Incest is a sexual relationship with an immediate family member, usually a sibling, parent or child.

Question: "Why did God allow incest in the Bible?" Answer: There are numerous examples of incest in the Bible. The most commonly thought-of examples are the sons/daughters of Adam and Eve (Genesis !" Abraham marrying his halfsister #arah (Genesis $%&'$!" (ot and his daughters (Genesis ')!" *oses+ father Amram ,ho married his aunt -ochebed (Exodus .&$%!" and /avid+s son Amnon ,ith his half-sister Tamar ($ #amuel '0!. 1t is important to note" ho,ever" that in t,o of the above instances (Tamar and (ot! one of the parties involved ,as an un,illing participant in the incest. 1t is important to distinguish bet,een incestuous relationships prior to God commanding against them ((eviticus '2&.-'2!" and incest that occurred after God+s commands had been revealed. 3ntil God commanded against it" it ,as not incest. 1t ,as 4ust marrying a close relative. 1t is undeniable that God allo,ed incest in the early centuries of humanity. 1f Adam and Eve ,ere indeed the only t,o human beings God created" their sons and daughters ,ould have had no other choice but to marry and reproduce ,ith their siblings and close relatives. The second generation ,ould have had to marry their cousins" 4ust as after the flood the grandchildren of 5oah ,ould have had to intermarry amongst their cousins. The reason incest is so strongly discouraged in the ,orld today is the understanding that reproduction bet,een closely related individuals has a much higher ris6 of causing genetic abnormalities. 1n the early days of humanity" though" this ,as not a ris6 due to the fact that the human genetic code ,as relatively free of defects. 1t seems" then" that by the time of *oses" the human genetic code had become polluted enough that close intermarriage ,as no longer safe. #o" God commanded against sexual relations ,ith siblings" half-siblings" parents" and aunts/uncles. 1t ,as not until many centuries later that humanity discovered the genetic reason that incest is unsafe and un,ise. 7hile the idea of incest is disgusting and abhorrent to us today" as it should be" ,e have to remember ,hy it is sinful" that is" the genetic problems. #ince this ,as not an issue in the early centuries of humanity" ,hat occurred bet,een Adam and Eve+s children" Abraham and #arah" and Amram and -ochebed" should not be vie,ed as incest. Again" the 6ey point is that sexual relations bet,een close relatives must be vie,ed differently pre-(a, and post-(a,. 1t did not become 8incest9 until God commanded against it.

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Question: "Is it wrong to have a relationship with a close relative?" Answer: The relationships that God forbade in the >ld Testament (a, are listed in (eviticus chapter '2" verses .-'2. 1n that passage" ,e are commanded not to marry a parent" a stepparent" a grandchild (and" understood" a grandparent!" a sibling" a brother or sister of a parent (i.e." an aunt or uncle!" or a half-sibling. *arriage bet,een cousins is no,here forbidden in the Bible. 1n the very early days of humanity" there ,ere a limited number of human beings. As a result" marriage bet,een close relatives ,as often necessary. 1t ,as not until humanity increased greatly on the earth that people no longer needed to intermarry among relatives. 1n the early days of humanity" the human genetic code ,as not corrupted to the extent that it is today. Therefore" it ,as safe for close relatives to marry and have children. There ,as little ris6 of genetic abnormalities in their children. >nce the human race expanded and" due to sin" the human genetic code became corrupted too much" God commanded against the marriage of close relatives. #o there is nothing essentially evil about marrying a close relative. The reason ,e should not do it is that it is unsafe genetically. ?urther" most nations today have strict la,s against marriage bet,een close relatives. The Bible commands us to obey the la,s of the nation ,e live in (:omans '0&'-.!. *ost la,s recogni=e second cousins as sufficiently separate to allo, marriage. Any couple that is related and considering marriage should pray ,holeheartedly for God to give them ,isdom and discretion as to ,hether it is @is ,ill (-ames '&A!. A couple should most definitely consult their families about the matter as ,ell.

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