“I propose to speak upon a subject
that does not immediately concern yours or my welfare. . . . I do not pretend
to say that the items of doctrine and ideas I shall advance are necessary for
the people to know, or that they should give themselves any trouble about them
whatever.” After specifying that “these are my views with regard to the gods,
and eternities” and saying, “I will tell you what I think about it” he used a
very significant term—thirteen times. He said, “I will tell you what I reckon.”
His exact words were: “I will tell you what I think about it, and as the
[Southerners] say, ‘I reckon.’ And as the Yankees say, ‘I guess’; but I will
tell you what I reckon.” . . . “I reckon that Father Adam was a resurrected
being, with his wives.” . . . “I reckon
our spirits and all the spirits of the human family were begotten by Adam, and
born of Eve.” . . . “I reckon that Adam . . . himself planted [the Garden of
Eden].” (Brigham Young, "I Propose to Speak Upon a Subject that does not
Immediately Concern Yours or My Welfare,” October 8, 1854 in The Teachings
of President Brigham Young, Vol. 3, 1852-1854 [Salt Lake City: Collier's
Publishing Co., 1987], 343-68 in Eugene E. Campbell, The Essential Brigham
Young [Classics in Mormon Thought Series No. 3; Salt Lake City: Signature
Books, 1992], 86, 87, 97)
From Matthew B. Brown, "Brigham
Young's Teachings on Adam," pp. 24-26 n. 77:
Statements
by Brigham Young indicating that certain Adam–God Theory principles
only
represented his personal opinion:
24
July 1853 – “I believe the Father came down from heaven, as the apostles
said He did, and begat the Savior of the world, for He is the only-begotten of
the Father, which could not be if the Father did not actually beget Him in
person. . . . I believe the Father came down in His tabernacle and begat
Jesus Christ. . . . I believe He has a tabernacle, and begat Jesus Christ .
. . because the Bible expressly declares it. . . . I believe the Father begat
the Son” (JD, 1:238, emphasis added, President Brigham Young, 24 July
1853, Salt Lake City, Utah, Tabernacle).
23
October 1853 – “You believe Adam was made of the dust of this earth. This I do
not believe, though it is supposed that it is so written in the Bible; but it
is not, to my understanding” (JD, 2:6, emphasis added, President
Brigham Young, 23 October 1853, Salt Lake City, Utah, Tabernacle).
8
October 1854 – “I propose to speak upon a subject that does not immediately
concern yours or my welfare. . . . I will tell you what I believe . . . I do
not pretend to say that the items of doctrine, and ideas I shall advance are
necessary for the people to know, or that they should give themselves any
trouble about them whatever . . . . These are my views with regard to the gods,
and eternities . . . . I will tell you what I think about it, and as the
[Southerners] say, ‘I reckon,’ and as the Yankees say, ‘I guess’; but I will
tell you what I reckon. I reckon . . . . I reckon . . . . I reckon it. And I
reckon . . . . and I reckon . . . . I reckon . . . . I reckon . . . . I reckon
. . . . I reckon . . . . I reckon . . . . tell you what I reckon” (Campbell, The
Essential Brigham Young, 86, 87, 90, 97, 98, 99, 100).
25
April 1855 – “apparently I understand . . . . It appears to me I understand .
. . who [Jesus Christ] came from . . . . this is for you to believe or
disbelieve as you please, for if I were to [express my thoughts] I have no
doubt but there would be many that would say, ‘Perhaps it is so and perhaps it
is not’ . . . . If I should undertake to tell the people what I believe in my
heart and what seemeth to me (I do not say it is so) but what seemeth to me to
be eternal ruth, how would they know
unless they had the spirit of revelation to say to them whether it was a truth
or an untruth? . . . . I do not design to go into any mysteries or to take up
worldly sciences [such as the ‘science of theology’ – see p. 3] to any great
extent but suppose I were to take up a few of them, I should be like the rest
of you: tell what I know according to what I understand and believe. And then
if I am wrong I should be glad if God or some man upon the earth would correct
me and set me right and tell me what it is and how it is. . . . communicate to
you my ideas upon the subject. . . . as I understand pertaining to Him with
whom we have to do . . . . I will tell you what I think . . . . It is a subject
I am aware that does not appear so clear to our understandings at present as we
could wish it . . . it is [a subject] that should not trouble us at all. . . .
I tell you this as my belief about that personage who is called the Ancient of
Days . . . . I do not tell it because that I wish it to be established in the
minds of others . . . . To my mind and to my feelings those matters are all
plain” (Elden J. Watson, comp., Brigham Young Addresses, unpublished
collection, vol. 3, 1855–1859, volume compiled in 1980, sermons individually
paginated, information found on pp. 3, 4, 5 – this was an address to the
Deseret Theological Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah).
8
February 1857 – “I understand in part, see in part, and know and am acquainted
with [my Father] in part . . . . That is my opinion about it, and my opinion to
me is just as good as yours is to you” (JD, 4:218, President Brigham
Young, 8 February 1857, Salt Lake City, Utah, Tabernacle).
7
October 1857 – “I believe our God to be so near to us as Father Adam . . . .
those are ideas which do not concern us at present” (JD, 5:331–32,
President Brigham Young, 7 October 1857, Salt Lake City, Utah, Bowery).
9
October 1859 – “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” (JD,
7:290, President Brigham Young, 9 October 1859, Salt Lake City, Utah,
Tabernacle).
