Memo #120 (75 to go)

September 1, 2010 (written Feb. 2009)

To: My Beloved Family & Friends

From: Dad, Grandpa etc. Richard M Pratt

Re: The Creation

The first great errors made by these researchers is in relation to the age of the earth. Evolution demands great periods of time for its purpose and in the imagination of their hearts have chosen a time far beyond the knowledge and power of research to fathom.

The ancient ancestors of the African savage...in the third generation from Adam, were musicians, and made harps and organs and were workers in brass and iron.

“Jubal was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ...and Tubal-Cain was an instructor of every artifice in brass and iron.” Genesis 4:21-22.

(These men, descendants of Cain and therefore black were only three generations removed from Adam who would have been their great-grandfather) We discover, thus, that men were intelligent from the beginning.

“And as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof even so shall another come; and there is no end to my works neither to my words. For behold, this is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” Moses 1:38-39

But there is another thing to be considered, are the wicked to receive this earth as an inheritance? Not; for Jesus did not say, blessed are the wicked for they shall inherit the earth; this promise was made only to the meek. Who are the meek: None but those who receive the same ordinances the earth has received, and be baptized with fire and the Holy Ghost, as this earth will be when Jesus comes to reign upon it a thousand years; and be clothed upon with the glory of God, as the earth will be; and after they have died as the earth will die, they will have to be resurrected, as the earth will be resurrected, and then receive their inheritance upon it.”

Orson Pratt, J. Of D. 1:293

it is your right under these conditions to know the truth which makes us free. You cannot be a true member of the Church and reject Jesus Christ. You cannot be a faithful member and reject the scriptures ~ Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price

for these are the standards of our faith. If you accept them you cannot accept organic evolution for they are diametrically opposed to each other.

1. Worlds without number have been created.

2. They have been created as habitations for the children of God.

3. The great work and glory of our Father in Heaven is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

4. Inhabitants of other worlds are begotten sons and daughters of God.

5. When one earth passes away to its exaltation another comes.

6. The making of earths is a glorious work which has been carried on eternally.

The above being true then does it not appear to you that it is a foolish and ridiculous notion that when God created this earth he had to begin with a speck of protoplasm, and take millions if not billions of years to bring conditions to pass by which his sons and daughters might obtain bodies made in his image? Why not the shorter route and transplant them from another earth as we are taught in the scriptures.

Also be it remembered, and all who accept the Gospel should remember it, every creature is eternal. Evolutionists do not believe in the existence of spirit, for man or animal, but we, as

members of the church do. The Lord has revealed it.

Another thing I wish to say. A man cannot serve God and mammon. Organic evolution is destructive of faith in God. It is rebellion against him. Those who accept this pernicious doctrine cannot consistently believe in the fall of Adam. If they do not believe in the fall of Adam they cannot believe in Jesus Christ, for if Adam had not transgressed the law under which he was placed on this earth, there would have been no occasion for a redemption. How could Adam be redeemed from something that never happened.

Their theories are not compatible with faith in the God of the scriptures. They consistently have to reject the Son ship of Jesus Christ. They deny the resurrection of man and even of Jesus Christ. Many of them say they honor him as a teacher, a wonderful advocate of truth, but they cannot receive him as the Messiah, the Savior of the world. Therefore, I appeal to all people everywhere, turn away from these destructive teachings, for if you tamper with them they will eventually destroy your soul.

The bible reveals in several passages the pre-existence of man in the spirit. “And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew. For I, the Lord God, created all things, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth...and I, the Lord God, had created ALL the children of men; and not yet a man to till the ground; for in heaven created I them; and there was not yet flesh upon the earth, neither in the water, neither in the air.” Moses 3: 5 The spirit is not created at birth, but is eternal. “These evolutionists; these mighty men of renown, like those mentioned in the days before the flood, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown, had one great defect, their wickedness was great, and the imagination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually.” Any man, no matter how renowned he becomes who endeavors to destroy faith in God, in Jesus Christ as the Redeemer of the world and the Savior of mankind, the only Begotten Son of God is a wicked man. I care not how well he may be received and honored by his fellow men, if he takes a course of that kind, which will tend to lead admiring persons away from the worship of the true God, Elohim and his Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, and will ridicule the sacred writings of the scriptures is a wicked man. I repeat the greatest crime of all is to destroy faith in God and in the living, unchangeable saving principles of the Gospel.” page 317

Interestingly, allowing five generations to each one hundred years which is a generation every twenty years we, today are only three hundred generations from Adam and Eve or they are about our 300 great grandparents. Doesn’t seem so long ago does it? The Book of Mormon is a second witness that Adam and Eve existed and testifies with the Bible as does the Pearl of Great Price that they were the beginning of man on this planet some 6,000 years ago and were the first flesh on the earth.

Three yeas previous to the death of Adam, he called all his righteous descendants to the Valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman and there bestowed upon them his last blessing...and the Lord appeared unto them, and they rose up and blessed Adam, and called him Michael, the prince, the archangel. (Arch means first and Michael means who is like God.)

Michael is first mentioned in Daniel but not identified.

Then we read, “before man was placed on the earth, there was war in Heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels... and the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil and Satan which deceiveth the whole world; he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him...and they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb.” Revelations 12:7-11

Adam not only stands at the head ruling over his posterity as a prince unto them forever; but also he has been appointed to hold the keys of salvation for the benefit of the people of all the world who will truly repent and receive the gospel, and this great honor is bestowed upon him to act under the direction of Jesus Christ who is the only Begotten Son of God and the holy one of Israel...the day will come when we will have to face this first man who has been crowned with honor to stand next to Jesus Christ holding the keys of salvation; and you will not pass through the gates into that kingdom without his consent.

The Father of Jesus is our Father also, Jesus himself taught this truth, when he instructed his disciples how to pray: “Our Father which art in Heaven” Matthew 6:9

Jesus however is the Firstborn among all the sons of God ~ The first begotten in the Sprit, and the only Begotten in the flesh. He is our elder brother, and we, like him are in the image of God. Genesis 1:27 All men and women are in the similitude of the universal Father and Mother, and are literally the sons and daughters of Deity.

“God created man in his own image.” this is just as true of the spirit as it is of the body, which is only the clothing of the spirit, its compliment; the two together constitute the soul of man. The spirit of man is in the form of man, and the spirits of all creatures are in the likeness of their bodies.

Man, by searching, cannot find out God. Never unaided, will he discover the truth about the beginning of human life. The Lord must reveal himself, or remain unrevealed; and the same is true of the facts relating to the origin of Adams race, God alone can reveal them. Some of these facts, however, are already known, and what has been made known it is our duty to receive and retain.

God formed every plant that grows and every animal that breaths, each after its own kind, spiritually and temporally “that which is spiritual being in the likeness of that which is temporal and that which is temporal in ;the likeness of that which is spiritual.

Some members of the church who are readily disturbed by the philosophies and theories taught in the colleges and it is difficult for them to see that these doctrines are false. Many of the theories are proclaimed with such positive finality that those weak in the faith are confused or perhaps inclined to accept the deductions of these teachers and think that the revelations must be wrong. This is a step towards apostasy. As the Lord declared, we cannot serve two masters. We cannot accept the hypotheses of science which are in conflict with that which is here set forth in clearness at the same time, they are diametrically opposite to each other.

Therefore it seems part of wisdom to present more testimony than is obtainable in the direct word of the Lord, therefore I shall proceed to present some of the writings of others of the church who were schooled under the Prophet Joseph Smith. Here is a quote from Brigham Young: “It is a true saying of the Saviors...He came for the express purpose of dividing the righteous from the wicked. We see this principle verified from days of old. It was demonstrated in the very commencement of the peopling of the earth. How soon an opposition was introduced in the morning of creation. When righteousness was proclaimed, when truth was revealed, when the light and knowledge of eternity shone with lustrous beauty upon Adam and his children. Cain must rise up and slay his brother.”

How did Adam and Eve sin: did they come out in direct opposition to God? No. They transgressed a command of the Lord, and thru this transgression sin came into the world...then came the curse upon our mother earth, and it came upon the creeping things, upon the grain, the fish, and upon all things pertaining to this earth. Thank you, thank you, to our first parents, Thank you. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. The scriptures are true. Be true to these God given principles. I suggest reading the selections from Moses in the Pearl of Great Price this is a small book of only 27 pages. It details the creation beautifully.

I love you each and everyone

Dad, Grandpa etc

Richard Marden Pratt

The following was written to the great grandsons in 2008. I’m sure it applies to us all. Enjoy

To: all my great grandsons December 25, 2008

From: Your Great Grandfather, Richard Marden Pratt

You don’t think I know you. But I do. True, I’ve only seen you a few times in this life but we were intimately acquainted prior to this life when there was war in heaven and Michael (Adam) and his angels (us) fought against the dragon (Satan) and his angels. And we cast them out of heaven. And we overcame them by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of our testimony! (That’s us). We cast them here upon the earth that in the mortal flesh we might be tried and tested, for there must needs be opposition in all things.

And the devil was wroth with the church, and went to make war with its members, which keep the commandments of God, And have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Rev. 12

That war, started in our Heavenly Home, is now raging on earth to its final conclusion prior to the second coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

In that pre earth war it appears that we out numbered the devils by two to one. And if we look just at numbers that is true. But notice that those who were effective in casting out the Satanic hosts had two things going for them that the bulk of the two thirds did not have and so there participation in that eviction was minimal and not of much effect. Those two things were

1. The blood of the Lamb, meaning the Power of the Holy Priesthood to act in his name. And

2. Our Testimony. For with that Christ given power and our obedience we could overcome all things.

For in Alma we read that we “were called and prepared from the foundation of the earth, that we chose good over evil and because of our faith (in the Spirit world) being prepared from the foundation of the world we were called in the Spirit World, ordained High Priests and with this power were able to do all things that would bring to pass the great work of our Heavenly Father. Alma ch. 13

We are also told that we received the title of “Israel”. Deut: 32:7-8 ~ Acts 17: 24-27. “Israel” means a Prince or Princess of God the Eternal Father. And with that title, by obedience, we may become as God is. The same thing can be said of each of us as was said unto the prophet Jeremiah, “Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” Mer. 1:4-5

Not only were we chosen “Israelites” before we were mortal but we are also of the leading tribe of the twelve tribes who is Joseph sold into slavery by his brothers. Joseph was given a double portion and from his twin sons came the two tribes Ephraim and Mannasah.

My Patriarchal blessing says, “Thou art a pure Ephraimite.” therefore you too are “Ephraim” and like Jeremiah you were chosen before you were born “to be a prophet unto the nations.”

As the oldest brother, then, we have certain privileges and rights and also a great responsibility. That responsibility consists of preparing our less active, less believing brothers and sisters for the second coming of our Lord and King even Jesus Christ.

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout... and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain (and many of you will be) shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord.

1 Thess. 4:16-18

The army of God needs each one of us desperately to save all of our brothers and sisters that will listen and we will do it by our testimony and thru the blood of Jesus Christ.

You have only a brief period of time from age 19 - 26 to enlist for two years. Two years of the hardest but most important work you may ever do. If you are in this age range please go down to the enlistment (Bishop’s) office and sign up now. You will be forever grateful that you did. We must have all our brothers and sisters, living and dead prepared. Most of them will not listen and their fate will be like that described in my Patriarchal Blessing, “Thou shalt go forth to meet the Savior at his coming, thou shalt witness the destruction of the wicked as they are consumed by fire. Thy heart shall cry out in lamentations over them.” but I will know that I did my best to warn and teach them.

I have filled four missions for a total of six years and two months at my own expense and wish I could go again and I soon will receive, with my wife, a fifth call when I step thru the veil called death. I hope to be able to call again on the same people who rejected us here until every soul, save the few sons of perdition, will be saved in some degree of glory.

And the Lord makes this promise unto all who follow him to victory. “He that receiveth me receiveth my Father, and he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s kingdom, therefore all that my Father Hath shall be given unto him.” That means we become as he is, we become Gods. D&C 84: 33-45

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world and then shall the end come. Matt. 24:14

Be sure not to cheat yourself out of this great experience. In my missions I’ve experienced nearly every kind of miracle promised those who believe, raising of the dead, casting out evil spirits, speaking in tongues, healing the sick.

But the one that stands out most in my mind is the need I had for 10,000 concrete blocks. My nearest source was three months away in Australia. The next morning, after asking in prayer, a large crate stood in front of our shack. It contained a cement block making machine, fresh from three months away Australia. Wow! You plus the Lord can do all things. See you at the enlistment office.

I love you my dear grandsons! Go forth to spread the gospel.

My love always,

your great grandfather Richard Marden Pratt

So here I sit this beautiful Christmas morning full of love for each of you. You are full of promise! Keep the faith!

Memo #119

August 1, 2010

To: My Beloved family and Friends

From: Dad, Grandpa etc. Richard Pratt

Re: The Hypothesis of Organic Evolution

The word “hypothesis” is used by the scientists for the word “guess” and unless and until the hypothesis is proven it (Guess) remains just that, “a guess” and often an unprovable guess at the best.

Chapters 7-11 from page 130-258 are a detailed description of the “Guess” that is man made concerning the organic evolution of man. Because it is so asinine I am going to cover it in

this one memo.

“This brings us to the discussion of what I believe to be the most pernicious doctrine ever entering the mind of man: the theory (hypothesis or guess) that man evolved from the lower forms of life.” How can life come from where there is no life? Every living thing has come from a living thing. Every creature, microbe, or mammoth or man must trace back, and back and back. And there the difficulty arose. If spontaneous generation of life cannot be created, how could it be possible several millions or billions of years ago?

And even a greater hurdle to these wild speculations is not just one or more but everything had to evolve in pairs, male and female. This all just happened by chance??? How nutty a person must be to believe such trivia.

At the last count there is nearly one million species of plants - MALE AND FEMALE and about one half million animals - MALE AND FEMALE. And more species continue to be discovered.

“My dear friends, cannot you see how utterly foolish it all is? Why is it that thousands of intelligent looking human beings are willing to accept these stupid teachings? Frankly it is because Satan has deceived them and they love darkness rather than light.” (The above is from the book page 138 and I whole heartedly agree with it.)

To show how these followers of Satan are being deceived just read on page 155 the embarrassing situation to these fables. After outlining the so called four stages of mans development, 1. Old stone age, 2. New stone age. 3. Bronze age, 4. Iron age, and an attempt to show man in these so called developmental stages by exhibiting bits and pieces of bones titled, “Neanderthal, Cro-magna etc. all came to a head about 1910 when the final clinching (so the scientists said) evidence was the discovery of the “Piltdown man.”

Bits and pieces of bone of each of these so called prehistoric men had been arranged on display in the British Museum of Natural History.

On November 21, 1953 World news papers were headed with, “London’s Face Red on Oldest Skull.” a keeper in the British museum of Natural History shame facedly took from its case of honor the supposed skull of a primitive man which for forty years had been called the oldest ever found in Europe. Scientists disclosed Saturday that someone had made a monkey out of them. After a new test with modern techniques thy declared the skull an elaborate hoax. Someone, never found, had planted in a gravel pit near Piltdown England a piece of a human skull, a couple of molar teeth and a bit of jaw bone from an ape all cleverly aged with acid to look very old. It was immediately hushed up and is not now mentioned.

The fact remains that all the so called “men” have all been manufactured from a few scattered fragments of bones with no certain evidence that these fragments were even parts of the same skeletal remains.

Yet all of these wild guesses are taught in our public schools from kindergarten to post graduate work as FACTS.

If the doctrine of organic evolution were based on truth, there would be no need to search the world over for the “missing links”. The world would be full of them. They would be walking our streets in their various stages of development. The hypothesis (Remember it means wild guess) would find support on every foot of the earths surface.

Let no one think, that all scientists and all professors believe these foolish doctrines. There are thousands of professors and highly educated men who denounce these theories most vehemently. But they are not listened too.

It is much like the current, foolish “guess” called “global warming” it cannot be proven, and never will be proven and many thousands of reliable, learned men are continually pointing out the absurdity of it all. But they are not listened to and will not find them mentioned in current news. (I intend to write a memo on it when I finish this review. For its every bit as insane as the Hypothesis of Organic evolution. DON’T BELIEVE IT!”

Nothing exists by its own necessity, and nothing by chance. Some superior power is the source of physical matter and of physical laws.

The so called evolution of the horse is the most ridiculous story of them all. The horse has, so called gone through twelve stages of development beginning three million years ago. According to this ridiculous story the horse has developed form a small animal no larger than a rat thru the many geological ages; from a small five-toed creature to the magnificent animal it is today. (Rubbish!)

The diagram is purely artificial and the story is purely fictitious, but it serves its purpose well in deceiving innocent children and gullible people.

“This is the rubbish palmed off on the innocent and promulgated by the cunning, crafty, designing men bent on destroying the Bible order of creation.”

One of the criticisms used against the authenticity of the Book of Mormon one hundred years ago was its declaration that the Nephites found on this continent (about 600 BC) many useful animals as follows.

“And it came to pass that we did find upon the land of promise (America) ...the cow and the ox, and the ass and the HORSE.” 1 Nephi 18:25 (Also Elephants) Ether 9:19

in my early school years nearly 85 years ago. We were taught that horses were first brought to the Americas by the Spaniards. And that our current horses are descendants of them. Now horse skeletons are found all over the place antedating the Spaniards. Particularly is this true of the La Brea tar pools at Los Angeles where perfectly preserved skeletons of horses, elephants, lions and others dating long before the Spaniards are found.

There is not and cannot be, any compromise between the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the theories of evolution. Were evolution true, there could be no remission of sin. In fact there could be no sin.

Now as to the so called Stone-age man. Yes they existed and still do in some of the remote areas of the world such as the deep jungles of Brazil, the Fuegians at the tip of South America, the jungles of Borneo and other places.

But the so called scientists have got it backward. “Stone age man” is man on the way down not up. They are the remnants of a high civilization that through apostasy from the truth have descended to the benighted stage they are now found in. Yet taken as babies and raised in modern culture they are as intelligent and capable as any of us. Which has been demonstrated many times.

The Bible and Evolution represent two absolutely diverse, alien, and hostile realms of thought. No logical mind will even try to dwell in both at the same time. Some of us are not logical, but in the long run logic has a wonderful way of asserting itself. If the Bible does not kill evolution, evolution will kill the Bible; and the choice between the two is big with doom. In short evolution is not a scientific theory or explanation in any true sense of the word, but an unverified hypothesis (Guess) which has apparent strengths but falls to pieces under any really searching examination. First rate biologists do exist who knowing all that their science can say upon this subject, still flatly disbelieve in evolution.

One of the greatest evidences of creation is the human body. We will begin with the skull and the bones of the head. The skull is composed of a number of bones knit together which makes the bony covering for the brain. There are openings in certain places that were not placed there by chance. These are openings for the use of the eyes and nose, and mouth in the front and for the ears on each side. These holes are placed there symmetrically for the protection and beneficial use of these parts. There are also other openings for nerves, each placed in its proper position according to the need. The brain is placed in the large cavity of the skull for protection. The brain is the power house for the entire body. The brain is the seat of power for the nervous system. The mind is not the brain. The mind is in the spirit which inhabits the body, or the source from which comes our thinking, our love of knowledge, our power to know and to understand. It is the life, for the spirit is life and is eternal and when the spirit leaves the body, the body is dead. It may appear the same, it may weigh the same, to all appearances it has lost nothing of material substance; but from that moment the various materials of which it is composed begin to separate and decompose, the real you, the intelligent part, the part that made it think and exercise its intelligence, has departed.

The author goes on to analyze each of the skeleton parts and showing how impossible it would be for all these marvelous pieces could happen by chance. Only an intelligence could have engineered it. And then when we consider that every species had to be built in pairs, male and female and complement each other one begins to stand in awe that an intelligence could exist smart enough to accomplish it.

Why then do other wise intelligent people, teach, preach and practice these absurdities. The answer is very clear in the scriptures. I’ll just list two there are many.

“We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority (or learning) as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.” D & C 121:39

These men are governed by three great carnal satanical drives as is illustrated in the devils temptations to Christ after his forty days of fasting.

“Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” Matthew chapter 4.

The three temptations were: 1. Turn this stone to bread, 2. Cast thyself down from the temple pinnacle (a drop of 300 or 400 feet) 3. Worship me and I’ll give you the whole world.

(1. Appetites satisfied, 2. Famous, 3.Riches and power.) Appetite, fame, riches and power are the

motivation of most men. What must we do to guard against it happening in our own lives and in our children’s lives? I gave the formula for ourselves two or three memos back.

(Inserted from memo #115: What then can we do to protect ourselves? The first and most obvious step is to get out of debt if at all possible! Avoid looking to government for handouts or future security. Don’t look to “Big Brother” to take care of us thru price controls, rent controls, guaranteed jobs and wages. Remember the greatest helping hands you will ever get are on the ends of your arms! Second: Have something to eat stored away. This is a must!

Any government powerful enough to give the people all they want is also powerful enough to take from the people all that they have.

Third: above all don’t forget your PRAYERS and learn to hear the whisperings of the Spirit and OBEY them! Finally: the very least we can do is keep the commandments, pay an honest tithe and keep saying our prayers and reading the scriptures daily.

Our son Stephen is spending countless hours and money in public speaking. He is acting as a voice of warning to become prepared. And to be centered in Jesus Christ.

I’m trying to do my part through these memos as my lack of strength no longer allows me to do much more. Become prepared in every needful thing and be Christ centered. We will win! I pray for you daily!

back to memo #119

There are three possibilities as to our children. 1. Home teach thru the formative years, the first five to eight grades. And several of you are doing this. 2. Consider private or charter schools but investigate carefully. There are many good ones but not all are good. 3. If your children attend public schools, protect them with a daily examination to find out what they are being taught and then with love and wisdom and a prayerful heart teach them the truth. Let the school be a help to what you are teaching them at home. Let the home be the center of the best teaching! Protect them with the tools of truth. Be actively engaged in the things your children are involved in and lead the way.

Then, even after all we can do they must still choose for themselves. Scary isn’t it? But God will bless you that you will succeed in your personal life and in your family as you turn your will over to him. Seek him, come to know him and feel the peace he can bring into your homes.

My sincere prayers are for your success. We were sent here to succeed and we can if we keep on trying! Be humble, be prayerful and trust in the word of the Lord.

Dad repeats this often!

above all don’t forget your PRAYERS and learn to hear the whisperings of the Spirit and OBEY them! Finally: the very least we can do is keep the commandments, pay an honest tithe and keep saying our prayers and reading the scriptures daily.

My love always,

Dad, Grandpa etc

Richard Marden Pratt

Memo #118 (77 to go)

Date written: February 28, 2008

Sent: July 1,2010

To: My Beloved Family & Friends

From: Dad, Grandpa etc. Richard Marden Pratt

Re: The idea of a God without “body, parts, or passions,” is not more absurd or inconsistent than that popular doctrine, that all things were created from nonentity or in other words, that something originated from nothing.

“It is a self evident truth, which will not admit of argument, that nothing remains nothing. Nonentity is the negative of all existence. This negative possesses no property or element upon which the energies of creative power can operate.” ( The Essential Parley P. Pratt page 193)

“Self-righteous learned men ridicule the thought that an exalted man, in whose form all men are created is in very deed the Almighty ruler of the universe. They ridicule the Holy Scriptures. They poke fun at the prophets who proclaim it, and who have testified that they have seen him, conversed with him and have received his commandments. No! All of this is too childish for these great men. It is our duty therefore, to show by evidence, that cannot be gainsaid, that God the Father lives; that Jesus Christ is his only begotten Son, and was born into this world in the express image of his Father.

Now let us present the evidence of God from scripture and from personal manifestations. In the first chapter of Genesis we read that God created man in his own image. Our scientific evolutionists say that this and all else in Genesis regarding the creation was taken from the Assyrian-Babylonian civilization. This is NOT true. The writings in Genesis go back to the beginning long before there were Assyrians and Babylonians and Egyptians. We Latter-day Saints should be extremely thankful for the revelations the Lord has given us. We have learned, contrary to the prevailing notion of the scholars, that Adam had a perfect language, his children were taught, “And a book of remembrance was kept, in which was recorded, in the language of Adam. And by them, their children were taught to read and write, having a language which was pure and undefiled. Enoch kept a record. The Lord revealed to him in the language of Adam the history of this world from its beginning to its end. Moses also had a similar revelation. These records kept in the days of Adam and Enoch, were preserved and were given into the hands of Abraham, and were preserved by him, so that he had a knowledge of the creation as it was kept, without question, in the language of Adam. By Abraham they were preserved, so it is a ridiculous fabrication, that the knowledge given in Genesis is a poorly constructed account of Babylonian mythology. These things were also revealed to Moses.

In the scriptures there are numerous accounts of the Lord revealing himself in person to his servants the prophets. He appeared to Enoch. He appeared to Abraham. He appeared to Jacob. He appeared to Moses face to face. He spoke to Isaiah, and many others.

Matthew records: “That Jesus came from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him...and when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending ... and lighting upon him. And lo a voice from heaven, saying. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

“And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou Simon Barjona; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee but my Father which is in heaven.....and upon this rock (revelation) I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

“And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”

“Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be seeing I know not a man and the angel answered and said unto her, the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”

“Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.”

NOTE: These are but a few of the scriptures which testify of the Godhead and the roles played by the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost in the creation and salvation of man.

From the doctrines of the scientific men, we see that they not only make their attack upon the fall of Adam, but upon the atonement of Jesus Christ. They condemn the Bible and go out of their way to destroy it, and thus destroy all that is sacred to every believer in the atoning blood of our Redeemer. They speak the truth in saying that one of us must give way. Their doctrines may prevail temporally during this benighted age when wickedness covers the earth like a flood, but the day is near at hand when all these man-made doctrines shall come to naught and shall pass away, for the Redeemer of this world has declared it. For the Latter-day Saints and all other good people who devoutly believe in the mission of Jesus Christ, there is but one course to pursue, and that is to remain humbly and prayerfully true to our convictions. THE great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at our doors. (Chapter 5 The Doctrine of God)

We have examined, very briefly the ancient accounts of the Godhead and the gospel. Now we will move to the Latter-days. As Peter says, “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we have made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but

were eyewitnesses of his majesty. And the voice which came from heaven, we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.

The other apostles testified that he hath in the last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.

There is no doctrine in the Bible more plainly taught than the doctrines of the anthropomorphic nature(means “as man is now God once was and as God is now man my become.”) of both the Father and the Son and their separate personages. It is also written that God created man, male and female, after his won image and in his own likeness, created he them. It is an astounding thing that from the days of Athanasians (325 BC) and the great council at Nice, the true doctrine concerning the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, has been lost to the Christian world, both Catholic and Protestant.

Fourteen year old Joseph Smith said: “At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is ask of God...it was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of 1820...I had never as yet made the attempt to pray vocally.....I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God.....I was seized upon by some power which entirely over came me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered round me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction - not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in my being

(NOTE: I, Grandpa, had this same kind of experience with Satan. It is real, it is terrible.)

-just at this moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.

It no sooner appeared, than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name, and said, pointing to the other -“This is my Beloved Son. Hear him.”

No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects were right and which I should join.

I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “They draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power there of.....”

So we have the direct testimony of Joseph Smith that he had seen the Father and the Son, on a beautiful day, when the sun was shining brightly, the brightness of these personages outshone the brightness of the sun.

If he were wrong, how easy it should have been for these learned ministers of religion to challenge his statement and invite him to go to the scriptures and endeavor to show him that he was in error about his vision and that it according to the Bible, could not be true! Some of them tried it, but to their great consternation and discomfiture they invariably found that they were wrong and he was right. When they discovered their plight instead of humbly acknowledging their error and accepting the truth, they became all the more bitter towards him and sought more intensely his destruction. You, who may be in doubt, go to your scriptures and see for yourselves.

Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon beheld the glory of the Son, on the right hand of the Father, and received of his fullness; and saw the holy angels, and them who are sanctified before his throne, worshiping God, and the Lamb, who worship him forever.

“And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: THAT HE LIVES! FOR WE SAW HIM, EVEN ON THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father.

That by him, and thru him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.”

Is it not strange that the Christian denominations refuse to accept the truth and return to the doctrines of our Redeemer, which again have been declared to them by the voice of the Almighty thru the testimonies of his servants the Prophets. But would rather hug to their bosoms the out-worn creed of the Athanasians?

Is it not just as strange that the scientist will not believe. Why is it that men will not humble themselves and in faith and prayer seek the truth from the divine source of truth? We can know for our selves as we ask our Heavenly Father through his son Jesus Christ in Prayer if these things are true. Please build your relationship with your Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. They love each of us and want our success.

All my love forever,

Dad, Grandpa, brother etc.

Richard Marden Pratt

Being this is July and we celebrate freedom I thought you’d enjoy a story from Parley P Pratt and maybe you would want to make a little flag with your families. My Brother Steve made us one years ago and we enjoy flying it on the 4^th of July.

The Year was 1839 Parley P Pratt and some others had been imprisoned on false charges in Missouri for 8 months and 4 days, deprived of the sweetness of liberty. Orson Pratt and some of the other saints not in prison had a vision that a way would be made for the freedom of their loved ones and went to the prison to visit. The plans for escape matured and on the 4^th of July 1839 while the town was in full celebration of the American Jubilee this is what happened (page 245 of Parley’s autobiography) little did the people know these great and courageous men were actually declaring their true intentions to the towns people.

The builders of our nation have always shown courage also the founders of our great church. Were it not for men like this we would not live in a free land and we could not enjoy the blessings of the restored gospel. So in my heritage I have an extra little flag to wave these are Parley P Pratt’s words about it.

Parley P Pratt’s Liberty Flag autobiography Parley P Pratt page 245-6

“I here by appoint unto my children and my children’s children, in their generations and nations forever, that the 4^th day of July be observed by them as a day of feasting, thanksgiving, and processions, with music and with joy, not only as the birthday of American liberty, but as a day of deliverance to their father. And when the stars and stripes of our national banner are unfurled to the breeze of honor of that day, let a small flag be also unfurled to wave in triumph. Let it consist of the half of a shirt, with an eagle and the word “liberty” rudely formed on the same by stripes of red cloth, and when they look upon it, let them remember who suffered for liberty and truth, and to win and perpetuate the blessings they enjoy.

And should the cause of liberty and equal rights ever require their actions in the battle field, let this rude flag be the standard which shall lead them to victory or to death. And whenever it is unfurled in the cause of right and freedom. I now leave my blessing upon it in the name of Jesus Christ, and say that it shall never be dishonored, but shall always prevail till the rod of oppression shall cease from the earth, and peace and truth shall spread and extend their dominion without end.”

Journal of Discourses Vol. VIII page173 6 Dec. 1846

“Imprisonment and Escape of Parley P Pratt, during the persecution in Missouri, 1838"

It’s up to us to perpetuate the blessings of liberty for which the builders of the nation sacrificed that our children will enjoy the special feelings found only in America.

Thanks Steve for our flag and for your teaching us about liberty! We love you brother!

Memo #117

Re: Book review of: Man - His Origin and Destiny

(written February 27, 2008)

June 1, 2010

From: Richard M. Pratt

Because the eternal future is so brilliant I am going to endeavor to write a review of one of the most essential books ever written other than the scriptures. The name of the book is:

Man - His Origin and Destiny by Joseph Fielding Smith, a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for more than half of his 97 years of mortal life.( He was the prophet of the church from 1970-1972) It will take several memos to do so. This first one will reach you about two years from the above date. In all likelihood, I will be gone from this mortal life and I write this in hopes that you as if you were the only you and you really are because if you didn’t exist or worse yet, didn’t succeed in receiving the promised blessings would be forever regretful as, I would be, not to be able to enjoy eternal life together.

Here is a quote from Parley P. Pratt (my great grandfather) on what we might hope for in the eons to come.

“In the resurrection, and the life to come, men that are prepared will actually possess a material inheritance on the earth. They will possess houses, and cities, and villages, and gold and silver, and precious stones, and food, and raiment, and they will eat, drink, converse, think, walk, taste, smell and enjoy. They will also sing and preach, and teach, and learn, and investigate, and play on musical instruments, and enjoy all the pure delights of affection, love and domestic felicity. While each, like the risen Jesus can take his friend by the hand and say: “Handle me and see for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.”

“God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is every where in the scripture revealed as a being possessing a bodily organization in all its parts. He is said to have head, eyes, ears, mouth, nose, nostrils, face, arms, hands, fingers, back parts, feet and all other parts. It is also said that man was made in his likeness and image. Jesus Christ is also represented to be the express image of his person.”

This marvelous word picture of the God Head is so real, so scriptural and testified to by modern prophets that even a child can understand it.

What I don’t understand is why would anyone want to dispute such a glorious future. For the alternative doesn’t exist, at least not one that anyone in a sane mind would want to accept.

In the forward to Man - His Origin and Destiny Mark E Peterson (member of the twelve apostles) states: “Knowing the great need to provide Later-Day-Saints students of science with material which would help them to preserve their faith and coordinate in their minds the pure truth of both science and revelation, some of us have hoped for a book which could make the facts readily available to them.

Many have recognized in President Joseph Fielding Smith of the council of the twelve the profound student of scripture he is, but not so many were acquainted with the fact that he also is a deep student of science, widely read in various phases of the subject.

Recognizing his possession of this superb knowledge of both science and religion, some of us urged him to write a book on the creation of the world and the origin of man setting forth both the up-to-date views of science, and the facts provided through revelation.

The present volume is the result. It is a most remarkable presentation of material from both sources under discussion. It will fill a great need in the church, and will be particularly invaluable to students who have become confused by the misapplication of information derived from scientific experimentation.

All scientific TRUTHS harmonize with scriptural TRUTHS. The problem is that scientists, owing to their strong desire to display their brilliance have a tendency for theory to become more important than what the theory is trying to prove and if false never will prove. In fact one so called prominent scientist said, “I am more concerned with the elegance of the theory than the truth of it.”

“Few fields of science come into such direct conflict with the revealed scriptures as the palaeo-sciences-historical geology, palethnology, paleontology, palaeogeography.

The theoretical structure of these sciences is incorrect because it is not only in disagreement with the scriptures but is in direct opposition to them...when these sciences are denuded of their theoretical superstructure, they are not found to conflict with the revealed truths of the scriptures.”

I am deeply grateful for this documented and scientifically accurate volume to which one may turn for answers to technical questions.” Melvin A Cook Professor of Metallurgy University of Utah. (Introduction IX) from the introduction by the author.

“There cannot be any conflict between truth revealed from heaven and truth revealed thru the research of man; for truth is a unit and never is found in conflict with itself. Unfortunately we live in an age when many theories which have not been proved are accepted as truth.”

Most of the textbooks written today boldly and impudently contradict the doctrines in the Bible and its history. Instead thereof, the students are confronted with unproved and in many cases, unprovable theories.

That man who leads his fellows away from the path of eternal life, commits the greatest of all crimes!

It is a very strange thing, but verily true, that almost any false doctrine, philosophy or hypothesis, will be readily received. Charlatans and false religious leaders seemingly have little trouble to gain a following and become popular. But the truth has had to fight its way thru the most severe opposition.

The great trouble with so many members of the church is that they do not live in strict accordance with divine law therefore they have not freed themselves from darkness, and they are unable to distinguish the truths from heaven from the theories and doctrines of men.

So far as the philosophy and wisdom of the world are concerned, they mean nothing unless they conform to the revealed word of God. Any doctrine whether it comes in the name of religion, science, philosophy, or whatever it may be, if it is in conflict with the revealed word of the Lord, will fail. It may appear plausible. It may be put before you in language that appeals and which you may not be able to answer. It may appear to be established by evidence that you cannot controvert, but all you need to do is to abide your time. Time will level all things. You will find that every doctrine, every principle, no matter how universally believed, if it is not in accord with the divine word of God to his servants, will perish.

I know of no history published today dealing with ancient peoples that does not start out with a false conception in relation to the origin of man, the age of the earth, and the historical development of the human race.

In the Book of Job, we read, “Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?” The answer is, without the Spirit of the Lord, NO! The scientific mind which dwell constantly on the physical and temporal things of the universe endeavoring to fathom all of the laws of nature, but who ignores the spiritual guidance which he could have if he sought in faith for it, will never find out God. He will invariably find and follow false Gods, worshiping the substance and ignoring the Maker.

One thing that a member of the Church may know is most assuredly that God lives, that Jesus is in very deed the Only Begotten Son of God; the Redeemer of the world and the Savior of all those who obey him and keep his commandments. (Chapter I Conflict Between Religion and Science)

Between the revealed word of the Lord to his prophets and the truth revealed thru scientific investigation THERE IS NO CONFLICT. There can be no disagreement wherein truth is arrayed against truth. Could such a thing be possible all things would perish in confusion. There is a conflict between revealed truth coming from the Lord and the false doctrines taught by men of science. There is also a conflict between false religion and truth revealed thru Scientific investigation. The time will come when nothing will remain except truth.

As long as men of science have no faith in the Divine Creator, they will search the hard way. And will formulate false theories which may prove harmful in that they will guide their fellows who accept them away from the revealed plan leading to eternal life.

God does not create worlds to be destroyed. They are created to bring to pass his divine purpose to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. Life is not an accident and the human race is not destined to die and cease to be. Neither is life an unimportant by- product of the main line.

The Lord has not created worlds by accident, they are not wandering blindly thru space. The Universe is well organized according to divine law and it is revealed; all kingdoms have a law given:

“And the end shall come (of the present world) and there shall be a new heaven and a new earth...and not one hair, neither mote shall be lost. For it is the workmanship of my hand.

Therefore it must needs be sanctified from all unrighteousness, that it may be prepared for the Celestial glory.

For after it has filled the measure of its creation, it shall be crowned with glory, even with the presence of God the Father.

That bodies who are of the Celestial kingdom may possess it forever and ever; for for this intent was it made and created, and for this intent are they sanctified.”

Latter-day Saints should be extremely grateful for this light which the Lord has revealed to them concerning their destiny and the destiny of the earth, let us add this comment from Brigham Young:

“ and this world, so benighted at present, and so lightly esteemed by infidels, when it becomes Celestialized, it will be like the sun, and be brought back into the presence of the Father and the Son. It will not then be an opaque body as it is now, but it will be like the stars of the firmament, full of light and glory; It will be a body of light.”

John compared it, in its Celestialized state to a sea of glass.

I started with Parley P. Pratt and feel it fitting to end with Orson Pratt, brothers.

“Who, in looking upon the earth as it ascends in the scale of the Universe does not desire to keep pace with it...Who but the most abandoned, does not desire to be counted worthy to associate with those higher orders of beings who have been redeemed, exalted, and glorified together with the worlds they inhabit. Ages before the foundation of our earth were laid. O man remember the future destiny and glory of the earth and secure thine everlasting inheritance upon the same. That when it shall be glorious, thou shalt be glorious also.

And to YOU and only YOU I love YOU!

All my love always,

Dad, grandpa, brother, uncle friend,

Richard Marden Pratt

Recently I had to give a lesson on preparedness and thought you might like some of the basic information.

It is first and foremost the responsibility of the individual and the family to meet their own emergency needs. LOOK AFTER YOUR OWN FAMILY FIRST THEN AND ONLY THEN DO YOU SEEK TO HELP OTHERS.

Being prepared before an emergency is the key:
FEMA.gov has many disaster training classes at no cost. Also go to the following sites for more information., Bereadyutah.gov, redcross.org, cdc.gov, www.ready.gov

What you can do NOW!...
Make a flamily emergency plan.....choose an out-of-state contact.....pick two meeting places, close-by and one that’s out of the neighborhood......consider the special needs of family members and pets.....know the emergency plans for your children’s schools.....record important telephone numbers.....assemble your 72 hour kits.....PRACTICE with your family. Remember that if you don’t have to evacuate your home stay put and shelter in place. Do plan to be safe! Turning off utilities....leave them on unless there is a problem. TURN Gas off only if you smell or hear a leak. ......HAVE shoes and flashlight by your bed a bathrobe could be useful too.
Hint: If you have children your emergency supplies should include some simple activities. Maybe a good coloring book and crayons. A couple of old issues of the Friend would be fun. Most kits are the bare minium and that is only for survival. Consider making the kits well rounded: A copy of the scriptures, a good book, a game, some gum and hard candy.

News Flash! Another fantastic resource from the Rice family is a Blog site that is packed full of information. I book marked it on my computer as it has so much GOOD!

tm3emergency.blogspot.com

You can click on anything that is blue and it will bring up the “what to do if” on that particular emergency. GO CHECK IT OUT!