In Relief Society today, I found myself wincing through speculative doctrine which absolutely triggers my cringe reflex...the unsubstantiated theories about Heavenly Mother passed off as gospel knowledge.
For some reason, this one feels more grating than some other speculations do. Maybe it's because I've personally seen where it takes some sisters on tangents, which end up as spiritually harmful. And for some reason it will not die in our ward. (Fortunately, we have a brand new bishop, so it may be on its way out.)
I thought about correcting it right there in class - but knew it would detract from the spirit of the lesson the poor teacher was trying to teach. So I changed the subject back to the topic instead.
Today it was (more or less), "Heavenly Father checks everything with Heavenly Mother before he presents anything to earth."
Recently in the past it was, "Heavenly Mother helped create the earth."
The relationship between Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother is sacred.
It is also something we're not privy to.
It was wisdom in Heavenly Father not to reveal too much about their relationship, and I trust Him they are wise purposes. Along with 1000's of years worth of evidence from scripture, prophets and revelation communicate their relationship is not yet a topic for our time.
Nonetheless, for some reason people feel the need to speculate and claim understanding and put forth ideas which are comfortable for their particular imaginations as gospel doctrine or truth.
I've paid a social price to even address this this kind of speculation in the past (among other things) - that's small-town life and politics.
Although these topics and conclusions about Heavenly Mother may not seem harmful, they are. They subvert and distract from our most important understandings. (More on this in a bit). I vaguely remembered writing about this topic sometime back and found the post from two years ago. After some editing and some additions, I decided to re-post it. Especially since Heavenly Mother's suffrage movement is somewhat related to Ordain Women's (apostate group) sub-themes which their principals proudly write thesis papers about.
Here we go (original post from 2012)
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The views expressed in this post are solely my own and are not an official viewpoint of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
This is a hard topic sometimes, but it keeps coming up here in Oregon so here we go:
I had a sister in my Gospel Principles class express her irritation last Sunday over the new Gospel Principles book not mentioning Heavenly Mother by name like the old one did. In fact, her opinion was since God was so chauvinistic and out of touch with women, she prayed to Heavenly Mother instead.
Indeed, we're one of the few religions who even mention the idea we have both heavenly parents. We believe mortal families are ideally patterned after our eternal, heavenly one. Nonetheless, we have very little to go on in regards to a Heavenly Mother. She's only mentioned a couple of times briefly by early leaders and it's actually a popular LDS hymn
"O My Father" which says the most I've read on the idea.
I've heard several conjectures as to why Heavenly Mother gets so little press time and that's all they are...guesses. Guesses to appease those who interpret our lack of focus on her as some kind of disrespect, or that God is a chauvinist. It sometimes becomes a rallying point for some LDS feminists.
As an aside, have you ever noticed how unsettled and unhappy a good number of feminists are? Not only that, sometimes feminism doesn't sound a whole lot different than chauvinism.
I question the soundness of forwarding or rallying either gender over another. The idea that one gender suffers more than the other is seriously out of touch with reality and is probably more indicative of a communication gap or an unwillingness to walk in the other's shoes.
Have you ever walked in a man's shoes? Historically and collectively, they have their own difficulties and are called upon to sacrifice in ways women typically aren't. Consider this verse from Joseph Smith in D&C 127:2
"And as for the perils which I am called to pass through, they seem but a small thing to me, as the envy and wrath of man have been my common lot all the days of my life; and for what cause it seems mysterious, unless I was ordained from before the foundation of the world for some good end, or bad, as you may choose to call it. Judge ye for yourselves. God knoweth all these things, whether it be good or bad. But nevertheless, deep water is what I am wont to swim in. It all has become a second nature to me; and I feel, like Paul, to glory in tribulation; for to this day has the God of my fathers delivered me out of them all, and will deliver me from henceforth; for behold, and lo, I shall triumph over all my enemies, for the Lord God hath spoken it."Indeed, Brigham Young once said of Joseph, whom he was very close to:
"He was poor, harassed, distressed, afflicted, and tormented with lawsuits upon lawsuits, persecution upon persecution, and thus it cost thousands and hundreds of thousands of dollars to keep him alive, which a few had to sustain.""...it is directly opposite of that we saw in the days of Joseph the Prophet. He was full of sorrow, trouble, poverty, and distress..." (JD Volume 1, pgs. 75 & 78)One of the objections this sister had was all the health suffering women have which men don't. Mainly the ones associated with our reproductive systems. For example, women suffer graver consequences from STD's...etc.
Newsflash...men have a higher disease and mortality rate than women in any given age group, from the womb on. Just wikipedia it (life expectancy).
Personally I find the focus on a Heavenly Mother and indignation over her tends to be a bit narcissist and oblivious of the big picture. Sometimes, it may well signal some deep feelings of inadequacy over one's own feminine identity.
My response to this one sister in class at the time, was
the topic of Heavenly Mother prompted all kinds of speculation and unsubstantiated doctrine. That may be why they took it out of the book. My own ward has several sisters who are vocal on the topic. Quite frankly, when I listen to them, it doesn't sound much different than a child conjuring up a convenient, imaginary friend. One who completely understands, whose mindset is completely in sync and whose opinions and viewpoints must be very similar to their own current mortal ones. And a few even imagine they're doing Heavenly Mother and themselves a favor by championing her - like women suffrage via stellar travel.
Curious question to those with feminist tendencies: How do you know the types of suffering our gender endures weren't Heavenly Mother's idea in the first place?
I don't have an answer to that question.
Let me tell you what I do know.
Everything we need to return home to those Heavenly Parents who sent us here, has been given us in this time and place. The fulness of the gospel means we have what we need for now. It does not mean there won't be a whole lot more in the next life or even later in this one.
Mortality is an amazingly short trip. In several places throughout the scriptures it mentions a definitive formula - 1000 years is as one day to the Lord - and whether it's literal or figurative, the idea is the same. Our time here is a blip compared to God's time. Doing the math, it means most of us spend an average of 1 hr and 45 minutes as a mortal (assuming you live to a ripe old age) in UST (Universe Standard Time).
Can you imagine right before you were born, Heavenly Father saying, "See you in a couple of hours!"
In regards to our suffering: It's very short-lived. It touches all of us, no one escapes it despite our perceptions to the contrary. However, it is completely made right in the end, and we will be rewarded beyond the capacity of our current comprehension if we endure in faith.
While in Liberty Jail in gross and vile conditions, starvation, cold and whatnot - Joseph asks God where is He? How can he allow this huge injustice to go on?
1 O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?2 How long shall thy hand be stayed, and thine eye, yea thy pure eye, behold from the eternal heavens the wrongs of thy people and of thy servants, and thine ear be penetrated with their cries?3 Yea, O Lord, how long shall they suffer these wrongs and unlawful oppressions, before thine heart shall be softened toward them, and thy bowels be moved with compassion toward them?Then in verse seven, the Lord answers:
7 My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;8 And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.(D&C 121)...a small moment. That's all we're here on earth for as well...a small moment.
To my LDS feminist friends and those who feel they must bring up and champion Heavenly Mother:
Try thinking of our short mortality as a Daddy-daughter date with a couple of firm objectives to accomplish. Mothers don't go on daddy-daughter dates, because the idea is for dads and daughters to get closer. Consequently, we've been counseled and invited to draw really close to Heavenly Father. That's our assignment for now. We don't have any assignments to commune with or champion Heavenly Mother. (Later, I imagine we all will have billions of eons to spend with Heavenly Mother doing a myriad things.)
In a nutshell, while we're here, Heavenly Father gave us this one objective: Find your brother Christ and follow his lead. In turn, Christ has been assigned one thing: to provide a way for you (yes, you specifically) and get you back home where your Heavenly Parents will be waiting for you.
Doctrine & Covenants 45 is very clear on Christ's all-encompassing role for us in this time and place. In fact, this is an awesome section, and makes great reading. It powerfully lays out just how complete Christ's stewardship is over this world, from day one to day last and how much He is a part of our everyday lives.
Brigham Young said it beautifully:
“The greatest and most important of all requirements of our Father in Heaven and of his Son Jesus Christ. ... is to believe in Jesus Christ, confess him, seek him, cling to him, make friends with him. Take a course to open a communication with your Elder Brother or file-leader–our Savior." (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 8:339)"
We will have eternity for many different assignments and adventures, but for this one short trip in the here and now, we have one clear assignment.
Find Christ. Follow Him home.
(More thoughts on
"A Relationship With Christ" if it interests you.)
Like my friend mentioned above, some feminists question if Christ is good enough for the job. Being a man, how could he understand, how could He succor a woman in her specific trials? "We must need to involve a woman in all of this."
Turn this logic around. As mothers, are we unqualified parents for our boys since they are of a different gender? Are we unable to give empathy, counsel and guidance because they are of a different gender? Are we unbalanced and unfair with them because they are a different gender? Are we unable to love and cherish our sons because they are of a different gender?
Do we really discredit Heavenly Father (or Christ) and feel He can't be in charge of our mortality on His own? Do we second-guess Him and insist on bringing Heavely Mother up constantly when He, Christ and the prophets don't? Seriously...some of us decide that He can't operate without Heavenly Mother for this one small amount of time - and re-write their roles and speculate all kinds of scenarios of how the heavens operate. We second-guess thousands of years of prophets, scriptures and revelations.
Perhaps too, some forget about the Atonement, where the Savior took on all pain...all of it. In His own words He said:
"...The Son of Man hath descended below them all." (D&C 122:8)
This is where understanding the Atonement comes in. There's not enough room in this post to expound the point here, but
this talk given by Kent Richards in April 2011 is perfect. It's called "The Atonement Covers All Pain." This is wonderful extra reading, if you're unfamiliar with how this aspect of the Atonement works.
One other being also questioned if Heavenly Father's plan was good enough, fair enough, right enough and decided for himself it wasn't. This same being is terribly, ridiculously jealous of Christ and cannot give Him credit. His constant whisper is Heavenly Father and Christ don't know what they're doing, that there's a better way, that they're incompetent, that
he was a better one for the job.
(Compare this to the speculative logic, Heavenly Mother must be more directly involved with mortality than the prophets and scriptures let on because those Two aren't adequate or complete enough for us on their own.)
I always found the story about Lucifer convincing so many to turn away, too fantastic to fully grasp, and could not fathom an argument that would sway 1/3 of the hosts of heaven to rebel against the Being from whom flows all Light and Love - while they were right there in His very presence and could see Him and hear Him clearly. That is until recently.
Some of the arguments this particular sister made were not too far off of Lucifer's arguments about Heavenly Father and Jesus not being enough, and she was pretty sold on her ideas. I wonder if she'll ever realize who she herself echoes?
This took me all day to write. Probably because this topic doesn't have a lot of reliable resources for it and for me, it was a thought maze to muddle through. Let me know your own thoughts.
Blessings!
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