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Question: Is Heavenly Mother not talked about more because the prophets are sexist
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Question: Is Heavenly Mother not talked about more because the prophets are sexist?
Some claim that leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints do not seek revelation about Heavenly Mother because they do not want to know about her. These critics believe that a supposed “cultural belief” of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles holds that men are inherently superior to women and thus the prophets only seek revelation from and about God the Father and not God the Mother.
Additionally, it is sometimes asserted that Jesus was sexist in the scriptures because he instructed his followers to always pray unto the Father when praying to God (3 Nephi 18꞉19-21,23,30).
Heavenly Mother Would Answer Prayers the Same as Heavenly Father
Some believes that praying to the Mother would yield a different answer or different spiritual feelings than praying to the Father in the name of Christ.
But the unity that attends all members of the Godhead (e.g., Father, Son, and Holy Ghost) applies to Heavenly Mother as well. Perfect beings cannot lie, and they would not give answers or feelings that differed from each other.
Heavenly Mother is in Unity with the Father, Christ, and Prophet
If Jesus' instruction to pray only to the Father was in error, Heavenly Mother and Heavenly Father are capable of so instructing the prophets and apostles.
It is strange that those who want to increase the Mother's prominence in LDS doctrine sometimes suggest that she is too weak to overcome knowledge that is "gatekeeped" by mortals.
Many prophets have spoken repeatedly about Heavenly Mother.[1] It is clear that they would welcome more knowledge about her. It would be strange for them to seek this knowledge, and yet seek to hide it because they don't like the implications. Who who dare fight against God or a Goddess? And why would we believe that a divine being could be silenced by the petulance of a mere mortal?
Elder Dale G. Renlund stated plainly that "[v]ery little has been revealed about Mother in Heaven, but what we do know is summarized in a gospel topic found in our Gospel Library application.[2] Once you have read what is there, you will know everything that I know about the subject. I wish I knew more."[3]
Learning more about her would certainly solidify and illuminate Latter-day Saint doctrines of marriage, sex, deification, and morality. Our lack of further knowledge does not come from the prophets' recalcitrance.
Why do we not know more?
What could that reason be? It’s very unwise to commit ourselves dogmatically to any reason. Elder Dallin H. Oaks observed the following in relation to the priesthood and temple restriction but it easily applies here:
...It's not the pattern of the Lord to give reasons. We can put reasons to commandments. When we do we're on our own. Some people put reasons to [the ban] and they turned out to be spectacularly wrong. There is a lesson in that.... The lesson I've drawn from that, I decided a long time ago that I had faith in the command and I had no faith in the reasons that had been suggested for it.
...I'm referring to reasons given by general authorities and reasons elaborated upon [those reasons] by others. The whole set of reasons seemed to me to be unnecessary risk taking.
...Let's [not] make the mistake that's been made in the past, here and in other areas, trying to put reasons to revelation. The reasons turn out to be man-made to a great extent. The revelations are what we sustain as the will of the Lord and that's where safety lies.[4]
Elder Renlund made the same point in relation to Heavenly Mother:
You too may still have questions and want to find more answers. Seeking greater understanding is an important part of our spiritual development, but please be cautious. Reason cannot replace revelation. Speculation will not lead to greater spiritual knowledge, but it can lead us to deception or divert our focus from what has been revealed.[5][3]
If we are troubled by a lack of knowledge, we can consider possible reasons in a spirit of prayer and humility. We ought to be cautious, however, of dogmatic claims—especially when those claims draw partly on our own hurt or our own political/social views.
We might project our own painful mortal experiences with abuse, mistreatment, or sexism onto the prophets' relatonship with Mother in Heaven. While that is understandable, it is unwise and will not lead us to peace of mind or heart about these issues.
The broader issue of sexism
Concerns about these issues often turn, then, on broader questions and concerns about perceived or actual sexism in society or the Church. These issues are explored in a separate essay.
It is inevitable that in the 21st century west, questions about sexism in Church doctrine, history, and practice will arise. We need to be ready to give "a reason for the hope that is in [us]" (1 Peter 3꞉15). This requires that we be sharp moral thinkers who may sometimes need to push back gently against popular ideas to arrive at a fuller understanding of the truth.
Notes
- ↑ David L. Paulsen and Martin Pulido, "A Mother There': A Survey of Historical Teachings about Mother in Heaven," BYU Studies Quarterly 50, no. 1 (2011): 70–97.
- ↑ See Gospel Topics, “Heavenly Parents.” Another resource providing information on this subject is the Gospel Topics essay “Mother in Heaven” (topics.ChurchofJesusChrist.org).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Dale G. Renlund, "Your Divine Nature and Eternal Destiny," Liahona 45, no. 5 (May 2022). Emphasis added in 3.0.
- ↑ Dallin H. Oaks cited in "Apostles Talk about Reasons for Lifting Ban," Daily Herald, Provo, Utah (5 June 1988): 21 (Associated Press); reproduced with commentary in Dallin H. Oaks, Life's Lessons Learned: Personal Reflections (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Co., 2011), 68-69.
- ↑ Even sincere questions about partially revealed or unrevealed truths can lead us to look “beyond the mark” (Jacob 4:14). In particular, we need to rely “wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save” ({{s|2|Nephi|31|19{{), Jesus Christ. Suggesting the need for something more than what Jesus Christ offers effectively diminishes the scope and power of His infinite Atonement. In so doing we divert our attention from the ultimate “source [to which we should] look for a remission of [our] sins” (2 Nephi 25:26).