INTRODUCTION

To many Mormon Fundamentalists the Adam-God Doctrine is one of the most beautiful doctrines in the Restoration — to them it brings humanity closer to God, contributing to bridging the gap between Heaven and Earth and makes our relationship to Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother more tangible and real. In a nutshell: the Adam-God Doctrine is the teaching that God is not only the father of our spirits but also the father our bodies, and that mankind are both spiritually and physically the “offspring of God.” (Acts 17:29)

But to many mainstream Latter-day Saints the Adam-God Doctrine sounds silly, confusing, and contradictory to scripture. How do we reconcile it with scriptures that appear to contradict the belief that Adam is God the Father, that describe Adam being created by God out of dust, and that appear to describe Adam as a sinner in need of a Savior?

This issue of One Eternal Round is written to try to comprehensively address these questions and offer new perspectives and insight into how the Adam-God Doctrine fits with what is taught in the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and other revelations given through the Prophet Joseph Smith.