Young's Statements Become Plainer

It must be admitted that Brigham's statements in the 1852 discourse can be taken in more than one way. However, it again needs to be asserted that both Brigham's friends and his opponents had understood him to mean that Adam was God and was the Father of Jesus Christ in the flesh. He simply could have corrected the misinterpretation, but he didn't. Instead, 25 years after his original "Adam-God" sermon, we find that the Mormon "Revelator" continued to declare in no uncertain terms that Adam was the Lord God Almighty (23).

During a discourse given on Sunday night, February 19, 1854, Brigham Young again addressed the question of who begot Jesus Christ in the flesh. Speaking of Christ, he asked:

Who did beget him. His Father, and his father is our God, and the Father of our spirits, and he is the framer of the body, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Who is he. He is Father Adam; Micheal; the Ancient of days. Has he a father? He has. Has he a mother? He has. Now to say the Son of God was begotten by the Holy Ghost, is to say that the Holy Ghost is God the Father, which is inconsistent, and contrary to all the revelations of God both modern, and ancient. I silenced this erroneous doctrine a year ago last fall conference. It was I think when a dispute arose among some of our best Elders, as to who was the Father of the Son of Man pertaining to the flesh. Some contended it was the H Ghost, and some that it was Elohim. When I spoke upon it in this stand before a conference of Elders, I cautioned them when they laid their hands upon people for the gift of the H Ghost, according to the instructions of the Savior, to be very careful how they laid hands upon the young women for if it begat a child in the days of the virgin Mary it is just as liable to beget children in these last days (24).

While Brigham in his discourse of 1852 may have been unclear, in this 1854 address there is no question about his meaning. Here Brigham distinctly names Adam as God the Father. Wilford Woodruff, Mormon Apostle and later Church President, had not doubt about what Brigham meant. Referring to this discourse under the date of ` February 19, 1854, in his journal, Woodruff recorded:

He [Brigham Young] said that our God was Father Adam He was the Father of the Savior Jesus Christ - Our God was no more less than ADAM, Michael the Arkangel (25).

It should be noted that Brigham identifies Adam as the "Father of our spirits."One of Mormonism's fundamental doctrines is the belief that God the Father was married and that he and his celestial wife in a pre-existent period had begotten every spirit that would come to this earth. These spirits then enter into individual infants who are born physically upon the earth (26). By referring to Adam as the Father of our spirits, Brigham was clearly identifying him as the being whom Mormons address as "Heavenly Father".

On June 26-28, 1854, a special General Council of the authorities of the LDS British Mission convened in London, England. The council minutes show that Brigham's doctrine of Adam being God was not readily received by some of the members there. After the introductory exercise, Mormon Elder Thomas Caffall rose to state the affairs of the Southern LDS conference. Among other things he reported the following:

...some of the officers have not met in council for three years. They are lacking faith on one principle - the last 'cat that was let out of the bag.' Polygamy has been got over pretty well, that cloud as vanished away, but they are troubled about Adam being our Father and God. There is a very intelligent person investigating our principles, and who has been a great help to the Saints; he as all the works and can get along very well with everything else but the last 'cat', and as soon as he can see that clearly, he will become a 'Mormon'. I instructed him to write Liverpool upon it (27).

Elder Joseph Hall followed with a report of his district's progress. Despite the non-Biblcal nature of the Adam-God doctrine, those in his area were willing to receive it as truth:

Relative to the principles recently revealed, we have not the least difficulty. If Adam's being our Father and God cannot be proved by the Bible, it is alright (28).

On the final day of the council Elder James A. Little rose and made the following remarks:

I believe in the principle of obedience; and if I am told that Adam is our Father and our God, I just believe it (29).

Mission president Samuel W. Richards followed with a concluding exhortation concerning the Adam-God doctrine:

Concerning the item of doctrine alluded t by Elder Caffall and others, viz., that Adam is our Father and God, I have to say do not trouble yourselves, neither let the Saints be troubled about that matter... If, as Elder Caffall remarked, there are those who are waiting at the door of the Church for this objection to be removed, tell such, the prophet and Apostle Brigham has declared it, and that IS THE WORD OF THE LORD. (30).