LDS/Mormons: Let's admit that the Adam-God doctrine was just Brigham Young's personal opinion and not doctrine

Question

A) Firstly, how do you justify the policy of "Follow the Prophet, he knows the way" if the prophet is allowed to have such a skewed "personal opinion" of God?

B) Secondly, how can you believe Wilford Woodruff's statement that God won't let a prophet lead you astray? Since the Adam-God doctrine was given at an official Church function, wouldn't that be Brigham "leading people astray?"

C) Thirdly, if an LDS prophet "converses with God" and has received a "special witness of Christ" through the second anointing (as is required before being set apart as a prophet), shouldn't Brigham have known God better than to confuse Him with Adam? If not, then is an LDS prophet any different than you or me?

I'm not trying to "bash", I'm just curious how you interpret what I deem as a flaw of logic too drastic to reconcile. Hopefully you'll surprise me!

For those unfamiliar with what he said, here it is... and yes, I KNOW that JoD is not an official statement of doctrine (see question):

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, Journal Of Discourses 1:51

Beta_Fishy:

Where in the above question did I ever say what you or other Mormons believe?

Answer 1

norrispenguin ftw

Answer 2

>Firstly, how do you justify the policy of "Follow the Prophet,
>he knows the way"
Nobody is arguing that he was a prophet. The historical Christian church alleges that he was a false prophet. That is how this gets reconciled. Deuteronomy chapters 13 and 18 has some teachings about false prophets that is pertinent here.
>B) Secondly, how can you believe Wilford Woodruff's
>statement that God won't let a prophet lead you astray?
A true prophet will not do that because this one listens to God and passes along God's messages.

>Since the Adam-God doctrine was given at an official
>Church function, wouldn't that be Brigham "leading people >astray?"
It sure would!

>C) Thirdly, if an LDS prophet "converses with God" and has
>received a "special witness of Christ" through the second
More than likely he should have. Mormons say that their prophets are just "wrong" and leave alone the notion of false prophet because that can't apply to them in God's true church.

Answer 3

I will quote an Apostle, Elder Bruce R. McConkie to answer this misconception.
"...enemies of the restored truth, for their own peculiar purposes, some times try to make it appear that Latter-day Saints worship Adam as their Father in Heaven. In support of their false assumptions they quote such statements as that of President Brigham Young. His statement and others of a similar nature, is perfectly consistent and rational, when viewed in full gospel perspective and understood in the light of the revelations relative to the patriarchal chain binding exalted beings together. Full and detailed explanations of all important teachings on these points are readily available.
Faithful members of the Church worship the Father, in the name of the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit, and view Adam in his proper high place as the pre-existent Michael, the first man and presiding high priest (under Christ) over all the earth for all time, and as the one who will again lead the armies of Heaven in the final great war with Lucifer. There is a sense, of course, in which Adam is a god. But so also, in the same sense, are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; Moses and all the ancient prophets; Peter, James, and John; and all the righteous saints of all ages, including those of both high and low degree.
All exalted beings become joint heirs with Christ and inherit the fullness of the Father's kingdom. Adam is the chief, presiding (under Christ and the Father) in the patriarchal order over all the rest. There is no mystery about this doctrine except that which persons ignorant of the great principles of exaltation and unfriendly to the cause of righteouseness have attemted to make."
D&C 132:19-20

Answer 4

Since Brigham Young isn't here to clear things up, then it's an anomaly, an incongruity. If you read the entire talk, you see that he seems to contradict himself. He says that Adam is God, then he says that Adam was Michael.

Therefore, I must assume that there was some sort of glitch in the transcription.

So, I don't think it reflects on whether or not Brigham Young was a prophet.

Answer 5

Like bubblewrap said, any LDS would not have come out with your intepretation.

We all know we worshipped the Eternal Father, plain and simple.

As you said, Prophet would know better than any of us, so to implied Brigham Young make such a teaching mistakes is irrational.

Answer 6

You read way too much into that passage. Your confused by your own interpretation. People find what they are looking for, and you are obviously looking for reasons to disbelieve the LDS Church. As such I'm sure that you've read all the Anti-LDS books and visited all the Anti-LDS websites and talked to a variety of apostates and non-members. You have sought out all the sources that you knew would tell you what you wanted to hear. If you put as much effort into living your own religion as you do tearing down others you'd be nearing perfection.

Answer 7

Are those your caps or Pres. Youngs? To understand this quote you have to realize that this is not the only world with people on it that God created. In these creations, God the Father instructed Jesus (Jehovah). There were other spirits involved in each creation. In this world, Adam (aka Michael) was Jesus' right hand man, thus being a creator and,in a sense, a god. However Adam only participated in creating this world, not others as did Jesus and the Father. So They are Gods of other worlds as well as this one. Adam is the only god that the inhabitants of this world have to do with because he isn't shared like the Father and Son.

That's my understanding.

Jamie: you'll notice that none of the Mormons that have answered have said that it was just his opinion

Answer 8

Brigham young was still a man. and men can not always say what there mind is thinking. and men do have personal opinions. was this:
(a) some truth
(b) full truth
(c) personal opinion
(d) all lies
we may have to die to find out. as for me i am more willing to listen to the people that are still alive. if i have to guess i would say (a)

Answer 9

Agreed

Answer 10

I have to question the validity of quoting Bruce R McConkie to defend Brigham Young. Both were loose cannons and both put the church on precarious ground with their 'opinions'. While Joseph Smith might be credited with developing the fundamental chuch doctrine, both Young and McConkie nearly dismantled it completely.

It's up to Dallin Oakes and Boyd K Packer to finsh up where the above two left off.

Mormon History might finally be "History" by the end of the next few decades if left in the hands of Oakes or Packer.

Answer 11

I love it when people misinterpret quotes from early prophets in order to try to tell me what I believe. lol

Give it a rest, penguin...

I think Bubblewrap's quote answers this question perfectly.

EDIT: Ah..I see. You're going to play it stupid. Well, to each his own...