Joseph's Doctrine

People like to 'blame' the Adam-God doctrine on Brigham Young. It was actually Joseph's Doctrine, and it seems to be easily demonstrable through our LDS scriptures.

D&C 27:11 reads:

And also with Michael, or Adam, the father of all, the prince of all, the ancient of days;

This establishes the first part of the doctrine, that Michael and Adam are the same being. The rest of the Christian world typically holds to one of two other interpretations: Michael is Jesus Christ, or Michael is just an Angel. Through revelation recorded in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants we know that Michael is Adam.

The next and final point is in Daniel 7:9,13-14:

I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
...
I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Two things to notice here. First is that the Ancient of Days sits upon a throne, and second and more importantly is that Jesus Christ receives his dominion, glory, and kingdom from Him. If you have any question as to the direction the authority is being passed, you can even take a look at the footnotes in the current LDS edition of the scriptures for verse 9 you find that footnote c refers to TG Adam and for verse 14 you will find TG Jesus Christ, Authority Of and TG Jesus Christ, Millennial Reign. (TG = Topical Guide)

So, if you're one who is considering throwing out notion of Adam-God, be sure to throw out Adam-Michael too, for they both lead to the same conclusion.

The part a comprehensive study of Brigham's teachings chiefly clarifies is that Adam Himself also had a God, which He and His immediate children worshipped and served. This "Grandfather" that brigham Referred to may be the being properly referred to as Jehovah. Elohim seems to have been viewed as a Great-Grandfather, and a whole hierarchy of Gods was implied in the sense that we should not expect that any Man is created without a Father.

To the early Saints, the being called Jehovah was identified mainly with God the Father and did not become a pseudonym for Jesus Christ until relatively recent times (around the 1920's). A small vestige of this is left in the Endowment ceremony where Jehovah refers to "The Gospel of Jesus Christ" (third person), and I have heard rumor that a much earlier script for the ceremony had a Jesus character cast under a separate actor.

This was indeed Joseph's doctrine. It was and should be an important doctrine of the Restoration, and was deemed the first principle of the Gospel by Joseph Smith and among the first principles of the gospel by Brigham Young. Joseph said we needed to obtain a correct understanding of the characters, attributes and perfections of God in order to be able to exercise faith unto salvation, and Brigham said that these things will determine our salvation or damnation. They preached the same message.

What is the objection, folks? God was once a sinner, and mortal. This is no surprise, we still learn in the Church today that we may gain exaltation, and if we expect to attain Godhood even though we are sinners presently, why would Father (or Christ) have done it in any different manner?

Joseph also taught that Christ did nothing that the Father didn't do already. It has been implied (if not outright taught) that the Father once lived mortal life and died as a sacrifice for the salvation of the beings on a previous world, and that Christ is following this pattern.

Lucifer also bears testimony of this arrangement, as he claims that he is only doing what has been done on other worlds.

We should be willing and prepared to do many great things in the Spirit World, and to undertake and perform the same things that the Son has done for us for another people, and to proceed upward from there as He is about to do, and serve as Adam's and Eve's of our own World, where our own Spirit Children will experience mortality.