gdemetz wrote:That is incorrect. As I stated before, I have read all of the discourses of Brigham Young, and he did believe as I stated.
Okay. I've read all the discourses of Mao Tse-tung, and he believed in kittens and rainbows. It's true because I said so.
There are only two statements that are misunderstood, and one of those should not be since he clearly refers to future "Adams" and "Eves."
I quoted more than two statements. There are not any statements that are misunderstood, except in the case of apologetic revisionist desperation to make Brigham Young's teachings about Heavenly Father consistent with the modern LDS Church's teachings about Heavenly Father. The source of that desperation being, if Brigham Young was wrong about the identity of Heavenly Father, then he was a false prophet. Conversely, if he was right about Heavenly Father, then the LDS Church is wrong. It's sort of amusing how modern Mormons are getting trolled by a guy who died 135 years ago.
The only really confusing statement he makes, I explained.
"explained" = invented an ad hoc, "dog ate my homework" excuse for
I even mentioned other quotes he made which clearly taught his beliefs concerning this matter. However, the critics always want to ignore those.
Critics such as Orson Pratt, for example. Or Bruce R. McConkie.
Or Charles W. Penrose: "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has never formulated or adopted any theory concerning the subject treated upon by President Young as to Adam."
Funny how there are these General Authorities who frankly admitted that Brigham Young taught the Adam-God doctrine. They must have been blinded by their anti-Mormon bias.
There are other statements that he made also concerning his true belief on this matter. After the quotes I gave to show what he really believed, he goes on further to clarify it more on one of them:
"The He commenced the work of creating earthly tabernacles, precisely as He had been created in the flesh Himself, by partaking of the coarse material that was organized and composed this earth, until His system was charged with it, consequently the tabernacles of His children were organized from the coarse materials of this earth."
"I want to tell you, each and every one of you, that you are well acquainted with God our Heavenly Father, or the great Elohim"
(Discourses of Brigham Young, page 50). These statements are very consistent will all of the other statements He made concerning this matter. I gave this one as well as another one in the "Adam-God Theory" topic here.
I'm so glad you cited that, because I happen to have a copy of Discourses of Brigham Young right here in front of me. This quote from page 50 cites Journal of Discourses 4:216. Let's look at volume 4 of the JOD, and go on to page 217:
“Whether Adam is the personage that we should consider our heavenly Father, or not, is considerable of a mystery to a good many. I do not care for one moment how that is: it is no matter whether we are to consider Him our God, or whether His Father, or His Grandfather, for in either case we are of one species.”
That sure looks a lot like Brigham Young was not opposed to the idea that Adam is our Heavenly Father. I guess we would need a little more information to make sure what the Prophet Brigham Young meant.
Journal of Discourses 5:332 http://www.journalofdiscourses.org/volume-05/
"Some have grumbled because I believe our God to be so near to us as Father Adam. There are many who know that doctrine to be true. Where was Michael in the creation of this earth? Did he have a mission to the earth? He did. Where was he? In the Grand Council, and performed the mission assigned him there. Now, if it should happen that we have to pay tribute to Father Adam, what a humiliating circumstance it would be! Just wait till you pass Joseph Smith; and after Joseph lets you pass him, you will find Peter; and after you pass the Apostles and many of the Prophets, you will find Abraham, and he will say, "I have the keys, and except you do thus and so, you cannot pass;" and after a while you come to Jesus; and when you at length meet Father Adam, how strange it will appear to your present notions. If we can pass Joseph and have him say, "Here; you have been faithful, good boys; I hold the keys of this dispensation; I will let you pass;" then we shall be very glad to see the white locks of Father Adam. But those are ideas which do not concern us at present, although it is written in the Bible - 'This is eternal life, to know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.'"
That looks exactly like Brigham Young was teaching that Adam = Heavenly Father. In fact, let's look some more at what might be the most famous Adam-God quote:
Journal of Discourses 1:51 http://www.journalofdiscourses.org/volume-01/
"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. They came here, organized the raw material, and arranged in their order the herbs of the field, the trees, the apple, the peach, the plum, the pear, and every other fruit that is desirable and good for man; the seed was brought from another sphere, and planted in this earth. The thistle, and thorn, the brier, and the obnoxious weed did not appear until after the earth was cursed. When Adam and Eve had eaten of the forbidden fruit, their bodies became mortal from its effects, and therefore their offspring were mortal. When the Virgin Mary conceived the child Jesus, the Father had begotten him in his own likeness. He was not begotten by the Holy Ghost. And who is the Father? He is the first of the human family; and when he took a tabernacle, it was begotten by his Father in heaven, after the same manner as the tabernacles of Cain, Abel, and the rest of the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve; from the fruits of the earth, the first earthly tabernacles were originated by the Father, and so on in succession. I could tell you much more about this; but were I to tell you the whole truth, blasphemy would be nothing to it, in the estimation of the superstitious and over-righteous of mankind. However, I have told you the truth as far as I have gone."
I think you said earlier that you can't find anywhere in the Standard Works where it says Adam is the father of our spirits. That's okay, though, because the Prophet Brigham Young filled in the blanks.
Journal of Discourses 7:291 http://www.journalofdiscourses.org/volume-7/
"God has created of one blood all the nations and kingdoms of men that dwell upon all the face of the earth: black, white, copper-coloured, or whatever their colour, customs, or religion, they have all sprung from the same origin; the blood of all is from the same element. Adam and Eve are the parents of all pertaining to the flesh, and I would not say that they are not also the parents of our spirits."
Journal of Discourses 11:123 http://www.journalofdiscourses.org/volume-11/
"Jesus Christ is known in the scriptures as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, and it is written of Him as being the brightness of the Father's glory and the express image of His person. The word image we understand in the same sense as we do the word in the 3rd verse of the 5th chapter of Genesis, 'And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image.' I am quite satisfied to be made aware by the scriptures, and by the Spirit of God, that He is not only the God and Father of Jesus Christ, but is also the Father of our spirits and the Creator of our bodies which bear His image as Seth bore the image of his father Adam. Adam begat many children who bore His image, but Seth is no doubt more particularly mentioned, because he was more like his father than the rest of the family."
But of course you know all this, since you purport to have read everything Brigham Young ever said.
And by the way, you can stop calling it a "theory." Brigham Young and all of his contemporaries in the Church called it a doctrine.