Journal of Discourses 2:338 “…where the personal pronoun is applied to the Spirit, as “He shall lead and guide you into all truth;” “he shall not speak of himself but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak;” and “he shall take of the things of the Father, and show them unto you.”
From these and many other passages of the same kind and bearing, we may draw the conclusion that the Holy Spirit is actually a person. Then, again, there are other revelations where the pronoun it is applied, such for instance as, “The Spirit itself maketh intercession with groanings that cannot be uttered.” And many other revelations convey the idea that the Spirit is a diffused substance. Just so in the Book of Mormon, we find many of those terms, and consequently we are left to our own conjecture respecting there being a personal Holy Spirit; but one thing is certain, whether there is personal Holy Spirit or not, there is an inexhaustible quantity of that Spirit that is not a person. This is revealed; this is a fact. And it is just as probable to my mind, that there should be a portion of it organized into a person, as that it should exist universally diffused among all the materials in space.
This Holy Spirit is all-wise, and in many of its attributes much like the Father and Son, and acts in concert with them. It governs and controls all things, and from this some might infer that it has the same knowledge and power as the Father and Son have.” — Orson Pratt, Great Salt Lake, February 18, 1855
John 14:17 “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”
To summarize, here’s what Mr. said –
‘…we may draw the conclusion that the Holy Spirit is actually a person. Then, again…other revelations… convey the idea that the Spirit is a diffused substance. …whether there is personal Holy Spirit or not, there is an inexhaustible quantity of that Spirit that is not a person. This is revealed; this is a fact.’
So our question is this:
Based on Mr. Pratt’s understanding, how can anyone know who, or what, the Mormon Holy Ghost is?
Comparatively speaking, we can know for sure the Holy Spirit is God who resides inside those who believe.
The confusion this topic has caused is one of the most common things we deal with when mentoring new ex-Mormon Christians. The Church has gone out of its way to deceive members, and Mr. Pratt’s discourse shows how they’ve caused more confusion than anyone could ever imagine.
As an FYI, the section we’ve used from Pratt’s discourse has been shaved down from 6-7 pages.
Pray for the new Christians who’ve left Mormonism to continue studying, so they’ll understand how God’s presence is there with them 24/7!
With Love in Christ;
Michelle
“But these people people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed.’ (2 Peter 2;12)