Here was an answer from the First Presidency on the topic:
god in heaven is the father of our spirits,adam is the father of all that has been born mortal in the earth,jesus christ is father to all that is spiritually reborn.god our father in heaven is supreme god over all with adam and jesus as his elder children sharing part of his vision for the earth they helped in creating.
LDS_Forever,
just my two cents worth, added to what JB posted from Pres. Smith. You posted from brigham Young...("When our father Adam came into the garden of Eden, he came into it with a celestial body, and brought Eve, one of his wives, with him. He helped to make and organize this world. He is MICHAEL, the Archangel, the ANCIENT OF DAYS! about whom holy men have written and spoken-HE is our FATHER and our GOD, and the only God with whom WE have to do"¦.When the Virgin Mary conceived the child Jesus, the Father had begotten him in his own likeness. He was not begotten by the Holy Ghost. And who is the Father? He is the first of the human family ( If I may inject something here? Who is the first of the human family? While Adam is the father of our physical body, we actually had our beginning in the pre-existence as spirits. Therefore the first of the human family is our heavenly father!)"¦. Jesus, our elder brother, was begotten in the flesh by the same character that was in the Garden of Eden, ( Now was Adam the only man in the garden of Eden? If you will recall the Father and son were there long before Adam was placed there. They created the garden of eden, So the "Same character that was in the garden of Eden, was the father.) and who is our Father in Heaven." (President Brigham Young. Journal of (Discourses 1:50-51) ( So the bottom line is, neither brigham Young, nor the Church, ever taught this "Adam god theory." It is a product of the anti-Mormons, quoting Brigham Young, than using their own thinking to interpret those quotes. They are the ones who coined the phrase "Adam God theory!" Just some of my thoughts........
Thanks Hugh, I research a lot about the subject and yes you are right, I found plenty more quotes about Brigham Young who of course, separate Heavenly Father from Adam...(I wish I could have the Journal of Discourses CD!!! it's way too expensive to afford).
I don't know how the old times Prophet used to speak but I think the fact that President Young used so many times the word Father to describe Adam was a bit confusing in my opinion of course.
[quote]Thanks Hugh, I research a lot about the subject and yes you are right, I found plenty more quotes about Brigham Young who of course, separate Heavenly Father from Adam...(I wish I could have the Journal of Discourses CD!!! it's way too expensive to afford).
I don't know how the old times Prophet used to speak but I think the fact that President Young used so many times the word Father to describe Adam was a bit confusing in my opinion of course.[/quote]
Deseret Book has a great program called GospeLink... the Journal is in that also... I got mine through the Book Club for 69.95 USD... I don't know how that would translate where you are... But it may be worth a look see... Just look up Deseret Book in a search engine...
A year ago or so I did some reading on the Adam God theory and found some quotes that seemed to indicate Brigham Young did in fact believe this, that Adam is our Heavenly Father and it was even taught in the temple for a time. I do not have the references anymore but Pres. Young taught that Adam is our Heavenly Father. Eloheim, who instructed Adam in the garden is a title, rather than a name and is Adam's father, or our spiritual grandfather. It was taught that this scenario has gone on for all eternity. Once you become a God and begat spiritual children and create a world for their mortal probation, you as a God or their father come to that Earth and are the father of their physical bodies as well. So Adam is in fact our Heavenly Father and Eve our Heavenly Mother. Pres. Young also said on one occasion that this doctrine was hard for the saints to believe and if they continued to lack the faith to understand this, the teaching would be taken from us. So, perhaps this is what happened, we failed to accept the doctrine and now have lost this for a time.
I'm not saying I believe this, the idea certainly has some holes in it, but I accept it may be true. Pres. Hinckley recently commented on this and stated that Brigham Young taught that if we were to see God we would see that he is Adam. Pres. Hinckley then said, I don't know what he meant by that. Notice he did not reject the idea, just that he didn't know.
There are too many references by Brigham Young to accept that he was misquoted or taken out of context. Many journals of early Saints noted that this doctrine was taught and Pres. Young stated he learned this from Joseph Smith.
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.