Mormon apostle Orson Pratt
Whether the practice polygamy is supported by the Bible or not is a common discussion point among Christians. Nonetheless, the Bible clearly indicates that Abraham, Jacob, and others of the Lord’s servants had multiple wives (see Genesis 16:1–3; 29:23–30; 30:4, 9; Judges 8:30; 1 Samuel 1:1–2). However, it is a practice that is acceptable only when God commands it.
In 1870, a debate concerning polygamy and its scriptural context occurred between Mormon apostle Orson Pratt and John P. Newman, chaplain of the U.S. Senate and President Ulysses S. Grant’s personal pastor. This debate occurred over several days and was reported in the New York Herald. Contemporary journalist and editor Edward Tullidge stated that “millions of readers followed the arguments of Dr. Newman and Orson Pratt and it is safe to estimate that quite two-thirds of them yielded the palm to the Mormon apostle.”
Would you have been swayed by the arguments of Mormon apostle Orson Pratt? Read the debate, “Does the Bible Sanction Polygamy?” online.
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