Grant
Puritan Board Graduate
Currently my family would say that we subscribe to the Original 1647 Westminster Standards without exceptions. As a family, we have been very slowly reading Van Dixhoorn's devotional style book on the confession. Mr. Van Dixhoorn pulls no punches when it comes to stating his disagreements with the original. This evening we entered into Chapter 24 of the confession and it sparked some good discussion between my wife and I regarding lawful/unlawful & just plain awful (joking) marriages.
Specifically this section:
How would the Westminster divines have understood the phrase "nearer in blood than he/she may of his/her own"? In other words, how close was too close regarding kinship? Just looking for some clarity.
1. The Westminster stance would seem to state that if I were to die, that my wife would be in sin if she were to marry one of my younger unmarried brothers, correct?
2. Would this reasoning from Westminster prohibit a Son from Marrying his Step-Sister?
3. Any extra reading recommendations on Westminster's phrasing here?
P.S. This really has no baring on the relationship of my wife and I as we in no way by blood nor marriage "kindred" beyond out current husband -wife relationship.
Specifically this section:
4. Marriage ought not to be within the degrees of consanguinity or affinity forbidden in the Word;a nor can such incestuous marriages ever be made lawful by any law of man, or consent of parties, so as those persons may live together as man and wife.b The man may not marry any of his wife’s kindred nearer in blood than he may of his own, nor the woman of her husband’s kindred nearer in blood than of her own.
a. Lev 18 throughout; Amos 2:7; 1 Cor 5:1. • b. Lev 18:24-28; Mark 6:18. • c. Lev 20:19-21.
How would the Westminster divines have understood the phrase "nearer in blood than he/she may of his/her own"? In other words, how close was too close regarding kinship? Just looking for some clarity.
1. The Westminster stance would seem to state that if I were to die, that my wife would be in sin if she were to marry one of my younger unmarried brothers, correct?
2. Would this reasoning from Westminster prohibit a Son from Marrying his Step-Sister?
3. Any extra reading recommendations on Westminster's phrasing here?
P.S. This really has no baring on the relationship of my wife and I as we in no way by blood nor marriage "kindred" beyond out current husband -wife relationship.
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