A FEW WEEKS BACK, I offered the closing prayer in my ward’s sacrament meeting and expressed gratitude for Heavenly Mother. It felt like a risk. I’ve never, in my 43 years in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, been present when She was mentioned in a public prayer. Afterwards, two women grabbed me and shared their gratitude for my prayer, giving me the sense it was because of Her mention. I could be wrong. What I’m not wrong about is the hunger so many LDS women have for a connection to the Divine Feminine. I recently learned, through the multiple witness of other LDS women, that Heavenly Mother is, once again, on the outs with the General Authorities. If I offered the same prayer this Sunday, it might earn me a sit-down with my local priesthood keyholder.

Reportedly, the Brethren aren’t happy about the longing many LDS women feel for Heavenly Mother, or with the social media communities that discuss Her with ease. Right now, faithful LDS women are returning from stake training meetings to report in closed social media forums that the highest LDS leaders want members (especially women) to stop discussing Heavenly Mother. One woman reported the proper names “Heavenly Mother” and “Heavenly Parents” are to be exchanged for the lower case “heavenly mother” and “heavenly parents” whenever divine parentage must be broached. Even Heavenly Father loses his proper name by association with Heavenly Mother. Of course, this all ties back to eternal polygamy, where there is one important, central, exalted male figure, and possibly several interchangeable, nondescript exalted women tagging along.

Can you imagine a change in style from Heavenly Father to heavenly father in church material? That’d never happen, of course. Our heavenly father would never be whittled down in esteem by the patriarchs who lead the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints, never be converted from a divine being with a proper name into a lower case concept like they’re doing with our Sacred Mother. 

As Heavenly Mother is placed wayside, so, too, comes a reiteration that prayers shouldn’t be offered to either Heavenly Parents or Heavenly Mother, not that the latter is anything new. The gospel topics essay, “Mother in Heaven,” pulls no punches on that. (Aside: you better get your screen shots of that essay before they edit away proof that the lds church once discussed Her openly and with capital letters.) What is new, however, is the argument avoiding Her. Instead of suggesting Heavenly Mother is too sacred to speak of, they now allege She’s distracting us from the teachings of Jesus and the prophets, thereby causing “dangerous doctrinal drift.” 

This is perhaps one of the most overly ripe claims ever made by lds church leaders. Lest we forget, Mormonism is supposed to have an open cannon. Drift is revelation–unless women are receiving it. LDS women are searching the scriptures for the Sacred Feminine and finding Her, we’re knocking on the door and She is opening, we’re asking and then receiving in ways that empower us with the understanding that our divine worth is greater than we dared hope. Yes, there’s danger here–danger for those who prefer sitting comfortably in still water rather than in the rushing river of growth: there’s danger to the patriarchal structure.

Let’s walk through some theological facts in play. A common theme from the brethren is that we will learn the traits of heavenly father by studying Jesus’ life and ministry. Surely it occurs to them that most of the Savior’s traits–mercy, kindness, forgiveness, the ability to nurture, teach, and heal–are gender traits they assign to women. Therefore, studying the Savior should lead all of us to understanding Heavenly Mother. But they say not. They say, instead, that any focus on Heavenly Mother turns members away from Jesus. Someone has to say it: patriarchy can make even the smartest people look silly. 

Reportedly, the brethren also argue that members shouldn’t talk about Heavenly Mother because, well, Jesus didn’t. The ironies never stop. Latter-day Saints (and mainstream Christianity) teach many things Jesus didn’t mention, things like, oh say, eternal polygamy and the procreation of spirits by heavenly father and Heavenly Mother. And on and on. 

LDS women have been asking our patriarchs to demonstrate that our canon is open by getting us more light and knowledge about Heavenly Mother and reporting it to us. Instead, they backpedal. Apparently, on this, the heavens are closed. To them.

But not to us, not to women. The brethren reserve the right to construct and deconstruct LDS doctrine, attributing that right to divinely granted authority, but in so doing, they deny their own teaching that each member is responsible for our own spiritual development, that each is called to develop our own relationship with the divine, to utilize the gift of the Holy Ghost to enlighten our minds. I’m not hearing any LDS woman telling any of our church leaders what the membership should or shouldn’t believe regarding Heavenly Mother. Instead, I hear women discussing their personal discoveries of the Feminine Divine. If the men won’t take care of our spiritual needs, we’ll do it ourselves. They can’t stop that.

The Spirit of Truth teaches us. Heavenly Mother is a cloth for a new garment and wine for a new bottle. We’ve waited for the brethren to act. We’ve asked them to seek and find Her and then teach us. In this, they’ve failed. Maybe the Mother won’t reveal herself to them. I could hazard a guess as to why, but it’d only be a guess. Still, just as I believe Eliza Snow when she shared that Joseph, her husband through polygamy, had taught her she has a Mother in Heaven, and just as I ask to be believed, they should believe–they should marvel–that LDS women have the faith to find self-enlightenment. Instead they seek to separate us from Her.

It’s fine for them to be happy with their old cloth and old wine. I won’t begrudge them that, but they shouldn’t begrudge LDS women our new, divine connections with Heavenly Mother, a divine being they won’t honor with a proper name, even while staking claim to Her love. We aren’t using unrighteous dominion against them or claiming authority over anyone. That’s their tactic. 

During his October 2015 General Conference talk, Russell M. Nelson, then the president of the Q12, spoke directly to LDS women, asking, “Sisters, do you realize the breadth and scope of your influence when you speak those things that come to your heart and mind as directed by the Spirit?”

As it turns out, we do. We’ve given talks about Heavenly Mother in Sacrament meetings, spoken of Her as we’ve taught or participated in church classes–all this through the gift of the Holy Ghost, often using the priesthood power we’ve been assured by the brethren we possess. And in our places of sisterhood (places without direct connection to the LDS church), we’ve borne testimony to one another of Her influence in our daily lives. Those who have ears to hear, let them hear. 

But not in our formal church meetings, not anymore. Heavenly Mother can’t be spoken there. This week, one sister was asked to deliver a talk on any topic in her upcoming Sacrament meeting. When she chose Heavenly Mother, her bishop forbade it. In light of what other women report, it seems it’s no coincidence. This clamp down is coming to each of us. I wish they understood that it’s as debilitating as it is exhausting to worship under these conditions.

They may succeed in silencing us in meetings, but the Holy Spirit cannot be silenced by men, no matter their position, nor will faith be turned away from heaven. Some LDS women will fall quiet; other’s won’t. Those who won’t remove Heavenly Mother from their religious discourse will be shamed in our community. That’s how this has always worked, and how it will continue to work until it no longer does. Sisters, fresh courage take.

~~~
“Truth is reason; truth eternal tells me I’ve a mother there.”
Eliza R. Snow, LDS Hymn 292 .

AFTERWORD: Check back soon for another post on this topic. This was just the wind-up. Thanks for reading.

Be sure to like and follow Life Outside the Book of Mormon Belt on Facebook by clicking here and the author on Twitter here.

Recommended reading:

Finding Mother God, by Carol Lynn Pearson

Mother’s Milk: Poem’s in Search of Heavenly Mother, by Rachel Hunt Steenblik. Also see this author’s fantastic twitter thread on this topic by clicking here.

I Gave Her a Name, by Rachel Hunt Steenblik and Ashley Mae Hoiland 

A Girl’s Guide to Heavenly Mother and A Boy’s Guide to Heavenly Mother, by McArthur Krishna and Bethany Brady Spalding

 I Know My Heavenly Mother Loves Me Notebook, offered by LDSpreneurs