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Partly because Heavenly Mother is not frequently discussed at official church meetings, some believe that members are not allowed to talk about Her (1). This belief was explored in “‘A Mother There’: A Survey of Historical Teachings about Mother in Heaven” by David L. Paulsen and Martin Pulido. However, at the conclusion of their essay, Paulsen and Pulido write, “We have found no public record of a General Authority advising us to be silent about our Heavenly Mother; indeed, as we have amply demonstrated, many General Authorities have openly taught about Her” (2).

Doctrine of Heavenly Mother is rooted in the literal interpretations of scripture by early Church leaders and members. If we are children of God the Father, there must also be a God the Mother because it takes a mother and a father to make a child. In the early years of the Church, Heavenly Mother was openly spoken of. Joseph Smith taught Zina Diantha Huntington Young that when she reached heaven she would “meet and become acquainted with your eternal Mother, the wife of your Father in Heaven”(3). Both W.W. Phelps and Eliza R. Snow, early Church leaders and poets, wrote songs that mention a Mother in Heaven (4). The concept of a Heavenly Mother was unregulated and widely accepted in the early Church, as Edward Tullidge’s chapter in Women of Mormondom titled “Eliza R. Snow’s Invocation” shows. Written by Tullidge under Eliza R. Snow’s direction, Women of Mormondom was an attempt to show the rest of the world what Mormon women were really like and what they believed (5). For a whole chapter to be devoted to Heavenly Mother, shows that it was widely accepted in the early Church.

In 1909, the First Presidency of the Church issued a statement in the Improvement Era, an official magazine for the youth of the Church, which taught that all humans are literal sons and daughters of Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother (6). However strongly the discussion of Heavenly Mother may have begun in the 20th century, discussion of Heavenly Mother diminished significantly, and ultimately became perceived as a taboo topic because it wasn’t frequently talked about over the pulpit. Then, in 1993 the September Six were excommunicated or disfellowshipped, at least partially for their public discussion about Heavenly Mother. This created a sense of fear associated with openly talking about Heavenly Mother.

In more recent years there has been a resurgence of conversations that include Heavenly Mother. In 1995 President Hinkley, then the prophet of the Church, shared “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” which states that each individual is “a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents,” thus implicitly including Her in a conversation about Heavenly Father 7). In the last fifteen years, discussion of Heavenly Mother has become much more open. Publications unofficially associated with the Church—such as Exponent II (a Mormon feminist blog and magazine) and Sunstone (an intellectual magazine)—have published numerous essays about Heavenly Mother. Online discussion boards from the same timeframe show a multitude of posts discussing Heavenly Mother and sharing questions and beliefs about Her which go beyond the official doctrine taught by the institutional church. In 2011 BYU Studies published “‘A Mother There’: A Survey of Historical Teachings about Mother in Heaven”(8). Because this article was published by a church-sponsored school, it carries more weight with the general church membership than publications like Exponent II and Sunstone. Then, a gospel essay titled “Mother in Heaven” was posted on LDS.org in 2015 which outlines the theology of the institutional church about Heavenly Mother and draws heavily from the research in “A Mother There” (9).

David L. Paulsen and Martin Pulido’s “‘A Mother There’: A Survey of Historical Teachings about Mother in Heaven” is the most comprehensive summary of the public words of church authorities about Heavenly Mother. As such, it is the best resource for learning the institutional doctrine of Heavenly Mother. Paulsen and Pulido cite speeches by general church leaders who have taught that Heavenly Mother is the Wife of Heavenly Father, the Mother of the spirits of all humans, co-creator of the world, co-framer of the plan of salvation, involved in Her children’s mortal lives, and that after death, humans will return to both Heavenly Parents.

Although Paulsen and Pulido found numerous explicit mentions of Heavenly Mother, Her existence is not a doctrinal topic that is frequently discussed in official church meetings. That being said, the phrase “Heavenly Parents,” which implies a Heavenly Mother to go with Heavenly Father, has been used more and more frequently in recent years (10).

In the last fifteen years, discussion of Heavenly Mother has become much more open. Publications officially associated with the Church such as LDS Living and Deseret Book have published articles and carried books on the topic. Publications unofficially associated with the Church—such as LDS Magazine (a mainstream journal), Exponent II (a Mormon feminist blog and magazine) and Sunstone (an intellectual magazine)—have published numerous essays about Heavenly Mother.

We rejoice that we have both a Heavenly Mother and a Heavenly Father.