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[This document about Adam God was offered on the internet a few years ago. I do not know it's author, but would surely give them credit if they simply write me. plporter@pobox.com The Adam God document arrived to me in a Zip format and seemed to have duplicate sections. I cleaned it up as much as I could. I added the (sp. ____) where I noticed misspelled words. Also British or old world spellings were retained as in the original. Underlining is also maintained from the original. The table that is linked here and at the bottom was originally at the top, but due it's all caps nature, not being easy on the eyes, I put it on a separate Adam God page.]
"Concepts & Quotations Dealing with the Origin, Identity & Position of Adam & Eve"
201. Messages of the First Presidency, Vol 4:199-206; James R. Clark. See also Improvement Era, 13:75-81; November, 1909.
* * *
Adam, our progenitor, "the first man," was, like Christ, a pre-existent spirit, and like Christ he took upon him an appropriate body, the body of a man, and so became a "living soul." The doctrine of the pre-existence,-- revealed so plainly, particularly in latter days, pours a wonderful flood of light upon the otherwise mysterious problem of man's origin. It shows that man, as a spirit, was begotten and born of heavenly parents, and reared to maturity in the eternal mansions of the Father, prior to coming upon the earth in a temporal body to undergo an experience in mortality. It teaches that all men existed in the spirit before any man existed in the flesh, and that all who have inhabited the earth since Adam have taken bodies and become souls in like manner.
It is held by some that Adam was not the first man upon this earth, and that the original human being was a development from lower orders of the animal creation. These, however, are the theories of men. The word of the Lord declares that Adam was "the first man of all men" (Moses 1:34), and we are therefore in duty bound to regard him as the primal parent of our race. It was shown to the brother of Jared that all men were created in the beginning after the image of God; and whether we take this to mean the spirit or the body, or both, it commits us to the same conclusion: Man began life as a human being, in the likeness of our heavenly Father.
* * *
Man, by searching, cannot find out God. Never, unaided, will he discover the truth about the beginning of human life. The Lord must reveal Himself, or remain unrevealed; and the same is true of the facts relating to the origin of Adam's race--God alone can reveal them. Some of these facts, however, are already known, and what has been made known it is our duty to receive and retain.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, basing its belief on divine revelation, ancient and modern, proclaims man to be the direct and lineal offspring of Deity. God Himself is an exalted man, perfected, enthroned, and supreme. * * *
Man is the child of God, formed in the divine image and endowed with divine attributes, and even as the infant son of an earthly father and mother is capable in due time of becoming a man, so the undeveloped offspring of celestial parentage is capable, by experience through ages and aeons (sp. eons), of evolving into a God.
JOSEPH F. SMITH,
JOHN R. WINDER,
ANTHON H. LUND,
First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
202. Improvement Era, Vol. 14:548-49; "Editor's Table: Theory and Divine Revelation"; 1910.
Our young people are diligent students. They reach out after truth and knowledge with commendable zeal, and in so doing they must necessarily adopt for temporary use many theories of men. As long, however, as they recognize them as scaffolding useful for research purposes, there can be no special harm in them. It is when these theories are settled upon as basic truth that trouble appears, and the searcher then stands in grave danger of being led hopelessly from the right way.
Recently there was some trouble of this kind in one of the leading Church schools--the training college of the Brigham Young University--where three of the professors advanced certain theories on evolution as applied to the origin of man, and certain opinions on "higher criticism," as conclusive and demonstrated truths. This was done although it is well known that evolution and the "higher criticism"--though perhaps containing many truths--are in conflict on some matters with the scriptures, including some modern revelation.
An investigation was instituted, founded on the charges of Superintendent H. H. Cummings of the Church schools, based on complaints from patrons of the school; and the General Church Board of Education appointed a committee to ascertain to what extent the teaching of unorthodox doctrines in the school by these instructors was based upon fact. The personnel of the committee was: Francis M. Lyman, Heber J. Grant, Hyrum M. Smith, Charles W. Penrose, George F. Richards, Anthony W. Ivins, Horace H. Cummings, and Dr. George H. Brimhall.
The committee met with Professors Henry Peterson, Joseph Peterson and Ralph V. Chamberlain--all three eminent scholars, able instructors, and men of excellent character--and the investigation was held. The meeting and examination were characterized by the utmost cordiality and freedom on both sides. The professors frankly admitted that they held to and taught the theories of evolution as at present set forth in the text books, and also theories relating to the Bible known as "higher criticism," which they appeared to view as conclusive and demonstrated; so that when these ideas and enunciations were in conflict with the scripture, ancient and modern, it required the modification of the latter to come into harmony with the former, carrying the impression that all revelation combines a human element with the divine impression and should be subject to such modification.
The Church, on the contrary, holds to the definite authority of divine revelation which must be the standard; and that, as so-called "science" has changed from age to age in its deductions, and as divine revelation is truth, and must abide forever, views as to the lesser should conform to the positive statements of the greater; and, further, that in institutions founded by the Church for the teaching of theology, as well as other branches of education, its instructors must be in harmony in their teachings with its principles and doctrines.
There was no inclination to interfere with the freedom of thought and expression of the opinion of the professors, but the committee, after carefully weighing the matter, concluded that as teachers in a Church school they could not be given opportunity to inculcate theories that were out of harmony with the recognized doctrines of the Church, and hence that they be required to refrain from so doing.
The committee so reported to the trustees of the Brigham Young University.
This body later held a meeting at which they unanimously resolved, "that
no doctrine should be taught in the Brigham Young University not in harmony
with the revealed word of God as interpreted and construed by the Presidency
and Apostles of the Church; and that the power and authority of determining
whether any professor or other instructor of the institution is out of
harmony with the doctrines and attitude of the Church, be delegated to
the presidency of the university."
203. Divine Mission of the Savior; Course of Study for the Quorum of the Priesthood; Priests; Salt Lake City; 1910.
[Marginal Note: GOD IS A UNION OF TWO--MALE AND FEMALE. See Moses 2:27; Gen 1: 26-27. (Man in an eternal progression--first the intelligences were organized into a spirit--then the spirit and body organized into a living soul-- then a female soul and male soul into a GOD.)]
LESSON THIRTEEN. SUBJECT: Creation of the World.
III. When the time of the spiritual life of the heavens and earth was ended, then the temporal, or natural, or the present time began. Jesus Christ, under the direction of the Father, and in connection with other personages, (described in the scriptures as "the Gods"), began the work of preparing the earth for the abode of man. Animal and vegetable life in great variety was placed upon the earth, and a veritable Eden soon appeared here and there.
LESSON FOURTEEN. SUBJECT: The Creation of Man.
I. Man has descended from God; in fact, he is of the same race as the Gods. His descent has not been from a lower form of life, but from the Highest Form of Life; in other words, man is, in the most literal sense, a child of God. This is not only true of the spirit of man, but of his body also. There never was a time, probably, in all the eternities of the past, when there was not men or children of God. This world is only one of many worlds which have been created by the Father through His Only Begotten. Adam, then, was probably not the first mortal man in the universe, but he was likely the first for this earth.
LESSON FIFTEEN. SUBJECT: The Creation of Adam and Eve.
I. . . . The word "creation" is used in the heading; what is meant by this term, is the process by which our first parents obtained their bodies of flesh and bones. We must look upon Adam, not as a weak mortal man altogether, but as a noble and leading spirit in the heaven. He is Michael who fought with Lucifer, and helped cast the Devil out of heaven. But when Adam's spiritual body took up its abode in a tabernacle of flesh and bones, his recollection of the past was taken from him and he became helpless, until he learned by experience, like all spirits born on this earth learn and get knowledge.
II. One of the important points about this topic is to learn, if possible, how Adam obtained his body of flesh and bones. There would seem to be but one natural and reasonable explanation, and that is, that Adam obtained his body in the same way Christ obtained his--and just as all men obtain theirs-- namely, by being born of woman.
"The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also." (D&C 130:22). Then what is more natural than to conclude that the offspring of such Beings would have bodies of flesh and bones? Like begets like. Note 2.
III. That Jesus Christ was one of the Gods that took part in the creation of man (Adam) is evident from the following passage in the Doctrine and Covenants, (Sec. 29:34), thus carrying forward the great mission given Him of the Father: "Wherefore, verily I say unto you, that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal; neither any man, nor the children; neither Adam your father, whom I created." Note 1 and 2.
Note 1. 2 Ne 2:22,23.
Note 2. From a discourse preached by President Brigham Young, the following is taken: "they (the Gods) came here and organized the raw material, and arranged in their order the herbs of the field, the trees also. The seed was brought from another sphere and planted in this earth. The thistle, the thorn, the briar, and the obnoxious weed did not appear until after the earth was cursed."--JD Vol 1:50.
Parley P. Pratt's Key to Theology: "A Royal planter now descends from
yonder world of older date, and bearing in his hand the choice seeds of
the older Paradise, he plants them in the virgin soil of a new-born earth.
They grow and flourish there, and bearing seed replant themselves, and
thus clothe the naked earth with scenes of beauty, and fill the air with
fragrant incense. Ripening fruits and herbs at length abound. When lo!
from yonder world is transferred every species of animal life: Male and
female they come, with blessings on their heads; and a voice is heard again,
'Be fruitful and multiply.' Earth--its mineral, vegetable and animal wealth--its
Paradise prepared, down comes from yonder world on high, a son of God,
with his beloved spouse. And thus a colony from heaven it may be from the
sun, is transplanted to our soil. The blessings of their Father are upon
them, and the first great law of heaven and earth is again repeated, 'Be
fruitful and multiply.'"
204. Journal of Thomas A. Clawson, 1912-1917 Book, pp. 69-70; April 8, 1912.
At Special Priesthood meeting at which the official statement of the First Presidency regarding the teachings of Adam-God is presented, Prest. Jos. F. Smith then said that he was in full accord with what Prest Penrose had said and that Prest. Brigham Young when he delivered that sermon only expressed his own views and that they were not corroborated by the word of the Lord in the Standard works of the Church. The Bible, Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price and Doctrine and Covenants were voted upon by the Church convened in a Conference and organized in various Quorums of the Priesthood who voted by Quorums after which the body of the Church were asked to vote to sustain the above books as the Standards of the Church. This first vote was taken by the Church when they were in the East. It was again taken in the same manner here in Salt Lake in the year _________.
Now all doctrine if it can't be established by these standards is not
to be taught or promulgated by members. That those Patriarchs who persisted
in teaching these things and did not stop when told to do so should be
handled by their Bishops and their names sent up to the High Councils for
further action and be cut off. He also spoke upon the doctrine contained
in King Follett's funeral when persons who reported this discourse gave
forth the idea that children (p. 70) who died would be resurrected as little
children never growing any more but remaining as when they were laid down.
In this he said that the Prophet did not teach such doctrine but he had
the affidavits of three or more witnesses who heard him say: "The mothers
would take up their little ones as they were laid down and that they would
have the joy of seeing them grow to the full stature of their spirits."
205. Deseret Evening News, December 27, 1919, Section 3, p. 7; Remarks by Pres. Joseph F. Smith; Maricopa Stake Conference; December 7, 1913; See also Deseret News, Church section; September 19, 1936, p. 2, 8).
I know that my Redeemer liveth; I know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet
of God; I know that God is a being with body, parts, and passions and that
his Son is in his own likeness, and that man is created in the image of
God. The Son, Jesus Christ, grew and developed into manhood the same as
you or I, as likewise did God, his father grow and develop to the Supreme
Being that he now is. Man was born of woman; Christ the Savior, was born
of woman; and God, the Father, was born of woman. Adam, our earthly parent,
was also born of woman into this world, the same as Jesus and you and I.
206. Improvement Era, Vol 23:389-393; Joseph Fielding Smith; "The Origin and Destiny of Man"; 1919.
* * *
I now come to the main topic in this discussion: From whence came man? What is his destiny? It is to me exceedingly strange that men will travel so far, following a will-o-the-wisp until they are overcome in the quagmire, and reject the truth at their door. For an answer to these questions, why not accept the statement of the One who knows? This knowledge is within the reach of all. * * *
I accept the word of the Lord to his prophets, for I know it is true. In the first chapter of Genesis, verse 27, this great revelation is found: "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." This being true, man being the offspring of God, he was not placed on the earth as a "cave man;" a savage devoid of intelligence and resembling more the ape than man. Adam, the first man on the earth, was an intelligent being, so filled with vitality after the fall, and perfect in form, that he lived upon the earth nearly one thousand years. Then in the last verse of this chapter we learn that, "God saw everything that he made and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." * * *
Again, if you believe in modern revelation, if you accept the teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, then you must believe that man is the offspring of God, and if so he was not evolved from a tadpole, or from the scum of the sea. * * *
I tell you life did not commence upon this earth spontaneously. Its origin was not here. Life existed long before our solar system was called into being. The fact is, there never was a time when man--made in the image of God, male and female--did not exist. * * *
Thus the Lord has given us the information regarding his creations, and how he has made many earths, for there never was a beginning, never was a time when man did not exist somewhere in the universe, and when the time came for this earth to be peopled the Lord, our God, transplanted upon it from some other earth, the life which is found here. Man he created in his own image. If it were our privilege to go out and visit some of the other creations, other worlds in space, we should discover that they are peopled with beings who look like us, for they, too, are the offspring of God, and of the same race from whence we came. Perhaps they would be more exalted, but, nevertheless, they would be in the image of God, and so are we. Adam was not a "cave man," but perhaps the most nearly perfect man in form and feature to our Father and Creator. Such is the testimony of Joseph Smith.
* * *
It was not until man forsook the divine guidance which the Lord was
always willing to extend to him, that retrogression set in. The "cave-man"
and the savage are products of transgression and sin; for, in the beginning
man was intelligent, and directed by light and truth, even by the Savior,
Jesus Christ, who is the Mediator between man and God. The destiny of man
is to become, through stages of progression, like unto his Father; and
after the resurrection from the dead, he shall be added upon, as the scriptures
say, until he shall receive all things "which the father hath," and shall
be counted as a son and joint heir with Jesus Christ, the first-fruits
of the resurrection and the Savior of the world. This, then, is true evolution,
which all Latter-day Saints believe. There is something inspiring, ennobling
and grand in this view of things. . . .
207. Gospel Doctrine, p. 64; President Joseph F. Smith; 1919.
We must go through the same ordeal in order to attain to the glory and
exaltation which God designed we should enjoy with him in the eternal worlds.
In other words, we must become like him; peradventure to sit upon thrones,
to have dominion, power, and eternal increase. God designed this in the
beginning. We are the children of God. He is an eternal being, without
beginning of days or end of years. He always was, he is, he always will
be. We are precisely in the same condition and under the same circumstances
that God our heavenly Father was when he was passing through this, or a
similar ordeal. We are destined to come forth out of the grave as Jesus
did, and to obtain immortal bodies as he did--that is, that our tabernacles
are to become immortal as his became immortal, that the spirit and the
body may be joined together and become one living being, indivisible, inseparable,
eternal. This is the object of our existence in the world.
208. Brigham Young University, Seminary Lectures; Lecture X; John M. Whitaker; Church Archives d. 1740/f. 3; June 24, 1921.
June 24, 1921
. . . I am going to assume responsibility for making this statement, that man came here, was placed here as an immortal, glorified, resurrected being. I want to make myself clear, because these lectures are going to the brethren, and if they want to correct them they can. . . . I believe it was the fruit that changed and modified Adam's resurrected body, and again made it subject to death. Is that clear? At least, I want you to get my idea. . . and may I say the Church does not teach this as doctrine. Many of the authorities do. Others teach that a body was prepared in some way for Adam and Eve.
[Apostle Melvin J. Ballard the same day, in lecture XI, said: "What
Brother Whitaker has said I agree with, with reference to his fall and
man's coming here." Also, "Adam had two ways of regaining his lost immortality.
One was by partaking of the fruit of the tree of life, and so recovering
'from the mortal condition apparently.' The other is through the atonement
of Jesus Christ."]
209. Deseret News; B. H. Roberts; July 23, 1921.
As a matter of fact, the "Mormon" church does not teach that doctrine.
A few men in the "Mormon" Church have held such views; and several of them
quite prominent in the Councils of the Church. . . . Brigham Young and
others may have taught that doctrine.
210. The Three Degrees of Glory; Melvin J. Ballard; (Deseret Book Co.: Salt Lake City, Utah); pp. 10-11; Discourse given in the Ogden Tabernacle; September 22, 1922.
What do we mean by endless or eternal increase? We mean that through the righteousness and faithfulness of men and women who keep the commandments of God they will come forth with celestial bodies, fitted and prepared to enter into their great, high and eternal glory in the celestial kingdom of God, and unto them, through their preparation, there will come children, who will be spirit children. I don't think that is very difficult to comprehend and understand. The nature of the offspring is determined by the nature of the substance that flows in the veins of the being. When blood flows in the veins of the being, the offspring will be what blood produces, which is tangible flesh and bone, but when that which flows in the veins is spirit matter, a substance which is more refined and pure and glorious than blood, the offspring of such beings will be spirit children. By that I mean they will be in the image of the parents. They will have a spirit body and have a spark of the eternal or divine that always did exist in them.
Unto such parentage will this glorious privilege come, for it is written
in our scriptures that "the glory of God is to bring to pass the immortality
and eternal life of man." So, it will be the glory of men and women that
will make their glory like unto His. When the power of endless increase
shall come to them, and their offspring, growing and multiplying through
ages that shall come, they will be in due time, as we have been, provided
with an earth like this, wherein they too may obtain earthly bodies and
pass through all the experiences through which we have passed, and then
we shall hold our relationship to them, the fulness and completeness of
which has not been revealed to us, but we shall stand in our relationship
to them as God, our Eternal Father, does to us, and thereby is this the
most glorious and wonderful privilege that ever will come to any of the
sons and daughters of God.
211. Sermons and Missionary Experiences of Melvin J. Ballard; Bryant S. Hinckley, compiler; pp. 205-206.
No matter to what heights God has attained or may attain, he does not
stand alone; for side by side with him, in all her glory, a glory like
unto his, stands a companion, the Mother of his children. For as we have
a Father in heaven, so also we have a Mother there, a glorified, exalted,
ennobled Mother. That is a startling doctrine, I recognize, to some folk,
and yet we ought to be governed by reason in giving consideration to this
doctrine which is a revelation from God. . . . Motherhood is eternal with
Godhood, and there is no such thing as eternal or endless life without
the eternal and endless continuation of motherhood.
212. Utah Genealogical Magazine; Joseph Fielding Smith; pp. 146-151; October 1930.
PRE-ADAMITE THEORY NOT A DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH
Even in the Church there are a scattered few who are now advocating and contending that this earth was peopled with a race--perhaps many races--long before the days of Adam. These men desire, of course, to square the teachings in the Bible with the teachings of modern science and philosophy in regard to the age of the earth and life upon it. If you hear any one talking this way, you may answer them by saying that the doctrine of "pre-Adamites" is not a doctrine of the Church, and is not advocated nor countenanced in the Church. There is no warrant in the scripture, not an authentic word, to sustain it. But the revelations of the Lord reveal Adam as the "Ancient of days," Michael, the Archangel, who is appointed to have jurisdiction through all time and eternity on this earth and to preside over it, under the direction of Jesus Christ. He is called by the Lord the "first man of ALL men" upon the earth, and the Prophet Joseph Smith has said: "Commencing with Adam, who was the first man, who is spoken of in Daniel as being the 'Ancient of Days,' or in other words, the first and oldest of all." This is the doctrine which has been taught by authority in the Church regarding Adam.
NO DEATH ON THE EARTH BEFORE ADAM
* * *
The Gospel teaches us that if Adam and Eve had not partaken of that fruit of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil they would have remained in the garden of Eden in that same condition prevailing before the fall. Under those conditions they would have had no seed. "Adam fell that man might be" as it was decreed in the heavens before the world was. Lehi has given us a very clear and comprehensive view of the mission of Adam and of the atonement of Jesus Christ, and the Book of Mormon is very explicit in teaching these fundamental doctrines. In regard to the pre-mortal condition of Adam and the entire earth, Lehi has stated the following: "And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end.
Is not this statement plain enough? Whom are you going to believe, the Lord, or men? * * *
EXACT MANNER OF CREATION WILL YET BE REVEALED
By revelation we are well informed that Adam was not subject to death when he was placed in the garden of Eden, nor was there any death upon the earth. The Lord has not seen fit to tell us definitely just how Adam came for we are not ready to receive that truth. He did not come here a resurrected being to die again for we are taught most clearly that those who pass through the resurrection receive eternal life, and can die no more. It is sufficient for us to know, until the Lord reveals more about it, that Adam was not subject to death but had the power, through transgressing the law, to become subject to death and to cause the same curse to come upon he earth and all life upon it. For this earth, once pronounced good, was cursed after the fall. It is passing through its mortal probation as well as the life which is upon it, and will eventually receive the resurrection and a place of exaltation which is decreed in the heavens for it.
The time will come when we shall be informed all about Adam and the manner of creation for the Lord has promised that when he comes he will make all these things known. * * *
For my part, I am willing to wait until this time to learn the truth of these things. This information was given to the Saints at one time in a former dispensation, but the Lord has said we may not have it in the days of wickedness;. When the Gentiles "shall repent of their iniquity, and become clean before the Lord," then it shall be revealed again. (Ether 4:6-7.)
WHEN WE HAVE FAITH LIKE UNTO THE BROTHER OF JARED
* * *
So the brother of Jared wrote all about Adam; all about the creation and many other things, which the world in its great wisdom cannot have today because we are not willing in the spirit of faith, such as the brother of Jared had, to accept the things of the Lord. The wise men of today would find the things of the Lord in conflict with their theories, and because of the hardness of our hearts we must wait until, in the spirit of true repentance and faith, we are cleansed and wickedness is banished from the earth.
THE "FALL OF MAN" AND DEATH LEAD TO PROGRESSION
This much regarding Adam has been revealed: He transgressed the law
under which he was living in the garden of Eden and was driven out to till
the earth. A curse was placed upon the earth and upon all things, and they
became mortal--the earth, animal life, plant life and man. But this mortality
was the means of giving to all men the privilege of passing through pain,
sorrow, temptation and joy, thus increasing their education in preparation
for the life which is to come. We speak of this as a fall, but Adam
descended that he might rise, for without these experiences neither he
nor his children could have experienced the many vicissitudes of this present
life. Without the atonement of Jesus Christ we could not pass through the
resurrection and death would have held claim upon every creature.
213. The Deseret News, p. 2,8; "Man A Child of God"; Saturday, September 19, 1936.
That man as a descendant of Adam, is, in a most literal sense, a child of God is emphatically explained in the following group of brief excerpts from Church records:
THE CREATION OF ADAM
by Pres. Joseph F. Smith, Dec. 7, 1913, At Stake Conference of Maricopa Stake.
President Smith closed the conference with his usual brilliant, thoughtful remarks. He bore a strong testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel and said in part: "I know that my Redeemer liveth; I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God; I know that God is a being with body, parts and passions and that His Son is in His own likeness, and that man is created in the image of God. The Son, Jesus Christ, grew and developed into manhood the same as you or I, as likewise did God, His Father, grow and develop to the Supreme Being that He now is. Man was born of woman; Christ, the Savior, was born of woman; and God, the Father, was born of woman. Adam, our earthly parent, was also born or woman into this world, the same as Jesus and you and I." JOSEPH E. NOBLE, Stake Clerk.
(Deseret News, Dec 27,1913, Sec. III, p. 7).
---------------
We belong to our progenitors--to our Father and our God. 8:67.
Things were first created spiritually; the Father actually begat the spirit, and they were brought forth and lived with him. Then he commenced the work of creating earthly tabernacles, precisely as he had been created in this flesh Himself, by partaking of the coarse material that was organized and composed this earth, until His system was charged with it, consequently the tabernacles of His children were organized from the coarse materials of this earth.
(Discourses of Brigham Young, pp. 76,77).
Course of Study for Priest, 1910.
Subject: The Creation of Man.
Man has descended from God; in fact, he is of the same race as the Gods. His descent has not been from a lower form of life, but from the Highest Form of Life; in other words, man is, in the most literal sense, a child of God. This is not only true of the spirit of man, but of his body also. There never was a time, probably, in all the eternities of the past, when there was not men or children of God. This world is only one of many worlds which have been created by the Father through His Only Begotten."
---------------
The pedigree of the Savior, according to Luke, traces back to ". . . Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.--(Luke 3:38).
---------------
Revelation cannot bow to tradition. This is the great ideal, and it
must be honored and maintained as such. In dealing with it, no Procrustean
process is permissible. It must not be chopped off because men think it
too long, nor stretched out because they think it too short. It did not
come into the world to be mutilated. Truth is the standard--truth as heaven
reveals it--and the opinions and theories of men must give way. The Gospel's
accessories are no substitute for the Gospel.--Elder Orson F. Whitney.
214. Sermons and Missionary Experiences of Melvin J. Ballard, pp. 239-240; by Bryant S. Hinckley; (sometime between 1919 & 1939).
What do we mean by endless or eternal increase? We mean that through
the righteousness and faithfulness of men and women who keep the commandments
of God they will come forth with celestial bodies, fitted and prepared
to enter into their great, high and eternal glory in the celestial kingdom
of God, and unto them, through their preparation, there will come children,
who will be spirit children. I don't think that is very difficult to comprehend
and understand. The nature of the offspring is determined by the nature
of the substance that flows in the veins of the being. When blood flows
in the veins of the being, the offspring will be what blood produces, which
is tangible flesh and bone, but when that which flows in the veins is spirit
matter, a substance which is more refined and pure and glorious than blood,
the offspring of such beings will be spirit children. By that I mean they
will be in the image of the parents. They will have a spirit body and have
a spark of the eternal or divine that always did exist in them.
215. Man, His Origin and Destiny, pp. 276-277; Joseph Fielding Smith; 1940.
. . . does it not appear to you that it is a foolish and ridiculous
notion that when God created this earth he had to begin with a speck of
protoplasm, and take millions of years, if not billions, to bring conditions
to pass by which his sons and daughters might obtain bodies made in his
image? Why not the shorter route and transplant them from another earth
as we are taught in the scriptures?
216. Church History & Modern Revelation, p. 231; Joseph Fielding Smith; 1940.
We know that when Adam was placed on the earth it was pronounced good,
and he as well as the earth was not subject to death. There was no blood
in his body, but he had a spiritual body until it was changed by the fall.
A spiritual body is one which is not quickened by blood, but by spirit.
Before the fall, Adam had a physical, tangible body of flesh and bones,
but it was not quickened by blood. The partaking of the forbidden fruit
caused blood to exist in his body and thus the seeds of mortality were
sown and his body then became temporal, or mortal.
217. The First 2,000 Years, 1st ed., pp. 31-32; W. Cleon Skousen; Chapter 4: The Temporal Creation; 1953.
Origin of Human Life on the Earth
When the Lord was describing to Moses the manner in which human life first came to this planet, He summarily dismissed the subject with the simple statement that Adam's temporal body was made from "the dust of the ground" and that his spirit entered that body to sustain it with the "breath of life." How the Lord provided Adam with a body from the dust of the ground is not mentioned at this point and as a result a great many scriptural scholars made the same mistake certain scientists did. They concluded that by some mysterious means life was created spontaneously. They misled themselves into thinking that the Lord performed some kind of miracle by making a physical form out of earthly clay and then transforming it into a living human body.
Such a concept partakes of the dark ages and is nowhere justified in scripture.
In fact, the Lord originally told Moses precisely what it meant to be made from the dust of the earth. This is a technical phrase. It meant to be "born. . . by water, and blood, and the spirit which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul." (Moses 6:59) This is simply a description of the physical birth. That is also how Adam's physical body was made. It was born of a mother just as the body of every other human being has been made from the dust of the earth.
Where was he born? Who were his parents? To have answered these questions in detail would have required the Lord to discuss events on other planets and He had already told Moses He did not wish to cover such matters at that time. In this dispensation, however, the servants of the Lord have added to our understanding of this problem. Said President Brigham Young, "Mankind are here because they are the offspring of parents (Adam and Eve) who were first brought here from another planet." (Disc of BY, 1925, p 160)
And speaking of Adam's origin, President Young declared: "Adam was made from the dust of an earth, but not from the dust of this earth. He was made as you and I were made and no person was ever made on any other principle." (JD 3:319)
This enlightening addition to human knowledge prompted this comment from B. H. Roberts: "As vegetation was created or made to grow upon some older earth, and the seeds thereof or the plants themselves were brought to our earth and made to grow, so likewise man and his help-meet were brought from some other world to our own, to people it with their children. And though it is said that the 'Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground'---it by no means follows that he was 'formed' as one might form a brick, or from the dust of this earth. We are all 'formed' of the dust of the ground, though instead of being molded as a brick we are brought forth by the natural laws of procreation; so also was Adam and his wife in some older world. And as for the story of the rib, under it I believe the mystery of procreation is hidden." (Roberts, Man's Relationship to Deity, pp. 279-280)
The earthly material from which the body of Adam was formed was therefore of the same temporal class as our own earth but it was provided for him by natural and eternal laws of procreation on some other, older earth-planet than our own. When Adam was brought to the earth he was placed in a beautiful and comfortable environment located "eastward in Eden."
[Middle of page 33:] During this period of embellishment when parent
stock of the plant and animal kingdoms was being transplanted to this earth,
Adam took an active part in supervising this work under the Lord's direction
as he also must have done during the earth's preparation. This is referred
to by President Young, "Though we have it in history that our Father Adam.
. . knew nothing about his God previous to being made here, yet it is not
so, and when we learn the truth we shall see and understand that he helped
to make this world and was the manager of that operation. He was the
person who brought the animals and the seeds from other planets to this
world." (JD 3:319)
218. Speech given by J. Reuben Clark, Jr.; Brigham Young University; p. 9; July 7, 1954.
Here we must have in mind---must know---that only the President of the
Church, the Presiding High Priest, is sustained as Prophet, Seer, and Revelator
for the Church, and he alone has the right to receive revelations for the
Church, either new or amendatory, or to give authoritative interpretations
of scriptures that shall be binding on the Church, or change in any way
the existing doctrines of the Church. He is God's sole mouthpiece on earth
for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the only true Church.
He alone may declare the mind and will of God to his people. No officer
of any other Church in the world has this high right and lofty prerogative.
219. Doctrines of Salvation, Vol 1; Joseph Fielding Smith; 1954.
Our Father in heaven is the Father of Jesus Christ, both in the spirit and in the flesh. Our Savior is the Firstborn in the spirit, the Only Begotten in the flesh. (p. 18)
Adam's body was created from the dust of the earth, but at that time it was a spiritual earth. Adam had a spiritual body until mortality came upon him through the violation of the law under which he was living, but he also had a physical body of flesh and bones.
Now what is a spiritual body? It is one that is quickened by spirit and not by blood. Our Father in Heaven and our Savior and all those who have passed through the resurrection have physical bodies of flesh and bones, but their bodies are quickened by spirit and not by blood, hence they are spiritual bodies and not blood bodies. The immortal body is quickened by spirit, but the mortal body is quickened by blood. . . .
Now when Adam was in the Garden of Eden, he was not subject to death. There was no blood in his body and he could have remained there forever. This is true of all other creations. This statement may not be very pleasing to our evolutionists, but it is true. (pp. 76-77)
There was no living thing upon the earth until it was prepared for living life. The Pearl of Great Price does not say that man was the first living thing on the earth, but that he was the first flesh and the first man also. He became the first mortal flesh when he fell. By flesh is meant mortality, and Adam was the first mortal on the earth; but animals and other forms of life were placed on earth first, and he was not on the earth until everything was prepared for him. (pp. 77-78)
But Adam was the first flesh on the earth and the first man also. By flesh is meant mortality. There are numerous passages in the scriptures in which mortality and flesh are used synonymously. Adam was placed on the earth after all other creatures were here. He came when the earth was prepared for him. The Lord speaks of his becoming the first "flesh," or mortal, because of his fall. He was, of course, the first man on the earth, contrary to the teachings of our evolutionists. (p. 92)
I tell you, life did not commence upon this earth spontaneously. Its origin was not here. Life existed long before our solar system was called into being. The fact is, there never was a time when man--made in the image of God, male and female--did not exist. . . .
The Lord has given us the information regarding his creations, and how
he has made many earths, for there never was a beginning, never was a time
when man did not exist somewhere in the universe, and when the time came
for this earth to be peopled, the Lord, our God, transplanted upon it from
some other earth, the life which is found here. (pp. 139-140)
220. Doctrines of Salvation, 2:47; Joseph Fielding Smith; 1955.
Evidently his (Christ's) Father passed through a period of mortality
even as he passed through mortality, and as we all are doing. Our Father
in heaven, according to the Prophet, had a Father, and since there has
been a condition of this kind through all eternity, each Father had a Father,
until we come to a stop where we cannot go further, because of our limited
capacity to understand.
221. Evidences & Reconciliations; John A. Widtsoe; April 1, 1960.
In the sermon referred to, (JD 1:50) President Young places Adam unequivocally as a separate character, "Michael," under the dominion of the Trinity. "The earth was organized by three distinct characters, Elohim, Yahovah, and Michael." There was no substituting of Adam for the God to whom we pray. Likewise, the term "father" was constantly applied by Brigham Young to Adam, because Adam was associated with Jesus Christ in the making of the earth; and also in a more literal sense, because, as the first man, he was the father of the race. Yet there are those who have nursed the irrational conclusion that President Young implied that Adam and God, the Father, are one and the same individual.
Brigham Young's much-discussed sermon says that "Jesus was begotten in the flesh by the same character that was in the Garden of Eden, and who is our Father in heaven." Enemies of the Church, or stupid people, reading also that Adam is "our father and our God," have heralded far and wide that the Mormons believe that Jesus Christ was begotten of Adam. Yet, the rational reading of the whole sermon reveals the falsity of such a doctrine. It is explained that God the Father was in the Garden of Eden before Adam, that he was the Father of Adam, and that this same personage, God the Father, who was in the Garden of Eden before Adam, was the Father of Jesus Christ, when the Son took upon himself a mortal body. That is, the same personage was the Father of Adam and of Jesus Christ. In the numerous published sermons of Brigham Young this is the doctrine that appears; none other. The assertion is repeatedly made that Jesus Christ was begotten by God, the Father, distinct by any stretch of imagination from Adam. This is a well-established Latter-day Saint doctrine. (56)
With this doctrine in mind, President Brigham Young preached the sermon which has been construed by enemies to teach that Adam is the God to whom we pray and whom we worship. (JD 1:50) President Young merely followed the sound doctrine taught by Joseph Smith that when the earth story is finished, the heads of all the dispensations will deliver their stewardships to Adam, who in turn will deliver them to Jesus Christ, under whose commission the earth work has been done. . . .
Moreover, in the sermon referred to, Brigham Young spoke of Adam as Michael, the archangel, the Ancient of Days, so that nowhere can an intelligent reader confuse Adam with either member of the Godhead. (66-67)
Those who peddle the well-worn Adam-God myth, usually charge the Latter-
day Saints with believing that: (1) Our Father in heaven, the Supreme God,
to whom we pray, is Adam, the first man; and (2) Adam was the father of
Jesus Christ. A long series of absurd and false deductions are made from
these propositions. . . . Nowhere is it suggested that Adam is God, the
Father, whose child Adam himself was. (68-69)
222. Address given at LDS Institute of Religion; Joseph Fielding Smith; Salt Lake City, Utah; January 14, 1961.
Why did Adam come here? Not subject to death when he was placed upon
the earth, there had to come a change in his body through the partaking
of this element---whatever you want to call it, fruit---that brought blood
into his body; and blood became the life of the body instead of spirit.
And blood has in it the seeds of death, some mortal element. Mortality
was created through the eating of the forbidden fruit, if you want to call
it forbidden, but I think the Lord has made it clear that it was not forbidden.
He merely said to Adam, if you want to stay here this is the situation.
If so, don't eat it.
223. Journal of John A. Tvedtnes; Friday, June 30, 1961.
President Joseph Fielding Smith said:
The Lord did not give us the complete story of the creation of Adam and Eve because He knew the world would not accept it.
224. Phone call to Reed C. Durham; Friday afternoon, April 29, 1966. [Notes from a talk with Bruce R. McConkie concerning Brother McConkie's feelings about Luke 3:38] Note: This particular philosophy finds no support in the scriptures nor in the revelations of Joseph Smith. It only clouds an uncloudy issue.
He had purposely left the door open on that part. He said that it was
a true doctrine, that God the Father, Eloheim, a divine resurrected being,
came down to this earth after its creation with a wife and produced, in
a natural way of sexual intercourse, a child who grew up and became known
as Adam. They did the same and brought forth a girl, who grew up and became
Eve. They had bodies of flesh and bone, but were not mortal; not till they
fell. They (Adam and Eve) were not resurrected and were not translated
beings. God really did create their bodies on this earth. They were not
transported here; only their spirits. He then said that his father-in-law
told him that was a true doctrine, and that it had been taught a great
deal by President Joseph F. Smith. He also added that President Joseph
Fielding Smith said it was too deep now for most saints and that's the
reason for saying about the creation of Adam and Even in the temple, 'it's
only figurative.'
225. Church News, p. 10; Hugh B. Brown; February 25, 1967.
The opportunities and possibilities of an archangel or of a god are
inherent in man.
226. Lecture on the Atonement; B.Y.U. Faculty of Religion; Summer, 1967. [Tapescript copy]
I'll make a comment on the creation of Adam, and I'll tell you what
your source material is. The best source material, really, is the statement
of the First Presidency of the day of Joseph F. Smith, John R. Winder and
Anthon H. Lund, when they issued the document that most of you are familiar
with about the creation, evolution and the fall of Adam. The original source
is volume 13 of the Improvement Era, but it's quoted everywhere. In this
document they say such things as this--Adam began life as the human germ
or embryo that becomes a man--and they also say all men who have taken
bodies since that day have come "in like manner." Well, that simply means
that Adam was born into the world. That's the way he had to get here.
227. Working Memorandum on the Creation Story; Handout, p. 14; BYU; Cleon Skousen; 1972.
Brigham Young stated that "He (Adam) was made as you and I were made
and no person was ever made on any other principle." In fact, the Lord
told Moses what it meant to be 'made from the dust of the earth.' The Lord
said it meant to be 'BORN. . .by water, and blood, and the spirit which
I have made, and SO BECAME OF DUST A LIVING SOUL.' (Moses 6:59)
228. Melchizedek Priesthood Manual; "Answers to Gospel Questions"; Joseph Fielding Smith; 1972.
Adam and Eve did not come here in a mortal state. They had to come in the manner in which they did and then transgress the law. The transgression of that law, contrary to the view of many, was not a sin. It was not a sin any more than the transgression in the laboratory by a chemist in combining two substances and creating another entirely different from the first. It was not a sin to bring to pass mortality, a condition which was essential to the eternal welfare of man. The fall changed the nature of Adam and Eve to fit them for the condition in which we now are. (p. 60)
The statement by President Brigham Young (JD 1:50) that the Father is the first of the human family is easily explained. The expression that he was the same character that was in the Garden of Eden has led to misunderstanding because of the implication which many place upon it that it had reference to Adam. Unfortunately President Brigham Young is not here to make his meaning in this regard perfectly clear. Under the circumstances we must refer to other expressions by President Brigham Young in order to ascertain exactly what his views really were in relation to God, Adam, and Jesus Christ. Let me comment first upon the expression that God is the "first of the human family." This same doctrine was taught by Joseph Smith. It is a fundamental doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
He also taught that, literally, God is our Father. That men are of the same RACE--the race called humans, and God the progenitor, or creator, is the Father of the human race. . . .
In discussing the statement by President Brigham Young that the Father of Jesus Christ is the same character who was in the Garden of Eden, I maintain that President Young was NOT referring to Adam, but to God the Father, who created Adam, for he was in the Garden of Eden, and according to Mormon doctrine Adam was in his presence constantly, walked with him, talked with him and the Father taught Adam his language. It was not until the Fall, that the Father departed from Adam and from the Garden of Eden. . . .
President Brigham Young did not believe and did not teach, that Jesus
Christ was begotten by Adam. He said that Adam was conversant with his
Father in the Garden of Eden. This is believed by all members of the Church,
and that the Father was in the Garden of Eden until Adam was driven out
for his transgression. (p. 20-22)
229. The Message of the Joseph Smith Papyri, p. 147; Hugh Nibley; 1975.
. . . in the mysteries everywhere the sleep is also a forgetting. . . . What we see in Jacob at Bethel, the place of the Temple, is really "Adam who has forgotten his image of the Divine Chariot. . . asleep down below." A very early Christian writing tells how Adam, having settled things with the rebellious Lucifer, proceeded to come down to earth under a heavenly escort, but upon arriving here fell into a deep sleep. . . . The close association between coronation and creation is seen in the Pyramid rite in which the King is commanded to shake off sleep, arise, and receive his power. (p. 147)
In Judeao-Christian tradition the first representative of the arrested
sacrifice is Adam, who, as he was sacrificing on an alter, calling upon
God with upraised hands, was accosted by Satan, who tried to sacrifice
him, smiting him on the right side with a sharp stone. Adam fell upon the
altar and Satan fled. While Eve attempted to raise up her husband, and
just as he was at the point of death, God accepted his blood flowing upon
the altar as a sacrifice, "and thus sent down his word and healed Adam".
Thus, as in the cases of Abraham and Isaac, the sacrifice, though arrested,
was no mere empty form, since it was clearly in the process of being carried
out to the end in good faith. (p. 217)
230. The Ensign, p. 5-6; First Presidency Message; President Spencer W. Kimball; "Absolute Truth"; September 1978.
A few more salient facts, which I shall not attempt at this moment to elaborate upon: Adam and Eve transgressed a law and were responsible for a change that came to all their posterity, that of mortality. Could it have been the different food which made the change? Somehow blood, the life-giving element in our bodies, replaced the finer substance which coursed through their bodies before. They and we became mortal, subject to illness, pains, and even the physical dissolution called death. But the spirit, which is supreme in the dual man, transcends the body. It does not decompose but proceeds to the spirit world for further experience, with the assurance that after sufficient preparation there, a reunion will take place where the spirit will be housed eternally in a remodeled body of flesh and bones. This time the union will never be dissolved, since there will be no blood to disintegrate and cause trouble. A finer substance will give life to the body and will render it immortal.
ADAM & EVE CAME FROM ANOTHER PLANET
231. The following statement was recorded by Anson Call in Nauvoo, Illinois, and copied by Patriarch John M. Whitaker, also of Nauvoo. Brigham H. Roberts, Church Historian, years later made a copy from Patriarch Whitaker's copy which is reproduced here. Joseph Smith, Jr. is speaking. Although second hand, it does go along with other quotations which indicate the same thing.
Now regarding Adam, He came here from another planet, an immortalized
Being, and brought his wife Eve with him, and by eating of the fruit of
this earth, became subject to death and decay. . .was made mortal and subject
to death.
232. This
statement was made by President Brigham Young on August 8, 1852 and was
delivered in the Salt Lake Tabernacle. The source reference is J. D. 3:90.
Note that Adam & Eve came to this planet.
There is only one gospel sermon, recollect, brethren and sisters, and
the time that is required to preach it is from the day of the fall, or
from the day when Adam and his wife Eve came here upon this planet, and
from that time until Jesus Christ has subdued the last enemy, which is
death, and put all things under his feet, and wound up all things pertaining
to this earth. Then the gospel will have been preached, and brought up
and presented, and the effects thereof, to the Father.
233. On
November 14, 1852, President Heber C. Kimball gave an address in the Salt
Lake Tabernacle. The reference is J. D. 1:356. Note the way in which he
indicates that Adam had come from another planet.
When we escape from this earth, (do) we suppose we are going to heaven?
Do you suppose you are going to the earth that Adam came from? that Eloheim
came from? where Jehovah the Lord came from? No. When you have learned
to become obedient to the Father that dwells upon this earth, to the Father
and God of this earth, and obedient to the messengers He sends---when you
have done all that, remember you are not going to leave this earth. You
will never leave it until you become qualified, and capable, and capacitated
to become a father of an earth yourselves.
234. This quotation comes from the Journal of Wilford Woodruff under the date of September 17, 1854. Apostle Woodruff became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve on April 26, 1839. On September 17th he says that he attended a Prayer Circle "& had an interesting conversation" with President Brigham Young, Orson Pratt and others. Some of his (Orson Pratt's) doctrines as contained in the Seer were being discussed.
Brother Pratt also thought that Adam was made of the dust of the earth.
Could not believe that Adam was our God or the Father of Jesus Christ.
President Young said that He came from another world & made this. Brought
Eve with him, partook of the fruits of the earth, begat (British or
old world spellings retained as in the original) children & they
were earthly & had mortal bodies & if we were faithful, we should
become Gods as He was.
235. The
following quote comes from the journal of Samual W. Richards, Vol. 2,215,
under the date of March 25, 1855. He served for several years as the British
Mission President and was honorably released from that position in June
of 1854 when Apostle Franklin D. Richards took over. Apparently he attended
a meeting wherein President Young made these comments.
B. Young spoke to the meeting in a very interesting manner. *** Adam
and Eve were made of the dust of the Earth from which they came, they brought
their bodies with them. They had lived, died and been resurrected before
they came here and they came with immortal bodies, and had to partake of
the fruits of this Earth in order to bring forth mortal bodies, or natural
bodies, that their seed might be of the dust of this Earth as they were
of the dust of the earth from which they came.
236. Another
quotation from the Journal of Wilford Woodruff under the date of May 6,
1855. Again, Elder Woodruff was attending a prayer circle with several
of the brethren and President Young made the following comments.
Adam & Eve had lived upon another Earth, were immortal when they
came here. Adam assisted in forming this earth & agreed to fall when
he came here, & he fell that man might be & the opposite principle
to good, the devil, the serpent, the evil, was placed upon the earth that
man might know the good from the evil, for without an experience in these
things man could not know the one from the other. As soon as the devil
was on earth he sowed the seeds of death in everything so as soon as they
began to eat of the fruit of the earth they received into their system
the seeds of mortality & of death so their children were mortal &
subject to death, sorrow, pain & wo. Then when they partook of life,
joy, ease & happiness, they would know how to prize it. Father Adam
would never cease his labors to redeem his posterity & exalt them to
all the glory they were capable of receiving.
237. This
is a quote from a discourse given by President Young in the Salt Lake Tabernacle
on April 20, 1856. The source is J. D. 3:319.
He was the person who brought the animals and the seeds from other
planets to this world, and brought a wife with him and stayed here. You
may read and believe what you please as to what is found written in the
Bible. Adam was made from the dust of an earth, but not from the dust of
this earth. He was made as you and I are made, and no person was ever made
upon any other principle.
238. The following comments were part of a discourse given by President Young in the Salt Lake Tabernacle on October 9, 1859. The source reference is J. D. 7:285.
Here let me state to all philosophers of every class upon the earth,
when you tell me that father Adam was made as we make adobes from the earth,
you tell me what I deem an idle tale. When you tell me that the beasts
of the field were produced in that manner, you are speaking idle words
devoid of meaning. There is no such thing in all the eternities where the
Gods dwell. Mankind are here because they are the offspring of parents
who were first brought here from another planet, and power was given them
to propagate their species, and they were commanded to multiply and replenish
the earth.
239. On
January 27, 1860, Elder Wilford Woodruff recorded the minutes of a meeting
which was held by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve in which
they met to discuss some of the doctrines which were being taught by Orson
Pratt. This journal entry of Elder Woodruff quotes President Young as saying
that Adam came to this earth as a resurrected being.
Michael was a resurrected Being and he left Eloheim and came to this
earth & with an immortal body, & continued so till he par took
of earthly food and begot children who were mortal.
240. The
following is an interesting statement made by President Heber C. Kimball
on June 12, 1860, delivered at Willow Creek. The J. D. reference for this
is 8:243-244.
We often sing, "This earth was once a garden place," where God our
Father dwelt, and took possession and a stand that mankind will take who
attain to that honour....When he (Adam) planted the garden, he planted
it with seeds he brought with him: and he also brought the animals from
the earth he lived upon, where his Father dwelt.
241. The
quote which now follows was given by President Young at a special meeting
held in the St. George temple. It is recorded in the journal of L. John
Nuttall, pp 19-21. At this time brother Nuttall was the private secretary
to President Young. The date is Wednesday, February 7, 1877 just a few
months before the temple was dedicated on April 6th.
We have heard a great deal about Adam and Eve --- how they were formed
and some think he was made like an adobe 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.
242. Under
the date of June 23, 1889, Apostle Abraham H. Cannon records a discussion
he had with his father George Q. Cannon. The whole conversation was on
how the Father (Adam) begat Jesus.
Adam, though made of dust, was made, as President Young said, of the
dust of another planet than this.
243. Elder
B. H. Roberts, in an article printed in The Contributor Vol. 10:265 (1889)
made some very interesting remarks concerning Adam coming from another
planet.
We are informed that the Lord God made every plant of the field before
it was in the earth, and every herb before it grew on our planet. As vegetation
was created or made to grow upon some older earth, and made to grow, so
likewise man and his helpmate were brought from some other world to our
own, to people it with their children. *** . . . instead of being molded
as a brick we are brought forth by the natural laws of procreation: so
also was Adam and his wife in some other world.
244. President
Joseph Fielding Smith, in his book: Man, His Origin and Destiny, pp. 276-277
commented that life was transplanted here from another earth.
. . . does it not appear to you that it is a foolish and ridiculous
notion that when God created this earth he had to begin with a speck of
protoplasm, and take millions of years, if not billions, to bring conditions
to pass by which his sons and daughters might obtain bodies made in his
image? Why not the shorter route and transplant them from another earth
as we are taught in the scriptures?
245. In Doctrines of Salvation, Vol 1:139-140, President Smith again comments about how life was transplanted from another earth.
I tell you, life did not commence upon this earth spontaneously. Its origin was not here. Life existed long before our solar system was called into being. The fact is, there never was a time when man---made in the image of God, male and female--did not exist...
The Lord has given us the information regarding his creations, and now he has made many earths, for there never was a beginning, never was a time when man did not exist somewhere in the universe, and when the time came for this earth to be peopled, the Lord, our God, transplanted upon it from some other earth, the life which is found here.
MAN KNOW THYSELF
"As man is God once was, and as God is man may become."
Do you believe your earthly father was once a little boy as you used to be. How can you prove it. Law establishes the fact that it could not be otherwise.
As your earthly father grew to manhood, he learned a new law, that is, new to him, but the law is old as the world: this law was matrimony. He obeyed the law and by the law became entitled to anew name, - "Husband." Having received this title he was prepared to observe still another, to him new, law, whereby he became entitled to another new name, the greatest name in all the world or worlds to come, - "Father." And you a mortal son was born into the home.
Up until this time you had lived in the spirit world, a son of God, and had been educated in the knowledge of the Gods, and i obedience to the law of mortal birth. you came into this world as a little child, and forgot all you formerly knew. In other words, God, your heavenly Father. caused a deep sleep to come upon you. Your spiritual eyes were closed and you began to behold the light of a temporal world as your mortal eyes were opened, and thus you grew at Mother's knee, and here you learned to walk by faith, as Paul says, "And now ye walk by faith and not by sight," and as the years of childhood lead you into youth, you wandered farther and farther into the great garden of the lone and dreary world. the world we now live in, and in this great garden you found all kinds of fruit and vegetation, some good, some bad, "of the good thou mayest freely eat. but of the bad thou shalt not partake of it." "Nevertheless, thou mayest choose for thyself, but remember I your Heavenly Father forbad you."
You also found Lucifer here, and all his associates, seeking to teach you all manner of false doctrine and trying to lead you astray; he sought to teach you to disobey law, to disregard commandments, and to freely eat of all the fruits and plants in the garden, of which you had been commanded not to partake; he taught you to forget the word of wisdom, to take the name of God in vain, and every other unholy and impure practices, and thus the years of youth went on, until by the bitters in life the law of repentance was awakened in your soul, and by this law you overcame temptation, turned away from sin as best you could, and sought to walk in obedience to all truth, and as you approached manhood, the law of matrimony came also before you. You accepted and obeyed, and entered into an everlasting covenant with one of the daughters of God, to be your wife and companion forever.
But still your spiritual eyes were closed in mortal sleep and while you thus slept, You begot mortal children. (the seed was taken from your loins, or as it is written, "from the rib of man"). Now you have become the co-equal with your earthly father, for you have obeyed the same laws, and have received the same new names. Is it not ever father's ambition that his son should become like him in all things, and enjoy the same blessings he enjoys.
Your mortal children grew up around you, soon to reach the age of maturity, your sons to follow the footsteps of their father, obey the same laws and receive the same new names - and went out and made homes of their own and thus became your co-equal, and your daughters were adopted into the homes of others.
Thus we find you and mother sitting in the twilight of mortal day, alone, thinking most, of the great life beyond the grave, the resurrection and that celestial glory for which you had lived and loved and sacrificed, and soon your mortal eyes are closed in sleep, and the mortal body is laid to rest, but you, yourself., in the spirit lives on, your spiritual eyes are opened again, and you see and remember as before the mortal sleep. Then comes the resurrection, by which you are prepared to receive a fulness of Celestial Glory, you and your companion, and by reason of that everlasting covenant you entered into when in mortality you are still husband and wife, and as such you will continue to live in everlasting progression, that is, to multiply, to beget children, sons and daughters; and as your mortal children were of the earth earthly, so also will your heavenly children be of the spirit world spiritual.
We commonly call our future estate heaven, so you are their Heavenly Father, and Mother, their Heavenly Mother, and all this by obedience to law, notwithstanding you have become a Heavenly Father, you still have a Heavenly Father, whom you love more and more each day as you grow in knowledge and advance in experience, and even your Heavenly Father had a Heavenly Father, and so we might continue, or, as is expressed in a hymn:
The Seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord. That day, you and your wife, and all your children, - as many as will follow you - will spend in the the (sp. the) new earth, in worship and thanksgiving.
Now comes the morning of the new week in which mortality must begin, and your spiritual children must be introduced into mortality. Two must go before them and prepare the way for them. Whom will you send? Would you not say to [your] wife, "Come, Mother, let you and I lay aside our Celestial glory for a little season and eat of the elements of this new earth. that we may again become of the earth earthy, and thereby our offspring will be mortal, and thus we will begin the begetting of mortal bodies for these, our spiritual children; and when they have grown to maturity in their mortal estate, we will command them to multiply and replenish the earth. We have passed through earth life, death and the resurrection. We have power to lay aside this Celestial Glory and we have power to take it up again."
To which she, a faithful Mother, will reply: "Yes, we will partake of the elements of this new earth. We will make this sacrifice for our spiritual children that they also may continue on in the law of everlasting progression and become like unto us, for as the Gods are, some may become."
(Note: This manuscript was copied from manuscript which was found in the possession of N. B. Lundwall.)
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"Concepts & Quotations Dealing with the Origin, Identity & Position of Adam & Eve"
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