Heavenly Mother

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In some religious traditions or movements Heavenly Mother (also referred to as Mother in Heaven) is the wife and feminine counterpart of God the Father.


Contents

[edit] Branch Davidian Seventh Day Adventists

There are numerous Jewish and Christian groups who see the Holy Spirit as being our heavenly Mother. They base their thinking regarding the gender of the Holy Spirit on the fact that the Hebrew word for Spirit, Ruach, is feminine, attaching little weight to the fact that the Greek word for Spirit (Pneuma) is neuter, and the Latin one is masculine, because the Logos ("oracles" - words) of God are said to given unto the Jews (Rom. 3:1, 2).

Foremost among these groups, and the most vocal on the subject are the Branch Davidian Seventh day Adventists. In 1977, one of their leaders, Lois Roden, began to formally teach that the feminine Holy Spirit is the heavenly pattern of women, and is the heavenly Mother of whom the "born again" are spiritually born. In her many studies and talks she cited numerous scholars and researchers from Jewish, Christian, and other sources.

They see in the creation of Adam and Eve a literal image and likeness of the invisible Godhead, Male and Female, Father and Mother, who is "clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made" (Rom. 1:20). They take the Oneness of God to mean the absolute Unity which exists between Them, which unity is not seen in any other depiction of the Godhead by the various non-Hebrew peoples.

Thus, having a Father and Mother in heaven, they see that the Bible shows that those Parents had a Son born unto them before the creation of the world, by Whom all things were created. The final element in their belief that mankind is literally made in the image and likeness of Gods is that of a divine Daughter, a feminine counterpart of the Son. They say that the concept has it roots in the Bible and Jewish concept of The Matronit. They see that the King James translators understood the concept of Christ having His own Spirit (feminine counterpart), by using the terms "Holy Spirit" (Mother - Spirit of God), and "Holy Ghost" (Daughter - Spirit of Christ).

These concepts are also taught among other groups, to one degree or another.

[edit] Hebrew Asherah

The Hebrew Bible mentions a heresy cult involving worshiping a goddess.[1] A number of ancient texts have been discovered that refers to Asherah that have been interpreted by some as referring to a goddess.[2]

[edit] Hinduism

Goddess Durga is seen as the supreme mother goddess by some Hindus.
Goddess Durga is seen as the supreme mother goddess by some Hindus.

In the Hindu context, the worship of the Mother entity can be traced back to early Vedic culture, and perhaps even before. The Rigveda calls the divine female power Mahimata (R.V. 1.164.33), a term which literally means Mother Earth. At places, the Vedic literature alludes to her as Viraj, the universal mother, as Aditi, the mother of gods, and as Ambhrini, the one born of Primeval Ocean. Durga, the wife of Shiva, is a warrior goddess who represents the empowering and protective nature of motherhood. An incarnation of Durga is Kali, who came from her forehead during war (as a means of defeating Durga's enemy, Mahishasura). Durga and her incarnations are particularly worshipped in Bengal.

Today, Devi is seen in manifold forms, all representing the creative force in the world, as Maya and prakriti, the force that galvanizes the divine ground of existence into self-projection as the cosmos. She is not merely the Earth, though even this perspective is covered by Parvati (Durga's previous incarnation). All the various Hindu female entities are seen as forming many faces of the same female Divinity.

[edit] Latter Day Saint movement

Belief in Heavenly Mother within the Latter Day Saint movement is diverse. Some denominations disavow a belief in Her, some do not make Her a part of the official doctrine, and others openly acknowledge Her existence.[3]

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the theology implies the existence of a Heavenly Mother, who many members believe exists. She is not referred to in scripture or other Church canon; however, there are some authoritative statements in support of Her existence.[4] She is not the object of prayer, as members are instructed that prayers are to be addressed to God the Father in the name of Jesus Christ.[5][6]

[edit] Origin of the Heavenly Mother theology

The theological underpinnings of a belief in Heavenly Mother is attributed to Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, who shortly before his death in 1844 outlined a controversial view of God that differed dramatically from modern Christian consensus.[7] Smith's new theology included the belief that God would share His glory with his children and that we, both men and women, might become exalted beings, or gods and goddesses, in the afterlife (see Exaltation).

Although there is no clear record of Joseph Smith teaching of Heavenly Mother publicly, several of Smith's contemporaries attributed the theology to him either directly, or as a consequence of his new theological stance. An editorial footnote of History of the Church, 5:254, presumably quotes Joseph Smith as saying: "Come to me; here's the mysteries man hath not seen, Here's our Father in heaven, and Mother, the Queen." In addition, a second-hand account states that in 1839, Joseph Smith had told Zina Diantha Huntington, one of Smith's plural wives, after the death of her mother, that "not only would she know her mother again on the other side, but 'more than that, you will meet and become acquainted with your eternal Mother, the wife of your Father in Heaven'."[8]

In addition, members of the Anointed Quorum, a highly select spiritual organization in the early Church that was privy to Smith's teachings, also acknowledged the existence of a Heavenly Mother.[9] Also, the Times and Seasons published a letter to the editor from a person named "Joseph's Specked Bird" in which the author stated that in the pre-Earth life, the spirit "was a child with his father and mother in heaven".[10]

In 1845, after the murder of Joseph Smith, the poet Eliza Roxcy Snow, published a poem entitled "My Father in Heaven", (later titled "Invocation, or the Eternal Father and Mother", now used as the lyrics in the popular Latter-day Saint hymn "O My Father"), acknowledges the existence of a Heavenly Mother.[11] This hymn contained the following language:

In the heavens are parents single?
No, the thought makes reason stare.
Truth is reason: truth eternal
tells me I've a mother there.

Some early Mormons considered Eliza Snow to be a "prophetess",[12] and Latter-day Saint Church President Wilford Woodruff believed that Snow had obtained this understanding through her own revelation.[citation needed] Later, however, Church President Joseph F. Smith (a nephew of Joseph Smith, Jr.) explained his own belief that "God revealed that principle that we have a mother as well as a father in heaven to Joseph Smith; Joseph Smith revealed it to Eliza Snow Smith, his wife; and Eliza Snow was inspired, being a poet, to put it into verse."[13]

[edit] Prayer to the Heavenly Mother

Some feminist Mormons have adopted the practice of praying to the Heavenly Mother. However, the LDS Church has rejected this practice, saying that Mormons should not pray to the Heavenly Mother.[14] A feminist professor was fired from Brigham Young University for teaching prayer to Heavenly Mother in her class.[15]

[edit] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

[edit] Acknowledgment of the theology

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints did not formally acknowledge the existence of a Heavenly Mother until 1909, in a statement on evolution by the First Presidency marking the 50th anniversary of Charles Darwin's Origin of Species[16] The Church also later acknowledged the theology in the 1995 statement The Family: A Proclamation to the World, where the Church officially stated that each person is a "spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents". Other references to Heavenly Mother can be found in Latter-day Saint speeches and literature.[17]

[edit] Elaborations on Heavenly Mother

In general, Heavenly Mother "is a shadowy and elusive [belief] floating around the edges of Mormon consciousness".[18] Though the belief is held by most Mormons, the doctrine is not advertised by the LDS Church. Heavenly Mother is sometimes mentioned in the LDS Sunday School classes, and these discussions are most often consistent with the theology discussed above. The lack of focused teaching and more information about Her may be to avoid drawing attention to her and to preserve the sacredness of Her existence.[citation needed] Due to the still prevailing belief among some Latter-day Saints that plural marriage is a true principle that is practiced in heaven, some members of the LDS Church even believe that there are more than one Mothers in Heaven.[19]

[edit] Unification Church

In the Unification Church some members occasionally address God as "Heavenly Mother" when emphasizing the divine attribute of femininity, but not indicating a distinct person. Unificationists consider God a unified being of masculine and feminine characteristics, but they nearly always address God (in prayer) using masculine references and refer to Him as "Father" or "Heavenly Father."

[edit] References

  1. ^ See Jeremiah 7:17–18, 44:17
  2. ^ See Asherah#Asherah and other gods
  3. ^ The Role of Women in the Church. Restoration Church of Jesus Christ. Retrieved on July 17, 2006.
  4. ^ O My Father, LDS hymn #292, refers to a mother in heaven. The Family: A Proclamation to the World mentions "heavenly parents". Various LDS curriculum materials refer to a Heavenly Mother, for instance see the conclusion of The Latter Day Saint Women, Lesson 9 and "Chapter 2: Our Heavenly Family", Gospel Principles, 11 (1997). See also a statement by a former President of the Church in Spencer W. Kimball, "The True Way of Life and Salvation", Ensign, May 1978, 4.
  5. ^ Guide to the Scriptures: Prayer. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved on July 23, 2006.
  6. ^ “Pray unto the Father in My Name”. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved on July 23, 2006.
  7. ^ See King Follett Discourse; Smith 1844.
  8. ^ Wilcox 1987, p. 65.
  9. ^ Wilcox 1987, pp. 65-67; Orson Pratt 1876, p. 292; Wilford Woodruff 1875, pp. 31-32.
  10. ^ Joseph's Specked Bird 1845, p. 892.
  11. ^ Snow 1845. See also Derr 1996-97; Pearson 1992.
  12. ^ Abstract of “Poems, religious, historical, and political”. Harold B. Lee Library/Online Collections at BYU. Retrieved on July 23, 2006.
  13. ^ Wilcox 1987, p 65.
  14. ^ Hinckley 1991, pp 97-100.
  15. ^ (September-October 1997). "Academic Freedom and Tenure: Brigham Young University" (PDF). American Association of University Professors. Retrieved on 2006-07-20.
  16. ^ Smith et al. 1909.
  17. ^ See, for example, Hinckley 1991, encouraging Latter-day Saint women not to pray to the Heavenly Mother.
  18. ^ Wilcox 1987, p. 64.
  19. ^ See, for example, Comments #7 and #132 at "Imagining Heavenly Mother", Feminist Mormon Housewives Blog, 8 January 2007.

[edit] Bibliography

  • Bickmore, Barry R., "Mormonism in the Early Jewish Christian Milieu", http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/conf/1999BicB.html#en112 (1999).
  • Derr, Jill Mulvay, "The Significance of 'O My Father' in the Personal Journey of Eliza R. Snow", BYU Studies 36, no. 1 (1996-97): 84-126.
  • Hinckley, Gordon B., "Daughters of God", Ensign, November 1991: 97-100.
  • Joseph's Specked Bird, Letter to the Editor, Times and Seasons 6: 892 (May 1, 1845).
  • Jorgensen, Danny L., "The Mormon Gender-Inclusive Image of God", Journal of Mormon History, 27, No. 1 (Spring 2000): 95-126.
  • Origen, Origen's Commentary on the Gospel of John: Book II, ¶6. Included in The Ante-Nicene Fathers, 10 vols. (Buffalo: The Christian Literature Publishing Company, 1885-1896) 10:329-330.
  • Pearson, Carol Lynn, "Mother Wove the Morning: a one-woman play" (October 1992) (ISBN 1-56236-307-7) (depicting, according to the video's description, Eliza R. Snow as one of "sixteen women [who] throughout history search for God the Mother and invite her back into the human family").
  • Pratt, Orson, Journal of Discourses 18:292 (Nov. 12, 1876).
  • Smith Jr., Joseph, King Follett Discourse, April 7, 1844, published in Times and Seasons 5 (August 15, 1844): 612-17, and reprinted in the History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, edited by B. H. Roberts, 2d ed. rev. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, (1976-1980), 6:302-17; see also "The Christian Godhead--Plurality of Gods", History of the Church, 6: 473-79.
  • Smith, Joseph F. et al., "The Origin of Man", Improvement Era (November 1909): 80.
  • Wilcox, Linda P., "The Mormon Concept of a Mother in Heaven", Sisters in Spirit: Mormon Women in Historical and Cultural Perspective, edited by Maureen Ursenbach Beecher and Lavina Fielding Anderson (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1987), 64-77.
  • Woodruff, Wilford, Journal of Discourses 18:31-32 (June 27, 1875).

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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