As God Once Was

The Quote

“God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret. If the veil were rent today, and the great God who holds this world in its orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all things by His power, was to make himself visible—I say, if you were to see him today, you would see him like a man in form—like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man.” — Joseph Smith, JoD 6:3 (April 7, 1844)

Lyrics

[Intro - Atmospheric, building cosmic soundscape]
[Piano and strings gradually layer in][Soft drums begin to pulse]

[Verse 1 - Building, confident, storytelling]
April seventh, eighteen forty-four
A funeral sermon, but something more
King Follett's dead, the mourners weep
But Joseph has a secret to keep
He stands before the temple, tall
"I'll tell you now the truth of all"
"I'm going to tell you," hear him say
"How God came to be God this day"

[Pre-Chorus - Rising]
Eight thousand souls beneath the sky
"The great secret—I will not hide"
"If I fail to do it, understand,
I'll renounce my prophetic stand"

[Chorus - Massive, anthemic]
God himself was once as we are now
An exalted man upon his mortal brow
You have got to learn to be gods, don't you see?
The same as all gods have done—eternally
The head of the gods called a council to meet
Concocted the plan, made creation complete
This is the secret, the truth profound—
As man is now, God once was found

[Verse 2 - Declarative, building intensity]
"God the Father dwelt on earth like you,
The same as Jesus Christ, this much is true
He laid down his body, his life, his breath
Then took it up again—conquered death"
"God never had the power to create your soul—
Intelligence eternal is the whole"
"From age to age, self-existent, free—
Co-equal with God in eternity"

[Verse 3 - Joseph's grandiosity]
[Slight key change, building to peak]
"I have the Bible in four tongues," he proclaimed
"Hebrew, Latin, German, Greek—I'm not ashamed"
"I am learned, know more than all the world combined"
"The Holy Ghost is in me—he's not blind"
"I shall comment on the very first word
Of Genesis itself—let truth be heard
And if I fail, let my calling cease—
But I won't fail—I bring you peace"

[Pre-Chorus - Powerful]
"From one small degree to the next you'll climb
From a small capacity to glory sublime
From grace to grace, exaltation to exaltation rise
Until you sit enthroned in the skies"

[Chorus Variation - Peak energy, triumphant]
God himself was once as we are now
(He spoke with power, solemn vow)
You have got to learn to be gods, all agree
(The same as all gods have done—can't you see?)
The head of the gods—yes, gods, plural, more—
Called a council divine from heaven's floor
This is the secret that sets us free—
As God is now, man may be

[Extended Bridge - Tonal shift, stripped down arrangement]
[Music drops to piano and soft strings]
[Spoken-word quality, uncertain]

Eighty-one days later—Carthage Jail
The prophet's voice would tell no more tale
But the teaching spread through Zion's land
Lorenzo Snow confirmed it: understand—
"As man now is, God once was,
As God now is, man may be"—this was the cause

[Music builds slightly - adding bass, drums]

A century passes, then comes the test
A reporter asks the prophet blessed
"Tell me about the teaching, please explain—
That God was once a man on another plane?"

[Music nearly stops - single piano]

President Hinckley, nineteen ninety-seven:
"I don't know that we teach it—path to heaven"
"I don't know that we emphasize it much"
"I don't know a lot about it and such"
"I don't think others know a lot about it too"

[Pause]

The great secret... forgotten, through and through.

[Final Chorus - Returns to epic with ironic edge]
[Full arrangement crashes back in]
God himself was once as we are now—
(Or so the prophet taught with solemn vow)
You have got to learn to be gods, don't you see?
(Unless we don't teach it anymore, maybe?)
The head of the gods called a council to meet—
(But we don't emphasize it on the street)
This is the secret that made us unique—
(Now hidden from the investigators we seek)

[Extended Outro - Atmospheric, unresolved]
[Choir returns with "Ahhhh"]
[Piano plays motifs from the chorus]
[Strings swell and fade]

Eighty-one days between the sermon and the death
The king gave his folly one final breath
"I am learned," he said, "more than all the world"
But now his great secret lies unfurled
Taught for a century, then put away
The gods of the council have nothing to say

[Soft spoken word over fading music]
"If I fail to do it,
It becomes my duty
To renounce all further pretensions
To be a prophet..."

[END]

Historical Context

The Setting: April 7, 1844 — A funeral sermon for King Follett, delivered before approximately 8,000 people near the unfinished Nauvoo Temple.

The Speaker: Joseph Smith Jr., founder and first President of the LDS Church. He would be killed 81 days later at Carthage Jail.

Significance: This is considered Joseph Smith’s most theologically significant sermon. It establishes the doctrine of divine progression — that God was once a man and humans can become gods.

The Modern Ambivalence

1997 — Larry King Live Interview:

Larry King: “Are Mormons Christians?” Gordon B. Hinckley: “Yes, we are.” Larry King: “Do Mormons believe God was once a man?” Gordon B. Hinckley: “I don’t know that we teach it. I don’t know that we emphasize it… I understand the philosophical background behind it, but I don’t know a lot about it, and I don’t think others know a lot about it.”

The “great secret” Joseph couldn’t contain became something President Hinckley “didn’t know that we teach.”

The Paradox

• The King Follett Discourse remains published in the Journal of Discourses
• The Lorenzo Snow couplet (“As man now is, God once was”) was taught for generations
• Modern prophets now distance from the teaching
• The doctrine is neither officially affirmed nor officially denied

The great secret — or is it?