The King Follett Discourse

"The Prophet — while I address you on the subject which in the fore part of the conference was contemplated — as the wind blows very hard, it will be hardly possible for me to make you all hear. It is of the greatest importance, and the most solemn of any that could occupy our attention, and that is the subject of the dead: on the decease of our brother Follet[t] [King Follett], who was crushed to death in a well. And inasmuch as there are a great many in this congregation who live in this city, and who have lost friends, I shall speak in general, and offer you my ideas so far as I have ability, and so far as I shall be inspired by the Holy Spirit to dwell on this subject. I want your prayer, faith, and instruction of Almighty God, to say things that are true, and shall carry the testimony to your hearts; and pray that he may strengthen my lungs, stay the winds, and let the prayers of the Saints to heaven appear — for the prayers of the righteous avail much — and I verily believe that your prayers shall be heard, before I enter fully into the investigation of the subject that is lying before us. I wish to make a few preliminar[y remarks]."

"I do not calculate to please your ears with oratory or with much learning, but I calculate to edify you with simple truths from Heaven... Ninety-nine of a hundred [who claim revelation falsely] are false prophets, and [to try to put down every one of them by force] would deluge the whole world with blood. I want you all to know God, to be familiar with him; and if I can bring you to him, all persecution against me will cease, and [you will] know that I am his servant, for I speak as one having authority, and not as a scribe. Open your ears and eyes, all ye ends of the earth, and hear; for I am going to prove it to you with the Bible, and I am going to tell you the designs of God to the human race, and why he interferes with the affairs of man."

"I shall turn commentator today. I shall go to the first Hebrew word in the Bible — the first sentence: 'In the beginning.' Berosheet — [that is] 'in,' 'by,' 'through,' and everything else. Rosh, the head. When the inspired man wrote it, he did not put the first point to it — a man, a Jew, without any authority, thought it too bad to begin to talk about the head of any man, [so it would not read]: 'The Head One of the Gods brought forth [the Gods].'"

"They shall be heirs of God, and joint heirs of Jesus Christ, to inherit the same power [and] exaltation, until you ascend the throne of eternal power, the same as those who are gone before. What [Jesus] did, I do the things I saw my Father do, before worlds came rolled into existence. I saw my Father work out his kingdom with fear and trembling, and I must do the same — when I shall give my kingdom to the Father, so that he obtains kingdom rolling upon kingdom, so that Jesus treads in his tracks, as he had gone before."

"So — I am going to tell of things more noble. We say that God himself is a self-existing God — who told you so? How did it get into your head? Who told you that man did not exist in like manner? How does it read in the Hebrew — that God made man, and put into him Adam's spirit, and so he became a living spirit? The mind of man is as immortal as God himself. Hence, while I talk to these mourners — [know that] they are only separated from their bodies for a short period; their spirits coexisted with God, and now converse with one another the same as we do... I take my ring from my finger and liken it unto the mind of man."

"Joseph commenced speaking on the subject of the Dead — relative to the death of Elder King Follett, who was crushed [to death] in a well by the falling of a tub of rock on him."

"If I am so fortunate as to comprehend and explain [this] — let every one sit in silence, and never lift your voice against the servants of God again. Every man has a right to be a false prophet as well as..."

"The head — the head one. The head one of the Gods brought forth the Gods. [Let the] doctor and lawyer that have persecuted [take note]: the head one called the Gods together in grand council, to bring forth the world."

"If men do not comprehend the character of God, they do not comprehend themselves. What kind of a being is God? Eternal life is to know God. If man does not know God, he has not eternal life."

"...and ascend a throne, as those who have gone before. I saw the Father work out his kingdom with fear and trembling. God is gratified in [the] salvation [and] exaltation of his creations — not all to be comprehended in this world."

"Who told you God was self-existent? Correct enough — in Hebrew [it reads that he] put into him his spirit, which was created before. Mind of man co-equal with God himself. Friends separated for a small moment from their spirits [are] co-equal with God, and hold conversation when they are one with another. If man had a beginning, he must have an end... Intelligence exists upon a self-existent principle — no creation about it."

"President J[oseph] Smith called the attention of the conference upon the subject contemplated in the fore part of the conference — as the wind blows hard it will be impossible to make [all] hear unless [with] profound attention. Subject of the greatest importance, and most solemn that could occupy our attention: the subject of the dead. [I] have been requested to speak on the subject, on the decease of Brother Follet[t] [King Follett], who was crushed to death, &c. I have been requested to speak by his friends and relatives, and inasmuch as [there are a] great many here in [the] congregation who live in this city as well as elsewhere who have deceased friends, [I] feel disposed to speak on the subject in general, and offer my ideas as far as [my] ability [allows]."

"If I comprehend [it] so that the Spirit seal[s] it upon your hearts, let every man and woman put his hand on his mouth and never say anything against the man of God again. But if I fail, it becomes my duty to renounce all my pretensions to inspiration, &c. — and if I should do so, should I not be as bad as all the rest of the world? Not a man would breathe anathema if they knew I was a false prophet; some would take my life. If any man is authorized to take my life because I am a false teacher, then upon the same principle am I authorized to take the life of every false teacher..."

"I will go to the old Bible, the very Berosheit — [and] make a comment on the first sentence of the history of creation. Berosheit, Ba — [I] want to analyze the word. Ba: in, by, through, and everything else. Rosh: next, the head. Sheet: where does it come from? When the inspired man wrote it, he did not put the Ba there, but a Jew put it there. It read, in the first: 'The Head One of the Gods brought forth the Gods' — is the true meaning. Rosheit signifies to bring forth the Elohim."

"Said Jesus (mark it, Brother [Sidney] Rigdon) — what did Jesus say? As the Father hath power in himself, even so hath the Son power, to do what? Why, what the Father did: to lay down his body and take it up again. Jesus, what are you going to do? To lay down my life as my Father did, that I might take it up again. If you deny it, you deny the Bible... You have got to learn how to be a god yourself, in order to save yourself — to be priests and kings..."

"I now call the attention of this congregation while I address you upon the subject of the dead. The case of our beloved brother King Follett, who was crushed to death in a well, as well as many others who have lost friends, will be had in mind this afternoon, and [I] shall speak upon the subject in general, as far as I shall be inspired by the Holy Spirit to treat upon the subject. I want the prayers and faith of the Saints that I may have the Holy Ghost, that the testimony may carry conviction to your minds of the truth of what I shall say, and pray that the Lord may strengthen my lungs — there is strength here, your prayers will be heard. Before I enter upon an investigation of this subject..."

"Barasheet, in the beginning. Analyze the word — in and through the head. An old Jew added the word [aleph]; it read the Head One of the Gods, brought forth the Gods... The grand council sat at the head, and contemplated the creation of the world."

"...this is all man knows about God or his existence, except what is given by the inspiration of the Almighty. Go then to the beginning, that you may understand. I ask this congregation: what kind of a being is God? Turn your thoughts in your hearts, and say — have any of you seen or heard him, or communed with him?... The scriptures inform us that this is eternal life — to know the only wise God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent... In order to understand the dead, for the consolation of those that mourn, I want you to understand God, and how he comes to be God. We suppose that God was God from eternity; I will refute that idea... It is the first principle [for us] to know, that we may converse with him, and that he once was a man like us, and the Father was once on an earth like us."

"The scriptures inform us — mark it — that Jesus Christ said: as the Father hath power in himself, so hath the Son power in himself, to do what the..."