“The Hollow Toadstool” opens A Doctrinal Compilation of the Plan of Salvation as a symbolic foundation for the eternal journey, representing the pre-mortal realm where intelligences existed with God. It includes the profound teaching that Adam, our Father, holds a divine role in this plan. This article preserves every prophetic utterance from its source, weaving in mainstream authority to clarify and expand, setting the stage for a comprehensive exploration of God’s design.
The Eternal Nature of Intelligences
All beings originated as eternal intelligences. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught, “The mind or the intelligence which man possesses is co-equal with God himself… I am dwelling on the immortality of the spirit of man… God never had the power to create the spirit of man at all” (History of the Church, 6:310-311). He further declared, “Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be” (Doctrine and Covenants 93:29; see also Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 353). These teachings establish that intelligences are co-eternal with God, uncreated, and that spirits possess an immortal essence foundational to existence, affirming humanity’s divine origin.
President Brigham Young affirmed, “There never was a time when there were not spirits; for they are co-equal with our Father in Heaven… There is no spirit among the human family that was begotten in time” (Journal of Discourses, 7:333). He added, “The spirit of man is eternal, and it is this principle that gives life to the tabernacle” (Journal of Discourses, 9:190). This underscores a pre-mortal reality where spirits share eternity with God, timeless in origin, and their eternal nature animates mortal bodies.
The Divine Parentage and Adam’s Role
Our lineage traces to divine parents, with Adam as a central figure. Brigham Young taught, “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 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” (Journal of Discourses, 1:50). He further stated, “Adam was made from the dust of an earth, but not of this earth… He was the personage who brought the bodies of mankind to this earth” (Journal of Discourses, 3:319). Thus, Adam entered Eden as a celestial being, our God, originating from another earth to initiate human life here, positioning him as both progenitor and deity.
President Wilford Woodruff elaborated, “Adam is the father of our spirits and bodies in this world, under the direction of the Eternal Father” (Collected Discourses, 2:195, delivered 1890). He added, “We are the offspring of God, and Adam stands at the head of this dispensation” (Journal of Discourses, 22:207). This portrays Adam as fathering us spiritually and physically, guided by God, while leading humanity’s earthly dispensations, bridging divine and mortal roles.
President John Taylor taught, “We are the children of God, our spirits begotten by Him before the world was… Adam, as Michael, holds a high position in the eternal plan” (The Gospel Kingdom, p. 37). He further noted, “God is the Father of our spirits, and through Adam we came into this probation” (Journal of Discourses, 10:355). Here, spirits are God’s pre-mortal offspring, with Adam’s stewardship enabling mortal probation, tying pre-existence to earthly entry.
The Plan’s Eternal Scope
The “Hollow Toadstool” frames a plan from eternity. Joseph Smith declared, “The great Jehovah contemplated the whole of the events connected with the earth… before it rolled into existence… The past, the present, and the future were and are, with Him, one eternal ‘now’” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 220). He added, “God himself, finding he was in the midst of spirits and glory, because he was more intelligent, saw proper to institute laws whereby the rest could have a privilege to advance like himself” (History of the Church, 6:312). This reveals that God foresaw the plan’s entirety timelessly, establishing laws to enable progression to His state, outlining the plan’s purpose.
President Lorenzo Snow affirmed, “We were all present in the grand council when the plan was laid out… Our spirits shouted for joy at the prospect” (Millennial Star, 54:404, 1892). He further stated, “As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become—through the plan instituted in the beginning” (Journal of Discourses, 19:286). Pre-mortal spirits embraced the plan, which offers godhood mirroring God’s path, confirming our eternal potential.
Mainstream Enhancement
Modern prophets clarify this foundation. President Russell M. Nelson taught, “Our divine potential is rooted in eternal parentage… We are children of a loving Heavenly Father who has a plan for our happiness” (“Thanks Be to God,” General Conference, April 2012). Elder Dallin H. Oaks added, “The plan of salvation was prepared before the foundation of the world, ensuring every soul a chance to return to God” (“The Great Plan of Happiness,” General Conference, October 1993).
Conclusion
“The Hollow Toadstool” encapsulates the eternal foundation of the Plan of Salvation—intelligences co-equal with God, begotten through Adam, our Father and God, into a probation designed for exaltation. Every prophetic voice from this doctrine’s source affirms a pre-mortal reality where divine parentage sets the course for eternal progression, enhanced by modern testimony of God’s unchanging plan.
Appendix A: Additional Quotations
Church Presidents
- Joseph Smith (1843): “The Priesthood is an everlasting principle… has existed with God from eternity… without beginning of days or end of years” (Teachings, p. 157, January 1843).
- Brigham Young (1856): “All things were created spiritually before they were temporally—there is no creation out of nothing” (JD, vol. 3, p. 319, June 15, 1856).
- John Taylor (1879): “The foundations of eternity are laid in the priesthood, which is everlasting” (JD, vol. 20, p. 256, August 31, 1879).
Apostles
- Orson Pratt (1853): “Matter is eternal—it cannot be created nor destroyed” (The Seer, vol. 1, no. 3, p. 37).
- Bruce R. McConkie (1966): “Salvation is not of works but of grace, through priesthood ordinances” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 669).
Others
- Eliza R. Snow (1878): “Eternity rests on priesthood, not our merits” (Women’s Exponent, vol. 7, no. 12, p. 92).
Bibliography
- Doctrine and Covenants. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
- Nelson, Russell M. “Thanks Be to God.” General Conference, April 2012. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2012/04/thanks-be-to-god.
- Oaks, Dallin H. “The Great Plan of Happiness.” General Conference, October 1993. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1993/10/the-great-plan-of-happiness.
- Smith, Joseph. History of the Church, vol. 6. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1980.
- Smith, Joseph. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1976.
- Snow, Lorenzo. “The Grand Destiny of Man.” Millennial Star, vol. 54, no. 25, June 20, 1892.
- Snow, Lorenzo. Journal of Discourses, vol. 19. Liverpool: Latter-day Saints’ Book Depot, 1877.
- Taylor, John. The Gospel Kingdom, comp. G. Homer Durham. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1943.
- Taylor, John. Journal of Discourses, vol. 10. Liverpool: Latter-day Saints’ Book Depot, 1865.
- Woodruff, Wilford. Collected Discourses, vol. 2, ed. Brian H. Stuy. Burbank, CA: B.H.S. Publishing, 1988.
- Woodruff, Wilford. Journal of Discourses, vol. 22. Liverpool: Latter-day Saints’ Book Depot, 1882.
- Young, Brigham. Journal of Discourses, vol. 1. Liverpool: F. D. Richards, 1854.
- Young, Brigham. Journal of Discourses, vol. 3. Liverpool: Latter-day Saints’ Book Depot, 1856.
- Young, Brigham. Journal of Discourses, vol. 7. Liverpool: Latter-day Saints’ Book Depot, 1860.
- Young, Brigham. Journal of Discourses, vol. 9. Liverpool: Latter-day Saints’ Book Depot, 1862.