Orson Pratt’s works
Printed in England 7.14.1849
Why has God been silent for over 1700 years, when men have built grand churches
after Him,
have spoke his word, and organized his church?
“I will now tell you the reason why the King has kept silence so long. It is because He has had
no subjects to converse with; all have turned away from Him and advocated other governments
as being the rightful and legal authority. They killed off, and utterly destroyed, every true
subject of His kingdom, and left not a vestige of it upon the earth; and to add to their guilt and
wickedness, they have introduced idolatry in its worst forms, and utterly turned away from
the true and living God. They have introduced a god without body, parts or passions. They
have had the audacity to call this newly-invented god by the same name as the god of the
ancient saints, although there is not the least resemblance between them.
Indeed there couldbe no resemblance between them; for a bodiless god, without parts
or passions, could be noresemblance between them; for a bodiless god, without parts or passions, could resemble nothingin heaven, on earth, or in hell. This imaginary
modern god has become exceedingly popular. It isto him that a vast number of
churches have been erected; It is not to the true and living God thatthey send forth petitions,
but it is to this imaginary being. No wonder he has not honored them
with a visit. As he has no parts, he could neither be felt nor seen if he should visit them. Such a
being could not speak, for he has no “parts” to speak with.
There have been various species of idolatry in different ages of the world. The sun, moon, stars,
beasts, crocodiles, frightful serpents, images of wood, of stone, and of brass, have been erected
into gods, and worshiped by innumerable multitudes. But the system of idolatry, invented by
modern Christianity, far surpasses in absurdity anything that we have ever heard of.
One of thecelebrated worshipers of this newly-discovered god, in his “Physical Theory of Another Life” say ( this is mom, the first time I read this quote from probably a popular priest of the Catholic
church, it made no sense to me. I went back and read it again and realized the reason I could not
understand it was because it was not Orson Pratt’s words, but a popular “worshiper”)
This is the quote. “A disembodied spirit, or, we would rather say, an unembodied spirit, or sheer mind, is nowhere. Place is a relation belonging to extension; and extension is a property of speaking of which we deny that it has any property in common therewith, can in itself be subject to none of
its conditions; and we might as well say of a pure spirit that it is hard, heavy, or red, or that it is a
cubic foot in dimensions, as say that it is here or there. It is only in a popular and improper
sense that any such affirmation is made concerning the Infinite Spirit, or that we speak of God as
everywhere present. God is in every place in a sense, altogether incomprehensible by finite
minds, inasmuch as His relation to space and extension is peculiar to infinitude. Using the
terms as we use them of ourselves, God is not here or there, any more than he exists now and
then”
This species of idolatry, according to the foregoing quotations, approaches so near to
Atheism, that no one can tell the difference. Reader, can you see the difference? A god without
a body! A god “without parts!” A god that cannot be here or there! A god that is nowhere! A god
that cannot exist now and then! A god that exists in no time! A god that has no extension- no
“parts”- no conceivable relation to time or space! O, blush for modern Christianity!- a pious
name for Atheism! Some, perhaps, may think that I have not sufficient charity. But why should I
have charity for a god that has no parts- no relation to space? Let him first have charity for
himself. But this would be impossible; for he is a god without passions. He can have no charity
nor love for himself nor anyone else. There is no danger of offending him; for a passionless god
is not capable of anger.
One of the persons of this imaginary god is said to have been crucified.
But this must be a sad mistake; for it would be impossible to crucify a portion of something that
had no parts. The reason, then, why the people have not received any word from the Great King,
is because they have petitioned the wrong god. If, then, your petitions Are addressed to the
bodiless, passionless god of modern Christianity, you must not be surprised if the true God does
not pay any attention to them. You need not expect that the true God will make any reply to
petitions offered to any other being.
A true God exists both in time and in space, and has as much relation to them as man or any
other being. He has extension, and form, and dimensions, as well as man. He occupies space;
has a body, parts, and passions; can go from place to place- can eat, drink, and talk, as well as
man. Man resembles Him in the features and form of his body, and he does not differ materially
IN SIZE. When He has been seen among men, He has been pronounced, even by the wicked,
as one of their own species; So much did He look like man, that some supposed Him to be the
carpenter’s son. Like man, He had a father; and He was the express image of the person of
the Father; The two persons were as much alike in form, in size, and in every other respect as
fathers and sons are of the human race; indeed, the human race are His offspring, and in His
likeness and image, not after His moral image, but after the image of His person. There is no
such things as moral image. Such as image cannot exist. Morality is a property of some being
of substance. A property without a substance or being to which it appertains is inconceivable. A
property can never have figure, shape, or image of any kind. Hence, a moral image never had an
existence except in the brains of modern idolaters."
( I will write more as I study it., Love mom"
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