Orson Pratt - Writer, Historian and Philosopher

Writer, Historian and Philosopher

While in Illinois, Pratt acted as an instructor at the university in Nauvoo.

In Utah, Pratt's strong skills in analysis and writing led Young to assign him to produce sermons and pamphlets dealing with LDS topics. He wrote sixteen pamphlets in defense of LDS doctrines, drawing on the works of Joseph Smith, Jr. and his brother Parley P. Pratt. These include Divine Authority, or the Question, Was Joseph Smith Sent of God? in 1848 and Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon in 1850 and 1851. Although these materials were primarily used in the mission field, Pratt was also a church spokesman on the topic of plural marriage. At a special missionary conference in Salt Lake City in August 1852, Pratt publicly preached a sermon announcing the doctrine of plural marriage. He later published an essay in defense of the practice in 12 monthly installments in the church periodical The Seer, which provides the most complete defense of the LDS doctrine during this period. Orson Pratt as part of his system of Mormon theology embraced the philosophical doctrine of hylozoism. Pratt himself practiced plural marriage, having seven wives and forty-five children.

However, Pratt's views were not always without controversy. In 1865, a majority of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the LDS Church officially condemned some of Pratt's doctrinal writings, including some of his articles from The Seer:

"The Seer contain doctrines which we cannot sanction, and which we have felt impressed to disown, so that the Saints who now live, and who may live hereafter, may not be misled by our silence, or be left to misinterpret it. Where these objectionable works, or parts of works, are bound in volumes, or otherwise, they should be cut out and destroyed."

Pratt acted as Church Historian and Recorder from 1874 until his death. He edited many church periodicals and helped divide editions of the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants into verse format and provided appropriate cross references.