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Show for several years. Because of his disbelief in the Adam-God teaching and in other doctrines of Young, Pratt was for years upon the point of being severed from the Church. 31 In October of 1854, the Mormon Church held its semi-annual Conference. The session of October 8 was held out of doors in the open air. The congregation, which numbered in the thousands, beard Brigham Young deliver what was perhaps the most colorful discourse ever presented in the history of the Mormon Church. Addressing this immense gathering upon the subject of the identity of God, Young made the following statements: . . . my text is in the Bible and reads as follows: "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent." I will now put another text with this and then offer a few remarks. It is one of the sayings of the Apostle Paul: "For though_there be that are called Gods, whether in heaven or in earth ( as there be Gods many and Lords many) but to us there is but one God, the Father of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him." This God is the father of our Lord Jesus Christ and the father of our spirits. . . . Now if you believe what you have heard me say you will believe there are Lords many, and Gods many; and you will believe that unto us, the inhabitants of the earth there is but one God with whom we have to do .... You and I have only one God to whom we are accountable, so we will let the rest alone, and search after the one we have to do with; let us seek after him, the very being who commenced this creation. . .. But let us turn our attention to the God with which we have to do. I tell you simply, he is our father; the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the father of our spirits. . . . I tell you more, Adam is the father of our spirits. He had lived upon an earth; he did abide his creation, and did honor to his calling and priesthood, and obeyed his master or Lord, and probably many of his wives did the same and they lived, and died upon an earth and then were resurrected again to immortality and eternal life . . . . I reckon that Father Adam was a resurrected being, with his wives and posterity, and in the Celestial kingdom they were crowned with glory, immortality, and eternal lives, with thrones, principalities and powers; and it was said to him it is your right to organize the elements; and to your creations and posterity there shall be no end .... Our spirits and the spirits of all the human family were begotten by Adam and born of Eve. 32 31. See T. B. H. Stenhouse, The Rocky Mountain Saints, p. 492. Photoreproduction of original available through Modem Microfilm Co., Box 1884, S.L.C., Utah 84110. 32. Brigham Young Papers, Oct. 8, 1854, call number Ms. d 1234, Church Historian's Office, Salt Lake City. 12 |
