46. On the plurality of wives among Mohammedans

I spoke with Mohammedans about spiritual marriage, saying that it is a marriage of good and truth; that good loves truth and truth good like a married couple; and that these wish to be joined and bring forth goods and truths like daughters and sons, and as it were to procreate families. They understood this well, as also that conjugial love comes down from that spiritual origin, and that everything spiritual in man undergoes a change, so that it is scarcely recognisable, when it comes down to the natural; it can only be recognised by correspondences. From these facts it is plain that they, having several wives allowed by their religion, cannot have truly conjugial love. It was said that they are allowed several wives, that is, polygamy is permitted, because they live in hot climates and therefore are more heated with lust than those who live in cold climates. ¹ Therefore if they were not permitted polygamy, more of them would rush into adultery than would Europeans, and thus act contrary to their religious tenets; and to act contrary to one's religious tenets is to profane what is sacred. It was shown further that all their love of marriage is lascivious, and so not spiritual; nor can it become spiritual unless they acknowledge the Lord.

Fusnotat:

7691. 'And they did not allow any green to be left' means the obliteration of every sensory apprehension of truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'not allowing to be left' as obliterating; and from the meaning of 'green' as factual knowledge and sensory evidence, here sensory apprehension of truth, since 'the fruit of the trees' means recognition of good, 7690, and reference is being made to all the green on trees and on the plants of the field. 'Green' means sensory apprehension of truth because truths are meant by 'plant', 'grass', and 'leaf of tree', and from this a sensory apprehension of truth by their greenness. By sensory apprehension is meant the lowest level of perception. A sensory apprehension of truth is also meant by 'green' in Isaiah,

The waters of Nimrim will be desolations, for the reason that the grass has withered away, the plant has been consumed, there is nothing green. Isaiah 15:6.

And in John,

The fifth angel sounded, and out came locusts; and they were told not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing. Revelation 9:4.