@SuperLutheran @shortstories I think this guy has a pretty decent article about the quote: https://beggarsallreformation.blogspot.com/2009/01/luther-i-confess-that-i-cannot-forbid.html

The quote apparently comes from a volume of Luther's letters put together by a Dr. Wilhelm Martin Leberecht de Wette.

The letter is Luther advising Chancellor Gregory Brück on how to proceed as the Chancellor was approached by a man who wished to take a second wife as his then wife was ill and unable to perform her "marital duties".

The original German of the letter found here: https://books.google.com.au/books?id=pDcRAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA459&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

Full context of the quote:

The husband must be sure and convinced in his own conscience by means of the Word of God that it is lawful in his case. Therefore let him seek out such men as may convince him by the Word of God, whether Carlstadt, or some other, matters not at all to the Prince. For if the fellow is not sure of his case, then the permission of the Prince will not make him so; nor is it for the Prince to decide on this point, for it is the priests business to expound the Word of God, and, as Zacharias says, from their lips the Law of the Lord must be learned. I, for my part, admit I can raise no objection if a man wishes to take several wives since Holy Scripture does not forbid this; but I should not like to see this example introduced amongst Christians. ... It does not beseem Christians to seize greedily and for their own advantage on every thing to which their freedom gives them a right. . . . No Christian surely is so God-forsaken as not to be able to practice continence when his partner, owing to the Divine dispensation, proves unfit for matrimony. Still, we may well let things take their course" [To Chancellor Bruck, "Brief wechsel," 4, p. 282: " Oportere ipsum maritum sua propria conscientia esse firmum ac cerium per verbum Dei, sibi hcec licere."] [Hartmann Grisar, Luther Vol. 5 p.72]

The way I read it, Luther is saying he cannot forbid it as he does not see Scripture forbid it and so considers it a matter of Christian freedom. However, he also says that even though a Christian may have the liberty to do this it should not become widely practiced and should only be considered in certain very rare cases.

I fall pretty clearly on the "two become one" approach to marriage and so would forbid polygamy, but given the context that Luther is in, the importance of heirs, and the power wielded by some of the men who wished to take a second wife I understand his argument even though I disagree with it.

@Crux_Invictus @SuperLutheran

So you are saying it is morally acceptable for a man to marry more than one women as long as it is legal in the country he lives and also not incest as long as the women are not married to another man and the people getting married consent to get married?

@shortstories @Crux_Invictus @SuperLutheran the argument against from a sola scriptura position that doesn't advocate for the attachment of morality to tradition does not seem to forbid it.

...now good luck getting any first or second world government to make it legal.

@shortstories @Crux_Invictus @SuperLutheran Adendum: I have "but why can't I have polygamy" bros. They are all fascist, they are all christian, and yes, they all got to the nationalist position by way of the manosphere.

I don't care how much pounding the solas you do: you want to make society ACTIVELY WORSE because you want to have sex with more than one woman with no consequences from either your state or your church.

1) Nothing is changing my mind on this

2) Nothing is changing either your state or your church's mind on this either, so just be satisfied with the wife of your youth. Most men in america right now just wish they had what you have.

3) I realize that the response to the end of number 2 was "haha, losers" and I don't think that's a very Christian or pro-social thing to think, which demonstrates why you should have read less nonsense by Manosphere bros who all secretly or publicly want to buttfuck each other (at least Jack Donovan is honest).