“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.”
Our Mother in Heaven is real but is rarely discussed in Mormon culture. A recent article on LDS.org, however, directly addresses Church teachings on our Heavenly Mother.
No formal record exists of Joseph Smith or other early Church leaders referring to Heavenly Mother. However, women living in Nauvoo at the time of the Prophet’s death expressed that he did teach them about her. Eliza R. Snow’s hymn “O My Father” mentions a Mother in Heaven in explaining that families are eternal and will exist in heaven.
Prophets and apostles have mentioned her existence through the years, almost exclusively in teaching about the divine role of the family and the power of women. For example, Elder Rudger Clawson wrote, “We honor woman when we acknowledge Godhood in her eternal Prototype.”
More recently, Elder Dallin H. Oaks said, “Our theology begins with heavenly parents. Our highest aspiration is to be like them.” Clearly, our Heavenly Mother works with the Father to help and protect us and lead us back to our eternal home.
In “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” published in 1995, the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles stated: “Each [person] is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny.”
We do not pray to Heavenly Mother. However, 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.”
While there is much we do not know about her, we know enough to recognize a divine pattern of families and to appreciate her sacredness.
Read more about our Mother in Heaven.
Source: lds.org
—Sarah Martin, Mormon Insights
Find more insights
Watch or read President Gordon B. Hinckley’s article on the power women have; in this article, he discusses Church teachings on our Heavenly Mother.
Joseph Smith taught about the priesthood, temple, and women. See this article for more information.
I’m so glad you chose to write about this! I have always believed in a Heavenly Mother, but I never thought about it much since she is not discussed often. I really wish we knew more about her and why she’s been kept such a mystery from us.
I like the mention of President Hinckley’s thought: that even though we don’t pray to her or have the same sort of relationship we have with Heavenly Father, that’s totally ok. It actually kind of makes me excited to think of how my relationship with her will be in the afterlife. I’m sure much more sacred and enlightening when we have a better knowledge of how things are run here.
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