Gospel Topics Essays found on LDS.org – Mother in Heaven published on October 23, 2015.
It starts out by saying,
“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.”
Latter-day Saints believe the, human race lived in a premortal existence with Heavenly Parents and that all people are begotten spirit children of God.
One thing the essay doesn’t mention is the idea that there are plural mothers in heaven. However, it has been taught in Mormonism that God the Father is a polygamist.
Mormon Apostle Orson Pratt taught,
“If none but Gods will be permitted to multiply immortal children, it follows that each God must have one or more wives.”
~The Seer, p. 158
He went on to say,
“We have now clearly shown that God the Father had a plurality of wives…”
~The Seer, p. 172
If that was true, there must have been many Heavenly Mothers giving birth to billions of spirits. All humanity in the pre-existence must have had the same father but a different mother. The odds are that we did not come from the same Heavenly Mother. In fact, that would make us spiritual half-brothers and sisters.
And, if our heavenly parents are resurrected immortal beings, why were they procreating “spirit” children and not children with immortal physical bodies like themselves?
First, of all there is no biblical proof to support the notion that people existed as spirits in a previous life. We covered this subject in depth during previous discussions.
The Bible teaches that humans were NOT children of “Heavenly Parents” in a preexistent state. Rather, people become children of God through faith. For instance, John 1:12:
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”
“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” ~ Galatians 3:26
The next statement in the essay says,
“This understanding is rooted in scriptural and prophetic teachings about the nature of God, our relationship to Deity, and the godly potential of men and women. The doctrine of a Heavenly Mother is a cherished and distinctive belief among Latter-day Saints.”
It’s interesting that even though “the doctrine of Heavenly Mother is a cherished and distinctive belief among Latter-day Saints”, nowhere is this doctrine taught in any of the LDS standard works, neither is it found in any of Joseph Smith’s recorded teachings.
However, Tenth President Joseph Fielding Smith explains,
“The fact that there is no reference to a mother in heaven either in the Bible, Book of Mormon or D&C, is not sufficient proof that no such thing as a mother did exist there. If we had a Father, which we did, for all these records speak of him, then does not good common sense tell us that we must have had a mother there also?”
~Answers to Gospel Questions 3:142
But until this essay was published in 2015, how could a Mormon know for sure there is even such a person known as a Heavenly Mother?
