In the world today, hundreds of millions of the human family are suffering from the unlawful and illegitimate exercise of the sexual powers, there being no act in mortality except murder, which debases individuals and families so quickly as does the misuse of powers of procreation. It has destroyed homes it has exalted and debased nations; it has promoted peace, and it has destroyed it. The history of this work is the history of marriage, celestial or plural marriage, as revealed anew through Joseph Smith—the system that exists among the Gods, the system that prevails among glorified worlds moving about in their might, dominion and majesty in the heavenly universes.

In the beginning, when the eternal elements were assembled, when the gods organized this world for intelligence to occupy, another link in the endless and eternal chain of world-making was being carried out. The teachings of prophet teachers of Mormondom have declared and tried to instill into the minds of the Latter-day Saints that a very imperfect genesis of the history of the organization of this world, and of Adam and Eve, has been recorded, because of the unbelief, the sin and wickedness of the human family. At ties since the days of Joseph Smith, in public and in private, leaders of the people have tried to tell the Latter-day Saints a more correct story, an advanced history of these matters, [7] that the mystery concerning the creation might be clarified to their understanding, but the people were slow to heed and accept the truths they were telling. They preferred to believe the narration commonly accepted by Christendom of the day. From Joseph Smith, Presidents Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball learned many hidden truths, never known even to this day among the Mormon people. They were truths that laid the groundwork of the theological structure being erected. These teachings were the inspiration that directed these men to inquire further at the hands of God for additional information on the same subject, and from time to time we hear them bearing testimony of things not generally known.

Adam, it was taught, was an exalted mortal man, a resurrected being who had previously passed through an earth-life upon another world and who now came here to commence the propagation of the human family, to provide the necessary channel whereby multitudes of spirit-offspring could receive their bodies. Adam, the great progenitor of the human family, was placed in the garden of Eden; he brought with him one of his celestial wives, who like himself, had passed through a mortal probation and had qualified for godhood with her husband. Adam with his celestial family (his wives) had procreated their species in spirit. They were now here to further consummate the eternal program of progress. They were now making it possible for all of their spirit-children to obtain mortal bodies, without which no one could obtain a fullness of joy. By partaking of the fruit of death, which contained the seeds of [8] mortal life and blood, a condition was brought about in their bodies which produced blood, thus providing the channel which opened up the way for earth-life or mortality.

President Brigham Young taught in 1856:

Though we have it in history [sacred history[ that our Father Adam was made of the DUST of this earth, and that he KNEW NOTHING about his God previous to being made here. YET IT IS NOT SO; and when we learn the TRUTH we shall see and understand that he helped to MAKE THIS WORLD; and was the CHIEF MANAGER in that operation.

He was the person who brought the animals and seeds from OTHER PLANETS to this world, and brought a wife with him and stayed here. You may read and believe what you please as to what is found written in the Bible. Adam was MADE from the dust of AN EARTH, but NOT from the dust of this earth. He was made as you and I were made, and no person was ever made upon ANY OTHER principle.

Do you not suppose that he was acquainted with his ASSOCIATES, who came and helped to make THIS EARTH? Yes, they were just as familiar with each other as we are with our children and parents.

(J. of D., Vol. 3, p. 319)

To the founders of Mormonism, the King James translation of the Bible was an imperfect record. It has not been translated correctly. The translations of man from one language to another down through the centuries of time led to a misstatement of facts, through [9] lack of understanding coming as the result of an absence of revelation. Many plain and precious parts were taken away, also may covenants of the Lord. All this was done in order to pervert the right ways of God, that they might blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men. Thus the full and complete story of the creation, of Adam and Eve, their coming from a celestial and glorified world, and of their spiritual children there, has never been fully told. Because of their partaking of “the forbidden fruit,” Adam and Eve became mortal, and in making it possible for spirits to be clothed upon mortal tabernacles, the one became “THE ETERNAL FATHER” and the other “THE ETERNAL MOTHER” of the children of men to this planet. These glorious personages thus rule by virtue of divine right over this earth and their children.