“Fork In The Family Tree”

Tuesday, October 04, 2016

I was reading the book of Leviticus the other day when I realized that in the list of prohibited marriages, first cousins weren't included.  My question is then: is marrying your cousin a sin?  And if no, then why are most of us Christians appalled at such an act?

Sincerely,
Just Say No

Dear Just Say No,

It isn’t a sin to marry your first cousin.  In fact, it hasn’t even been culturally taboo for very long.  Even two or three generations ago, it was much more common to marry a first cousin.  Today, it is an odd thing to see a first cousin marriage, but it isn’t wrong.  We would even be hesitant to make the statement that, “most of us christians are appalled…” because we aren’t sure that statement is accurate.  Cultures change all the time, and this is a cultural issue, not a Biblical one.

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