Adam-God and the Endowment Ritual
Brigham Young taught that Adam was God, the physical Father
of Jesus Christ, and that he took Mary as his wife. This was believed
by Mormon leaders. For example, Mormon Apostle Abraham H. Cannon wrote
in his Journal about his father, Apostle George Q. Cannon:
"He (George Q.) believes that Jesus Christ is
Jehovah, and that Adam is His Father and our God: that under certain
unknown conditions the benefits of the Savior's atonement extend to
our entire solar system. . . . He asked me what I understood concerning
Mary conceiving the Savior; and as I found no answer, he asked what
was to prevent Father Adam from visiting and overshadowing the mother
of Jesus. Then said I: "he must have been a resurrected Being." "Yes,"
said he, "and though Christ is said to have been the first fruits of
them that slept, yet the Savior said he did nothing but what He had
seen His Father do, for He had power to lay down His life and take it
up again. Adam, though made of dust, was made, as President Young said,
of the dust of another planet than this." I was very much instructed
by the conversation and this days services." Source: BYU Library,
Special Collections; June 23, 1889.
In 1877 Brigham Young caused
L. John Nuttall, his private secretary, to transcribe the endowment ceremony
in a book now in the LDS Archives in Salt Lake City. Fortunately, Elder
Nuttall also transcribed part of the temple ritual's "lecture at the veil"
into his own personal diary (Journal 2: December 1876 - August 1877),
which is in the BYU Special Collections, in Provo, Utah. The "lecture"
reveals that Brigham Young's "Adam-God Doctrine" was taught in the temple
ceremonies:
Memoranda
In January 1877, shortly after the
lower portion of the St. George Temple was dedicated, President Brigham
Young, in following up in the Endowments written, became convinced that
it was necessary to have the formula of the Endowments written, and he
gave directions to have the same put in writing.
Shortly afterwards he explained what the Lecture at the Veil should portray,
and for this purpose appointed a day when he would personally deliver
the Lecture at the Veil. Elder J.D.T. McAllister and L. John Nuttall prepared
writing material, and as the President spoke they took down his words.
Elder Nuttall put the same into form and the writing was submitted to
President Young on the same evening at his office in residence at St.
George. He there made such changes as he deemed proper, and when he finally
passed upon it said: This is the Lecture at the Veil to be observed in
the Temple.
A copy of the Lecture is kept at the St. George Temple, in which Presi-dent
Young refers to Adam in his creation &c.
/s/ L. John Nuttall
For Presidents W. Woodruff
Geo. Q. Cannon
Jos. F. Smith
June 3, 1892
Salt Lake City (Source: L. John Nuttall Papers; BYU Special Collections,
Mss 188, Letterpress copy book #4, p. 290.)
Here follows Brigham Young's early "lecture at the veil,"
excerpted from Elder Nuttall's Journal:
In the creation the Gods entered into an agreement
about forming this earth. & putting Michael or Adam upon it. these things
of which I have been speaking are what are termed the mysteries of godliness
but they will enable you to understand the expression of Jesus made while
in Jerusalem. This is life eternal that they might know thee the only
true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. We were once acquainited
[acquainted] with the Gods & lived with them but we had the privilige
of taking upon us flesh that the spirit might have a house to dwell in.
we did so and forgot all and came into the world not recollecting anything
of which we had previously learned. We have heard a great deal about Adam
and Eve. how they were formed &c some think he was made like an adobie
and the Lord breathed into him the breath of life. for we read "from dust
thou art and unto dust shalt thou return" Well he was made of the dust
of the earth but not of this earth. he was made just the same way you
and I are made but on another earth. Adam was an immortal being when he
came. on this earth he had lived on an earth similar to ours he had received
the Priesthood and the Keys thereof. and had been faithful in all things
and gained his resurrection and his exaltation and was crowned with glory
immortality and eternal lives and was numbered with the Gods for such
he became through his faithfulness. and had begotten all the spirit that
was to come to this earth. and Eve our common Mother who is the mother
of all living bore those spirits in the celestial world. and when this
earth was organized by Elohim. Jehovah & Michael who is Adam our common
Father. Adam & Eve had the privilege to continue the work of Progression.
consequently came to this earth and commenced the great work of forming
tabernacles for those spirits to dwell in. and when Adam and those that
assisted him had completed this Kingdom our earth he came to it. and slept
and forgot all and became like an Infant child. it is said by Moses the
historian that the Lord caused a deep sleep to come upon Adam and took
from his side a rib and formed the woman that Adam called Eve-this should
be interpreted that the Man Adam like all other Men had the seed within
him to propagate his species. but not the Woman. she conceives the seed
but she does not produce it. consequently she was taken from the side
or bowels of her father. this explains the mystery of Moses's dark sayings
in regard to Adam and Eve. Adam & Eve when they were placed on this earth
were immortal beings with flesh. bones and sinews. but upon partaking
of the fruits of the earth while in the garden and cultivating the ground
their bodies became changed from immortal to mortal beings with the blood
coursing through their veins as the action of life. Adam was not under
transgression until after he partook of the forbidden fruit that was nesesary
that they might be together that man might be. the woman was found in
trans-gression not the Man- Now in the law of Sacrifice we have the promise
of a Savior and man had the privilege and showed forth his obedience by
offering of the first fruits of the earth and the firstlings of the flocks-
this as a showing that Jesus would come and shed his blood
[Four lines without any writing on them.]
Father Adam's oldest son (Jesus the Saviour) who is the heir of the family
is Father Adams first begotten in the spirit World. who according to the
flesh is the only begotten as it is written. (In his divinity he having
gone back into the spirit World. and come in the spirit [glory] to Mary
and she conceived for when Adam and Eve got through with their Work in
this earth. they did not lay their bodies down in the dust, but returned
to the spirit World from whence they came.
I felt myself much blessed in being permitted to associate with such men
and hear such instructions as they savored of life to me-
Source: Journal of L. John Nuttall; BYU Special
Collections; Pres. Brigham Young; delivered in St. George; Wed., Feb.
7, 1877. This was the first draft of the Lecture at the Veil. Brother
L. John Nuttall was the private secretary to President Brigham Young until
his (Brigham's) death in 1877. He then became the private secretary to
President John Taylor (1879-1887) and again to President Wilford Woodruff
(1887-1892)
This doctrine was believed by most Mormons at the
time. However, Apostle Orson Pratt opposed it, and argued against it.
For more documentation on the "Adam-God Doctrine" the reader is directed
to:
- Gary James Bergera, "The Orson Pratt-Brigham
Young Controversies: Conflict Within the Quorums, 1853 to 1868," Dialogue:
A Journal of Mormon Thought vol. XIII (Summer 1980) No. 2, pp. 7-49.
- David John Buerger, "The Adam-God Doctrine,"
Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought vol. XV (Spring 1982) No.
1, pp. 14-58.
- Culley K. Christensen, The Adam-God Maze
(Scottsdale, AZ: Independent Pub., 1981) [ISBN 0-9608134-0-3] P.O.
Box 8375, Scottsdale, AZ.
- Jerald and Sandra Tanner, LDS Apostle Confesses
Brigham Young Taught Adam-God Doctrine: A Startling Letter Written by
Apostle Bruce R. McConkie and Other Important Documents. (Salt Lake
City: Utah Lighthouse Ministry, 1982).
All of the above are fully documented and some
have extensive photos of original documents which prove this was taught
and believed by Mormons.
The Adam-God Doctrine: Documentary Evidence
that it was Taught
Part ONE | Part
TWO | Part THREE
Index
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