There can be no doubt that there is a huge divide between Bible Christianity and Mormonism. Indeed the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints is regarded as a cult (https://www.cultwatch.com/mormon.html)
Orson Pratt was a leading Mormon theologian who was a part of the original “Quorum of the Twelve Apostles” in the LDS Church. Therefore anything that he had to say would be regarded as authoritative by Mormons.
He spoke about Celestial Marriage in “A Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, August 29, 1852.” Reported by G. D. Watt. This is found in Journal of Discourses, Public Sermons by Mormon Leaders from 1851-1886, Volume 1, pages 53-66.
The discourse is a lengthy one (16 pages) therefore the weird and bizarre teachings of Mormon Church can only be summarized here. For a full review, the above discourse is available on line. Pratt taught the following, and brief quotations will be provided for some of these strange beliefs after listing them:
1. Polygamy (“a plurality of wives”) is a part of the Mormon religion, hence protected by the Constitution of the United States. That the Abrahamic Covenant demands polygamy on the part of Mormons, and that Abraham’s polygamy is an example for Mormons, and that God requires polygamy of His “faithful and chosen servants”.
2. That Mormons were “the sons of God” present with Christ at creation, and shouted with joy (as mentioned in Job), and these are the pre-existent spirits from the time of creation until they are born as human beings.
3. That Adam and Eve were married for eternity, therefore Mormon marriages are for eternity (“celestial marriages”) and connected to the pre-existence of spirits, and that the Mormon priesthood can seal these marriages for eternity.
4. That the Lord Jesus Christ Himself evolved from among these “sons of God” until He reached the status of “all the fulness of the Father”, and that there is a plurality of gods beside the Holy Trinity, and Mormons will eventually become Gods (with a capital G).
5. That the visions of Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon have the same authority as Scripture, and that there are celestial, terrestrial, and telestial worlds according to their visions. That Joseph Smith was a prophet, seer, revelation, and martyr, and he alone had the “sealing keys power” to seal these celestial marriages for eternity.
6. That the Mormon Priesthood has the power to make gods out of Mormons, and that all others are simply ministering spirits.
7. That those who reject Mormon teachings will be damned.
Quotations from Orson Pratt:
POLYGAMY: It is well known, however, to the congregation before me, that the Latter-day Saints have embraced the doctrine of a plurality of wives, as a part of their religious faith. It is not, as many have supposed, a doctrine embraced by them to gratify the carnal lusts and feelings of man; that is not the object of the doctrine... How is this [sexual immorality] to be prevented? for we have got a fallen nature to grapple with. It is to be prevented in the way the Lord devised in ancient times; that is, by giving to His faithful servants a plurality of wives, by which a numerous and faithful posterity can be raised up, and taught in the principles of righteousness and truth:...
PRE-EXISTENT SPIRITS AND SONS OF GOD WHO ASSISTED AT CREATION: The “Mormons” have a peculiar doctrine in regard to our pre-existence, different from the views of the Christian world, so called, who do not believe that man had a pre-existence... Where do you read that? says one. Out of the Book of Abraham, translated from the Egyptian papyrus by the Prophet Joseph Smith. Does the Lord create a new spirit every time a new tabernacle comes into the world? That does not look reasonable, nor Godlike... We should say, that our spirits were formed by generation [sexual reproduction], the same as the body or tabernacle of flesh and bones... The SONS of God, recollect, shouted for joy, because there was a beautiful habitation being built, so that they could get tabernacles [human bodies], and dwell thereon; they expected the time—they looked forward to the period... Do you realize that you and I were there?... though it was through him, [Jesus Christ] as the great leader of all these sons of God, the earth was framed, and framed too, by the assistance of all his younger brethren...
CELESTIAL MARRIAGES ARE FOR ETERNITY AND MORMONS TO BECOME GODS: It is known that the “Mormons” are a peculiar people about marriage; we believe in marrying, not only for time, but for all eternity.... The Lord has ordained that these spirits should come here and take tabernacles by a certain law, through a certain channel; and that law is the law of marriage... The first marriage that we have any account of, was between two immortal beings—old father Adam and old mother Eve; they were immortal beings; death had no dominion, no power over them; they were capable of enduring forever and ever, in their organization... Suppose, then, that the fall was of such a nature as to dissolve the marriage covenant, by death—which is not necessary to admit, for the covenant was sealed previous to the fall, and we have no account that it was dissolved—but suppose this was the case, would not the redemption be equally as broad as the fall, to restore the posterity of Adam back to that which they lost? And if Adam and Eve were married for all eternity, the ceremony was an everlasting ordinance, that they twain should be one flesh forever... but the fall has brought in disunion through death; it is not a part of the original plan; consequently, when male and female are restored from the fall, by virtue of the everlasting and eternal covenant of marriage, they will continue to increase and multiply to all ages of eternity, to raise up beings after their own order, and in their own likeness and image, germs of intelligence, that are destined, in their times and seasons, to become not only sons of God, but Gods themselves.
EVOLUTION OF CHRIST BY DEGREES: He [Christ] was obliged to begin down at the lowest principles of knowledge, and ascend upward by degrees, receiving grace for grace, truth for truth, knowledge for knowledge, until he was filled with all the fulness of the Father, and was capable of ruling, governing, and controlling all things, having ascended above all things. Just so with us; we that once lifted up our united voices as sons and daughters of God, and shouted for joy at the laying of the foundation of this earth, have come here and taken tabernacles, after the pattern of our elder brother; and in our humiliation—for it is humiliation to be deprived of knowledge we once had, and the power we once enjoyed—in our humiliation, just like our elder brother, our judgment is taken away. Do we not read also in the Bible, that God is the Father of our spirits?
Orson Pratt was a leading Mormon theologian who was a part of the original “Quorum of the Twelve Apostles” in the LDS Church. Therefore anything that he had to say would be regarded as authoritative by Mormons.
He spoke about Celestial Marriage in “A Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, August 29, 1852.” Reported by G. D. Watt. This is found in Journal of Discourses, Public Sermons by Mormon Leaders from 1851-1886, Volume 1, pages 53-66.
The discourse is a lengthy one (16 pages) therefore the weird and bizarre teachings of Mormon Church can only be summarized here. For a full review, the above discourse is available on line. Pratt taught the following, and brief quotations will be provided for some of these strange beliefs after listing them:
1. Polygamy (“a plurality of wives”) is a part of the Mormon religion, hence protected by the Constitution of the United States. That the Abrahamic Covenant demands polygamy on the part of Mormons, and that Abraham’s polygamy is an example for Mormons, and that God requires polygamy of His “faithful and chosen servants”.
2. That Mormons were “the sons of God” present with Christ at creation, and shouted with joy (as mentioned in Job), and these are the pre-existent spirits from the time of creation until they are born as human beings.
3. That Adam and Eve were married for eternity, therefore Mormon marriages are for eternity (“celestial marriages”) and connected to the pre-existence of spirits, and that the Mormon priesthood can seal these marriages for eternity.
4. That the Lord Jesus Christ Himself evolved from among these “sons of God” until He reached the status of “all the fulness of the Father”, and that there is a plurality of gods beside the Holy Trinity, and Mormons will eventually become Gods (with a capital G).
5. That the visions of Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon have the same authority as Scripture, and that there are celestial, terrestrial, and telestial worlds according to their visions. That Joseph Smith was a prophet, seer, revelation, and martyr, and he alone had the “sealing keys power” to seal these celestial marriages for eternity.
6. That the Mormon Priesthood has the power to make gods out of Mormons, and that all others are simply ministering spirits.
7. That those who reject Mormon teachings will be damned.
Quotations from Orson Pratt:
POLYGAMY: It is well known, however, to the congregation before me, that the Latter-day Saints have embraced the doctrine of a plurality of wives, as a part of their religious faith. It is not, as many have supposed, a doctrine embraced by them to gratify the carnal lusts and feelings of man; that is not the object of the doctrine... How is this [sexual immorality] to be prevented? for we have got a fallen nature to grapple with. It is to be prevented in the way the Lord devised in ancient times; that is, by giving to His faithful servants a plurality of wives, by which a numerous and faithful posterity can be raised up, and taught in the principles of righteousness and truth:...
PRE-EXISTENT SPIRITS AND SONS OF GOD WHO ASSISTED AT CREATION: The “Mormons” have a peculiar doctrine in regard to our pre-existence, different from the views of the Christian world, so called, who do not believe that man had a pre-existence... Where do you read that? says one. Out of the Book of Abraham, translated from the Egyptian papyrus by the Prophet Joseph Smith. Does the Lord create a new spirit every time a new tabernacle comes into the world? That does not look reasonable, nor Godlike... We should say, that our spirits were formed by generation [sexual reproduction], the same as the body or tabernacle of flesh and bones... The SONS of God, recollect, shouted for joy, because there was a beautiful habitation being built, so that they could get tabernacles [human bodies], and dwell thereon; they expected the time—they looked forward to the period... Do you realize that you and I were there?... though it was through him, [Jesus Christ] as the great leader of all these sons of God, the earth was framed, and framed too, by the assistance of all his younger brethren...
CELESTIAL MARRIAGES ARE FOR ETERNITY AND MORMONS TO BECOME GODS: It is known that the “Mormons” are a peculiar people about marriage; we believe in marrying, not only for time, but for all eternity.... The Lord has ordained that these spirits should come here and take tabernacles by a certain law, through a certain channel; and that law is the law of marriage... The first marriage that we have any account of, was between two immortal beings—old father Adam and old mother Eve; they were immortal beings; death had no dominion, no power over them; they were capable of enduring forever and ever, in their organization... Suppose, then, that the fall was of such a nature as to dissolve the marriage covenant, by death—which is not necessary to admit, for the covenant was sealed previous to the fall, and we have no account that it was dissolved—but suppose this was the case, would not the redemption be equally as broad as the fall, to restore the posterity of Adam back to that which they lost? And if Adam and Eve were married for all eternity, the ceremony was an everlasting ordinance, that they twain should be one flesh forever... but the fall has brought in disunion through death; it is not a part of the original plan; consequently, when male and female are restored from the fall, by virtue of the everlasting and eternal covenant of marriage, they will continue to increase and multiply to all ages of eternity, to raise up beings after their own order, and in their own likeness and image, germs of intelligence, that are destined, in their times and seasons, to become not only sons of God, but Gods themselves.
EVOLUTION OF CHRIST BY DEGREES: He [Christ] was obliged to begin down at the lowest principles of knowledge, and ascend upward by degrees, receiving grace for grace, truth for truth, knowledge for knowledge, until he was filled with all the fulness of the Father, and was capable of ruling, governing, and controlling all things, having ascended above all things. Just so with us; we that once lifted up our united voices as sons and daughters of God, and shouted for joy at the laying of the foundation of this earth, have come here and taken tabernacles, after the pattern of our elder brother; and in our humiliation—for it is humiliation to be deprived of knowledge we once had, and the power we once enjoyed—in our humiliation, just like our elder brother, our judgment is taken away. Do we not read also in the Bible, that God is the Father of our spirits?