Adam-God Was Taught in the Temple
For many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, if they’ve heard of it all, the Adam-God doctrine is merely something that has been “alleged to have been taught by some of the General Authorities of past generations”, as Spencer W. Kimball taught here.
Many would be surprised to find out that it was taught in the temple.
The Lecture at the Veil
Two important pieces of information come from the journal of L. John Nuttall, who was the first recorder of the St. George temple. From his entries from February 1877 we learn that:
- According to Brigham Young, Joseph Smith directed him (Brigham) to “organize and systematize” the endowment.
- While Brigham Young was president, there was a lecture given as part of the endowment ceremony explaining the Adam-God doctrine. Here are some quotes from the lecture that express basic points of the doctrine, and are confirmed by Brigham Young in different sermons:
“Adam…had lived on an earth similar to ours, he had received the Priesthood…had been faithful in all things and gained…his exaltation…”
“Eve…who is the mother of all living, bore those spirits in the celestial world.”
“Adam and Eve…came to this earth and commenced…forming tabernacles for those spirits to dwell in.”
“Adam and Eve, when they were placed on this earth, were immortal beings…but upon partaking of the fruits of the earth while in the garden…their bodies became changed…to mortal beings…”
These basic points that can be pulled from here are that Adam & Eve were resurrected beings who were the parents of our spirits and became mortal again for the sake of becoming our physical parents as well.
Before 1877
While we didn’t get the first written transcript of the endowment ceremony until 1877, Brigham Young did make references to Nauvoo temple teachings that may have been in line with Adam-God.
- In 1849, he told Lorenzo Snow that:
“Our Father was once born of parents, and had a father and mother [the] same as we [have]. [Jesus]…the Father came down and begot him the same as we do now…It was all told in the Temple [lecture]…”
2. He also stated in 1855 that:
“Joseph did say in the endowments, ‘We do not make man out of the dust of the earth as much as God did make Adam.’ …Joseph knew from the Lord almighty that Adam was not made out of an adobe.”
This is significant because Brigham would incorporate these ideas into many of his sermons on the Adam-God doctrine (see an example from general conference here). This serves as evidence that they weren’t merely creations of his own mind or theories but that they were taught by Joseph in the glimpse of the endowment that he was able to give before he turned it over to Brigham to “organize and systematize”, as we saw earlier.
Regardless of when it began being taught, it appears that the doctrine was removed from the endowment by 1905, while Adam continued to be referred to as “a god” up until 1990.
Why it Matters
The temple is a very sacred place for Latter-Day Saints. It is:
- the house of the Lord
- a place where we may be endowed with knowledge
- where Heaven meets Earth
We believe that the ordinances done there are very important, and that they are revealed from heaven (D&C 124:40).
I myself have been taught that while temple work may change in small ways, the ordinances remain intact, not changed in any significant way. The church website states that “while many adjustments have occurred over time, the core doctrine and central covenants of the temple ordinances have remained consistent.”
If this is true, then we’re left with some questions:
- Is the identity of God a core doctrine?
- To what degree can ordinances be changed and still be considered intact?
- Have the ordinances, whether in past or present, been received by revelation?
