LDS Can a Mormon Explain This to Me?

[Tra Phull]

Another of the topics for which non-Mormon posters feel they have not gotten thorough answers.

 

[Peter1000]

In 1910, President Rudger Clawson wrote of the godhood women possess as a birthright from our Heavenly Mother:

“It doesn’t take from our worship of the Eternal Father, to adore our Eternal Mother, any more than it diminishes the love we bear our earthly fathers, to include our earthly mothers in our affections. . . . We honor woman when we acknowledge Godhood in her eternal prototype" (“Our Mother in Heaven,” Millennial Star 72, September 29, 1910).

What does the phrase acknowledge Godhood in her eternal prototype mean?

What do you think it means. You have put tons of hours into our Heavenly Mother theology. You tell me and stop playing your little games.

 

[Peter1000]

Another of the topics for which non-Mormon posters feel they have not gotten thorough answers.

Tra, we Mormons on this forum have answered every question ever spat at us in triplicate. Drsteve is asking the same question for the 55th time in 1 year. I at least am not going to answer him any more about "Heavenly Mother".

We also are not ashamed of Her. We just do not know a lot about Her. We know she exists, but what she does in heaven we are not privy to.

 

[Peter1000]

Not all gods are equal. Mormons don't worship all of them!

There are only 3 Gods that you are surely aware of. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. And they are equal to each other with God the Father taking the first position among the 3.

 

[Tra Phull]

OK Peter

 

[Peter1000]

Yeah, Drstevej, why do you continue to make threads about something that Mormons refuse to answer, just because they continue to refuse to answer it while acting like they have?

Seems kind rude, if you ask me.

We have answered Drsteve many times about Heavenly Mother. No more.
,
What drsteve has not answered is how can he be so interested in our Heavenly Mother theology and have no interest in Mary, the Mother of God, (to whom 1/2 of Christendom prays to) theology. I have told him when he can convince the other 1/2 of Christendom that Mary is the Mother of God, then we can talk about a Mother in Heaven.

Kind of interesting, Mother in Heaven or Mother of God who 1/2 of Christendom prays to. Just interested, do you pray to Mother Mary, Mother of God?

 

[drstevej]

We have answered Drsteve many times about Heavenly Mother. No more.

• Non answer answers.
  
• Avoidance.
  
• Subject change.

TRY ANSWERING

1. Do you worship Heavenly Mother?
   
2. Is she God or did Heavenly Father marry beneath Him?

 

[Rescued One]

There are only 3 Gods that you are surely aware of. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. And they are equal to each other with God the Father taking the first position among the 3.

Here, then is eternal life–to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done before you (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 346).

Bruce R. McConkie said of Christ, "He is the Firstborn of the Father. By obedience and devotion to the truth he attained that pinnacle of intelligence which ranked Him as a God, as the Lord Omnipotent while yet in His pre-existent state" (Mormon Doctrine, p. 129).

“I testify that with unimaginable suffering and agony at an incalculable price, the Savior earned His right to be our Redeemer, our Intermediary, our Final Judge” (“The Atonement Can Secure Your Peace and Happiness,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2006, 42).

"But there is another family relationship that makes us brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ. I said he was the Son of God. He is the only being born into the world as the literal offspring of that holy and exalted being who is our Father in heaven. As the Son of God, he became the natural heir of all that his father possessed. He became the heir of God by virtue of his divine sonship. Assuming that he was not cut off and disinherited for rebellion or disobedience, it became his right to inherit, receive, and possess all that the Father had: that is, glory and dominion and exaltation and the fullness of all good things. Christ kept the faith and walked uprightly. He went from grace to grace, from a small degree of intelligence to a higher, until he gained the fullness of the glory of the Father. (See D&C 93:6–17.) In other words, through his mortal probation he worked out his salvation and was finally able to say, after his resurrection, that all power was given him in heaven and on earth. (See Matt. 28:17–18.)"
Households of Faith

 

[Daniel Marsh]

acknowledge godhood in her eternal prototype - Norton Safe Search

"
Statements on Heavenly Mother
by James Olsen • September 15, 2011 • 27 Comments


I thought a good companion to Jonathan’s recent post would be a list of quotations by church authorities on Heavenly Mother found in Paulsen’s & Pulido’s recent BYU studies article, “A Mother There.” I do not list them in the same order as they’re found in the article, nor do I list all of the quotations found in their article (not to mention the hundreds more that they’ve accumulated) – but let me be clear about the fact that I’ve culled them directly from the article. The quotes themselves are clearly in the public domain, but it still feels a bit like plagiarism. All credit goes to them. Nonetheless, it seems an extremely valuable resource to actually have before us at least a small sampling of what church authorities have said from then til now when we discuss this important doctrine.

And now the quotes:

“All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Ensign Nov. 1995: 102)

“We were created . . . in the image of our father and our mother, the image of our God.” (Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, ed. John A. Widtsoe, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1954: 51)

“God is a married Being, has a wife . . . [and] we are the offspring of Him and His wife.” (George Q. Cannon, “Mr. Canon’s [sic] Lecture,” Salt Lake Daily Herald 14, April 15, 1884, 8.)

“Our theology begins with heavenly parents. Our highest aspiration is to be like them.” (Dallin H. Oaks, “Apostasy and Restoration,” Ensign 25 (May 1995): 84)

“There is radiant warmth [in the] thought that . . . [we have] a mother who possesses the attributes of Godhood.” And “since we have a Father, who is our God, we must also have a mother, who possesses the attributes of Godhood.” (John A. Widtsoe, “Everlasting Motherhood,” Millennial Star 90, May 10, 1928: 298; and A Rational Theology: As Taught by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1937: 69)

“It doesn’t take from our worship of the Eternal Father, to adore our Eternal Mother, any more than it diminishes the love we bear our earthly fathers, to include our earthly mothers in our affections. . . . We honor woman when we acknowledge Godhood in her eternal prototype.” (President Rudger Clawson, “Our Mother in Heaven,” Millennial Star 72, Sept. 29, 1910: 619–20)

“Logic and reason would certainly suggest that if we have a Father in Heaven, we have a Mother in Heaven. That doctrine rests well with me. . . . The fact that we do not pray to our Mother in Heaven in no way belittles or denigrates her.” (Gordon B. Hinckley Ensign Nov. 1995: 102)

“Implicit in the Christian verity that all men are the spirit children of an Eternal Father is the usually unspoken truth that they are also the offspring of an Eternal Mother. . . . This glorious truth of celestial parentage, including specifically both a Father and a Mother, is heralded forth by song in one of the greatest of Latter-day Saint hymns[,] O My Father by Eliza R. Snow.” (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 516–17; note that the original title of Sister Snow’s hymn was “Invocation or the Eternal Father and Mother”)

“The theological conception of a Mother in heaven as well as a Father lends dignity to motherhood and wifehood.” (John Henry Evans, A Short History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ed. Gordon B. Hinckley, Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1938: 163.)

“It is marriage, sanctified and God-sanctioned, upon which a glorified home is founded—that blesses, happifies, exalts, and leads at length to companionship with our Heavenly parents, and to eternal, united life, and increase.” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of LDS, 1998: 181)

“The home is patterned after the heavenly dwelling of our Divine parents.” And, “The divine Mother, side by side with the divine Father, [has] the equal sharing of equal rights, privileges and responsibilities.” (Susa Young Gates, History of the Young Ladies’ Mutual Improvement Association of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1911: 234; and “The Vision Beautiful,” Improvement Era 23, April 1920: 542. Sister Gates was the Corresponding Secretary of the Relief Society Presidency when this article was written.)

“It is left for us to infer this from what we see and know of all living things in the earth including man. The male and female principle is united and both necessary to the accomplishment of their being, and if this be not the case with our Father in heaven after whose image we are created, then it is an anomaly in nature. But to our minds the idea of a Father suggests that of a Mother. . . . Hence when it is said that God created our first parents in His likeness—‘in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them’—it is intimated in language sufficiently plain to my understanding that the male and female principle was present with the Gods as it is with man.” (Erastus Snow, in Journal of Discourses, 26: 214, May 31, 1885)

“‘What,’ says one, ‘do you mean we should understand that Deity consists of man and woman?’ Most certainly I do. If I believe anything that God has ever said about himself . . . I must believe that deity consists of man and woman . . . there can be no God except he is composed of the man and woman united, and there is not in all the eternities that exist, or ever will be a God in any other way.” (Erastus Snow, Journal of Discourses, 19:269–70, March 3, 1878)

“To [the Saints] this great truth is most precious, precious to contemplate, and it is an inexpressible privilege to be able to draw nigh unto Him and say ‘Our Father’ in simplicity and faith, knowing that He is indeed our Father and that we are His children. And [as soon as] this great truth is impressed upon our minds, we very naturally begin to associate with it the idea of mother. This is a natural result of our knowledge and experience of human affairs; that earthly tabernacles owe their origin to mother as well as to father; that the two principles are associated together, and that by the union of the two principles, male and female, God has ordained an increase, not alone to his children but to all other branches of the animal kingdom . . . the two principles going hand and hand together. Without the two principles being thus united there is no increase. Further, we are taught that things on earth are organized after the pattern of heavenly things. Need it, therefore, be a marvel and a wonder to the world that we should irresistibly be carried forward to this conclusion—that if we have a Father in heaven we have also a Mother there.” (Erastus Snow, “Discourse by Apostle Erastus Snow,” Deseret News October 22, 1884: 2)

“Neither of the sexes is complete in itself as a counterpart of Deity. We are expressly told that God is the Father of spirits, and to apprehend the literalness of this solemn truth we must know that a mother of spirits is an existent personality.” (James E. Talmage, A Study of the Articles of Faith, Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1982: 443)

“The only one I know of who has been resurrected and had children—that I know of—is my Father in heaven and my Mother in heaven. You could not have a Father in heaven without a Mother in heaven . . . our Father in heaven must have gone through a life of mortality and become resurrected, and we have to have a Mother in heaven, because we could not have a Father without a Mother at any time, in any life. We were their children born after their resurrection.” (Eldred G. Smith, “Exaltation,” in Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year, 1963–64, Provo: Brigham Young University, 1964: 6; at the time, he was Presiding Patriarch of the church)

“We are part of a divine plan designed by Heavenly Parents who love us.” (M. Russell Ballard, When Thou Art Converted: Continuing Our Search for Happiness, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2001: 62)

“Our heavenly parents provided us with a celestial home more glorious and beautiful than any place on earth. We were happy there. Yet they knew we could not progress beyond a certain point unless we left them for a time. They wanted us to develop the godlike qualities that they have. To do this, we needed to leave our celestial home to be tested and to gain experience.” (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Gospel Principles, Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1978: 13–14)

“Wherever there have been intelligences . . . fundamental principles . . . have existed . . . constitut[ing] . . . the laws of eternal truth. Our Heavenly Parents have through aeons of time . . . applied in Their lives an untold number of these everlasting laws. As They learned these verities and how to operate them, these laws thereby became subject unto Elohim.” (Milton R. Hunter, The Gospel through the Ages, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1945: 4. Hunter’s work was written and published under the direction of the General Priesthood Committee of the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)

“Influences beyond the veil can help us. Sometimes we [forget] there are loved ones beyond our sight who are thinking about us and our children. We forget that we have a Heavenly Father and a Heavenly Mother who are even more concerned, probably, than our earthly father and mother, and that influences from beyond are constantly working to try to help us when we do all we can.” (Harold B. Lee, “The Influence and Responsibility of Women,” Relief Society Magazine 51, February 1964: 85)

Concerning the glory of our celestial homecoming: “such a regal homecoming [could not] be possible without the anticipatory arrangements of a Heavenly Mother.” (Neal A. Maxwell, “The Women of God,” Ensign 8 (May 1978): 10)

“[W]e, as parents, give an account to our Father and Mother in heaven of the manner in which we have conducted ourselves toward the precious souls entrusted to us . . . .” (Elder James G. Duffin, in The 79th Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1909) 24)

“[K]nowing how profoundly our mortal mothers have shaped us here, do we suppose Her influence on us as individuals to be less if we live so as to return [to heaven]?” (Spencer W. Kimball, “The True Way of Life and Salvation,” Ensign 8 (May 1978): 6 )

“Sisters, I testify that when you stand in front of your heavenly parents in those royal courts on high and you look into Her eyes and behold Her countenance, any question you ever had about the role of women in the kingdom will evaporate into the rich celestial air, because at that moment you will see standing directly in front of you, your divine nature and destiny.” (Glenn L. Pace, “The Divine Nature and Destiny of Women,” devotional address, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, March 9, 2010, available at Devotionals, Forums, Commencement Addresses - BYU Speeches.)
Statements on Heavenly Mother

 

[Daniel Marsh]

"
Mother in Heaven
Overview

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that all human beings, male and female, are beloved spirit children of heavenly parents, a Heavenly Father and a Heavenly Mother. This understanding is rooted in scriptural and prophetic teachings about the nature of God, our relationship to Deity, and the godly potential of men and women.1 The doctrine of a Heavenly Mother is a cherished and distinctive belief among Latter-day Saints.2

While there is no record of a formal revelation to Joseph Smith on this doctrine, some early Latter-day Saint women recalled that he personally taught them about a Mother in Heaven.3 The earliest published references to the doctrine appeared shortly after Joseph Smith’s death in 1844, in documents written by his close associates.4 The most notable expression of the idea is found in a poem by Eliza R. Snow, entitled “My Father in Heaven” and now known as the hymn “O My Father.” This text declares: “In the heav’ns are parents single? / No, the thought makes reason stare; / Truth is reason—truth eternal / Tells me I’ve a mother there.”5

Subsequent Church leaders have affirmed the existence of a Mother in Heaven. In 1909, the First Presidency taught that “all men and women are in the similitude of the universal Father and Mother, and are literally the sons and daughters of Deity.”6 Susa Young Gates, a prominent leader in the Church, wrote in 1920 that Joseph Smith’s visions and teachings revealed the truth that “the divine Mother, [is] side by side with the divine Father.”7 And in “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” issued in 1995, the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles declared, “Each [person] is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny.”8

Prophets have taught that our heavenly parents work together for the salvation of the human family. “We are part of a divine plan designed by Heavenly Parents who love us,” taught Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.9 President Harold B. Lee stated, “We forget that we have a Heavenly Father and a Heavenly Mother who are even more concerned, probably, than our earthly father and mother, and that influences from beyond are constantly working to try to help us when we do all we can.”10

Latter-day Saints direct their worship to Heavenly Father, in the name of Christ, and do not pray to Heavenly Mother. In this, they follow the pattern set by Jesus Christ, who taught His disciples to “always pray unto the Father in my name.”11 Latter-day Saints are taught to pray to Heavenly Father, but as President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “The fact that we do not pray to our Mother in Heaven in no way belittles or denigrates her.”12 Indeed, as Elder Rudger Clawson wrote, “We honor woman when we acknowledge Godhood in her eternal Prototype.”13

As with many other truths of the gospel, our present knowledge about a Mother in Heaven is limited. Nevertheless, we have been given sufficient knowledge to appreciate the sacredness of this doctrine and to comprehend the divine pattern established for us as children of heavenly parents. Latter-day Saints believe that this pattern is reflected in Paul’s statement that “neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.”14 Men and women cannot be exalted without each other. Just as we have a Father in Heaven, we have a Mother in Heaven. As Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has said, “Our theology begins with heavenly parents. Our highest aspiration is to be like them.”15

The Church acknowledges the contribution of scholars to the historical content presented in this article; their work is used with permission.

Originally published October 2015.
"Mother in Heaven

 

[Daniel Marsh]

"
Overcoming Misconceptions About Our Heavenly Mother
By Morgan Wykstra -Jan 3, 2019
Cover of
Cover of "Our Heavenly Family, Our Earthly Families" children's book
One of the most memorable Relief Society classes I’ve attended centered around the divine nature of women.

A sister brought up Heavenly Mother and what she imagined interacting with Her would be like. Everyone fell silent and many sisters had nervous looks on their faces. Personally, more than anything, I was surprised and intrigued. You see, that was the very first (and since then only) time I’d heard someone freely talk about Heavenly Mother at church… or really, anywhere.

The teacher quickly changed the subject, but my mind stayed right there.

That Sunday sparked a curiosity in me about our Heavenly Mother. Why don’t we know more about Her? Is it really not okay to talk about Her? In my pondering and research, I discovered that we actually know more about our Mother in Heaven than I thought. Unfortunately, some of this knowledge has been hiding behind long-held myths and traditions. Here are four common misconceptions I found out aren’t actually true:

1. We should not talk about Heavenly Mother because the subject is too sacred.
Hannah Mormon
Hannah, via churchofjesuschrist.org
Many Latter-day Saints can comfortably acknowledge that we have a Mother in Heaven. After all, “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” states that we are each a “beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents.” And some modern general authorities have even mentioned Her. But we often shy away from any further discussion on the topic.

A commonly cited reason for this “sacred silence” is that Heavenly Father doesn’t want the world to disrespect and degrade Her.

While well-intentioned, the belief that we shouldn’t talk about Heavenly Mother because She is too sacred has no doctrinal basis. Melvin R. Brooks, a seminary teacher in the 20th century, is credited with the earliest written assertion of this sacred silence:

“Considering the way man has profaned the name of God, the Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ, is it any wonder that the name of our Mother in Heaven has been withheld, not to mention the fact that the mention of Her is practically nil in scripture?” – Melvin R. Brooks (Melvin R. Brooks, LDS Reference Encyclopedia, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1960, 309-310.)

However, this has never been repeated by a general authority. A study published by BYU Studies, which reviewed hundreds of Latter-day Saint historical references to Heavenly Mother, confirmed that while this explanation is widespread, there’s no public record of this ever being said by a Church president, apostle, or other general authority.

Of course, this doesn’t take away from the fact that Heavenly Mother does deserve our utmost respect and reverence, just like our Heavenly Father and Savior.

2. The first mention of Heavenly Mother was in Eliza R. Snow’s hymn “O My Father.”
Eliza R. Snow Mormon
Eliza R. Snow, via churchofjesuschrist.org
The revered hymn, which was originally a poem, reads, “In the heav’ns are parents single? / No, the thought makes reason stare! / Truth is reason; truth eternal / Tells me I’ve a mother there.”

Despite what some believe, this is not the earliest Latter-day Saint mention of a Mother in Heaven. In Women of Covenant: The Story of Relief Society, Eliza R. Snow is recorded to have said the poem was inspired by the Prophet’s teaching, suggesting Joseph Smith taught of Heavenly Mother. In fact, ten months before Eliza’s poem, W.W. Phelps published a hymn mentioning a “Father in heaven, and Mother; the Queen.”

It’s also recorded that when Zina D. Huntington Young’s mother died, she asked Joseph Smith if she would recognize her mother as her mother when she passed herself. Joseph replied by saying, “Certainly you will. More than that, you will meet and become acquainted with your eternal Mother, the wife of your Father in Heaven” (Suza Young Gates, History of the Young Ladies MIA, 16).

Overall, early members and leaders of the Church seem to have spoken and testified of Her more frequently than you may have thought. Rachel Hunt Steenblik, one of the researchers involved in the BYU Studies article mentioned above, states that this concept was new to her at the time of her research.

3. Honoring or talking about Heavenly Mother takes from Heavenly Father’s glory and worship.
Esther Mormon
Queen Esther (1879) by Edwin Long
We know from Elder Melvin J. Ballard that our Mother in Heaven is “glorified, exalted, and ennobled” and stands right beside our Father in Heaven, making her an equal. We also know that we have been commanded to “honor thy father and thy mother.” President George F. Richards taught that this commandment not only refers to our earthly parents but our heavenly parents as well.

President Rudger Clawson echoes President Richards’ reasoning, making another parallel with our earthly parents:

“It doesn’t take from our worship of the Eternal Father, to adore our Eternal Mother, any more than it diminishes the love we bear our earthly fathers, to include our earthly mothers in our affections… We honor woman when we acknowledge Godhood in her eternal prototype.” – President Rudger Clawson

However, it is true that we have been instructed by President Gordon B. Hinckley that prayer to Heavenly Mother is inappropriate. This is because we are meant to follow the example of Jesus Christ, who said to “always pray unto the Father in my name.”

4. Heavenly Mother isn’t as involved in our lives as Heavenly Father.
Anna the Prophetess Mormon
Anna the Prophetess, via womeninthescriptures.com
With the rare mentionings of our Heavenly Mother today, it can be easy to feel as though She isn’t very present in our lives. But many Church leaders have spoken of Her influence, involvement, and love for us.

We know that She was very much involved in our creation as well as the development of the Plan of Salvation. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and his wife, Sister Patricia T. Holland, have even said that our Father and Mother in Heaven continue to create everything around us “lovingly and carefully and masterfully.” And both of our heavenly parents’ involvement in the “divine plan” is affirmed by Elder M. Russell Ballard.

Furthermore, Heavenly Mother continues to play an active role in our lives and influences us more than we may know:

“Knowing how profoundly our mortal mothers have shaped us here, do we suppose Her influence on us as individuals to be less if we live so as to return [to heaven]?” – President Spencer W. Kimball

Just like our Heavenly Father, our Heavenly Mother watches over us with care and concern, trying to help us along the way (Harold B. Lee, “The Influence and Responsibility of Women”). She loves all of Her children and looks forward to seeing us again, including you.

Have you come across any other misconceptions on this topic? What are your thoughts and feelings about our Heavenly Mother? Let us know in the comments.
(I would like to note that much of what I discovered came from the BYU Studies article “‘A Mother There’: A Survey of Historical Teachings about Mother in Heaven” and additional findings by Rachel Hunt Steenblik, one of the researchers for the study. I thank them for their time and invaluable contributions to something so important.)
Overcoming Misconceptions About Our Heavenly Mother | Third Hour

 

[Daniel Marsh]

I am surprised this is an embarrassing topic.

 

[Peter1000]

I am surprised this is an embarrassing topic.

It is not embarrassing to any of us.

 

[Peter1000]

I am surprised this is an embarrassing topic.

This was an excellent post about Heavenly Mother. We are certainly not embarrassed about her.

 

[drstevej]

Peter 1000, do you worship Heavenly Mother?

 

[Daniel Marsh]

Hi all, from the posts in this thread it seem like someone was embarrassed.