Editing Adam–God doctrine (section)

===Resistance to the doctrine===
However, some prominent members of the church took issue with the doctrine. Most significantly, [[apostle (Latter Day Saints)|apostle]] and philosopher [[Orson Pratt]] disagreed with the doctrine, and expressed that disagreement publicly<!--

FOOTNOTE--><ref>''Journal of Thomas Evans Jeremy Sr.'', September 30, 1852 ("Also he did not believe that Father Adam had flesh and bones, when he came to the garden of Eden, but he and his wife Eve were spirits, and that God formed their bodies out of the dust of the ground, and the (sic) became a living souls. He also said that he believed that Jesus Christ and Adam are brothers in the Spirit, and that Adam is not the God that he is praying unto."). See generally, {{Harvnb|Bergera|1980}}.</ref><!--

--> and in private meetings with other apostles.<ref>''Journal of William Clayton'', October 3, 1852.</ref> Pratt also published his disagreement in his publication ''[[The Seer (periodical)|The Seer]]'' for which he was censured.<ref name = theseer>Orson Pratt, "The Pre-Existence of Man", ''[[The Seer (periodical)|The Seer]]'', '''1''':3, 158–59 (March, October 1853).</ref>

Pratt did, however, teach similar doctrines in the same publication. For example, he stated that on the way to [[exaltation (Latter Day Saints)|exaltation]], one would have to "pass by" and "pay tribute to" various apostles and prophets, then [[Jesus]], and "at length ... Father Adam."<ref name = theseer/> He said many would be surprised and humiliated, after passing by Jesus, to find "Father Adam" standing there; however, he said, "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.'"<ref name = theseer/>

Pratt continued to debate the issue in public forums for months, despite being rebuked privately and publicly by Young on more than one occasion {{Harv|Bergera|1980|pp=13&ndash;16}}, until 1860, when faced with possible disfellowshipment from the church for teaching false doctrine, Pratt agreed to the language of a public confession affirming the doctrine as "the doctrine of the church." This confession was negotiated during a series of meetings among the church hierarchy {{Harv|Bergera|1980}}.

A less open opposition to the doctrine may have been carried out by Latter Day Saint editors Samuel W. Richards and [[Franklin D. Richards (Mormon apostle)|Franklin D. Richards]] who, according to one researcher, interpreted the idea of Adam being "our God" or "our Father" as meaning merely that Adam, as the first mortal man, stands at the head of the human family. For instance, "the Lord made Moses a god to Pharaoh" (Exodus 7:1) and as Paul was "as Christ Jesus" to the Galatians (4:14). In this way, Adam as our great progenitor, will preside over the human family as "father and God."<!--

FOOTNOTE--><ref>[[Stephen E. Robinson]], "The Apocalypse of Adam", ''[[BYU Studies]]'', vol. 17, no. 2, p. 131 ("this was the interpretation of Brigham Young's statement advocated in 1853 by Samuel W. Richards, who, as editor of the ''Millennial Star'' and President of the Church in the British Isles, first published President Young's initial sermon on the subject (''[[Millennial Star]]'', December 10, 1853)"; Robinson also argues that Franklin D. Richards, who replaced Samuel W. Richards in this position, also promoted this interpretation).</ref>