INTRODUCTION

One of the most controversial doctrines introduced by President Brigham Young is known as the Adam-God Doctrine, or the belief that “Adam is our Father and our God” and the “only God with whom we have to do.” In a nutshell, this doctrine teaches that both God the Father and his wife, our Heavenly Mother, spiritually procreated the human family, then came to Earth to give them physical bodies as well.

This paper was written to be a simple introduction to the various aspects of the Adam-God Doctrine, for the historian or student of the Gospel to gain an appreciation of the Theology of the Adam-God Doctrine, and to better understand it.

There are various other doctrines that are foundational and connected to this doctrine, such as the Pre-existence of mankind, the doctrine of Exaltation, and the plurality of Gods, which are all necessary to be able to comprehend the Adam-God Doctrine. This paper also attempts to lay out the theological framework of these doctrines as well, before exploring and explaining the different aspects of President Brigham Young’s Adam-God teachings.