Editing King Follett discourse (section)

{{Short description|1844 sermon given by Joseph Smith}}
The '''King Follett discourse''', or '''King Follett sermon''', was an address delivered in [[Nauvoo, Illinois]], by [[Joseph Smith]], [[President of the Church|president]] and founder of the [[Latter Day Saint movement]], on April 7, 1844, less than three months before he was [[Death of Joseph Smith|killed]] by a mob. The discourse was presented to a congregation of about twenty thousand [[Latter Day Saints]] at a [[General conference (Latter Day Saints)|general conference]] held shortly after the [[funeral]] service of [[Elder King Follett]], who had died on March 9, 1844, of accidental injuries.<ref name="April 1971 Ensign">{{citation |url= https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1971/04/the-king-follett-sermon?lang=eng |title= The King Follett Sermon (part 1) |date=April 1971 |journal= [[Ensign (LDS magazine)|Ensign]] |page= 13 }}</ref> The sermon is notable for its assertion that God was once a mortal man, and that mortal men and women can become gods (a concept commonly called [[Divinization (Christian)#Latter Day Saint theology|divinization]]) through salvation and [[Exaltation (Latter Day Saints)|exaltation]]. These topics were, and are, controversial, and have received varying opinions and interpretations of what Smith meant. Literary critic [[Harold Bloom]] called the sermon "one of the truly remarkable sermons ever preached in America."<ref>{{harvtxt|Bushman|2005}}</ref>