What do Latter-Day-Saints believe about Man’s origin?
Not all Latter-Day-Saints agree about the origin of man in his relationship to God.
There are two schools of thought. The first, is that God “organized” something called “spirit element” into intelligent entities. This is a concept I’ll refer to as “spirit birth.” The second school of thought is one where there is no such thing as man’s origin because man has always existed. In this paradigm, man, Christ, and God are all co-eternal. I’ll call this paradigm “co-eternal man.”
This isn’t a topic that is widely treated by ancient or modern prophets, but there have been a few things said about it. Many agree on one of the schools of thought, but there are those who would disagree and they have made their thoughts known.
Additionally, while these two opposing paradigms exist, anyone who finds himself in one camp or another is still bound to agree with the other camp on one point: that we existed before we came to earth.
What the scriptures say
There is not a lot which has been revealed about our pre-mortal lives, and even less about our origins in the pre-mortal existence. However, the scriptures are not silent.
Jehovah instructed Abraham about astronomy and the nature of spirits, and some of what has been done before on other planets. He also instructed Abraham about the nature of spirits themselves. He used the nature of stars as a metaphor to help Abraham understand that both stars and spirits undergo progression through time and neither all stars nor all spirits progress at the same pace nor are they in the same place in progression as the other.
Now, if there be two things, one above the other, and the moon be above the earth, then it may be that a planet or star may exist above it; and there is nothing that the Lord thy God shall take in his heart to do but what he will do it. Howbeit that he made the greater star; as, also, if there be two spirits, and one shall be more intelligent than the other, yet these two spirits, notwithstanding one is more intelligent than the other, have no beginning; they existed before, they shall have no end, they shall exist after, for they are gnolaum, or eternal. 1
Here, the word “spirits” are described as discrete entities with their own independent properties, and he likens them in relative position to one another in terms of their intellectual progression as the earth and the moon differ in position. It seems also that the fact that they have no beginning nor end is important for Abraham to understand.
If we look at just this scripture alone, to me, it seems that this would rule out the “spirit birth” school of thought. Within the semantic range of the word “spirit” I don’t see how we can read into the text a meaning that would exclude the idea of an individual consciousness. To me, the most straightforward interpretation is the idea that man is co-eternal with God, but is at a different place in his progression than his peers or God himself.
This is not the only scripture we have, however. There is another revelation given to Joseph Smith.
Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be. 2
Here, it is the word “intelligence” that seems to be used in the place of the word “spirit,” and again the idea that they are co-eternal is congruent with this passage, and indeed, later in verse 33, we see this idea confirmed:
For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element inseparably connected, receive a fullness of joy. 3
Man, intelligence, spirit, truth, light all seem to be interchangeable ideas to convey this singular consciousness which cannot be destroyed nor created.
So where did these ideas come from? Let’s explore it.
Spirit Birth
The earliest reference to this idea (that I could find) was from one of Joseph Smith’s contemporaries: Orson Pratt. In 1875, He was speaking on the topic of the pre-mortal existence, then tangentially mentioned the “creation” of a spirit. This talk was given about 42 years after the revelation Joseph Smith received on the same subject.
Pratt said:
Have we life? Yes, we certainly have. Where did we obtain this life? When was it created or made? There is a revelation upon this subject which says that intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created, nether indeed can be. Is it then eternal? Yes. then this light that shines is eternal in its nature is it? Yes, because it is the same light that gives life to all things. Did our spirits, that have power to think and to reason have life before the foundation of the world? yes. And what gave them this life? the elements, composing our spirits were eternal; they were never created, neither indeed can be; they existed from all eternity, and were at a certain period, combined or organized in the form of our spirts; and hence the pre-existence of man before the world was made. 4
Here Pratt cites the same two passages I cited from Section 93 from the Doctrine and Covenants, but then draws his own conclusion that the “elements” referenced here are the elements which compose spirit. However, this is an inductive conclusion–which means that it’s not the only conclusion we can draw. Christ might have also been referring to a different concept which is mentioned in a separate revelation. In section 88 we read
And the spirit and the body are the soul of man 5
Since we are descended from Adam, and Adam was created from the dust, and gets his food from the earth, we can easily conclude that our bodies are made from eternal elements also. Latter-Day-Saints believe that the earth was created ex-materia meaning from materials that pre-existed the creation of the earth.
So spirit is man, and spirit and body are soul of man. So our souls are both spirit and body. Elements to both have always existed, and they have to be combined to get to a fullness of joy. This is one of the purposes that latter-day-saints believe we are here on earth: to receive a body and prepare it for exaltation.
I can see how Pratt got to this conclusion, but I don’t think it stands up to scrutiny–at least not deductively. You can easily see how the scripture could be pointing at the combining of spirit and body not of spirit elements. He is not the only one who taught this, however.
Brigham Young seemed to have been a proponent of this idea also.
He created man, as we create our children; for there is no other process of creation in heaven, on the earth, in the earth, or under the earth, or in all the eternities, that is, that were, or that ever will be. 6
In context, he was referring to the power with which he endowed mankind to “walk upright” and to do things like think critically, etcetera. Again, I can see how Young got here, but I don’t think it can be exegetically inferred from the text.
Additionally, Young is sort of hinting that at the concept of spiritual reproduction. This raises a lot of other questions and is the target of ridicule from a lot of the Church’s critics. I won’t defend the idea here as I don’t think it’s correct. I’m acknowledging that it’s a doctrine that is taught in the church.
Bruce R McConkie also advanced the idea in his book, Mormon Doctrine. There are a lot of good ideas in this book and there are some really bad ones.
In the literal sense, the expression spirit birth has reference to the birth of the spirit in pre-existence. Spirits are actually born as the offspring of a Heavenly Father, a glorified and exalted Man. They will be born in a future eternity to future exalted beings for whom the family unit continues. 7
He then references these passages for his scriptural source:
In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees; And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage]; and if he does not, he cannot obtain it. He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase. 8
And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them—Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths—then shall it be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever. Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them. Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye abide my law ye cannot attain to this glory. For strait is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth unto the exaltation and continuation of the lives, and few there be that find it, because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know me. But if ye receive me in the world, then shall ye know me, and shall receive your exaltation; that where I am ye shall be also. This is eternal lives—to know the only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent. I am he. Receive ye, therefore, my law. Abraham received all things, whatsoever he received, by revelation and commandment, by my word, saith the Lord, and hath entered into his exaltation and sitteth upon his throne . . . Abraham received promises concerning his seed, and of the fruit of his loins—from whose loins ye are, namely, my servant Joseph—which were to continue so long as they were in the world; and as touching Abraham and his seed, out of the world they should continue; both in the world and out of the world should they continue as innumerable as the stars; or, if ye were to count the sand upon the seashore ye could not number them. This promise is yours also, because ye are of Abraham, and the promise was made unto Abraham; and by this law is the continuation of the works of my Father, wherein he glorifieth himself. Go ye, therefore, and do the works of Abraham; enter ye into my law and ye shall be saved. 9
While there is a footnote on the word “seeds” which has a reference to the topical guide to Family, Eternal and Family, Patriarchal. There is no indication in the text that they are spiritually begotten. The children in question might be a reference to the family units established on earth and the sealing doctrine. Also, this section, when referring to Abraham, Christ talked about Abraham’s seed as it relates to his earthly posterity. When the promise was made to Abraham, Jehovah used these words:
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. 10
In any case, I don’t think McConkie could have made a deductive argument from the text he cited. He would have to pull in another source, which admittedly might be a revelatory one. I’m about to show you, however, that such a claim would be at odds with other revelations both before and after him.
Co-eternal Man
I think Joseph Smith’s revelations were pretty clear on this subject.
The Spirit of man is not a created being; it existed for eternity and will exist to eternity 11
There never was a time when there were not spirits; for they are co-eternal with our Father in Heaven 12
But if I am right, I might with boldness proclaim from the house-tops that God never had the power to create the spirit of man at all. God himself could not create himself 13
Intelligence is eternal and exists upon a self-existent principle. It is a spirit from age to age, and there is no creation about it.
The intelligence of spirits had no beginning, neither will it have an end 14
To me, these quotes effectively explain the revelations we’ve already seen. The Book of Abraham and the Doctrine and Covenants all came through Joseph Smith anyway. I’m really not sure how McConkie or others could have come to the conclusions they did when they had Joseph’s own words.
Joseph was not the only one to come to this conclusion. Parley P Pratt had the same idea:
It may be inquired, why God made [a spirit] unequal to another, or inferior in intellect or capacity. To which I reply, that He did not create their intelligence at all. It never was created, being an inherent attribute of the eternal element called spirit, which element composes each individual spirit, and which element exists in an infinitude of degrees in the scale of intellect, in all the varieties manifested in the eternal God, and thence to the lowest agent, which acts by its own will. 15
So Pratt is claiming that the intelligence is just one part of it, but then goes on to say that this is the part which acts. I would argue that consciousness is what’s required to act, so you were you and you have always had the capacity to act and therefore have always existed.
Again these aren’t the only general authorities to speak in this way about our intelligences. Here are a few more quotes:
David B Haight:
. . . man lived before he came to this earth. He is an eternal being. 16
This is another one that could go either way if we assume that “eternal” just means “like God.”
Russel M Nelson:
Our personal intelligence is everlasting and divine 17
This one I feel is much more clear because if we were to assume that “everlasting” means “like God,” then we would have redundant adjectives. I think Nelson was talking about “everlasting” in the “forever” sense of the word.
And finally Dieter F Uchtdorf was the most clear of all the living authorities:
Brothers and Sisters, we are eternal beings, without beginning and without end. We have always existed. 18
Conclusion
The scriptures don’t say a whole lot on this subject, but I would argue they are pretty clear in what they do say. It’s possible to wrest the data to make it say what you want, but I don’t think it’s wise to just assert things that you can’t back up in the text. General authorities are not immune to mistakes, and they’re also not automatons who aren’t allowed to have their own opinions. The authorities who asserted for the spirit-birth concept would have to contend with what Joseph Smith said and with the fact that their descendants disagreed with them.
As for you and I, as with everything else in life, when the data is unclear we either have to make a choice about what to believe, or we have to suspend judgement. I choose to believe what Joseph Smith taught and what modern prophets have affirmed.
Footnotes
Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses vol 17 p322 ↩
Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses vol 11 p122 ↩
Bruce R McConkie, Mormon Doctrine p523 ↩
Joseph Smith, Journal of Discourses vol 6 p23 ↩
Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith p353 ↩
Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith p354 ↩
Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith p354 ↩
Parley P Pratt, Journal of Discourses vol 1 p256 ↩