Editing Adam–God doctrine (section)

===Further development by Young===
In a special conference on August 28, 1852, Young explained in greater detail the mechanism by which celestial beings like [[Adam and Eve]] could give birth to mortal offspring. According to Young, when a couple first become gods and goddesses, they first begin to create spiritual offspring. Then, they begin creating "mortal tabernacles" in which those spirits can dwell, by going to a newly created world, where they: "eat and drink of the fruits of the corporal world, until this grosser matter is diffused sufficiently through their celestial bodies, to enable them according to the established laws to produce mortal tabernacles for their spiritual children." {{Harv|Young|1852b|p=13}} This is what Adam and Eve did, Young said, and "Adam is my Father." {{Harv|Young|1852b|p=13}}

On February 19, 1854, Young reiterated the doctrine in a sermon.<ref>''Journal of Wilford Woodruff'', February 19, 1854.</ref> He also reiterated the doctrine at the October 1854 general conference,<ref>''Journal of Joseph L. Robinson'', October 6, 1854.</ref> in a sermon that was reported to have "held the vast audience as it were spellbound."<ref>Minutes of the General Conference, ''[[Deseret News]]'', October 12, 1853.</ref> In the October conference, Young is reported as clarifying that Adam and Eve were "natural father and mother of every spirit that comes to this planet, or that receives tabernacles on this planet, consequently we are brother and sisters, and that Adam was God, our Eternal Father."<ref>''Journal of Joseph Lee Robinson'', October 6, 1854. See also ''Diary of Thomas D. Brown'', October 6, 1854, pp. 87–88 ("There are Lords many and there are Gods many, & the Father of our Spirits is the Father of Jesus Christ: He is the Father of Jesus Christ, Spirit & Body and he is the beginner of the bodies of all men"); John Pulsipher Papers, Mss 1041, p. 35–37, BYU Special Collections ("There are Lords many & Gods many But the God that we have to account to, is the father of our Spirits&mdash;Adam.").</ref>

When Young discussed the doctrine again in early 1857, he emphasized again that "to become acquainted with our Father and our God" was "one of the first principles of the doctrine of salvation", and that "no man can enjoy or be prepared for eternal life without that knowledge."<ref>''[[Journal of Discourses]]'' '''4''':215.</ref> Nevertheless, he later said:
<blockquote>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 of one family and Jesus Christ is also of our species.<ref>''[[Journal of Discourses]]'' '''4''':217.</ref></blockquote>