Do Mormons Believe in a Female God?
Heavenly Mother in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
How could a Father claim His title unless there were also a Mother to share that parenthood? — Joseph Smith
One thing that people might not know about the Mormon church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints being the mainstream sect) is that they officially believe in Heavenly Mother.
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. — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Mother in Heaven” Gospel Topics Essay
Mormonism’s founder taught about Heavenly Mother
Eliza R. Snow, an early Mormon who was known as “Zion’s Poetess”, wrote of Mother in Heaven in a poem first published in 1845 and later made into the hymn “O My Father”.
It is most likely that Zina was taught about Heavenly Mother by the prophet (and founder of the Mormon movement) Joseph Smith.
“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.” — Eliza R. Snow, O My Father
Zina R. Huntington was another woman in the early days of Mormonism who was taught by Joseph Smith about Heavenly Mother. The Church of Jesus Christ’s book Saints, Vol. 1: The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846, chronicles that experience.
When her mother died, Zina was overcome with grief. Knowing the family’s suffering, Joseph continued to attend to them.
During one of Joseph’s visits, Zina asked him, “Will I know my mother as my mother when I get over on the other side?”
“More than that,” he said, “you will meet and become acquainted with your eternal Mother, the wife of your Father in Heaven.”
“Have I then a Mother in Heaven?” Zina asked.
“You assuredly have,” said Joseph. “How could a Father claim His title unless there were also a Mother to share that parenthood?” — Saints, Vol. 1: The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846; chapter 34
W. W. Phelps was another close associate of Joseph Smith’s who in 1844 published a poem in the church magazine mentioning Heavenly Mother.
“Come to me; here’s the myst’ry that man hath not seen; Here’s our Father in heaven, and Mother, the Queen, Here are worlds that have been, and the worlds yet to be, Here’s eternity, — endless; amen: Come to me.” — W.W. Phelps, “A Voice From The Prophet, Come To Me”
Many church leaders have taught about Heavenly Mother
Today, it doesn’t seem that Heavenly Mother is often taught about or spoken of in mainstream church meetings or by general church leaders or authorities.
In fact, one notion I (as well as many other church members) had was that we never learned much about Heavenly Mother because she was “too sacred” to talk about. This conclusion is attributed to some cultural-based idea and doesn’t come from any “authoritative” teaching.
However, a study done by Brigham Young University in 2011 found that since the early church days, there are over 600 references by Mormon church leaders and scholars to Heavenly Mother.
"A Mother There" - BYU Studies
In the grand scheme of frequent church teachings spanning 170 years, 600 references really aren’t a ton. Especially when put in contrast to the constant teachings about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
At the same time, in a very patriarchal structured church organization, and when compared to Christianity in general (I could be wrong, but it doesn’t seem that Christian sects typically teach of female gods), 600 references are not insignificant.
600 references most certainly would debunk the idea that Mother God is “too sacred to talk about”.
Quotes about Heavenly Mother from church leaders
The following quotes are all included in the “A Mother There" study, linked above.
“The Divine Mother is side by side with the Divine Father.”
— Susa Young Gates“No matter to what heights God has attained or may attain, he does not stand alone; for side by side with him, in all her glory, a glory like unto his, stands a companion, the Mother of his children. For as we have a Father in heaven, so also we have a Mother there, a glorified, exalted, ennobled Mother. That is a startling doctrine, I recognize, to some folk, and yet we ought to be governed by reason in giving consideration to this doctrine which is a revelation from God” — Melvin Joseph Ballard
“Our theology begins with Heavenly Parents. Our highest aspiration is to be like them.” — Dallin H. Oaks
“We are children of God with a spirit lineage to Heavenly Parents.” — Dallin H. Oaks
In reference to Heavenly Mother: “The nobility of woman and of motherhood and of wifehood — placing her side by side with the Divine Father” — B.H. Roberts
“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
“We honor women when we acknowledge Godhood in her eternal Prototype.” — Rudger Clawson
“We are part of a divine plan designed by Heavenly Parents who love us.” — M. Russell Ballard
“We declare that we are all the spiritual children of Heavenly Parents; thus we are brothers and sisters in God’s family.” — M. Russell Ballard
“It is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven” — Orson F. Whitney
“I wonder at the strength and courage of our Heavenly Parents, sending us to experience mortality, and of all the deaths they have suffered through with us in our own suffering. We know something of the Father’s powerful grief as he withdrew from his Son, Jesus Christ, as Christ fulfilled the Atonement and died on the cross. . . .
“We too can anticipate that when the time comes for us to step through the veil of mortality, leaving our failing and pain-filled bodies behind, we will see the loving smile and feel the welcoming embrace, not only of our Heavenly Parents and of the Savior, but also of our loved ones who will greet us in full vigor, full remembrance, and full love” — Chieko N. Okazaki“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
Official church sources referring to Heavenly Mother
While Heavenly Mother isn’t really mentioned in church teachings with regularity, She is most definitely cemented into the religion’s beliefs through official church sources.
The most widely recognized official church references to Heavenly Mother today include the “Mother in Heaven Essay”, the Young Women theme, “The Family: A Proclamation to The World” document, and a recent conference address given by apostle Dale G. Renlund.
Mother in Heaven Essay
Gospel Topics Essays are written by church scholars and published by the church. They are typically about controversial topics, or at least topics that members may have many questions about relating to doctrine or church history.
The essay about Heavenly Mother is quoted at the beginning of this article, saying that the church teaches that all human beings are children of heavenly parents.
It then covers a small portion of what has been said about Heavenly Mother by church leaders. The last paragraph of the essay includes the following:
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.” Men and women cannot be exalted without each other. Just as we have a Father in Heaven, we have a Mother in Heaven.
Young Women Theme
The church’s youth organizations for children aged 11–18 — the Young Women Organization and Young Men Organization — each have themes. In Sunday youth classes, the youth stand up and recite their theme together.
When I was growing up, the Young Women’s theme started as, “We are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who loves us, and we love him.”
The theme was changed a few years ago. It now starts as, “I am a beloved daughter of heavenly parents, with a divine nature and eternal destiny.” (Emphasis mine.)
The Young Men’s theme says, “I am a beloved son of God, and He has a work for me to do.”
The Family: A Proclamation to The World
“The Family: A Proclamation to The World” was a statement from the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared in a general church women’s conference in 1995.
The official statement shares the importance of family and outlines standards families should try to live by. Near the beginning, it states —
“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.”
This document could be the subject of a whole other article. It encourages many healthy and good values in family life, encourages prioritizing relationships, and stresses the importance of families.
But it also carries some loaded implications for LGBTQ+ folks and can be weaponized against them. It propagates traditional gender roles, which at best clearly don’t work for everyone and can also be suppressive for women.
The Family Proclamation is typically treated as doctrine, though there are members who don’t believe it would officially be considered doctrinal.
Conference addresses about Heavenly Mother
Most recently, during a women’s session of the church’s general conference in April 2022, church apostle Dale G. Renlund spoke briefly about Heavenly Mother in his address “Your Divine Nature and Eternal Destiny.”
He referred to the gospel topic essay “Mother in Heaven” and said that if you’ve read that essay, you know everything he knows about the topic. He says to seek greater understanding with caution, and that speculation can lead to deception.
Very 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. Once you have read what is there, you will know everything that I know about the subject. I wish I knew more. — Dale G. Renlund, “Your Divine Nature and Eternal Destiny.”
Renlund proceeds to say that speculation can lead to deception. He uses a passage in The Book of Mormon of Jesus teaching to pray to the Father as reason to not pray to Heavenly Mother.
Speculation will not lead to greater spiritual knowledge, but it can lead us to deception or divert our focus from what has been revealed. For example, the Savior taught His disciples, “Always pray unto the Father in my name.” We follow this pattern and direct our worship to our Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ and do not pray to Heavenly Mother.
Interestingly, in 1991, President Gordon B. Hinckley advised against praying to Heavenly Mother as well — also during the women’s session of general conference and stating Jesus’s example of praying to the Father in the scriptures.
He says,
The fact that we do not pray to our Mother in Heaven in no way belittles or denigrates her….I may add that none of us can add to or diminish the glory of her of whom we have no revealed knowledge.
Mormon grassroots observance of Heavenly Mother
Despite the lack of official teachings about Her in current church settings and church-sanctioned resources, Heavenly Mother has become more and more of a focus among many members of the LDS church — specifically in progressive and feminist Latter-day Saint circles.
While today’s focus shift surely isn’t the beginning of the movement of placing emphasis on Her, the internet has surely made the awareness of the Mother God doctrine more widespread.
You’ll find Heavenly Mother being talked about by Latter-day Saints in books (including poetry) geared to both children and adults, on Instagram and other social media platforms, and in podcasts. She is also featured in much artwork done by incredibly talented artist members. Member scholars have written papers about Her being in the scriptures.
A double edged sword
The recent address by Renlund shows that even though widespread focus is growing among church members, the leadership has no intent of bringing Her to the center of our doctrine and she will likely, in all official sense at least, stay marginal for the time being.
Why is this? It leaves a lot to think about. If we truly follow the logic which Joseph Smith taught Eliza — that with a father there must be a mother, and the church currently teaches that two parents are in an equal partnership with each other, and our church worship is focused on a Heavenly Father — as well as Jesus Christ — and developing a relationship with Them, doesn’t it stand to reason that Heavenly Mother should be brought to the center of church teachings and worship as well?
If the purpose of the church organization is to bring us closer to God, and Heavenly Mother is part of that God, then shouldn’t the organization be encouraging relationships with Her and testimonies of Her as well?
I see the Mormon belief in a Heavenly Mother as a double-edged sword. On one end, it is a unique gem of a doctrine and is a very forward-thinking belief as far as religion goes.
On the other, keeping that doctrine entirely in the margins when all of our worship is focused on a male God, can be a painful dynamic to many church members, especially women.
When I leave this frail existence / When I lay this mortal by / Father, Mother, may I meet you in your royal courts on high? / Then, at length, when I’ve completed / All you sent me forth to do / With your mutual approbation / Let me come and dwell with you. — Eliza R. Snow, O My Father