Item 25 is another major piece in Mormon history: Prophetic Almanac, for 1845, by Orson Pratt. This is of major importance as it was the first publication of Joseph Smith's King Follett Discourse, an exposition of radical and controversial ideas that even many in the church found somewhat confounding. There is no transcript of Smith's speech, but several people took notes from which its essence has been preserved. The major point has been summed up in the statement, “As man now is, God once was. As God now is, Man may be.” The message is that God was once like man, and men can therefore become like God. This was certainly a major shift from most standard theology. Smith's discourse was given at the funeral of King Follett, an elder in the church, on April 7, 1844. This first printing of his ideas was published on August 3, 1844, in this almanac which also recounts sufferings Pratt endured on account of his faith. Between the giving of the discourse and this first publishing, Smith was killed by hostile neighbors in Nauvoo. The almanac's cover (see image this page), looks like something out of the space age, but it is what is known as an “armillary sphere,” depicting features of the sky. $15,000.
Michael Vinson Americana may be reached may 307-654-1185 or m_vinson@silverstar.com.
