It’s clear Mormons believe in a Heavenly Mother. So why
does she gets so little press? My colleague Cal Grondahl
quips it’s because she left Heavenly Father a long time ago.
Jokes aside, it may because my faith’s doctrine teaches, or
has taught, that while there’s only one Heavenly Father,
there’s a lot of Heavenly Mothers. In an earlier blog, I
visited an 1853 edition of the LDS publication, The
Millennial Star, with an article where “Abby” tries to
persuade “Nelly” to the virtues of polygamy. (link)
“Abby” argues, “… Now if God is appointing His sons on
the earth to fill thrones and occupy many principalities,
and my husband means to be as worthy to fill thrones as
others, then I will be content to share with him one
throne, and rejoice at the same time to see others share
with him other thrones, while my capacity will not allow
me to share any more than my own. …”
Blogger Joanna Brooks talked about a hoped-for Heavenly
Mother resurgence in a blog last year (Read)
It hasn’t occurred in the chapels, although there’s a very
interesting discussion about our maternal goddess here.
BYU Studies published an excellent piece on Heavenly
Mother’s relevance in Mormonism that can be accessed here.
Heavenly Mother was talked about in LDS churches long go,
whether by Brigham Young, BH Roberts, etc. What many don’t
realize is that Mormonism was once a progressive, eccentric
religion that shocked everyone. Much of that history has
been toned down, to put it mildly, the past few generations.
In fact, a generation ago, members were urged by the
church’s First Presidency not to talk about Heavenly
Mother. Some believe that was a reaction by church leaders
worried about feminist efforts to harness Heavenly Mother.
So, is Heavenly Mother a headache for Heavenly Father? It’s
an interesting question. I’d sure like to hear more about
her in church. My guess is that the constant fears about
revisiting Mormonism’s fascinating history is why there is
this “sacred silence,” as some have called it. The doctrine
of polygamy, eternal life, godhood, and eternal worlds leads
to the conclusions that God is dealing with scores,
hundreds, perhaps even thousands of “Heavenly Mothers.”
Nevertheless, My Heavenly Mother, even if she shares my
Heavenly Father with a lot of other spouses, is a God[ess].
I’d like to learn more about before I have an opportunity to
meet her personally. I bet She can handle it.
