Adam Is Our God
In 1852, Brigham Young declared 'Adam is our Father and our God, the only God with whom we have to do. Every man will know it sooner or later.' In 1976, the LDS Church denounced it as false doctrine. Sooner or later, every man did know — just not what Brigham expected.
The Quote
“Now hear it, O inhabitants of the earth, Jew and Gentile, Saint and sinner! 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. Every man upon the earth, professing Christians or non-professing, must hear it, and will know it sooner or later.” — Brigham Young, JoD 1:50 (April 9, 1852)
Lyrics
[Intro]
(Acoustic guitar, sparse, building)
[Verse 1]
April, eighteen fifty-two
Salt Lake Tabernacle, General Conference
The prophet clears his throat and says
"Now hear it, O inhabitants of the earth"
[Verse 2]
"When our father Adam came to Eden
He came with a celestial body
Brought Eve, one of his wives, with him
Michael, the Archangel, Ancient of Days"
[Chorus]
(Building intensity)
Adam is our Father
Adam is our God
The only God with whom we have to do
Sooner or later, sooner or later
Every man will know it's true
[Verse 3]
"Pause before you make light of these words
Don't treat them with indifference
For they will prove your salvation
Or they will prove your damnation"
[Chorus]
[Bridge]
(Pulls back, then builds)
One hundred twenty years go by
Nineteen seventy-six arrives
President Kimball takes the stand
"We denounce that theory"
That's the church's final word
[Final Chorus]
(Full, then pulling back)
Adam was our Father
Adam was our God
The only God with whom we had to do
Sooner or later, sooner or later
Every man will know it wasn't true
[Outro]
(Fading, acoustic only)
"Sooner or later..."
"Sooner or later..."
(Silence)
Historical Context
The Setting: April 9, 1852 — Salt Lake Tabernacle, General Conference. This was the most authoritative setting for doctrinal pronouncements in the LDS Church.
The Speaker: Brigham Young — Second President of the LDS Church (1847-1877), Prophet, Seer, and Revelator.
The Doctrine: Young taught that Adam was not merely the first man, but was actually God the Father in a mortal body, having come to earth with Eve (one of his celestial wives) to begin the human race. He declared this with prophetic authority: “Now hear it, O inhabitants of the earth.”
The Aftermath:
- 1852-1877: Young taught this doctrine repeatedly; it was incorporated into temple ceremonies
- 1870s: Apostle Orson Pratt publicly disagreed and was rebuked
- Early 1900s: Doctrine quietly removed from temples
- 1976: President Spencer W. Kimball called it a “theory” that “we denounce”
- Today: The LDS Church considers it false doctrine incompatible with scripture
The Modern Disavowal
“We denounce that theory and hope that everyone will be cautious against this and other kinds of false doctrine.” — Spencer W. Kimball, Church News, October 9, 1976
Lyric-to-Source Mapping
| Lyric | Source | Type |
|---|---|---|
| “April, eighteen fifty-two” | JoD 1:46 (sermon header) | Historical |
| “Salt Lake Tabernacle, General Conference” | JoD 1:46 (sermon header) | Historical |
| “Now hear it, O inhabitants of the earth” | JoD 1:50 | Quote |
| “When our father Adam came to Eden” | JoD 1:50 | Paraphrase |
| “He came with a celestial body” | JoD 1:50 | Quote |
| “Brought Eve, one of his wives, with him” | JoD 1:50 | Quote |
| “Michael, the Archangel, Ancient of Days” | JoD 1:50 | Quote |
| “Adam is our Father / Adam is our God” | JoD 1:50 (“HE is our FATHER and our GOD”) | Quote |
| “The only God with whom we have to do” | JoD 1:50 | Quote |
| “Sooner or later / Every man will know it’s true” | JoD 1:50 (“will know it sooner or later”) | Paraphrase |
| “Pause before you make light of these words” | JoD 1:51 | Paraphrase |
| “Don’t treat them with indifference” | JoD 1:51 | Quote |
| “They will prove your salvation / Or they will prove your damnation” | JoD 1:51 | Quote |
| “One hundred twenty years go by” | 1852-1976 calculation | Historical |
| “We denounce that theory” | Church News, Oct 9, 1976 | Quote |
Addressing Apologetic Responses
“Speaking as a man, not as prophet”
He explicitly said “Now hear it, O inhabitants of the earth” — prophetic proclamation formula. He said “Every man… must hear it” and it “will prove their salvation or damnation.” This is not personal speculation. It was taught in General Conference and in temple ceremonies.
“Just his personal theory”
Young taught this repeatedly over 25 years, including in the temple endowment. Apostle Orson Pratt publicly disagreed and was rebuked. The doctrine carried salvation-or-damnation stakes. Personal theories don’t work that way.
“We don’t fully understand what he meant”
The words are not ambiguous: “HE is our FATHER and our GOD, and the only God with whom WE have to do.” The church doesn’t say “we don’t understand it” — they say “we denounce it.” Either Adam is God the Father or he isn’t.
“Later prophets clarified it”
No revelation superseding it has been published. The church simply stopped teaching it and eventually denounced it. If prophets can be corrected this completely, current prophets can be too. Young said “Every man will know it sooner or later” — he didn’t anticipate needing correction.
“Prophets aren’t infallible”
The scope of this “mistake” is catastrophic — who God is. Young didn’t present it as opinion but as revealed truth with eternal stakes. If prophets can be this wrong about the identity of God while claiming prophetic authority, what can we trust?
“Now, remember from this time forth, and for ever, that Jesus Christ was not begotten by the Holy Ghost.” — JoD 1:51