there seemed to be three camps of interpretation that I saw. There's a lot of Christianity in general, and a lot of assumptions about what it means to be Christian that have come through the historical thing and rather than what Jesus was really focused on. California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Yes, Im in the thick of it I guess and Im actively working on trying to break that down. That's really all we're going to talk about. . this is where gay relationships will lead). Christianity in polyamory Hey everyone, first time poster. I'm just like, hell. Sexual immorality is associated with adultery and homosexuality (Leviticus 18:22, 20:13, Genesis 19, Matthew 19:5). It's not about the body at that point. Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions . I guess I always thought of Jesus' answer being a little more Buddhist of like you become one with all things, and there is no separation between one thing and another. Emily, so my partner's an atheist and he does the same kind of--. If you get value out of our show, if something that you've heard or some resources that we recommended has been helpful to you in some way, we would really appreciate getting your support, so that we can keep this show running and keep getting this information, these resources out there. Jase: Yes. Polyamoryrelationships with multiple, mutually consenting partnershas a coming-out party. We'll expect a bibliography at the end of this. Am I challenging my mental balance here? It's not a cohesive document and in fact, it's often in dialogue with itself. Emily: Yes, they're amazing then give a little kickback to us. He and I are both married (and our spouses are also dating each other). One of the other things that impedes progress in terms of what pastors talk about is also that a lot of pastors went to grad school a long time ago. Most of those things are in the old testament, by the way, which we understand a lot of the laws that Christians are not required to follow that came through ancient Judaism or even pre-Judaism Jordanian religion. The majority of Christians are brought up in those because they're so big, but that 90% of pastors end up being pastors in much smaller churches. Jase: It's a very educational one for Emily. She attends worship weekly, prays, and reads the Bible. That alone means that the church is so hypocritical that they wouldn't be able to find a place there. There are a number of search engines out there to find this kind of thing, if you're specifically trying to find a church. I voted. Rev. Either I think more extreme camp or either people interpreted as like, clearly, this is what God established. Sexual orientation is much, much messier than most people realize. She ends up during her life being married to all the brothers because that's what you would do. Polyamory is when the extramarital affairs purportedly involve emotional love. How can a Christian person who aspires to love the way Jesus loved (sacrificially) lovingly engage in a relationship, which marginalizes an individual? So, beyond sexuality just in general, all of the things that are better understandings are things that have come up. Mechelke: I would also say that you mentioned like sin there's no specific passages that say it's sinful necessarily. J.D. Then at $15 a month, you get all that and youre basically our best friend. One of our stated goals is to inform the church, and we believe this article serves that purpose. There is a whole lot for Christians to learn from it, if we take it seriously. There's this, the polyamorous Christ is this new term that's gaining traction which I'm all for. Rev. Polyamory is not just about sex. Thanks in advance. Rev. Rev. I see that shift changing, but it's hard. A lot of pastors are more concerned about job security than about bringing change. Yes, I imagine with Google these days, you can probably find some resources around you. "If you want to support our show, the best way is to become one of our patrons at www.patreon.com/multiamory. Yet, this movement towards greater sexual freedom has emerged because of bullying in the name of Jesus. Our sponsor for this week is Quip, which is an amazing, amazing toothbrush company that the three of us have grown to love dearly. Hope That Is Anchored in the Scriptures - The Crosswalk Devotional - July 9. Why Christians Need to Think about Polyamory Change is slow and change in church is slower. Like Shakespeare, people know these quotes from Shakespeare. I guess you cant write reviews on all of the sites where you listen to podcasts, but specifically, iTunes and Stitcher are the big ones as far as review go. People around them being awful to them and trying to figure out how to scrap and survive. Do you understand how marriage has functioned throughout human history? Austin:Just straight for the jugular. We've actually said similar things - if you're in parts of the country where it's hard to find a polyamory meet up or something like that, that it's worth it if you have to drive a few hours even to have some kind of community maybe once a month or every couple of months or just something to actually have a little bit of time where you can talk without constantly having to monitor what am I saying? It is not one document, it is a library of stories that were told without being written down for a long period of time, but told and written down over by multiple authors over a period of centuries. Youll become part of an incredible community of open, caring and supportive people who not only work to improve their own lives, but actively help others on their journey. Healing Prayers to Heal the Body, Mind, and Soul. In our idea, what Christians in the West think about sin is very unbiblical at least in my opinion. A Christian Response to Polyamory - PENews I just love how JD and Austin would be talking about things and Ill see in the video here that Dedeker and like, "Mm, right," and Emily is just like, "What the fuck is happening?".