Statements Compiled by Robert Hyatt
Sept. 1999

Children of Abraham By Descent or by Adoption
No person can receive the Gospel without becoming of the seed of Abraham. If they are not of his blood by descent they become so by adoption. This is the meaning of the words of the Savior to the Jews: "And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Moreover, the Lord revealed to Joseph Smith that all who receive the two Priesthoods become sons of Moses and of Aaron, and "the seed of Abraham, and the church and kingdom, and the elect of God." This is done by virtue of the covenant made with Abraham, which was renewed with Jacob and the tribes of Israel.

Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p.390 ISRAEL
That this adoption involves a literal change in the convert's blood was plainly taught by the Prophet. The Holy Ghost, Joseph Smith said, "is more powerful in expanding the mind, enlightening the understanding, and storing the intellect with present knowledge, of a man who is of the literal seed of Abraham, than one that is a Gentile, though it may not have half as much visible effect upon the body; for as the Holy Ghost falls upon one of the literal seed of Abraham, it is calm and serene; and his whole soul and body are only exercised by the pure spirit of intelligence; while the effect of the Holy Ghost upon a Gentile, is to purge out the old blood, and make him actually of the seed of Abraham. That man that has none of the blood of Abraham (naturally) must have a new creation by the Holy Ghost." (Teachings, pp. 149-150.)

John A. Widtsoe, Evidences and Reconciliations, p.399 - p.400

Moreover, there is in the opinion of many, in this process of adoption, a subtle change in the body as well as in the spirit which makes a person a true heir of the promises to Abraham. This was the view also of the Prophet Joseph Smith, in a discourse on the two comforters. "The effect of the Holy Ghost upon a Gentile is to purge out the old blood, and make him actually of the seed of Abraham." This is reflected in the patriarchal blessings of the Church which generally assign nearly all persons to one or the other of the tribes of Jacob, direct descendants of Abraham.

Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p.15 ABRAHAM'S CHILDREN

"We be Abraham's seed," the Jews said; and so they were in the literal sense. But in the gospel sense Abraham's children are those who do the works of Abraham, for their blood is thereby cleansed and purified as was Abraham's, and they are adopted into his lineage. (Abra. 2:8-11; D. & C. 84:33-41; 132:29-33; Teachings, pp. 149-150.) Hence, our Lord replied to the Jews, "If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. . . . Ye do the deeds of your father. . . . Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do." (John 8:31-47.)

Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p.23 ADOPTION

By the law of adoption those who receive the gospel and obey its laws, no matter what their literal blood lineage may have been, are adopted into the lineage of Abraham. (Abra. 2: 9-11) "The effect of the Holy Ghost upon a Gentile," the Prophet says, "is to purge out the old blood, and make him actually of the seed of Abraham." Such a person has "a new creation by the Holy Ghost." (Teachings, pp. 149-150.) Those who magnify their callings in the Melchizedek priesthood are promised that they will be "sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies. They become the sons of Moses and of Aaron and the seed of Abraham." (D. & C. 84:33-34) Indeed, the faithful are adopted to the family of Christ; they become "the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters"; they are "spiritually begotten," for their "hearts are changed through faith on his name," thus being "born of him," becoming "his sons and his daughters." (Mosiah 5:7.) Paul explained the doctrine of adoption by saying, "As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God," because they receive "the Spirit of adoption," being or becoming Israelites, "to whom pertaineth the adoption." (Rom. 8:14-24; 9:4; Gal. 4:5; Eph. 1:5.)

John A. Widtsoe, Evidences and Reconciliations, p.322

In giving a blessing the patriarch may declare our lineage -- that is, that we are of Israel, therefore of the family of Abraham and of a specific tribe of Jacob. In the great majority of cases, Latter-day Saints are of the tribe of Ephraim, the tribe to which has been committed the leadership of Latter-day work. Whether this lineage is of blood or adoption does not matter. (Pearl of Great Price, Abraham, 2:10) This is very important, for it is through the lineage of Abraham alone that the mighty blessings of the Lord for His children on earth are to be consummated. (Genesis 12:2, 3; Pearl of Great Price, Abraham, 2:11)

Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol.2, MORMONISM, AN INDEPENDENT INTERPRETATION

From that point forward, Mormonism was not merely related to Christianity as Christianity had been related to Judaism, that is, as reformation and consummation; now there was a direct relationship with the Hebrew tradition. Gradually the Christian view of being connected to Israel through adoption, being grafted in, was replaced with a new understanding of the relationship between the Saints and Israel. Acceptance of the LDS gospel came to be regarded as evidence that the blood of Abraham flowed through Mormon veins—evidence that was confirmed through the ritual of the patriarchal blessing in which Saints are informed of their membership of adoption into the family of one of Jacob's sons. Although this belief is, ultimately, a rhetorical construction of blood descent, it gave the Saints an identity as a "chosen people" that had a powerful impact on their understanding of themselves.

Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol.2, EPHRAIM

The patriarchal blessings of most Latter-day Saints indicate that they are literal, blood descendants of Abraham and of Israel. Those who are not literal descendants are adopted into the family of Abraham when they receive baptism and confirmation (see Law of Adoption). They are then entitled to all the rights and privileges of heirs (TPJS, pp. 149-50). This doctrine of adoption was understood by ancient prophets and apostles (e.g., Rom. 11; 1 Ne. 10:14; Jacob 5; cf. D&C 84:33-34).

Collected Discourses, Vol.4, Wilford Woodruff, April 8, 1894

I want to lay before you what there is for us to do at this present time; and in doing this I desire particularly the attention of President Lorenzo Snow, of the Salt Lake Temple; President M. W. Merrill, of the Logan Temple; President J. D. T. McAllister, of the Manti Temple; and President D. H. Cannon, of the St. George Temple, and those associated with them. You have acted up to all the light and knowledge that you have had; but you have now something more to do than what you have done. We have not fully carried out those principles in fulfillment of the revelations of God to us, in sealing the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers. I have not felt satisfied, neither did President Taylor, neither has any man since the Prophet Joseph who has attended to the ordinance of adoption in the temples of our God. We have felt that there was more to be revealed upon this subject than we had received. Revelations were given to us in the St. George Temple, which President Young presented to the Church of God. Changes were made there, and we still have more changes to make, in order to satisfy our Heavenly Father, satisfy our dead and ourselves. I will tell you what some of them are. I have prayed over this matter, and my brethren have. We have felt, as President Taylor said, that we have got to have more revelation concerning sealing under the law of adoption. Well, what are these changes? One of them is the principle of adoption. In the commencement of adopting men and women in the Temple at Nauvoo, a great many persons were adopted to different men who were not of the lineage of their fathers, and there was a spirit manifested by some in that work that was not of God. Men would go out and electioneer and labor with all their power to get men adopted to them. One instance I will name here: A man went around Nauvoo asking every man he could, saying, "You come and be adopted to me, and I shall stand at the head of the kingdom, and you will be there with me." Now, what is the truth about this? Those who were adopted to that man, if they go with him, will have to go where he is. He was a participator in that horrible scene--the Mountain Meadow massacre. Men have tried to lay that to President Young. I was with President Young when the massacre was first reported to him. President Young was perfectly horrified at the recital of it, and wept over it. He asked: "Was there any white man had anything to do with that?" The reply was No; and by the representations then made to him he was misinformed concerning the whole transaction. I will say here, and call heaven and earth to witness, that President Young, during his whole life, never was the author of the shedding of the blood of any of the human family; and when the books are opened in the day of judgment these things will be proven to heaven and earth. Perhaps I had not ought to enter into these things, but it came to me. Men are in danger sometimes in being adopted to others, until they know who they are and what they will be. Now, what are the feelings of Israel? They have felt that they wanted to be adopted to somebody. President Young was not satisfied in his mind with regard to the extent of this matter; President Taylor was not. When I went before the Lord to know who I should be adopted to (we were then being adopted to prophets and apostles), the Spirit of God said to me, "Have you not a father, who begot you?" "Yes, I have." "Then why not honor him? Why not be adopted to him?" "Yes," says I, "that is right." I was adopted to my father, and should have had my father sealed to his father, and so on back; and the duty that I want every man who presides over a temple to see performed from this day henceforth and forever, unless the Lord Almighty commands otherwise, is, let every man be adopted to his father. When a man receives the endowments, adopt him to his father; not to Wilford Woodruff, nor to any other man outside the lineage of his fathers. That is the will of God to this people. I want all men who preside over these temples in these mountains of Israel to bear this in mind. What business have I to take away the rights of the lineage of any man? What right has any man to do this? No; I say let every man be adopted to his father; and then you will do exactly what God said when he declared He would send Elijah the prophet in the last days. Elijah the prophet appeared unto Joseph Smith and told him that the day had come when this principle must be carried out. Joseph Smith did not live long enough to enter any further upon these things. His soul was wound up with this work before he was martyred for the word of God and testimony of Jesus Christ. He told us that there must be a welding link of all dispensations and of the work of God from one generation to another. This was upon his mind more than most any other subject that was given to him. In my prayers the Lord revealed to me, that it was my duty to say to all Israel to carry this principle out, and in fulfillment of that revelation I lay it before this people. I say to all men who are laboring in these temples, carry out this principle, and then we will make one step in advance of what we have had before. Myself and counselors conversed upon this and were agreed upon it, and afterwards we laid it before all the Apostles who were here (two were absent--Brothers Thatcher and Lund, the latter being in England), and the Lord revealed to every one of these men--and they would bear testimony to it if they were to speak--that that was the word of the Lord to them. I never met with anything in my life in this Church that there was more unity upon than there was upon that principle. They all feel right about it, and that it is our duty. That is one principle that should be carried out from this time henceforth. "But," says one, "suppose we come along to a man who perhaps is a murderer." Well, if he is a murderer, drop him out and connect with the next man beyond him. But the Spirit of God will be with us in this matter. We want the Latter-say Saints from this time to trace their genealogies as far as they can, and to be sealed to their fathers and mothers. Have children sealed to their parents, and run this chain through as far as you can get it. When you get to the end, let the last man be adopted to Joseph Smith, who stands at the head of the dispensation. This is the will of the Lord to this people, and I think when you come to reflect upon it you will find it to be true.