[SMARTY]

I am sure that orphans were not cast away, but the whole idea of monogamy must certainly have had something to do with this.

Who knows what was done in prehistory, during ages or in cultures where resources were SO scarce that only ones own children were provided for?

I think societies worked that out case by case. I remember reading that some tribes regarded the widow of your brother as your own wife and HIS children would be YOUR responsibility as well as your own.

Even today in the Orthodox faith, godparents represent something more than an honorific status. I was and is STILL done with the expectation that, as in older times, godparents provide for the child in case parents are lost.

[Smokin' Joe]

It is easier to sort out familial obligations when the family tree doesn't look like a briar patch. It also makes it easier to determine who is related to who, at least closely enough that bad genetics aren't amplified--the results of which would be evident even before genetics were understood.

Whether people simply listened to scripture, or whether they had worked out that this was best, having codified it with rules for marriage made sense for a healthier population.